Frida Shatkhina with her husband Isaac Brisman
This is me with my husband Isaac Brisman. We were photographed at home. This photo was taken in Mogilyov-Podolskiy in 1973.
My husband, Isaac Brisman, and I grew up in a religious family. After the war Jews didn’t observe Jewish traditions so strictly. My husband and I didn’t go to the synagogue. After the war the synagogues in Chernevtsy and Mogilyov-Podolskiy were closed, but there were prayer houses operating instead. Isaac and I didn’t go to prayer houses either, but we celebrated Jewish holidays at home and tried to follow all rules.
On Pesach I bought matzah, and later I bought it. I cooked traditional food that Mama used to make: chicken broth with dumplings from matzah, gefilte fish and puddings. Isaac had a prayer book and he prayed at home. On Yom Kippur we fasted 24 hours. Even now I fast on Yom Kippur despite my age.
My husband and I celebrated Soviet holidays at work. At home we only celebrated the Victory Day, 9 May.
The community does much for the revival of the Jewry in Ukraine. It’s the center of the Jewish life of the town. When my husband died in 1992, the community helped me with the Jewish funeral for him. Isaac was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Mogilyov-Podolskiy. I am old, and it’s hard for me to look after the grave. The community installed a gravestone and looks after the grave.