Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Regina Silver - June 21, 1982

Religion

What was your family's religious practices?

Oh, my father was religious, my stepmother is still in Buenos Aires and is alive she is meshugga frum--very religious.

How did you keep your Sabbath?

Me?

Mm-hm.

Uh, now in Canada?

No, no, now, no, before the war, with your husband.

Before the war with my husband um, I kept um, ??? but I was ??? all the time. I light the candles but I didn't go to Mikveh.

And how and how did your father's family do it?

My father they were religious, yeah, very religious.

Can you describe a Friday night--what a Friday night was like?

Oh Friday night [laughs] my father went to shul und my stepmother prepared Gefilte fish und we baked challas und cakes und uh, especially when my father was a millner you know we made flour was uh, was uh, plenty so I used to wake up early in the morning at 6:00 we used to make challas and make cakes und uh, sing Zemirot like uh, by the table with my brothers my father used to keep a Rabbi special to lay on the children and I used to listen, I was the oldest in my house--before the war I mean.

Did you attend services also?

No. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Well I didn't have many Rosh Hashanahs and Yom Kippurs. Like I was a girl when I got married so then not long the war broke out; Russia didn't go to shul.

What were your family's political affiliations?

Oh, they were all Zionistisch and ???

Did they ever speak of what was happening in the 30's?

My father?

Mm-hm.

Not that I remember. My father was a business man, oh yeah, and I don't think I ever speak uh, politics with the children ???

Can you describe your education?

My education? I got uh, public school before the war; I didn't go to high school.

Was that to 8th grade?

Yes. I still didn't write Engli...uh, Poli...Polish.


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