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My sister studied in the Jewish elementary school in Dupnitsa, but the high school in our town was closed. My sister was a very conscientious student and my father wanted to send her to Kyustendil to finish her education, but my mother didn’t let him, because she was afraid that my sister was too young and would not manage on her own. So my sister studied until eighth grade. She married a hatter who was an orphan. He and my sister fell in love when I was a child, I remember the other children joking with me and writing on the walls ‘Sara and Telo.’ They must have known that my sister and Telo were in love.
One day Telo’s brothers came to ask for my sister to become their brother’s wife. That was the ritual then. They asked my father to give 50,000 levs as ‘contado,’ explaining that their brother would open a hat shop with this money to support the family. But my father was poor, how could he find so much money? He told them that he would readily give them this money, if he had it, but he didn’t! So, the engagement failed a couple of times. Then, my future brother-in-law came and told my father to promise a sum before the wedding and then not to keep the promise, so that he would be able to marry my sister. This is what they did. They signed a contract before the chazzan in accordance with the ritual that my father would give them a sum of money as ‘contado.’ Then they agreed that my father would give them 30,000 levs, 15,000 immediately, and the other 15,000 later on.
There was one more ritual. All the women and men at home were called to see what ‘ashugar’ [‘dowry’ in Ladino] my mother gave to her daughter. That was her dowry. I remember it, I wasn’t so young then, it was 1938. A ‘commission’ came and the things prepared by my mother were laid down around the whole room: 12 bed sheets, covers, embroidered table cloths, pajamas and stuff like that. My mother wanted very much to prepare a beautiful dowry for her daughter, but in my opinion this was a great burden for parents, especially poorer ones. Yet, although they were poor, my parents tried to secure the lives of their children in the best way they could. So my sister married Telo Israel Mordoh.
One day Telo’s brothers came to ask for my sister to become their brother’s wife. That was the ritual then. They asked my father to give 50,000 levs as ‘contado,’ explaining that their brother would open a hat shop with this money to support the family. But my father was poor, how could he find so much money? He told them that he would readily give them this money, if he had it, but he didn’t! So, the engagement failed a couple of times. Then, my future brother-in-law came and told my father to promise a sum before the wedding and then not to keep the promise, so that he would be able to marry my sister. This is what they did. They signed a contract before the chazzan in accordance with the ritual that my father would give them a sum of money as ‘contado.’ Then they agreed that my father would give them 30,000 levs, 15,000 immediately, and the other 15,000 later on.
There was one more ritual. All the women and men at home were called to see what ‘ashugar’ [‘dowry’ in Ladino] my mother gave to her daughter. That was her dowry. I remember it, I wasn’t so young then, it was 1938. A ‘commission’ came and the things prepared by my mother were laid down around the whole room: 12 bed sheets, covers, embroidered table cloths, pajamas and stuff like that. My mother wanted very much to prepare a beautiful dowry for her daughter, but in my opinion this was a great burden for parents, especially poorer ones. Yet, although they were poor, my parents tried to secure the lives of their children in the best way they could. So my sister married Telo Israel Mordoh.
Location
Bulgaria
Interview
Leon Mordohay Madzhar