| Fannie talks about herself
The economics of Chon
[Q = Len]
A. What else? You want to change the subject again?
Q. You have a subject that you want to talk about?
A. No, but I mean...Over in my grandfather's house...you see, some folks for Christmas they make candles, you know. They take those, and they dip them. Well, my grandfather [Baruch Meiches] had...they gave him because he was a rabbi, and he used to pasken shailos so the township wanted give him something.
After all, he worked hard. People used to come in ask questions about a shailah on a chicken, you know. And so on. He did things for the township. I was going to say something.
So they gave him the yeast...you know somebody else would sell yeast too. So he sold yeast. Yeast was supposed to be...maybe it was supposed to be something kosher or something. I don't know. Yeast and the candles and something else. I’ll think about it pretty soon, maybe.
I think there were three things. So my grandfather gave the yeast to my grandmother's sister cause she was a widow, and she had children, you know. So he gave her that. Two more things I think. Yeast and the candles and something else. I don't remember. (Tape jump) and she made a living from them.
I think my grandfather was a very fair man. He was nice. You know, some are selfish. Why should he give away the yeast? He could make money. Cause every Friday or Thursday, people used to buy a lot of yeast. So at the township they all needed yeast. Not only the Jewish people. Everybody needs yeast.
I don't know if he looked like you or like my father exactly, you know. But he was a good looking man. I remember when he was all white, and he had a white beard and white hair. He was an oldest brother. He was the oldest in the family. The next one was a girl...a woman...a married woman. She had children.
Q. What's her name?
A. Her first name was Pessel Licht [?]. And that's all I know.
Q. Then he [the grandfather] had a brother. What was the brother's name?
A. Avram.
Q. He went to Israel, didn't he, later?
.
A. He had to because they drove him out of Russia. They didn't want Rabbis or something, [and we know] he was there because Mr. Koren from Omaha saw him, and he spoke to him, you know. So when he came, he told me about it. Maybe he told Sam too. I don't know. Glass of water.
=====
Q. Your father made candles from tallow. Go ahead.
A. The tallow was brought in by the peasants. They used to come to town to buy on Sundays, and I think Tuesdays. They used to come in to town and buy things. They used to come to church. So they used to bring their tallow. You know, if they kill a sheep, they take it. The sheep tallow was sold for more than the tallow from the other animals.
Q. Why? Was it better for candles?
A. No. It wasn't better for candles. Candle is tallow. This was good. They’d keep it separate because the druggists used to make cream out of it.
Q. Oh, I see.
A. I know everything. Isn't that funny how I know everything?
Q. Remember, you were ten years old when you left, so...
A. Yeah.
Q. So, anyway. Go ahead.
A. So the demand for making the candles...He [Shlomo] didn't want to stay when we went away.
Q. They didn’t want to what?
A. They didn't want to stay. Didn't want any bosses.
Q. I see.
A. I suppose. Anyway, he went to this country because he had two girls there...two unmarried girls...so that's that. What else?
|
