Tag #151808 - Interview #84041 (Yacob Hollander)

Religion has been a significant part of my life since childhood. I didn’t believe that it was vestige of the past, as the Soviets constantly stated, but I couldn’t openly observe Jewish traditions during the Soviet rule. They would have expelled me from the Party and fired at best. I prayed at home. I had a tallit, Tefillin and a book of prayers. I found these in my house in Kamyanske when I came back there. My deputy Aron Katz was also religious. He had a house of prayer at his home. Jews got together for a minyan there. We secretly celebrated Jewish holidays. Couldn’t celebrate Sabbath at home: Saturday was a working day. Soviet authorities didn’t only struggle against religion.