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We celebrated all Jewish holidays at home like any other Jewish family in Korolevo. Women made matzah for Pesach. Preparation for this holiday began when Jews rented a mill and washed and cleaned it to remove any chametz. Then a rabbi came to inspect the mill and give his permission for baking matzah. Then Jews bought high quality wheat and ground it.
There were two or three bigger houses where they had two stoves in the kitchen. People got together there to make matzah. Women made dough and rolled it and men placed it into the ovens. It usually lasted a few days: there was to be a sufficient quantity of matzah to last throughout the eight days of the holiday. Matzah at that time was different. It was baked from the flour of coarse grinding. There were round-shaped pieces of matzah. They were dark.
Each family had special crockery for Pesach. When there were more utensils needed they made a fire in the vegetable field, placed a big bowl where they put everyday utensils cleaned and washed in advance. They also placed hot stones for better boiling inside the bowls. Even in the poorest families they tried to have gefilte fish, chicken broth and goose meat and fat on this holiday.
We kept geese and chickens. We had geese slaughtered in fall. My mother sold goose liver in Khust: it was a delicacy and cost a lot. At times there was some liver left and mother cooked it for the children. My mother kept salted meat in a barrel in the hallway. Every Friday my mother took some meat to make chulent for Saturday.
On Pesach my mother also made chulent with goose. My mother kept goose fat in special utensils to keep it kosher. My mother fried keyzls, potato pancakes fried in goose fat, chicken broth with matzah dumplings, boiled chicken, gefilte fish and carrot tsimes. My mother didn’t make any pastries for Pesach: it wasn’t allowed to bake with ordinary flour and we couldn’t make matzah flour since our matzah was too rough.
In the morning of the first day of Pesach all Jews went to the synagogue. In the evening the first seder began. The table was set and the front door was kept open for Elijah the Prophet. My father sat at the head of the table wearing his white clothes. Men wear such clothing on Pesach and Yom Kippur.
I asked my father the four questions: why we eat reclining on this night, why we only eat matzah, but no bread, why we eat bitter greeneries on this night and why we drink four glasses of wine on this night. I posed my questions in Hebrew and my father answered them in Hebrew. Then my father read the Torah and we listened attentively.
We all, even the youngest children, stayed until the end of seder. Children had small glasses and they sipped from their glasses and had them refilled after a sip. The last glass was to be drunken bottom up. There was a big glass for Elijah in the center of the table. We sang songs between prayers.
There were two or three bigger houses where they had two stoves in the kitchen. People got together there to make matzah. Women made dough and rolled it and men placed it into the ovens. It usually lasted a few days: there was to be a sufficient quantity of matzah to last throughout the eight days of the holiday. Matzah at that time was different. It was baked from the flour of coarse grinding. There were round-shaped pieces of matzah. They were dark.
Each family had special crockery for Pesach. When there were more utensils needed they made a fire in the vegetable field, placed a big bowl where they put everyday utensils cleaned and washed in advance. They also placed hot stones for better boiling inside the bowls. Even in the poorest families they tried to have gefilte fish, chicken broth and goose meat and fat on this holiday.
We kept geese and chickens. We had geese slaughtered in fall. My mother sold goose liver in Khust: it was a delicacy and cost a lot. At times there was some liver left and mother cooked it for the children. My mother kept salted meat in a barrel in the hallway. Every Friday my mother took some meat to make chulent for Saturday.
On Pesach my mother also made chulent with goose. My mother kept goose fat in special utensils to keep it kosher. My mother fried keyzls, potato pancakes fried in goose fat, chicken broth with matzah dumplings, boiled chicken, gefilte fish and carrot tsimes. My mother didn’t make any pastries for Pesach: it wasn’t allowed to bake with ordinary flour and we couldn’t make matzah flour since our matzah was too rough.
In the morning of the first day of Pesach all Jews went to the synagogue. In the evening the first seder began. The table was set and the front door was kept open for Elijah the Prophet. My father sat at the head of the table wearing his white clothes. Men wear such clothing on Pesach and Yom Kippur.
I asked my father the four questions: why we eat reclining on this night, why we only eat matzah, but no bread, why we eat bitter greeneries on this night and why we drink four glasses of wine on this night. I posed my questions in Hebrew and my father answered them in Hebrew. Then my father read the Torah and we listened attentively.
We all, even the youngest children, stayed until the end of seder. Children had small glasses and they sipped from their glasses and had them refilled after a sip. The last glass was to be drunken bottom up. There was a big glass for Elijah in the center of the table. We sang songs between prayers.
Period
Location
Korolevo
Ukraine
Interview
Mozes Katz
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