Tag #151774 - Interview #84041 (Yacob Hollander)

There was a big Jewish community in Kamyanske. Every Thursday members of the community made the rounds of wealthier Jewish families collecting money for the needy. They bought fish and chicken to give them to poor Jews to celebrate Sabbath decently. They also collected money for the poor before holidays. My grandmother also patronized 10 poor Jewish families. She kept oxen and their milk is delicious and very healthy. At least, there was a belief that it was. My grandmother milked the buffalo and I delivered this milk to these families for their children. My grandmother gave me some change for this errand. On Friday morning she sent me to take flour for Saturday challah bread to these families. My parents also supported a poor Jewish family who were our neighbors. My mother always sent one of us to take milk to this family after she milked cows in the morning. My parents provided to them few bags of potatoes and onions for winter. Of course, I felt sorry for these poor hungry children and their mothers, who worked themselves to the bones to feed their numerous offspring, but I felt neither sorry nor sympathetic with the fathers of these families. I was perplexed by their conduct. They didn’t want to work believing that it was indecent. They stayed at home studying the Torah and reading religious books. This was their pastime. They felt content with the food and worn clothes they got from the community. Their children were hungry and slovenly, but they believed that their fathers were doing an important thing reading. Their sons also grew up with the conviction that there was no need to work. It was necessary to read the Torah and the God would take care of their food and clothes. I thought and think now that it is wrong. Only those who cannot work due to their health condition or age must have support, but there is no need to support idlers.