The Sephardi synagogue is the one that is still left, they didn’t demolish it.
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Golda Salamon
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We were considered to be religious Jews [Hasidim], as my dad and his younger brother attended the yeshiva if Pozsony, in the Czech Republic. So they were religious, and my grandmothers too were religious. Hasidim were very religious, and they observed religion.
They had a separate synagogue, separate slaughterhouse, separate shochet, they did not mix with Sephardim [Editor’s note: Golda Salamon calls the Neologs Sephardim, but not only her, they were called Sephardim in Sziget in general.].They said those were Sephardim, and they were Orthodox. The very religious ones were Orthodox. They wouldn’t have eaten from a meat slaughtered by a Sephardi shochet, they considered it to be treyf [non-kosher].
They had a separate synagogue, separate slaughterhouse, separate shochet, they did not mix with Sephardim [Editor’s note: Golda Salamon calls the Neologs Sephardim, but not only her, they were called Sephardim in Sziget in general.].They said those were Sephardim, and they were Orthodox. The very religious ones were Orthodox. They wouldn’t have eaten from a meat slaughtered by a Sephardi shochet, they considered it to be treyf [non-kosher].
,
Before WW2
See text in interview
Since we usually didn’t look for names somewhere else, but just in the family. They give names after the grandparents, if they are no longer alive, or after a family member if they die. I have only one name, I was called Galdi from the outset. My sister, Dina had only one name too. I don’t know either about Dina having a further name. However it is a custom to give two names, especially for boys. Dodi, David had also the name David Hers.
Romania
We were seven siblings, there were four brothers and three sisters counting myself too. Formerly it was a great sin not to give birth to a baby, they considered that you had killed that baby, if you didn’t give birth to it. It had to be born. That is why there were so many children.
I tell you, 7 children were in our family, in one of my uncle’s 5, in the other uncle’s 8, my third uncle had 6, the fourth had 6 too. There were many children in every Jewish family.
I tell you, 7 children were in our family, in one of my uncle’s 5, in the other uncle’s 8, my third uncle had 6, the fourth had 6 too. There were many children in every Jewish family.
The other day a bus came with young people – there were Jewish children among them, but most of them were Romanians –, who got out from the bus at the synagogue, and they looked for me, I had to explain them, to these young people, the things I had gone through, so that it won’t occur again what it had happened in 1944. That they slaughtered like this people.
Since I was for one year and four months in concentration camp, when they deported me from here. But a very few returned, very few.
Those young people asked me questions, and I had to answer all of them. In Romanian, as there were Jewish children among them, but just a few, the greater part was Romanian, who won’t believe even today, that there had been such a slaughter.
Since I was for one year and four months in concentration camp, when they deported me from here. But a very few returned, very few.
Those young people asked me questions, and I had to answer all of them. In Romanian, as there were Jewish children among them, but just a few, the greater part was Romanian, who won’t believe even today, that there had been such a slaughter.
Whatever will be, will be. Thanks to God, I’m fine, I have money to live on, as I don’t get a normal pension from the Romanians, only 340,000 lei, but I’m receiving the German pension [compensation], because I was deported. I’m given this for several years, since we could compile in Romania the papers and send them to Germany.
They found me there, where I had worked, because I had been numbered in the concentration camp, here is my concentration camp number, A lager, 7986.
They found me there, where I had worked, because I had been numbered in the concentration camp, here is my concentration camp number, A lager, 7986.
I don’t eat pork even today, we are not accustomed to it. It is a sin, we learnt that it was a sin to eat pork. Pork is extremely unhealthy. If you get ill, the first thing is that the doctor forbids you to eat pork, because it’s very stodgy, and fatty too, it’s not healthy.
But in order to eat pork, you have to be accustomed to in your childhood. Well then, in my age, if I didn’t care my health, how would I look like? Since I’m almost 77 years old. But thanks to God, I’m fine. I don’t eat what it is not good for me. I cook it, I prepare it, as I have guests sometimes, but I don’t eat of it. Just what I know I’m allowed to and it’s good for me. I don’t go to doctors, I don’t take any medicine.
But in order to eat pork, you have to be accustomed to in your childhood. Well then, in my age, if I didn’t care my health, how would I look like? Since I’m almost 77 years old. But thanks to God, I’m fine. I don’t eat what it is not good for me. I cook it, I prepare it, as I have guests sometimes, but I don’t eat of it. Just what I know I’m allowed to and it’s good for me. I don’t go to doctors, I don’t take any medicine.
We don’t have slaughterer anymore, after the shochet died, nobody came to replace him. But if I buy meat, I kosher it. As I got used to it, that the blood has to be steeped out of it, it has to be salted, washed, and after that it can be cooked. It’s good for the health too.
I prepare cholent even today. Cholent is good if cooked of last year’s beans. First I let the beans to boil, and I filter the first brown fluid. After that I put the beans on the stove in the pot for cholent, I put in the meat – the meat has to be uncooked –, and it needs spice.
It needs two onions cut into small pieces, hot pepper, garlic, paprika, and a little salt, but not much, as it gets salty while boiling. It’s good if it’s greasy. But we don’t prepare it with fat, sometimes they make it from fatty meat, but nowadays people refrain from greasy meals.
I cook it using oil, I put in it about two deciliters of oil, I fill it up with water, and let it boil slowly, as usually we don’t stir it, just let it boil. When it is almost cooked, we put a half glass of hulled barley. It is of wheat, Romanians call it arpacas. It needs to be put in.
It needs two onions cut into small pieces, hot pepper, garlic, paprika, and a little salt, but not much, as it gets salty while boiling. It’s good if it’s greasy. But we don’t prepare it with fat, sometimes they make it from fatty meat, but nowadays people refrain from greasy meals.
I cook it using oil, I put in it about two deciliters of oil, I fill it up with water, and let it boil slowly, as usually we don’t stir it, just let it boil. When it is almost cooked, we put a half glass of hulled barley. It is of wheat, Romanians call it arpacas. It needs to be put in.
I kept yet a kosher household. I wash the dishes together, but I don’t mix the bowls for milk with those for meat. One doesn’t put sour cream in dishes with meat. It’s interesting, none of my husbands was religious, they didn’t have payes or beard, but they didn’t like to mix things, to put sour cream on meat stewed with paprika or on stuffed cabbage or I don’t know what. Sour cream was used separately from the meat. That’s what they got used to.
After my first husband died, a neighbor woman and me went to the central [ritual] bath, in a room with two bathtubs, and we took a bath there. We went there once in a week or once in two weeks. In 1980 it was still functioning, but then it was closed.
After Jews left it was closed, and people started to modernize, everybody set up a bathroom in their house. They didn’t go to such ritual baths anymore. My second husband too had a bathroom, as he had to get shaved all the time. The kitchen was large, we built two more walls, we introduced the water, so we could have our own bathroom, we didn’t need to go to the public one.
After Jews left it was closed, and people started to modernize, everybody set up a bathroom in their house. They didn’t go to such ritual baths anymore. My second husband too had a bathroom, as he had to get shaved all the time. The kitchen was large, we built two more walls, we introduced the water, so we could have our own bathroom, we didn’t need to go to the public one.
After I got married, I attended the synagogue. During the autumn festivals I had a seat bought in the second line, Danczig was praying, he was the rabbi. He was wearing a helmet similar to the priests’ helmet, and a large claret belt [on his waist], knitted like the catholic priests’ belt, our rabbi was dressed similarly.
All this was after the war, he came back to Sziget, and emigrated to Israel from here. Since we are just a very few left, it [the praying] is organized in the small synagogue, there is a chazzan, Sandor Leihter, and a part is fenced off, where women sit.
But nowadays I don’t go to the synagogue, because there aren’t Jews. With whom should I go to the synagogue? Should I sit there by myself? There are mixed marriages, one has a Russian wife, the other I don’t know what, these come. No, I prefer to pray at home.
All this was after the war, he came back to Sziget, and emigrated to Israel from here. Since we are just a very few left, it [the praying] is organized in the small synagogue, there is a chazzan, Sandor Leihter, and a part is fenced off, where women sit.
But nowadays I don’t go to the synagogue, because there aren’t Jews. With whom should I go to the synagogue? Should I sit there by myself? There are mixed marriages, one has a Russian wife, the other I don’t know what, these come. No, I prefer to pray at home.
We still had a shochet after the war, and we had a chazzan, the synagogue was open on Sabbath. So there were some [religious Jews], but they left after a while. One of the slaughterers left for Israel, the other one died, that’s it. Jews dispersed. Those who were religious left, they wouldn’t stay here at all. They left far and wide, but most of them went to America, not to Israel.
In Maramarossziget religious Jews became estranged from religion [after World War II].
For example I knew boys who attended the yeshiva, they were expressly religious, and when they returned [after World War II], they had special hair-cuts, these burger-boots came into fashion, and they were wearing those, and breeches, and they smoked on Saturdays, they didn’t observe religion anymore. In older times people were more religious here than in America. After that religious people went to America, and they observe religion strictly there. Here religion is observed less.
For example I knew boys who attended the yeshiva, they were expressly religious, and when they returned [after World War II], they had special hair-cuts, these burger-boots came into fashion, and they were wearing those, and breeches, and they smoked on Saturdays, they didn’t observe religion anymore. In older times people were more religious here than in America. After that religious people went to America, and they observe religion strictly there. Here religion is observed less.
People I got to know in America usually observed [religion], otherwise the community would speak badly of them.
For example if one [a Jew] has a store, and he won’t close it on holidays, or he won’t offer kosher things in the store, Jews don’t go there shopping. There are modern Jews, many, but there are also Jews who wear payes. In some towns you find only such Jews. In Brooklyn there are many religious Jews. With beard and payes. Black hat, marvelous black patent-leather shoes, white socks, their overcoat is pitch-black, they wear caftan, and the white shirts are glittering.
Women have wigs there, but there are so nice little wigs, that no one could tell that those are wigs. And they put above the wig also a small hat, when they go to the synagogue. They have to be religious there. As if the parents are religious, then the children are too.
And they have so many children as many God gives them, they are not that modern to have abortions. Our religion strictly prohibits that, it says that it means killing a human being. Thus there are many children in a family.
For example if one [a Jew] has a store, and he won’t close it on holidays, or he won’t offer kosher things in the store, Jews don’t go there shopping. There are modern Jews, many, but there are also Jews who wear payes. In some towns you find only such Jews. In Brooklyn there are many religious Jews. With beard and payes. Black hat, marvelous black patent-leather shoes, white socks, their overcoat is pitch-black, they wear caftan, and the white shirts are glittering.
Women have wigs there, but there are so nice little wigs, that no one could tell that those are wigs. And they put above the wig also a small hat, when they go to the synagogue. They have to be religious there. As if the parents are religious, then the children are too.
And they have so many children as many God gives them, they are not that modern to have abortions. Our religion strictly prohibits that, it says that it means killing a human being. Thus there are many children in a family.
I could travel to America, because an acquaintance was here, and she compiled the invitation letter. She is from Romania, and we were on good terms. Her nephew, Sanyi Leihter was from Aknasugatag, but she didn’t even drink a glass of water in his house, because Sanyi’s wife was Christian; she was religious, and stayed at my house. Since I was acknowledged as a Jew, because my parents were Jews too. And back then I could observe religion, as we had a shochet.
America is very beautiful, it can’t be even compared [to Romania]. First I visited Israel, and I thought there couldn’t be a more beautiful country than Israel, as it is indeed very beautiful. But after going to America I noticed a huge difference. It seemed to me that Israel could be related to America as Romania to Israel.
Well America... one could not even tell what a country it is. The people, the buildings, the employments, everything, it can’t be compared. In America I arrived in Brooklyn. Brooklyn is so big, as three towns together in Romania.
I visited there a cousin too, Szruli Walter [Haim Walter, the son of one of the mother’s brothers], but I stayed mainly at an acquaintance, who had sent me the invitation letter. And they would come by car, and take me to Philadelphia, to New Jersey, I visited several places at my cousins. Then I was in Canada for three weeks, at my sister-in-law, Rifki Salamon.
America is very beautiful, it can’t be even compared [to Romania]. First I visited Israel, and I thought there couldn’t be a more beautiful country than Israel, as it is indeed very beautiful. But after going to America I noticed a huge difference. It seemed to me that Israel could be related to America as Romania to Israel.
Well America... one could not even tell what a country it is. The people, the buildings, the employments, everything, it can’t be compared. In America I arrived in Brooklyn. Brooklyn is so big, as three towns together in Romania.
I visited there a cousin too, Szruli Walter [Haim Walter, the son of one of the mother’s brothers], but I stayed mainly at an acquaintance, who had sent me the invitation letter. And they would come by car, and take me to Philadelphia, to New Jersey, I visited several places at my cousins. Then I was in Canada for three weeks, at my sister-in-law, Rifki Salamon.
,
After WW2
See text in interview
People became insensible. I haven’t seen one of my cousins, Sari Walter for 50 years. She came here [in Maramarossziget] to visit after 50 years, as she used to live in this street. We were talking. She says, ‘I don’t observe any tradition. I don’t believe in anything either.
When they took us out, she says, and we were sleeping in the open air, where was God to help us? I’m not able to believe anymore.’ ‘Yet it’s not what you saw at home, your mother was very religious – I say – and you come from a religious family.’
‘It was a long time ago, people believed in God then, and they believed God would always help. But from where I came back... I don’t believe in anything.’ I say: ‘But only an animal has no faith. Life is so empty if you don’t believe is something.
You tie an animal in the stable, of course, it is not capable of believing in something, because it’s an animal, but a human being has to believe in something. It’s not the way you imagine. If everybody thought as you did, people would scratch each other’s eyes, if one had more [fortune] than the other. You shouldn’t think like that.’ ‘It’s useless – she says – you know yours, and I know mine.’ I could not convince her.
When they took us out, she says, and we were sleeping in the open air, where was God to help us? I’m not able to believe anymore.’ ‘Yet it’s not what you saw at home, your mother was very religious – I say – and you come from a religious family.’
‘It was a long time ago, people believed in God then, and they believed God would always help. But from where I came back... I don’t believe in anything.’ I say: ‘But only an animal has no faith. Life is so empty if you don’t believe is something.
You tie an animal in the stable, of course, it is not capable of believing in something, because it’s an animal, but a human being has to believe in something. It’s not the way you imagine. If everybody thought as you did, people would scratch each other’s eyes, if one had more [fortune] than the other. You shouldn’t think like that.’ ‘It’s useless – she says – you know yours, and I know mine.’ I could not convince her.
In Benei Beraq they do, only religious people live there. A cousin of mine lives there, they observe festivals as the custom is, and Sabbath too. But in other places not really. Well, they work all week. Children are taken to the ‘cresa’ [day nursery in Romanian] from the very beginning, and parents are working all week. On Saturday there are clothes hanging everywhere, it’s washday. Although they have bathrooms, there is warm water, cold water at every house, but they don’t have time for it.
They are free on Saturday, so everybody is cleaning the house, washing, putting things in order, because they start to work again on Sunday. Thus they don’t have the possibility [to observe religion]. I haven’t got used to what I saw there.
And on the Day of Atonement my brother-in-law, the younger brother of my second husband, Jozsef Salamon, who came from a religious family, went to the beach. Not to the synagogue. Since they had a day off on the Day of Atonement, they didn’t work.
They are free on Saturday, so everybody is cleaning the house, washing, putting things in order, because they start to work again on Sunday. Thus they don’t have the possibility [to observe religion]. I haven’t got used to what I saw there.
And on the Day of Atonement my brother-in-law, the younger brother of my second husband, Jozsef Salamon, who came from a religious family, went to the beach. Not to the synagogue. Since they had a day off on the Day of Atonement, they didn’t work.
When I visited Israel, I thought that seeing these beautiful festivals I would remember those times when we had been celebrating at home. But festivals are not observed there either. Here [in Maramarossziget] people used to observe festivals consistently, even after the war [World War II], when there were still living Jews.
They weren’t much too religious Jews, but we used to observe the holidays according to the custom. But in Israel I told my sister-in-law, ‘Come with me to the synagogue so that I discover your traditions.’
It was the day of Simchat Torah, when the autumn festivals are ending, when they take out the Torah and they dance with the Torah. ‘Oh, are you still observing this nonsense?’, she says: ‘Why should we go to the synagogue?’ She doesn’t light candles, she doesn’t observe Sabbath. All this in Israel, on the sacred land. She says, ‘We can’t live on this’, that is the religion. They are all great patriots, that’s true. But they don’t observe religion.
They weren’t much too religious Jews, but we used to observe the holidays according to the custom. But in Israel I told my sister-in-law, ‘Come with me to the synagogue so that I discover your traditions.’
It was the day of Simchat Torah, when the autumn festivals are ending, when they take out the Torah and they dance with the Torah. ‘Oh, are you still observing this nonsense?’, she says: ‘Why should we go to the synagogue?’ She doesn’t light candles, she doesn’t observe Sabbath. All this in Israel, on the sacred land. She says, ‘We can’t live on this’, that is the religion. They are all great patriots, that’s true. But they don’t observe religion.
In Israel people usually speak Hebrew. I speak only Yiddish, I can’t speak Hebrew. I can read, as I was taught how to recite, how to pray. But I can’t speak, thus I don’t know what I am reading. Those who live in Israel learnt to speak Hebrew too, everybody speaks it.
When I went to Israel, I could speak Yiddish and Hungarian or Romanian only with elderly acquaintances, which had left from here. I couldn’t speak with children. They don’t speak Hungarian, or Romanian, nor Yiddish, Jewish, as we speak, they speak only Hebrew, French and English, that’s what they are being taught in school.
When I went to Israel, I could speak Yiddish and Hungarian or Romanian only with elderly acquaintances, which had left from here. I couldn’t speak with children. They don’t speak Hungarian, or Romanian, nor Yiddish, Jewish, as we speak, they speak only Hebrew, French and English, that’s what they are being taught in school.
While my first husband lived, I couldn’t go anywhere, we were farming, and I couldn’t leave the house. We were keeping all kind of poultry, we had cows, we had horses, and my husband didn’t want to be left alone even for one day. When I got married for the second time, I left my husband at home, and I could travel.
In 1973 I visited Israel, and in 1975 America. In Ceau’s time [Ceausescu, Nicolae [14] in a short form] they would let you out [from the country] in every second year [ref: Travel into and out of Romania][15]. In those times a return plane ticket to America cost 13,000 lei, to Israel 2,500 lei.
In 1973 I visited Israel, and in 1975 America. In Ceau’s time [Ceausescu, Nicolae [14] in a short form] they would let you out [from the country] in every second year [ref: Travel into and out of Romania][15]. In those times a return plane ticket to America cost 13,000 lei, to Israel 2,500 lei.
,
After WW2
See text in interview
As the house, where he had [previously] lived was demolished, a huge factory was built there, and in the place where his house used to be a ten-storied block was built. My second husband died in 1989, before the revolution.
After he had died, I sold many things, I sold the horses too, but I got married for the second time, and he had a horse too. My second husband was Aron Salamon, they called him Uri. He was 1 year younger than my first husband, he was born in 1908 here, in Maramarossziget.
We had only civil marriage, in around 1972. I had to get married, as due to our profession we had two drays, horses, I worked with drivers, who were very impertinent, I couldn’t stay alone. Back then one had to get married early.
Among us, Jews, if a woman looses her husband, it is not a sin to get married even after four weeks.[Editor’s note: According to the rabbinic tradition it is desirable that a woman gets married after becoming a widow or after divorce. However the waiting period after the death of the husband or after divorce is three months, because this amount of time is (was) needed to find out unmistakably wether the woman was pregnant from her previous marriage.] Since our religion says that instead of fornicating, it’s better for her to get married and have a family.
We had only civil marriage, in around 1972. I had to get married, as due to our profession we had two drays, horses, I worked with drivers, who were very impertinent, I couldn’t stay alone. Back then one had to get married early.
Among us, Jews, if a woman looses her husband, it is not a sin to get married even after four weeks.[Editor’s note: According to the rabbinic tradition it is desirable that a woman gets married after becoming a widow or after divorce. However the waiting period after the death of the husband or after divorce is three months, because this amount of time is (was) needed to find out unmistakably wether the woman was pregnant from her previous marriage.] Since our religion says that instead of fornicating, it’s better for her to get married and have a family.
He died in 1970, here in Sziget, he is buried in the Jewish cemetery. We had no rabbi anymore, the schochet buried him. I sat shivah, but not on the ground, just on a chair. I couldn’t sit for long, we still had the horses, and I had to look after my duties.
My husband wasn’t religious at all, he didn’t go to the synagogue, he went there only during the autumn festivals, at Rosh Hashanah, on the Day of Atonement and at Sukkot, on these high holidays. He attended before the war [World War II] the Neolog synagogue. He wasn’t religious at all, but he didn’t mix milk with meat, and he observed religion possibly, but he didn’t go frequently to the synagogue, because he didn’t have time for it, he was busy even on Saturdays.
He repaired this house, only a stable and the walls were left, he built up all the rest. The walls remained, because they are large stone walls. They are old-styled, that’s why they are so high. After that we got back the house and the garden, we cultivated all the land here.
Then cooperatives were established [during the collectivization in Romania] [12], and they took the lands. But I didn’t lack anything with him, because he was skilful, he ensured everything. We kept all kind of poultry, we had cows, horses, we were farmers. We had a dray, and we transported things.
Then cooperatives were established [during the collectivization in Romania] [12], and they took the lands. But I didn’t lack anything with him, because he was skilful, he ensured everything. We kept all kind of poultry, we had cows, horses, we were farmers. We had a dray, and we transported things.
I knew my future husband, because one of my cousins had been his wife, who had left with two children, and didn’t return. They lived too in this street, opposite to our house. He knew me well too and my parents from home. That’s how I became his wife. We had only a religious wedding, but not a civil marriage.
My husband used to say that if we had children, it was worthy going in for getting married, but if we hadn’t, it had no reason. We didn’t have any children. I don’t blame him, as he had had wife and children, but he never allowed me to see a doctor, to get examined, because it might have been a minor problem.
I would have liked to have at least one child. He said that if God didn’t give us in a normal way, he wont’ let me see a doctor, he won’t let me undergo an operation, to go to baths, he won’t let me anywhere. He didn’t want to let me anywhere. That’s how I lived next to him thirty years.
My husband used to say that if we had children, it was worthy going in for getting married, but if we hadn’t, it had no reason. We didn’t have any children. I don’t blame him, as he had had wife and children, but he never allowed me to see a doctor, to get examined, because it might have been a minor problem.
I would have liked to have at least one child. He said that if God didn’t give us in a normal way, he wont’ let me see a doctor, he won’t let me undergo an operation, to go to baths, he won’t let me anywhere. He didn’t want to let me anywhere. That’s how I lived next to him thirty years.
Communists didn’t respect religion, they didn’t believe in it. But back then Russians, as my husband told me, drew off the curtain of their small window, they knelt down, crossed themselves, and they prayed every evening. According to their ancient custom.
They took care not to let people see that they observed religion, that they were praying. They lived in small hovels, there wasn’t any floor, just a table, a berth and maybe two chairs, that was the furniture. They thought if there was a communist world, the religion would have vanished in Russia.
But it didn’t, because when they opened the church, so much people came to the church, even the third street was full with people, they set up microphones where the priests celebrated the mass.
Religion didn’t vanish, because old people taught the youth religion at home. Well in fact the person who doesn’t believe in anything is qualified to be an animal. Because an animal believes in nothing. It’s tied to the manger, and doesn’t believe in anything. Well then, if there is no religion, and you don’t believe in anything, life is very empty.
They took care not to let people see that they observed religion, that they were praying. They lived in small hovels, there wasn’t any floor, just a table, a berth and maybe two chairs, that was the furniture. They thought if there was a communist world, the religion would have vanished in Russia.
But it didn’t, because when they opened the church, so much people came to the church, even the third street was full with people, they set up microphones where the priests celebrated the mass.
Religion didn’t vanish, because old people taught the youth religion at home. Well in fact the person who doesn’t believe in anything is qualified to be an animal. Because an animal believes in nothing. It’s tied to the manger, and doesn’t believe in anything. Well then, if there is no religion, and you don’t believe in anything, life is very empty.
, Russia
We used to observe Chanukah, like Christians did Christmas. At Chanukah one lights eight candles put in the window, eight candles during one week. And the colonel says to my husband: ‘You have a festival, when you light candles in the window. If you want to know, I’m a Jew, I just didn’t reveal myself to you.
But now I want you to take me to the rabbi.’ He opened a case – he was returning from war, he went across many countries and many towns –, and took out a black material they make the caftan of. And my husband took him to the rabbi, he stepped aside, and the rabbi and the colonel were talking among themselves about the Torah, the religion.
My husband told me that this Russian colonel had been such an intelligent, cultured Jew, he had asked such questions the rabbi that the later had had to think hard to be able to answer them. And nobody would have told that he was a Jew. My husband said that he had stepped aside, he just had watched [the conversation].
He [the Russian colonel] was a very learned man among Jews. People were religious, very religious in Russia. They didn’t observe religion under communism that much, but they were religious. Christians were in the same situation, they were religious, but they weren’t allowed to be.
But now I want you to take me to the rabbi.’ He opened a case – he was returning from war, he went across many countries and many towns –, and took out a black material they make the caftan of. And my husband took him to the rabbi, he stepped aside, and the rabbi and the colonel were talking among themselves about the Torah, the religion.
My husband told me that this Russian colonel had been such an intelligent, cultured Jew, he had asked such questions the rabbi that the later had had to think hard to be able to answer them. And nobody would have told that he was a Jew. My husband said that he had stepped aside, he just had watched [the conversation].
He [the Russian colonel] was a very learned man among Jews. People were religious, very religious in Russia. They didn’t observe religion under communism that much, but they were religious. Christians were in the same situation, they were religious, but they weren’t allowed to be.
He found his feet well here, there were Russians, there were Russians everywhere, but he could speak their language. And it counted a lot. When he got home, he took up the house of my uncle, Haim Walter, in this street, and the Russian colonel and his wife lived in his house, the woman was a doctor.
He was a baker then too, and the lady-doctor always brought him dough to bake it for her, or just to take it. And my husband could go into the lager [barrack] too, so he knew well the colonel, but my husband didn’t know that he was a Jew.
He was a baker then too, and the lady-doctor always brought him dough to bake it for her, or just to take it. And my husband could go into the lager [barrack] too, so he knew well the colonel, but my husband didn’t know that he was a Jew.