Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Esther Feldman Icikson - October 23 & 29, November 5 & 12, 2001

Mother's Religious Beliefs

And she bentsh ???.

Oh yeah. She bentsh ??? We always kept a very kosher home. She kept up all the traditions. But she wouldn't take the seder and pray, because it wasn't uh, mandatory for woman and, at that time of...

It was mandatory--not.

A woman--no, a woman, you know, in, in the very religious people, a woman prayed, but it's not absolutely necessary.

Okay.

Yeah. Today it's different, you know.

Nor do they count as part of a minyan, is that right?

Oh today?

Then, I mean.

Pardon?

They wouldn't count as part of a minyan then.

Oh my God, of course not, of course not, you see.

Still, I guess it's similar.

Today it's different, today if you're Conservative or Reform, you're part of a minyan, you, you, you pray, you--but in those days it wasn't necessary, a woman's job was to raise the family, to keep the Shabbat or, um. She wouldn't tear a piece of paper on the Shabbat. She wouldn't light a, a light uh, she wouldn't make a fire. I mean, all these things were not done.

You're a member of a synagogue.

Yeah.

Which one?

???

???

Yeah.

And if you were called to the Torah would you read from it?

No.

Why not?

Because I wasn't raised like this. By the way, I know how to.

I'm sure, I know you know how to.

But I wouldn't do that.

Um...

[interruption in interview]


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