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We used to observe Chanukah, like Christians did Christmas. At Chanukah one lights eight candles put in the window, eight candles during one week. And the colonel says to my husband: ‘You have a festival, when you light candles in the window. If you want to know, I’m a Jew, I just didn’t reveal myself to you.
But now I want you to take me to the rabbi.’ He opened a case – he was returning from war, he went across many countries and many towns –, and took out a black material they make the caftan of. And my husband took him to the rabbi, he stepped aside, and the rabbi and the colonel were talking among themselves about the Torah, the religion.
My husband told me that this Russian colonel had been such an intelligent, cultured Jew, he had asked such questions the rabbi that the later had had to think hard to be able to answer them. And nobody would have told that he was a Jew. My husband said that he had stepped aside, he just had watched [the conversation].
He [the Russian colonel] was a very learned man among Jews. People were religious, very religious in Russia. They didn’t observe religion under communism that much, but they were religious. Christians were in the same situation, they were religious, but they weren’t allowed to be.
But now I want you to take me to the rabbi.’ He opened a case – he was returning from war, he went across many countries and many towns –, and took out a black material they make the caftan of. And my husband took him to the rabbi, he stepped aside, and the rabbi and the colonel were talking among themselves about the Torah, the religion.
My husband told me that this Russian colonel had been such an intelligent, cultured Jew, he had asked such questions the rabbi that the later had had to think hard to be able to answer them. And nobody would have told that he was a Jew. My husband said that he had stepped aside, he just had watched [the conversation].
He [the Russian colonel] was a very learned man among Jews. People were religious, very religious in Russia. They didn’t observe religion under communism that much, but they were religious. Christians were in the same situation, they were religious, but they weren’t allowed to be.
Period
Location
Russia
Interview
Golda Salamon