Our religious life
Our religious life
Opposite our house was Tempel Synagogue.Before the war it was a reform synagogue, for wealthier people, who would come in cars and carriages. An orthodox Jew wouldn't have gone in there. My parents went to Tempel at every holiday, definitely. And sometimes, when Father went with Mother on a Saturday, they would take me.Tempel was beautiful. The men were downstairs and the women upstairs, and I used to go with Mom up these stairs. There was a barrier there, and you looked down, what the men were doing, how they prayed. That all delighted me. Then Henryk, had his bar mitzvah there. It was a huge celebration, as there is among Jews, even assimilated ones. That was a duty. There were a lot of guests and a great celebration. And I was furious, because my brother got a load of presents and they didn't give me anything. And I started crying that I hadn't got anything. I even got mad at him and didn't give him my best wishes, because I was so mad. For three days there was a huge celebration, we ate and drank. And I was furious the whole time and was pleased when it was all over. So Father went out and bought me a scooter, because I was howling and stamping my feet all the time that my brother had got so much.
As seen on
Walking Kazimiertz: With Tosia Silberring
Click shuffle to discover more great stories.
©2025 All rights reserved.