Sonia Nothman - January 4, 1983
Politics
Was your family very active politically at all?
No. No. No. Not at all. My brother, yeah. My brother, yeah.
What groups did he belong to, do you remember?
He belonged uh, an organization uh, Ha-Shomer Ha-Tsa'ir. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Was there much, um...
Oh so many--oh yes, so many organizations, so many organizations. So many organizations. I was in school, I remember after school people called us and they want to talk to us and everything. I know my parents were afraid, you know, 'cause they want me to go just to religious things, not to any organizations.
Mm-hm. But your brother was active in them.
Very, very. Even now he's...When I want to know something, I call him and ask him.
What was the um, the culture like in your town? Do you remember, uh were there many theaters, Yiddish theater?
No, not at all. The most important books. I don't remember ever going to bed without a book. I never remember a Friday...Uh, we closed the store, we didn't do nothing. Friday night after dinner, a book. I could, I could read two books a week. Everybody. Not just me. Everybody. There was a public library--so many libraries, that's all. Used to go every now and then, a book under your arm. Go and change the book. Saturday I could finish a whole book. Because you didn't do nothing. Oh the libraries. My brother used to watch what kind of books. Many times I brought him a book uh, you know. Everybody wants to read a book what's uh, took it away from me. It wasn't proper. My parents were, were religious. So, but my brother watched. Libraries. Everybody. I think everybody from a small town--in a big city maybe they have different things to do. But by us... Once in awhile...I was, I don't think so I was ever in a theater before the war. No. A movie. Movie, yes. But a theater, no.
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