Albert Fein - February 19, 2005
Religious Life II
Was there a yeshiva in Uzhorod?
Yes, there was yeshiva.
Do you think you would have gone to the yeshiva if you...
No. No, not to this point. We only, you know, we learned Chumash, Rash and a little bit Gemara. I don't know if you heard about Gemara.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Beside this, I was only thirteen when they deported.
I mean if they hadn't--if the war hadn't started, would you...
No, I don't think. I don't know. I cannot speculate, you know, that always, always depended how we could uh, settle, you know, the family.
So there was no rebbe, there was no Chasidic movement?
No, no we was not rebbeim, we was rebbes, yes. Was only we, we was not so, so close. My father, he just, you know, shomer Shabbot. Friday, uh, afternoon he usually go to the mikvah and so far, you know, in the wintertime. In summertime we had the river and we'd go to the Uzh and swim, you know, in gen...in general we was uh, using it all summer, the, the river.
So now tell me again what Friday night was like at your house?
Friday night we would go to the shul. Mother was preparing you know for Shabbos, usually it uh, whatever is poss...possible you know to have--we always used to have Shabbos. There was meat and all this, you know.
Did you sing zemirot, zemirot as well?
Yeah, my father, he liked to sing it, yes. My father was--he--we was not so much interested in the zemirot, only we was singing. After, I think, dinner, sometimes he was really tired, so we didn't bother him. It was poor. We didn't live, you know, because if my father didn't have a steady uh, job, this was very--he was dependent on, on people, you know, if he can get something or make, make something. My mom, she, she was three piece. She has to keep the house, she has to uh, raise us, and she has to earn a little bit on the side.
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