My grandmother Surah Abramson, my father's mother, and my sisters. Sonia, born in 1930, wearing a hat, is on the left. Tamara, born in 1934, is sitting on my grandmother's lap. My grandmother came on a visit from Mogilyov-Podolskiy.
My father's family lived in Mogilyov-Podolskiy. My grandfather Gersh Abramson was born in Mogilyov-Podolskiy in 1876. I don't know what family he came from. My grandmother Surah was born in Mogilyov-Podolskiy in 1880. I don't know her nee name or anything about her family.
I have clear memories of my grandmother. She wore long dark skirts and dark high-collared and long-sleeved sweaters. She wore a dark shawl on weekdays and a white silk shawl going to the synagogue. My grandmother was a housewife. They didn't keep any livestock.
The family was religious. They observed all Jewish traditions, celebrated Sabbath and all Jewish traditions. On Saturday the family went to the synagogue. The synagogue was a big two-storied building. My grandmother always made a festive meal on Saturday and on every Jewish holiday. My grandmother followed the kashrut strictly. My father and his sisters were raised very religious. I remember Sabbath at my grandparents'. My grandmother lit two candles and then all sat at the table full of delicious food. I also remember Rosh Hashanah at my grandparents' place. We had apples dipping them into honey.
In 1930 my sister Surah (Sonia) was born. She was named after my father's mother.
My grandmother Surah thought that we didn't have to evacuate in 1941. She remembered Germans from WWI and told her daughter Nehama and us that Germans would do no harm to the Jews. My father's sister Rosia evacuated to the Ural. My grandmother and Nehama stayed in Mogilyov-Podolskiy. Germans shot my grandmother Surah in her yard in 1942. Nehama managed to hide and she stayed in the cellar of her Ukrainian neighbors two years afterwards.
