The former Jewish alley

The street where Mr. Silo Oberman lives, this is his house, and next to it is the Jewish Community in Braila and the Choral Temple.

We lived on Sfantu Petru St., or Petru Maior as it is called nowadays. Formerly, its name was 'The Jewish Street,' because many Jews lived on that street back then.

This is where Mr. Silo Oberman lives [Ed. note: Centropa made interview with Mr. Oberman too.], and next to his house there is the Jewish Community in Braila and the Choral Temple.

We lived opposite Mr. Silo Oberman's on this street, where there is a passageway. There was a large courtyard at the end of the passageway and we were the sole occupants.

Nowadays it is riddled with gypsies, but that's how it is. Be that as it may, my grandmother shared the courtyard with Silo Oberman.

My parents' house was nicer than the house of my maternal grandparents. The house where we lived didn't belong to my parents.

I remember that there was Studio type furniture there, which was fairly rare in those days, and hand-made rugs on the floor. People had sofas in those days, but we had a Studio bed with a chest.

We had a nice bedroom. There were six rooms all in all. It was customary in my parents' family to adorn the walls with various paintings.

My parents also had books, mainly literature. And they always kept pets: birds and a dog.

Formerly in Braila, there used to be a house of prayer on Tamplari St., there was this synagogue, the Choral Temple, opposite the Community Center, there was one on Coroanei St., and there might have been yet another one. I'm more familiar with the area around the Community Center, for this is where I spent my childhood.

[Ed. note: In 1930, there were 1140 Jews in the Community in Braila, while at present there are only 172 members, of whom only 72 are Jews, the remaining members being partners as a result of interfaith marriages.]