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My wife and I have always remembered our Jewish identity. We observed all Jewish traditions and celebrated holidays at home. I always bought matzah at Pesach. There were private underground bakeries where we bought matzah. My wife and mother made traditional Jewish food. My mother taught Clara how to make gefilte fish, stuffed chicken neck and strudels. We fasted strictly on Yom Kippur. On Jewish holidays the three of us went to the synagogue. Soviet holidays were days off, and it was a good occasion to get together with friends. I had many Ukrainian, Romanian and Russian friends. They were my colleagues. There were few Jews among my friends. There was no anti- Semitism. I've always respected people and their faith, and they responded with the same respect when it came to my faith.
My older son followed into my footsteps. He finished secondary school, and a school for mechanics. He graduated from the Road Traffic Institute. My younger son graduated from the Mechanic Faculty at the Polytechnic Institute in Riga. They are both married and live in Chernovtsy. My older son married a Jewish girl, and my younger son married a Ukrainian. We didn't have any objections to their marriage. Their happiness is the most important thing to me.
My older son followed into my footsteps. He finished secondary school, and a school for mechanics. He graduated from the Road Traffic Institute. My younger son graduated from the Mechanic Faculty at the Polytechnic Institute in Riga. They are both married and live in Chernovtsy. My older son married a Jewish girl, and my younger son married a Ukrainian. We didn't have any objections to their marriage. Their happiness is the most important thing to me.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Leonid Krais