Michael Opas - [n.d.]
Religion
Can you tell me what your family's religious affiliations were?
Yeah, my father was orthodox.
Mm-hm.
Strictly orthodox. And uh, I used to go to shul.
Mm-hm.
Not too often--not every day, but on Saturdays, Friday nights, you know, on holidays, naturally.
What was a Friday night like?
Friday night? Well, normal, like, like, like a...
Think back, what was it like, with all the family? Was everyone there, all the sisters and brothers?
No, my sisters didn't go to, didn't go to synagogue. My brothers did.
Mm-hm.
Younger brothers, I had two youn...I was the oldest of the boys. And we used to go with my father always Friday night to shul. It was compulsory.
Hm.
My fa...my father wouldn't have it otherwise.
Mm-hm.
Well, naturally then, when I grew up, I did tilt--went away from it a little bit.
Mm-hm.
But I still--I'm still--even today, I still go to shul, I mean...
Mm-hm.
...not every day, but I go to shul quite often.
Okay.
And uh, naturally, Saturdays, Saturdays we'd go back to shul too, with my father.
Was there any special Shabbas meal or...?
Oh yeah.
What was that like? Can you describe it?
Shabbas meal was really, really like a feast. It was uh, the whole family got together.
Mm-hm.
My sisters used, used to come, my brothers, everybody has to be there at the table. It was really festive, Shabbas was really festive. And uh, my mother was--alav hasholem she was a, a gourmet cook. She made nothing but the best. As I said, my parents were very, very well to do and there was, you know, nothing--meals, meals were always uh, not only it was the best, but it was always in a friendly atmosphere, you know, in the, in--we were amidst family.
Mm-hm.
Children, even when we were married--even when my sisters were married they used to, they used to come with their husbands to my parents' house all the time.
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