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Friday had come. The sun was gently beginning to peek into the homes of the inhabitants of Miedzna. . - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Friday had come. The sun was gently beginning to peek into the
homes of the inhabitants of Miedzna.
The households of Ch. Celnikow, A. Goldsztejn, N.
Szmklerz , Zylbernagiel as well as other Jews living in our town were beginning to stir.
Women brought out the grocery
products gathered for the occasion
and were begining to prepare the
festive dishes. A large pot was filled with groats, beans, beef and potatoes. Houses and streets filled with the scent
of cholent which would only acquire its final taste in the
afternoon.
Jewish women poured flour onto their pastry boards, adding eggs,
fat and other indispensable
ingredients, and began to knead the dough for challah.
Having braided the dough strands by hand they then made their way to the bakery on the corner of the street leading to the nearby town of Orzeszówka, where the large and tasty challas were baked in the great stove. The great stove at the bakery was also where the cholent would be left to simmer, awaiting the Sabbath meal. Herring, purchased by Jewish women in nearby town of Węgrowo, were also prepared.
The whole household
prepared for the
celebration. Homes were beginning to
take on a festive look. Rugs were beaten and arranged,
rooms cleaned, beds
made. The women then put out the fire in the
stove. Mothers
made sure children were
clean, groomed and
dressed in fresh clothing.
The table was set and candles
placed upon it.
Every member of the family took his or her seat
around the festive table.
The waiting began. The sun was beginning to set.
She then proceeded to make three movements
towards herself with both her hands over the flame, cover her eyes and speak
the blessing.
At the appropriate moment, the mother lit two candles placed in two separate
candlesticks.
She then uncovered her eyes and looked towards the lit candles. From that moment on the women were considered to have begun the Sabbath and refrained from perfoming prohibited tasks. The words
Shabbat Shalomwere then spoken.
The cholent, left to simmer in the bakery stove, was brought by the Shabbat goy, who received money for his services. After the candles were lit, it was time to go to
the local synagogue, a one-floor wooden
building on what today is Bednarska street. Most of the
Jews did not have far to go since most of them lived along what today are
Orzeszkowej and Nadstawna streets.
It was mainly the men that attended the synagogue.
The next part of the Sabbath evening began
after their return.
Traditional songs were
sung by those assembled at
the table.
Children impatiently waited to be blessed and addressed by their father.
After the singing, the father spoke the blessing, holding a cup of wine over the table.
When the prayer was finished and the wine poured and consumed, the people gathered at the Sabbath table cleansed their hands.
Next, the head of the household marked out the place where the challah would be
divided from with a knife. Once it had been lifted up and blessed, it was to be dipped in
salt before being consumed.
The challah was then divided and everyone ate their part.
The supper then began at last. The dishes prepared earlier were eaten, song and
conversation filled the air. It was a time to be with one’s family.
In Miedzna, trade ceased and shops
closed with the coming of Shabbat. Catholics passing in the street could see candlelight in their
neighbors’ windows. Everyone
remembered that when God had
finished his creation on the sixth day, he
rested on the seventh day, having
accomplished his task. Then God
blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His
work which God had created and made.(Genesis 1,1-3).
Information on Shabbat celebrations in Miedzna based on conversations with Mrs. Henryką Rusjan, collected and collated by: Marta Salach, Magdalena Gołoś, Marlena Derlicka, Justyna Rusjan, Kinga Wakulicz,
Eliza Gołębiewska.
Supervisors: Marzena Orzeł
andAnna Tulwin-
Salach
Tadeusz Kosciuszko Elementary School in
MiedznaNovember 2008