Yael Chizkiyahu
(Heller)
A TRAVEL TO MY GRANDPARENTS HOUSE
(Dedicated to my mother's memory: Civia Heller Podorovsky).
"Next summer we will travel to Kartuz Bereza". This way my mother promised us beginning
from my early childhood. Possibly
when she promised it to me for the
first time, Bereza was no longer, and all loved human being, missed and lacked
her until her death day, because they
were murdered by Nazi enemy.
I knew that there was not any possibility to fulfill the promise, but I
liked a lot to sit down and listen to her, when she spoke us of her town and
her family. We took pictures out of the box, mom told us, and I listened and
asked her. Last year of her life, when she already remained a lot of time
in bed, we passed many hours "in Bereza", with her family and
her relatives. With time, I knew many details and particularities on my mother,
her childhood, her family, and in general on Bereza.
Mom's house, the house of CHAIA and YOSEF CHAIM PODOROVSKY, was located in the heart of the town. It was
a wooden house that my grandfather built with his own hands. The wooden planks
were of trees cut of the forest, and
they lifted this way a bif house, with many rooms, some rented to the
Municipality of Bereza and to other people.
In main room there was a big table, and in its surroundings met the
family and relatives that came to visit us, some of which ...even stayed until
spring. The table was covered with a velvet of wine color, and on it was set
another of white cloth. In a side of the room, there was a carved piece of
furniture, and on it were a couple of silver chandeliers, and other sacred
decorations. In front in the corner, there was a copper samovar that was
polished from time to time. The windows were covered by curtains hand knitted.
At mom's home there was fluent water, and in the patio was a reservoir.
One of the rooms was special: was used in the festivity of Sucot, and my
grandfather used to live there seven days of the festivity. I also remember the
bath that was leaning on four lathed paws, and the copper long faucets
glowed... The house had a basement, and my grandparents stored there the best
things during summer, which were to be used by the family and the
visits, especially during winter. There
was everything: sweets, cucumbers in salt, sweet and sour cabbage, dry
fruits, potatoes and other fruits and vegetables.
My maternal great-grandmother, lived with my parents in Kartuz Bereza
many times, and other times traveled to United States, place of residence of
her daughters that emigrated fearing the régime, because they activated in
politics. This great-grandmother, my mom's grandmother, was the midwife of the town, and she helped
to be born almost all children in Bereza. Only my mother and her brother MICHL
survived the Holocaust, while the rest was murdered. MICHL was the oldest
brother, emigrated to Argentina in year 1927,
formed a family there and he died in April 1991.
The siblings murdered in the Holocaust were Sarah, married and with two
children, the oldest a boy and a daughter MATELE. Another sister, LIBE,
married, studied sewing with her mother and painting with MOISHE BERNSHTEIN and
then got a diploma as dressmaker. The third sister was MAITE, teacher of
Physical Training. One of the brothers was YDL; he was the pride of the family
and my mother liked him a lot. In the Ghetto married RIVKA BERNSHTEIN, sister
of the painter MOISHE.
The last one, the very dear youngest child, was LEIBELE, be his memory
blessed. My mother CIVIA, emigrate to Israel in 1937. Here she married my
father, and were born me and my sister CHAIA that takes my grandmother's name.
CHAIM PODOROVSKY my grandfather, was a blacksmith. His gold hands created
perfect all class of objects. For example, produced a bicycle as a
gift for his first grandson, in the day of his "Bar Mitzva."
My grandparents CHAIA and CHAIM PODOROVSKY were religious people. Their
house was open for advanced Judaism and
for universal culture. YDL studied in the Cheder of teacher MINKOVITZ and later continued his studies in
Vilna Polytechnic. My mother told that he always had in his baggage the phylacteries bag and the Bible. She told us
her pride that he finished his Engineering studies with excellent marks.
I met uncle MICHL when he visited us only one time in Israel in year
1978, and I had a lot of satisfaction of being with him, and to listen on his
wide literature and poetry knowledge , and his mastering of several languages.
He told me: " All this is of house"...
Our mother educated my sister and me
loving literature and poetry. She recited us poetry of KADIA MOLODOVKY
that was born in Kartuz Bereza , also MIRIAM YELIV-SHTEKELIS's poetries, and BIALIK's poems. Through
KADIA's poetries mom walked with me and my sister CHAIA through her house and
her town that loved so much
In years ' 50 when KADIA lived in Israel, we used to visit her. The
relationship between KADIA and mom began in Bereza when mom was a girl and
KADIA already had 18 years. She rented a room in grandfather's house. Mom told
that grandfather used to point her with
a finger and said: "you will see, she will be a poet some day". I
want to highlight, to mom's pride, that the first poem I recited was "Open
the doors"...
An atmosphere of tolerance reigned in my grandfather's house. No any fanaticism.
Around the table sat down bundists,
communist, Zionist, socialists, revisionists, and who not? As a Jewish rule,
many times they discussed, maybe they fought verbally, but mainly there was a
cultural atmosphere....
How much pain caused mom parents that their children were no longer so
rigorous in the execution of the 613 precepts. I should highlight that they
respected the habits of the house and the religious feeling of their
parents.
I could continue telling on house garden, the forests and the
blueberries, the lake frozen during
winter, the dynamic social life, the loves and disillusions, the
discussions and the search of new roads, my sister's LIBE beauty and her loving
children, my grandmother's CHAIA works, virtuous woman, etc., etc. The stories
on mom's family are endless, and they
will never finish for me...
Mom died 11 Tamuz 5751 (1991). I thought for myself: she
will sure find in the world of absolute
truth, all her dear beings that so much lacked her, and so much nostalgia had
for them during so many years.
Maybe this it is my comfort...