Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Szymon Binke - June 16, 1997

And what, what were holidays like?

We used to get together and meals and stuff.

Was it, was it a religious family?

N...for today's times, yes. You know, we kept kosher and we went to shul every Saturday. We didn't go every day, because my father was too busy. Saturday morning we went to shul. And kosher there was no question about, you know, everybody that we knew--you didn't have to be very religious to have a kosher home. Not overly...

You didn't payes and all that.

Pardon?

You didn't payes and...

My, my grandfather, yes, had a beard and wore a, did you ever see those little flat hats, black hat that we used to wear on a black uh, uh, uh, like a coat.

Caftan?

Well, they called it a Yibitze in Yiddish uh, but every, you know, every country has a different uh, name for, for certain things.

So what would a Friday night be like, for example?

Well, for, we didn't get together. Friday night was at our home. My father would sit at the table and say the, you know, have a regular Shabbos dinner with the Kiddush and the wine and...

Zemirot?

Pardon?

You would sing the Zemirot?

The Zemirot, yes, yes, yes.

And uh, do you have fond memories of this, this connections with your family? With your grandfather for example?

Oh, of course. Well, well that's the only grandfather I had, because on the other side I am named after him. On my mother's, my mother's uh, father passed away before I was born. And, but I did have a grandmother on that side. And she, you know, they, they owned the bakery. And this uncle that's in Israel, he worked in the bakery. So they had the bakery to uh, you know, 'til the war started.