Tag #155704 - Interview #94745 (Tsyliya Spivak)

We didn’t celebrate Jewish holidays at home, but at Rosh Hashanah, Pesach and Chanukkah we were due to visit grandfather and grandmother and the whole family got together. I had no idea what kind of holidays these were or why they were celebrated.  All I remember is that children were given money at Chanukkah and there were sweet doughnuts and potato pancakes and sweet pancakes. The most plentiful was celebration of Pesach. There was gefilte fish, chicken, jellied meat and sweet tsimes. My grandfather conducted seder and one of the boys posed questions.  I didn’t find it interesting.  Sometimes we visited grandmother on Friday before Sabbath.  We sat down at the table that was set for dinner. My grandmother lit candles and started reciting a prayer and I couldn’t wait until it was time to have something delicious. My grandmother saved something that each of her grandchildren liked for Friday: for some it was a cookie or candy and for me she  put a slice of herring or something pickled onto my plate.