Alexandr Nepomniaschy’s mother Rahil Nepomniaschaya

My mother Rahil Nepomniaschaya, nee Ostrovskaya, born in 1884.

My mother's nee name is Ostrovskaya. I know very little about her parents. Her father Nuhim Ostrovsky was born in the 1860s. My grandmother was born also in the 1860s. I don't remember her name or the place of birth of any of them. Their family lived in the town of Dmitrovka Elisavetgrad province. My grandfather was a timber dealer and my grandmother was a housewife. They had four children and my mother Rahil, born in 1884, was the oldest.

My parents were religious people. Each Saturday my father and mother went to the synagogue. My father was a tall, strong and broad-shouldered man. He looked very handsome to me when he put on his black jacket and his black wide-brimmed hat to go to the synagogue. My mother had two fancy gowns to wear them to the synagogue. She wore the black woolen gown in winter and the black silk one in summer. My mother covered her head with a black lace shawl .

Mama lit candles on Friday evening, then moved her hands above them and covered her face with her hands. On Friday morning the housemaids cooked Saturday dinner and meals for the following day. It wasn't allowed to start a fire on Saturday to heat the meal; so, they made a dish with meat, potatoes and beans in a big ceramic pot to leave it in the stove overnight.