My father David Abramson and his 2nd wife in 1971 in Mogilyov-Podolsky. They got married in 1957, a year after my mother died. My father had this photo made to send it to me.
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 grandfather was a Shamesz at the synagogue. He was very religious. He prayed every morning and evening at the synagogue. Every month he made a contribution to the synagogue from his earnings. Besides, my grandfather helped the poor, although the family was far from wealthy. He believed it to be his duty to help those that were poorer than his family.
My father went to the cheder and my sisters had teachers at home. The children got both religious and secular education. My father and his sisters finished a Jewish secondary school (8 years). My father's family spoke Yiddish at home and Russian with their non-Jewish neighbors. Mogilyov-Podolskiy was a Jewish town. Jews constituted half of the population. My mother told me how she met her future husband. On a big holiday my father came from Mogilyov-Podolskiy to the synagogue in Yaryshev to pray. There was a big synagogue in Yaryshev and many people came to listen to the honored rabbi of Yaryshev. The synagogue was next to my mother's house. My father saw my mother and introduces himself to her. They liked each other and my father asked her if she didn't mind moving to Mogilyov-Podolskiy. Soon he sent matchmakers to my mother's parents and they began preparations to the wedding. My parents got married in 1925. My mother was 18 and my father was 19 years old. They had a traditional Jewish wedding. My grandfather Urtse was marrying off his older daughter and wanted her wedding to be remembered. The rabbi of Yaryshev conducted the ceremony. There were kleizmers at the wedding. The wedding party lasted for 3 days. All inhabitants of the town attended this wedding. After the wedding my parents moved to Mogilyov-Podolskiy.
My father demobilized from the front in 1945. My mother got very ill after my father returned. She stayed in hospitals most of the time and at home she stayed in bed. My father was to take care of his 3 daughters. My father couldn't cope with housekeeping and raising children was a challenge for him. I asked my husband if he had any objections if we took my sisters to our home .My husband said that it was O'K with him, but the decision had to be mine as it was me who was going to bear all responsibility. Thus, I got a big family in the first month of my family life: my sisters and my husband's brother.
In 1957 my father remarried. His 2nd wife lived in Mogilyov-Podolskiy and my father moved there. I didn't know his wife. My father took no interest in his daughters. My sisters said that I was not their sister but mother, because I raised them. I agree.
In 1971 my father's wife died. My father was an old man and it was hard for him to go shopping, cook and do the laundry. He asked me to allow him to move in with us. So, there were 3 of us: my husband, my father and I.
My father died in 1986. I buried him near my husband.
