Fred Kendal - May 25, 1983
Life Before the War
Um, and how much do you remember--what do you remember of life in Berezne before the war?
Before the war, we--I remember of--well, my grandmother, that's on my father's side, had this big, huge house and um, she lived there. My uncle Josef and his--he was a like a--I think as a family when they added--they kept adding on to it, you know, he lived there. My mother and dad and myself lived there and my other uncle--and he was a furrier--and his wife and son. That's the son that retreated with the Russians. He lived there and those are--we uh, I remember of it being a happy life. Uh, being a kid I was going to school. Uh, I remember Friday nights we would all get together for Friday night dinner or Shabbos or go to a show, you know, that stuff and that nature. I--I could remember the greatest treat was uh, after shul or Shabbos that my dad used to take me there to a ??? sticks out in my mind, there was the store that was--a grocery store in a basement. You'd have to go down the stairs to get into the grocery store but he'd take me there every week and he buy me a big orange. You know, I mean, a big--and it was wrapped in, in red and shiny, like, gold paper and this was a big treat, you know, I think we're--and we go--I used to look forward to it as a kid to go there for it and that was exciting. And uh, ??? it's a nice, good life. We didn't have--I don't recall if we had--I know we didn't have inside um, toilets but I think we had water and I don't remember that, but, but I do remember that--this is a funny incident that might be interesting. We had this big house and then was behind the house there was like a big barn or a garage, you know, where the horses were and stuff. And the toilet was there so, if you had to go, you have to go over into the hallway and go all the way in this--down this long hallway and go all the way into the barn. Since my uncle was a furrier and they used to--he used to makes furs, fur coats and stuff like that. He made a fur covered seat. I thought that's funny and I remember that because he made a fur covered seat. So that I remember, okay. Uh, that's about it, you know.
Well that's a nice illustration. Okay.
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