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The elder and only brother Yakov was born in 1892, grew up, and left for St Petersburg before the Revolution to study some craft. He didn't know exactly what particular craft he would choose.
He planned to make up his mind depending on what was available in St Petersburg, but his parents didn't think he would learn anything but horse riding, such a whimsical person he was. He had to grease the local policeman's palm every week so that he would pretend not to notice a Jew violating 'residential qualification.' [Jews were not allowed to settle in capitals - only in the Pale of Settlement [3].
Yakov would bring a 15 kopeck coin, and the policeman would click (smiling cunningly) that coin before his very eyes.
He planned to make up his mind depending on what was available in St Petersburg, but his parents didn't think he would learn anything but horse riding, such a whimsical person he was. He had to grease the local policeman's palm every week so that he would pretend not to notice a Jew violating 'residential qualification.' [Jews were not allowed to settle in capitals - only in the Pale of Settlement [3].
Yakov would bring a 15 kopeck coin, and the policeman would click (smiling cunningly) that coin before his very eyes.
Period
Location
St. Petersburg
Russia
Interview
Sophia Deribizova
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