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The Autobiography of Solomon Katzen
The Early Years: 1902-1923
Solomon Katzen
Part 2
© 1995 Solomon Katzen. Used with permission.
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Get Thee Out
The serenity of our life in Sasmaken was badly shaken. Apparently, father must have been notified by the county police, that the Katzen family must leave the town within a short time since under the existing laws, only those Jews who resided in Kourland prior to 1880 or their progeny were permitted to live there. My parents came to Sasmaken from Neibaden, Lifland, which was also outside the Pale of Settlement. Grandfather Moishe Falksohn must have moved there prior to 1880 and thus was covered by the law. Father was the general communal functionary for a year to two in Neibaden where he met and married Chaya Rivka Falksohn. Neibaden was too small a community to support a rabbi. Presumably, he was looking for an opening elsewhere and found the place in Sasmaken. Presumably, he must have been assured that no one in town will ever question his right to reside there. As events turned out, someone did question this right.
While we were living in a ground floor apartment in the building owned by Jacob Thal, there moved in to a second floor apartment a spinster and her single brother. I remember, that he was called Zelig ("Kroomfoos") as he had a kind of round or club foot, and was limping. Both of them were not well regarded in town. Zelig was employed by Yanke the shoemaker, who was also the sexton (Shamesh) in the synagogue. It was the general consensus in town, that it was Zelig who squealed to the authorities about the family Katzen, who had no right to live in Sasmaken. The leaders of the community had a meeting and decided to petition the Governor of Kourland that, in view of the needed functions performed by father, to grant permission for our continued residence in Sasmaken. A committee of two were appointed. Im not sure, but I believe they were Shaye Thal and Bentze (Benzion) Levius. They traveled to Mitau, the seat of the government and personally presented the petition to the governor. The result was negative, but they obtained a period of grace, that is, we were given 3 months time within which to move. The following I heard much later. Grandfather Katzen who was living at that time in New Bedford, Mass. was urging my father to come to America, an idea readily subscribed by him. However, mother was receiving letters from her sister Bluma Krales, that things in America were bad, which was true as far as she was concerned, and that mother would be better off to remain in Europe. Furthermore, it was not practical for our family consisting of five children to go to America, all together without an economic footing. There was the idea of father going by himself, getting established and then sending for the family. But mother didnt want to remain alone with the five children. The decision was to remain in Sasmaken, since a new way was discovered to live there legally. Outside the "Pale of Settlement" (i.e. the area where Jews were permitted to live) only certain categories of Jews were granted rights of residence as follows: doctors, lawyers and merchants of the first rank, who were required to pay a special tax of 500 rubles a year and tradesmen (locksmiths, tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, and others) who were graduates of either one or two official trade schools. One of those schools was in Vilna and the other in Odessa.
Although the city of Vilna was much nearer, father went to Odessa, a fast growing city and port on the Black Sea. He was directed to a family who had emigrated many years ago from Sasmaken and were rather prosperous in Odessa. While there, he lived in their home, attended the trade school and through some connections he learned a trade in six weeks. He was given a diploma to the effect that he was a master bookbinder. Before leaving for home, the Odessa family entertained him by taking him to the opera, which was a first for him.
To our great relief, Father returned from his trip and brought a gift given him by his Odessa hosts in the form of a nickel-clad samovar of beautiful design, which became our prized possession. He told us about his experiences, especially the ride on an express train, which was speeding at 60 viersts, the equivalent of about 40 miles per hour. He described the beauties of Odessa and its harbor.
His diploma was sent to the governor at Mitau, and back came a permit for the Katzen family to continue to reside in Sasmaken, as long as Father will practice his trade. I dont know, where the tools and equipment of the trade were purchased as there was no other bookbinder in Sasmaken. Perhaps it came from someones attic, or was purchased elsewhere. But there it was, the wooden presses, glue pots, cardboard, books in the process of repair, and a supply of books needing repair. A half of a room was assigned to the workshop. In case of required proof, father did repair a few books, rather the bindings, for a few householders. So, the black cloud that was overhanging left us and we continued to live in Sasmaken legally. Then, it became clear to me why mother was so agitated when a rock I had thrown in self-defense hit the policemans son. Also, I now understood why the visits of Fathers sister Rose and later the visit of Fathers parents were very short. Aha! They had no right to stay in Sasmaken.
Carved Beds
Everyone in the family was happy with the arrival of the first girl Sonya. I remember, that Harry and I were walking down Shiler St. And many people greeted us with the remark that, "Your stock has fallen, now that there is a girl in the family." We walked as far as Mrs. Eksteins residence. Mother and father roomed there, when they first came to Sasmaken and Mrs. Ekstein was always friendly to us. During one of those summer days, another event took place. A local cabinetmaker delivered and set up two new beds with high carved bed boards that my parents had ordered for themselves. Their old beds were handed down to the growing family.
I Enter An Elementary School
About the year 1908, there was built on the Hoff St. a new two story brick building as the first Government Elementary School. Prior to this, there was no Russian Language School in Sasmaken. This was a 4-year school for pupils aged 10-14. There was one classroom for each grade. The Superintendent, as well as all the teachers, were male and wore uniforms. Pupils were also required to wear uniforms. Before being accepted, the pupils had to undergo an examination in reading and writing Russian and arithmetic.
Both Harry and I, along with some other Jewish children, took the entrance exams in 1909. No one asked for birth certificates and I was as tall as my older brother, and both of us passed the examination. Now, there arose a dilemma. Since there was a quota of 10% for Jewish pupils, it wasnt fair to have two accepted from the same family and furthermore I was too young. So I waited till the following year. Took the exam again and was accepted. However, for some reason Harry never attended the school. In a starting class of about 25 pupils, there was a Jewish girl Minna Weinberg and myself. After one year, she dropped out and I continued as the only Jewish boy through the 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades, in a graduation class of about 18, among whom was one Latvian girl, a daughter of a local storekeeper, by the name of Yuryan. There were no home room teachers, but they specialized according to subjects. Fritz Derman was teaching math, geometry, geography, drawing. Martakoff was teaching the Russian language, literature, grammar, Russian history. This teacher was a retired army captain. There was a third one whose name escapes me. His subjects were calligraphy, singing, and other minor subjects. With my becoming a student at the school¸ it required all of my time and attention. The school hours were from 8 a.m. to 2-3 or sometimes to 4 p.m. six days week. My studies at the cheder were stopped.
It was the policy of the Czarist government to promote the teaching of religion, particularly, the Russian Orthodox faith. However, during the entire four years at school, there wasnt a single student of Russian parentage. The Lutheran pastor would give each class an one hour lesson in their religion. This was conducted in the Latvian language. Their new testament stories were illustrated in a not too favorable way to the Jews. Besides their Bible, they used another small book, called catechism, which taught the essential beliefs, dogmas and church use.
As a Jewish boy, I was always excused from the class, and used that time for reading or homework. I was also excused from writing on Saturdays, although attendance was required. Under Jewish custom, even carrying any object on Saturday was forbidden, so a fellow student who would pass our house on the way to school would pick up and carry my books too. However, the principal required that I bring to him a certificate from the Government Rabbi indicating the dates on which the holidays fell. The principal, whose name was Schweitzer, always used to compare the current certificate with the one from the previous year. Since the dates were different, he used to remark that even the Jewish calendar is crooked. Although, he didnt deserve it, on Passover, mother would wrap a few matzos and a bottle of mead and I would bring it to him as a gift.
We Move Again
As our family was growing in numbers we needed more spacious quarters. We moved diagonally across on Tzunzer St. This time our quarters were in a house in the back yard of the property owned by a Mr. Zell, who was a Latvian. The yard of this building was not paved, and it used to become very muddy after rains and melting snow. The water well was quite a distance from the house, down a hill. There was no pump and the pailfuls of water were pulled up by a stork like contraption. The maid would carry two pails of water on a shoulder yoke. We didnt always have a maid and frequently, I used to carry pails of water from the well and fill barrels in the hall.
My Friend Young Zell
He was a young man about 18 or 19 years old, the son of the owner of the house we lived in. The front, or the building facing the street was occupied by the Zell family and by a tenant, Shmuel Zelig Edelstein, who was a cattle dealer and horse trader, and in part of the building was a carpenter shop, where Carls grandfather lived and worked.
Carl owned a flock of pigeons, which nested in the attic of the house above the Zells living quarters. Whether it was my interest in his pigeons or for some other reason he befriended me and called me his partner. I used to accompany him to the attic and observed his handling of the pigeons, and he handed me a pigeon to hold. In the back of our house, which was in the yard, there was an orchard belonging to the Zells. When the fruit on the trees would start to ripen, Carl would take me into the fenced in orchard. We ate various kinds of berries, cherries and apples.
When his grandfather was away, he once took me though the carpenter shop. The floor was full of shavings and there were a lot of tools and unfinished furniture. Then we went up to the attic of the shop. Here, I was astounded when I saw a coffin. Carl told me that his grandfather built it for himself to be buried in. I already knew, that some old Jews, particularly old women would make their own shrouds to be buried in. The Jewish community owned one black coffin, in which the deceased was carried to the cemetery, with most of the townsfolk following the funeral procession. At the gravesite, the body would be removed from the coffin and lowered into the grave by the shroud. The coffin would then be rolled over on the cemetery grounds three times. I was told that this action confuses the angel of death, so that he will not visit the town again. The coffin would be returned to the little building at the cemetery for reuse. Let us return to my "partner" Carl. I was very saddened when he showed me a bunch of chopped off heads of pigeons, which he threw away in the garbage. Pigeons were among the fowl listed as permissible for consumption by Jews, if ritually slaughtered by a Shochet¸ but I didnt think about or know of any Jews eating pigeons. Shortly after the killing of the pigeons, Carl told me that he was leaving for America, where he had brothers, and that, when I was grown up, I, too, should come to America. Thus we could be partners again. I thought about his suggestion quite often.
The Neighbors
Shmuel Zelig Edelstein had two grown up sons and a boy, Leibke, who was about 4 or 5 years older than myself. The oldest son Leizer emigrated to South Africa. The second, Chayim was working in the shop owned by his fathers cousin, Wolf Edelstein. His was the only shop where the uppers for shoes or boots would be cut and stitched based on the measurements taken by the various shoemakers. This shop had a higher rating than an ordinary shoemaker, because of the professionalism and this shop had the only machine in town that could stitch leather. The youngest son, Leibke, used to accompany his father on the trips to the countryside where they bought and sold horses. Leibke was rather a rough character, which apparently went with handling horses. Sometimes, on market days, when I used to go shopping for Mother, when school was not in session, I used to observe the shenanigans of horse-trading, of which the Edelsteins were masters. The haggling and bargaining in the price, the clapping each other, i.e., buyer and seller on the palms of their hands, when a new price was offered, the continuous inspection of the teeth of the horse, his gait, the frequent swearing by everything that was holy was quite a spectacle. Particularly funny to me was a phrase used by Shmuel Zelig when quoting the price that he himself paid for the horse. Usually he would quote and swear that he paid more than the price he is willing to sell the horse. He would in all seriousness say that if the buyer didnt believe him, he should go and ask his wife for verification. While I mentioned his wife, whose name was Shule, it comes to mind an event that shook up the town.
Word got around fast, that a sister of Shule, who was nicknamed Lutes, committed suicide by slashing her throat. Although I had not known of the prior existence of this woman, my curiosity was aroused. With other boys¸ I went to her residence, which was in a basement of a house on the Hoff St. By the time I got there, quite a crowd of people were already there. The body had been removed from he floor, which was covered by a stream of coagulated blood. She was not accorded the usual funeral rites, but was buried outside the cemetery fence. I had heard that she lived with a gentile farmer Lutes, whose farm was about 1-1/2 miles outside of town.
Along the right hand side of the Zell property, stretching for the whole length was the property of Mrs. Grosswald, a widow. Facing the street there was her fenced in vegetable garden, then her house and barn, and a fairly large orchard. Living with her was a sister and an elderly brother, who did the hard chores. All digging was by hand. We used to buy vegetables from her, and these would be pulled out fresh from the ground. Her harvested apples were kept in the barn, on shelves decked with straw. By mid-November most of the apples would be gone, since there were no cold storage facilities.
Thinking about Mrs. Grosswald, I reminded myself, that it was her son-in-law, who lived elsewhere, by himself set new paving stones on Tzuntzen St. for a stretch of about 100 yards. There was fresh sand strewn on the street. He would take each stone from a pile and set it in the sand, tap it with his heavy hammer. When a small section was completed, he would stomp each stone with a heavy log, held by a crossbar fastened to it. It was Mrs. Grosswalds orchard where the family picture was taken, probably in 1912 or 1913. There was no resident photographer in town. Apparently, when an itinerant photographer arrived, he must have had many customers, among whom was our family too.
On Tzuntzen St. to the left of the Zell property, there was a small grocery, owned by a Latvian by the name of Yurjahn. There we bought mostly small items, while the large bulk shopping was done in the larger stores owned by Shaya Thal, Verbelov Bros. or Mr. Shneour. I was fond of buying candy in the Yurjahn store. For one kopek I used to get either one black caramel Iris or two candies in wrappers called Ananas. The latter had a picture of pineapples, the heavenly taste of which I could only imagine. It was Yurjahns daughter who was a classmate of mine in the elementary school. Mr. Yurjahn, who was in his late thirties, died suddenly. He died of appendicitis which had not been taken care of properly.
Although, I didnt go to their house, it seemed to me that many people in holiday attire gathered there. I heard lots of singing and what seemed like a celebration was taking place at this house before the funeral. There was still another house in the back of us which was occupied by two elderly Latvian families. They kept to themselves and I remember little about them, except that in their hallway there were big troughs of soured oatmeal, which was a national dish called Putraim. Also, on the chimney of that house, storks would nest there in the spring and summer. In the back of their house was the orchard, beyond the fence of which were open fields.
Providing for the Long Winters
Every householder would purchase or provide for himself with more than enough firewood to last for the entire winter. Every yard had neatly piled logs, depending on the number of families living there. Wood choppers were hired to split the logs and the chopped wood was laid out in round tower like piles, for the wood to dry. Afterwards, when dry, the wood was piled up in the barns. In all of Sasmaken, there was only one place where coal and coke were used and that was by the local blacksmith.
In the summertime, all kinds of berries were plentiful. Wild berries, such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cranberries grew in the woods surrounding the town. It was almost a days work of searching and bending to pick a quart or two oft berries. On Thursdays, all kinds of fruits and berries, depending on the season would be brought to the market. Most householders, depending on their finances or needs would make their own preserves. None was available in any of the stores.
Every house had a cellar, which was reached through a trap door and movable ladder. Many householders, especially those who had vegetable gardens had root cellars, where potatoes, beets, carrots, turnips, radishes, horseradishes were kept. The pungent odors of drying garlic, onions, mushrooms, which were tied on long strings and hung up to dry in the living quarters of Mrs. Grosswalds, as well as the numerous flower pots left a lasting impression.
Pickling time was an annual ritual. Traveling peddlers would come to town with wagon loads of pickling cucumbers. These would be bought by the shock which numbered 60 pieces. We would buy 5 or 6 shocks, with the corresponding quantities of dill and garlic. I would assist mother in the process of laying out the rows of pickles in the barrels, which were kept in an alcove. Similarly, with buying 50 to 60 heads of cabbage, which would be cut and put up for sauerkraut.
This operation used to intrigue me, because it involved using a machine which we used to borrow. The entire machine was made of wood, except for the gears and cutting knife which was built in the horizontal wheel. One had to be careful not to cut a finger, and after a while the work would become tiresome for me. We used to put up at least two barrels of sauerkraut.
The fall season, was also the time to lay in a supply of smoked lamb and salami. Beef used to be koshered and put up in barrels for curing. Likewise, sides of lamb, only the forepart of the carcass was used. This was mainly fathers job. The big job was grinding the meat by hand. Although we owned a regular size meat grinder, we used to borrow one of larger dimensions. Before the grinding process, father would accumulate and clean a substantial number of intestines, which were used as casings for the salami. This work would usually be done in an evening when father was at home. The smokehouse was at the end of the hallway, separating the quarters of Zell, the owner, and the quarters of the Edelsteins. One had to arrange for the schedule when the smokehouse was available, since it took about two weeks for the smoking process.
The inner walls of the smokehouse were black, covered with soot. One had to climb up a ladder to hang the salamis and breast of lamb on hooks. Then a fire was lit below. I do not recall what kind of wood was used, but it was slow burning with lots of smoke, which was operated continuously. The end product was a delicacy.
I remember Grandfather Moses, when he lived with us, used to make almost a ritual on wintry Saturday nights. He would cut for himself a slab of smoked lamb, a few slices of black pumpernickel bread, a dish of cold sauerkraut and would take some rendered goose fat, mix it with diced onions, smear it on the bread, and enjoy his meal with a boiling samovar on the table for tea. I mention this now, because, where we lived before there was no smokehouse, but we used our neighbors Bendet Weinbergs smokehouse.
Threshing Machine
One of the annual events for the boys, was the arrival of, in the surrounding large farms, the threshing machine, and the steam engine to drive it. Four to six horses were required to transport the steam engine which rested on a frame supported by four large and wide steel wheels. The wide wheels were required to prevent the heavy machine from sinking in the unpaved, muddy roads. Dreimans farm was bordering the town, so it was there that I liked to observe the process. The harvested wheat, rye, barley, or oats, the sheafs of which would be lifted on pitch forks by hand and fed into the threshing machines. Of greater interest was the steam engine. It was a wood burning machine, the drive wheel of which was connected by a long leather belt to the threshing machine which operated inside the barn. Standard size burlap bags were attached to the bottom of the machine. Full bags of 5 poods or 200 lbs. of grain were removed. The straw would be thrown out by the machine in the back, where it was picked up and transported to another barn. The threshing would be completed in a day or two, and the machines would then be transported to another barn.
On a hill outside of the town, near the Jewish cemetery there was a windmill, and the millers house just below it. The local farmers would bring their grain to the mill for grinding, so that the resulting flour was from their own grain. The principal crop was rye, most of which went for local consumption. Wheat flour carried by the merchants in town originated in the Ukraine in the south, where both the wheat and the refining milling process were superior. I used to be intrigued to see how the miller would move the roof of the windmill together with the big wings in the direction of the wind. I remember being permitted once to go into the mill while in operation. Everything inside was massive: the big wooden gears, the mill stones, and the noise was deafening. The grain was carried on a circular stairway to the top and emptied into a large hopper and the finished product came out on the ground level.
Dairy Factory
On the outskirts of the town, there was a mechanized dairy. This was a non-Jewish enterprise. I dont know who the owner was, perhaps it was owned by Baron Heiking himself, who was the biggest landowner in the area. The town of Sasmaken was built on his land, with the owners of the houses paying a land rent to him. The manager of the plant, as well as the workers were either Latvians or Germans.
The milk production of the area was much greater than the local population could consume, and thus, the economics dictated the production of butter for export. In the yard of the plant, there were a few underground ice storage facilities. In the winter time, big blocks of ice were cut at the lake. These were brought on sleighs, slid down in the underground warehouse and covered with straw to retard its melting.
On several occasions, I went to the factory to buy butter, when the local dairyman or the weekly market was short of supplies. I was overwhelmed by the machinery, huge vats, turning wheels, pipes, cement floor which was constantly washed. The product was sweet butter packaged like the American product. The by-product skimmed milk, was shipped to the Barons farm as feed for pigs. Local Latvian women would carry pails full of skimmed milk on yokes which they purchased for a few kopeks, to their homes as feed for their animals. The main output of sweet butter was exported to Germany and England.
Woolen Mill
On a side street, off the road to Talsen, there was a woolen mill which burned down completely. I was too young to remember the fire, but I remember going there to see the ruins, big iron wheels, drive shafts, and the remains of the walls. In a few years the factory was rebuilt with more modern machinery.
In addition to its regular production, the factory also accepted personal orders from the local populace. At times father would bring wool home which he received or acquired from the butchers. About once a year, mother would arrange to have the wool washed, carded, spun into yarn, and have it woven on home looms of which there were several in town. The resulting cloth, generally gray, was rough. On several occasions I carried the cloth to the mill to have it worsted.
What impressed me most was the new diesel, the source of power for the mill. There was a large glass container on top of the machine, which held the oil, but I was at a loss to understand the combustion principle. There was no such thing as buying socks, gloves, or mittens. These were knitted at home.
Horses were the only means of transportation, as well as furnishing the power for agriculture. Although, I had already seen one reaper operated by a prosperous farmer, this too, was pulled by horses.
There was one barber in town by the name of Rosenberg. When needed by Baron Heiking, he would send his chauffeur for him. However, when the weather was nice, and the spirit moved him, the Baron would ride into town on horseback. When the boys would see him coming they would run to the barber shop. Although there were posts to tie up the horse, the Baron liked to have one of the boys look after his horse, for which he would pay 10 kopeks. I had the honor to hold the reins once and was happy to earn the money.
Among the boys, a fashion developed to hand make chains out of hair pulled from horses tails. Some of the boys were ingenuous in making multicolored chains. I remember also other situations involving horses: the death of two horses, I remember in every detail. The first was on a Saturday. This horse, belonging to a Mr. Weinberg, was running from or being chased from his pasture. The gate to the yard was partly open with a crossbeam sticking out. The horse was running to its stall and apparently did not notice the crossbeam. He ran into it, which stuck into his chest. The poor animal, bleeding profusely was freed from the beam, walked to its stall, where it laid down and died.
The other case involved a horse owned by a Latvian, who arranged to have the horse shot. This horse was used to pull wagon loads of firewood, carry away garbage and must have gotten old, so that he no longer could pull the load. How the word got around town, I dont know. Quite a few boys, myself included, accompanied the man and his horse to the place of execution in the woods about a mile outside of town. The old horse was left standing alone. We all moved back about 30 feet. Then the forester raised his gun, aimed and fired, hitting the horse above the eye. The horse kneeled and keeled over. The owner remained there, to skin the animal and bury him right there. All of us boys return to town very sad.
First Automobile
We had heard about such things. On one summer day the word spread fast that an auto is staying in town overnight. I did not see its arrival, but immediately ran to the only inn (Wollandskis) where all the boys gathered to inspect the new phenomenon. The chauffeur was in white overalls, and the horseless carriage on solid rubber tires, with a lot of brass, looked like a fancy carriage. It was an open car, belonging to some baron. I believe it was burning alcohol for fuel.
First Street Light
What a novelty. Prior to the installation of this, the only town gas lamp in the market place, the town used to be pitch dark at night. All houses were equipped with outside shutters, and these were usually closed in the evenings. The only light penetrating to the streets was from some windows that were not shuttered. A lantern was a necessity to go out at night.
It was an evening ritual, to watch the custodian come, and with his key lower the big lamp, which was suspended from a high pole on a wire rope. Then he would unhook the lower half, pump air into the body of the lamp which held the alcohol. Then he would light a small fire to heat up the mantle, and when sufficiently hot, he would open the valve and the light would start with a hissing sound. Next, he would fasten the lower half and wind the lamp upwards with his key. This great lamp illuminated the market place and the adjacent streets. I was never present at midnight when the lamp was extinguished.
My Second Sister Shirley (Sarah)
On Saturday afternoons in the summertime, most of the Jewish families would go for a walk into the pine woods surrounding the town or to the lake, a distance of less than a mile. The town had no public parks. Even in the winter, after a heavy snow fall, father would take the older boys for a walk in the snow drifts. Sometimes, the snow drifts were so high reaching the to the top of the windows, so that hardly any light came through. The door to the outside could not be opened until the snow was shoveled away. I recall an ugly incident one summers day when the family went on an outing. This time we didnt go to the woods, but along the fields of rye until we came to a hay field. Father, as usual was at home taking his Saturday afternoon nap. At that time, I was about six years old. Beside mother and myself, there was Harry, Baruch-Mayer and David. Mother sat down with us on the grass. Shortly thereafter, a grown son of farmer Dreiman, who owned the field, walked up to us, grabbed mothers scarf which she had put down on the grass as security for payment for damages to the grass since we walked and sat on it. I never learned the outcome, whether mother had to pay a fine to redeem her scarf, or if it was returned without payment. When I got older, the walks into the woods were getting deeper, a distance of two or three miles. Once father pointed out to me in the woods, the home of Ms. Englebert who was the midwife serving Sasmaken. We learned that she delivered all of us, and of course, I remembered this kind but strict lady who stayed with mother for a few days during delivery.
On a hot summer day, Father asked me to go to Mrs. Engelbert and ask her to come to our house. Since I knew the way I went eagerly and accomplished the mission. My older brother Harry and I were sleeping in one bed. On that night we were awakened by mothers frequent screams. We were agitated all night and toward morning we were told that we have a new sister Sarah.
Mrs Engelbert busied herself with the newborn infant and looked after Mother, who remained in bed for a week or ten days. Until the age of about nine months the infants used to be wrapped like mummies, and, of course, all were breast fed. In addition to the maid, who did the heavy work, on such occasions, when the mother of the house was incapacitated, there came in another woman to do the cooking and manage the house. She was a middle-aged widow by the name of Chana-Reina. She lived in an attic in Verbelows house on Talsen St. Normally, her source of income was from the sale of water bagels. She used to bake daily two basketsful and carry them in the afternoon to her customers or likely customers. She was peddling her bagels in all kinds of weather, and not infrequently she was tied up in several shawls, a basket of bagels in each arm, and to little children she looked like a witch. Actually she was a kind person and loved children.
Post Office
The post office was located on Talsen Street. How the mail used to reach Sasmaken I really dont know. The county seat was the city of Talsen, a distance of about 15 viorst or 8 miles. However¸ the nearest railroad station was Stenden, about 5 miles beyond Talsen.
Sasmaken had two draymen who carried freight and passengers to and from Talsen and Stenden. One of these was Isaac the "Furman" and the other was a Latvian by the name of Straut, a jolly fellow who knew a few words of Yiddish. Which one of these brought the mail, or if it was delivered on horse back I dont know. There was no home delivery of the mail. In late afternoon, people who were expecting mail would go to the Post Office and inquire. Usually, there would be a small crowd and everyone would know if so and so received mail with money orders from their sons or daughters in America or South Africa. By that time most families had relatives in those far off countries.
A few newspapers used to reach Sasmaken. Of course, they were two or three days old. Besides the Yiddish newspaper Der Tog (The Day), which father used to receive from Warsaw, there used to arrive several copies of Rigashe Rundshau, a German language newspaper subscribed by the Thals and Levius.
Because Father was receiving a newspaper, he had to, and willingly, shared the important news with the townspeople. At that time there was a war in Balkans (1912) and some people were interested in the progress of the combatants. That period also brings to mind the 100th anniversary celebration of the Russian victory over Napoleon, which was marked by parades, display of flags, and the playing of the national anthem: "God Save the Czar." During the playing of the anthem, I remember that a certain farmer standing in the crowd had forgotten to remove his hat, and the local policeman promptly knocked it off with his saber. Also at that time, committees were organized to sell buttons made of tin, resembling the aeroplanes then in use. The slogan was that "Russia needs an air fleet" and people used to donate 5 to 10 kopeks
Of great worry and significance to the Jews of Russia was the then occurring "Baylis Process" in 1913 (The Case of Mendel Baylis). This was a jury trial of Mendel Baylis, who was a manager of a brick kiln in Kiev, and was being accused of having murdered a Christian youth for the purpose of using his blood for the baking of matzos. With Baylis, all of Jewry and the Jewish religion was being accused of fostering this practice. The daily newspaper reports, about the trial, were of concern to the townspeople, and fathers newspaper, as well as his personal views, were in demand. I remember names that were then being discussed such as defense counsel Gruzenberg from St. Petersburg and Jew Baiter Purishkevitch, and a Catholic priest, "expert" on the Talmud by the name of Pranaitis. Then, there were the famous newspapers Retch (Speech) a liberal paper and the Novoe Vremia (New Time), a most reactionary paper controlled by the anti-Semitic "Black Hundreds." The period was tense, and had Baylis been found guilty, there would have been a wave of pogroms and killing of Jews throughout Russia. Fortunately, the jury consisting of 12 plain people found Baylis not guilty, and the defense proved that it was the murdered boys mother herself and some of her drunken friends who committed the murder, because he knew too much of their illicit deeds. They were later tried and found guilty of the murder. Although Baylis was found not guilty of murder, the Jewish religion, or the Jews generally, were not acquitted of the blood libel as such. A sigh of relief greeted the verdict. I remember the fellow students at school taunting me that the international Jewry "bought" the jury to have them proclaim Mendel Baylis not guilty.
Forward to Part 3
© 1995 Solomon Katzen. Used with permission.


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|International Space Station Imagery
high res (4.3 M) low res (126 K)
|JSC2001-02439 (29 August 2001) --- The Expedition Four crew members are photographed during a cake-cutting ceremony in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). From the left are astronaut Daniel W. Bursch, flight engineer, cosmonaut Yuri I. Onufrienko, mission commander, and astronaut Carl E. Walz, flight engineer. Onufrienko represents Rosaviakosmos.
Curator: JSC PAO Web Team | Responsible NASA Official: Amiko Kauderer | Updated: 10/30/2012

subset: commoncrawl


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Can be used for so many different cards. I thought feminine when I ordered it but some are masculine..I love it when that happens beautiful papers.
These were even more beautiful when I got them than I had expected. Wonderful pad of papers...
Beautiful colors to help design your manilla folders or use for scrapbooking projects.
Perfect for card making in combination with other Graphic 45 papers.
Beautiful papers. Just what you can expect from G45.


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Gentry bats second as Rangers shuffle order
By Master Tesfatsion / MLB.com
ARLINGTON -- Craig Gentry made his seventh career start in the second spot of the order Sunday against the O's. He started in center field with Leonys Martin in right and Nelson Cruz as the designated hitter. Rangers manager Ron Washington planned to place Cruz in the designated hitter position Sunday, giving the club a better look defensively in the outfield.
In a perfect world, Elvis Andrus would hit second in the Rangers' order. Washington has recently shuffled in different players in attempt to take pressure off Andrus in that spot. Andrus went 1-for-4 Saturday, dropping to 4-for-25 in his last seven games.
"I want Elvis to give me a spark in that spot," Washington said. "It just gives him a little more time to relax. I put Gentry in there, and I can use him to do different things if I had to."
Harrison on track to move forward in rehab
ARLINGTON -- Matt Harrison could possibly throw his final bullpen session Monday before taking the next step toward rejoining the Rangers. The left-hander expects to throw 60-65 pitches. If everything goes well, Harrison said he'd throw a batting-practice session Wednesday.
"I'm probably not going to throw as many bullpens as I thought I would," Harrison said.
He said he threw 40-45 pitches in his previous bullpen session, and he'll increase the workload by 20 pitches Monday.
Harrison underwent a second operation in May to address a herniated disk in his lower back. Harrison said earlier this month he looked to return at the end of August. It appears he is ahead of his projected target.
Texas expects to have Ogando start Tuesday
ARLINGTON -- Unless something changes in the next 48 hours, Rangers manager Ron Washington will activate Alexi Ogando off the disabled list to start Tuesday against the Yankees.
Washington said Ogando could probably throw 100 pitches, given he threw 80 pitches in his final rehab start on Thursday with Triple-A Round Rock.
"He could probably add 20 to it, which which what we wanted to make certain when he came up here; we didn't have to put him on a strict pitch count," Washington said.
Washington said the club will closely watch Ogando on the mound and not attempt to extract more than the pitcher can give.
"If we think he did well after five, that's it," Washington said. "If we think he did well after six, that's it. We won't try to get more."
Thursday's starter is "TBA," which could stand for to be announced or to be acquired. The Rangers have attempted to acquire Matt Garza throughout the weekend and had a scout watch Jake Peavy pitch for the White Sox Saturday against the Braves. Cubs manager Dale Sveum told reporters Sunday he's confident Garza will start for the Cubs Monday. In that situation, Garza wouldn't be available to pitch if acquired after his start to pitch Thursday.
Washington said Ross Wolf remains an option to start Thursday. He allowed seven runs on nine hits in two innings Saturday against the O's.
No timetable for Tepesch to throw 'pen session
ARLINGTON -- Nick Tepesch said Sunday he feels good throwing from 120 feet, but there isn't a timetable for a bullpen session. Tepesch has thrown all week.
Tepesch was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation on July 7. He's eligible to be reinstated Sunday, which certainly won't happen.
"Any time you're on the [disabled list], it's frustrating, but it's feeling a lot better," Tepesch said. "I'm getting closer to where I need to be."
Tepesch is 4-6 with a 4.85 ERA in 16 starts this season.
Worth noting
• Rangers manager Ron Washington said Lance Berkman could participate in batting practice on the field Monday. He's on the 15-day disabled list with left hip inflammation.
• The Rangers' bullpen has thrown 17 consecutive shutout frames entering Sunday's game against the Orioles. Texas' relief corps threw seven scoreless innings Saturday; it has complied a Major League-best 2.00 ERA since June 7.
Master Tesfatsion is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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(64) Customer Reviews
Price Range: USD $109.99 to $471.99
Light Truck and SUVs
Scorpion Ice & Snow
Specifically designed for SUV and recreational vehicles.
Longitudinal groove proportioned for SUV and recreational vehicles guarantees resistance to hydroplaning.
T speed rated.Offers optimum performance on snow and ice.
You'll receive an alert as soon as this item is available for order.
Perfect snow and ice tire. I own five vehicles and have run many different winter tires and these never slipped, slid and drove through any snow conditions that I've had to drive in. They're pricey but worth every cent! They wear fairly quickly but they are an awesome tire overall! Highly recommend!
Size: 275/55R17
Vehicle: 2003 Mercedes-Benz ML500 4 Dr Sport Utility Base with 20000 KM of Tire Wear
made this review on 1/16/2017 and is a
Confident, Experienced Driver
These tires are hopeless for real winter driving conditions. Buy these tires and get ready to slide to a stop, drift around corners, experience moments of terror as you drive on mountain highways.
These might be good for driving in the city on well sanded / salted roads, but they completely fail on ice, frosty roads, and fresh or packed snow. No tire is a substitute for caution and skill, but theee are a waste of money. Toyo, nokian - much better!
How Mercedes can sell these in their winter package eludes me.
Size: 265/45R20
Vehicle: 2013 Mercedes-Benz ML550 4 Dr Sport Utility Base 20" option with 17000 KM of Tire Wear
made this review on 1/6/2017 and is a
Confident, Experienced Driver
Size: 215/70R16
Vehicle: 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander 4 Dr Sport Utility ES with 2000 KM of Tire Wear
made this review on 11/29/2016 and is a
Cautious, Reserved Driver
Long time skier in the Canadian Rockies and these are the worst tires I have ever used. I feel taken by Mercedes for selling them to me. Probably only good for city winter conditions. On the highway there is very poor connection to the road in true winter conditions and very little comfort that the vehicle will stay on the road. I have been driving on these roads my whole life and these tires are bad. Actually sent them back to the shop to see if they are defective because these are not good on highway ice.
Vehicle: 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 4 Dr Sport Utility Bluetec 4Matic 20" option with 100 KM of Tire Wear
made this review on 12/16/2015 and is a
Confident, Experienced Driver
To see all 64 reviews on tire reviews page
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1 Year / First 2/32" of wear
Workmanship Materials Warranty
Unlimited Time / Free replacement first year or 2/32" wear, then prorated until 2/32" remaining depth
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Only for Run-Flat Tires Only (1 Year / First 2/32" wear then prorated)
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If your vehicle information is present on your order, we will verify fitment to qualify you for the 100% Fitment Guarantee. If your order arrives and the tires or wheels do not fit your vehicle, we will honor an exchange and pay for freight for the return and new set.If there are concerns about your order we will contact you about potential fitment issues.
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June 8, 2012
Another one of Vans' highlights for 2012, the Van Doren pack, has just been released. The pack consists of some of the styles that Vans is known and loved globally including the Era, Slip-On and Sk-8 Hi. Each was done up with some classic prints dedicated to founder Steve Van Doren. You can pick these up now at DQM.
Check out the sneakers after the jump.
words by nickestrada


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Naomi Watts With Sasha and Samuel at Park Pictures
Naomi Watts Hits the Park With Her Adorable Blond Boys
Naomi Watts Hits the Park With Her Adorable Blond Boys
Naomi Watts and her sons, Sasha and Samuel, hung out at an NYC park yesterday. The trio lounged in the grass and cooled down with popsicles during their outing, which came just after a trip out of town for Naomi. She popped up overseas last weekend at the Deauville Film Festival, where she was honored for her acting work. Naomi was just one of the lovely ladies to attend the French event since Kate Bosworth also stepped out on the red carpet to promote her project Another Happy Day. Now that Naomi's back on the East Coast, she can continue her family fun into Fall after spending most of the Summer soaking up the sun with Sasha, Samuel, and husband Liev Schreiber.
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If you happen to find yourself covering apps for more extensive smartphones, then Fring is a damn fine app
Third-party iPhone applications are generally cheap, but we really expected a rather better price-to-play time than we got from Galactica. Like Tube Deluxe it only costs 59p, but we can't see many downloaders getting anywhere near a minute's worth of pleasure from each penny they spend. You might get five minutes' mild …
If you happen to find yourself covering apps for more extensive smartphones, then Fring is a damn fine app
But if you're going to start reviewing some of the billions of iphone apps, make them ones that you recommend?
If you're a Cylon you'll see the Eye of Jupiter in it.
i can actively see power being wasted
paris - just because
you should try it while on some trippy drugs, that might be much more interesting.
I bought Galactica, and although it is just a toy, I think you're being a bit harsh. I thought the graphics were very nicely done, and have found myself going back to it from time to time. The two-point touch activating gravity function is a bit odd, and the flick detection not sensitive enough, but I liked it.
This is more of a suggestion than a rant, but perhaps these reviews could be tagged as "App Review" so that I know not to bother reading them? I don't have an iPhone or Android handset and am not planning on getting one. I don't have all the time in the world to read The Register and so would rather be able to spot at a glance which articles to read.
Does anyone else agree?
The AppPodcast said "tugs at my creative loins" .. "definitely recommend" ... "pretty magical"
AppCraver awarded Galactica 9/10.
148Apps awarded Galactica 4/5.
TouchReviews.net said it "will certainly enthrall you with it's dazzling visuals",
"Even if it were free, it would be hard to recommend" ... rating 40%
Maybe I'm stuck in pre Web 2.0 thinking but I'd have expected 0% as absolutely avoid, utterly useless to 100% for an essential, cannot live without, must have, with 50% being so-so, good for some, not so good for others.
So how does a not recommended, hard to recommend even if free, app score a 40% ?
@ AC 20th June 2009 09:17 GMT
One would think so. Maybe the reviewer was so disappointed with his <£1 purchase that he just HAD to share.
@ Jason Bloomberg
Do you see anyone out there rating according to such an onerously realistic and useful scale? It might not be most advisable if you are actually relying on ad-revenue.
@ Philip Teale
Dubiously labeled articles are part of the fun of this site, but I agree that such a label would be helpful and appreciated.
You mean the Fring that is also free on the App Store? ....
Oh, the ~20-39% range would be buggy, crash the phone every so often and such, 15-20% rating it loses info when it crashes, 15% and below insults your mom while doing all that, at 10% it's forwarding your contacts to telemarketers, for a 5% rating it's stealing your credit card info, and for a 0% rating an app should also make the phone spontaneously combust.
Spawn Lite it is similar play with particle effects, only it has a free and a pay version, I just use the free but I can see how someone might like it enough to pay a $1.
For something like that I'd want to try then buy.
Clearly this reviewer has some personal issues they need to resolve. This unjustified and unprofessional rant at this app and the developer is frankly pathetic. This level of 'journalism' is well below The Register's usual standards. How disappointing?
Suggestion: why not write a proper article on the state of mobile development, how big name and indie developers are doing, etc?
The Reg is a fantastically good read, but frankly, reviews pap for an Apple devices that is neither a good mobile 'phone nor a better than the rest music player is really scrapping the barrel.
If you must, really really must, then please follow these simple rules :
1 ; don't do it in the Reg Hardware site, do it somewhere else.
2 : Stop pandering to corporate balls by calling these turgid programmes 'apps'. Applications if you must, or programmes. These words have served us well for, oh, ages....
3 ; Don't.
Why, pray tell, will you be "regularly reviewing iPhone apps?" I understood this to be a website for IT professionals or at least people of a certain level of technical ability. No techie worthy of the name - Apple fanbois excepted - are going to have an iPhone.
Leave it for Mixmag.
Still not a patch on Geiss or Milkdrop for Winamp (free to download, even better when linked to projector or HD TV, class A (or B) drugs not included).
Well, considering you've trounced the App completely, maybe you'd prefer Bloom, or even Noise.io Pro? That is if you are actually bothered by these types of apps...
@Jimmy Floyd "No techie worthy of the name - Apple fanbois excepted - are going to have an iPhone." Not so. Many have, and many shall in the future. If it's not your bag, fair enough, but please do not speak for everyone else. I am a Tech (of the Cisco, HP, and MS variety) and I have one. Not a brilliant device, but it certainly keeps me entertained :o)
Paris, because she likes to make sweet, sweet music..
"There's a button for screengrabs."
Was there anything wrong with the existing printscreen command built right into the iPhone/Touch? (home and power button simultaneously)
Ehm, I'm here about the request?
It seems they have now the "Citrix Receiver for iPhone". Now isn't that just what we where waiting for? Accessing our Citrix applications from /anywhere/ wow. Impressive. How big was that display again? Is it really possible to wiggle a function into a spreadsheet on an iPhone? A fair and balanced review would meet an enthusiastic reader. Thanks ;-)


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NATO's UN Liaison Officer addresses West-Point cadets
West-Point, 08 Feb - ''NATO delivers security'', theme of NATO's Chicago Summit in May, was one of the topics of a series of briefings to West-Point cadets by NATO's Military Liaison Officer to the United Nations, Col. Paul Van der Heijden.
In his briefings to young and senior cadets of the US Military Academy at West-Point, Col. Van der Heijden explained the unique political-military structure of the Alliance and described how NATO engages with partners around the globe in pursuing the International Community's goal for maintaining peace and democracy.
In his special guest-lecture at the Winning the Peace-Lecture for the Senior Cadets, Col. Van der Heijden focused on NATO's counter piracy operation in the Horn of Africa (Operation Ocean Shield), the Alliance's counter terrorism operation in the Mediterranean (Operation Active Endeavour), the recently ended operation in Libya (Operation Unified Protector), and NATO-led operations in Afghanistan (International Security Assistance Force) and Kosovo (Kosovo Force).
Concluding his brief he told the cadets that: "It is promising and encouraging seeing young military's interest in complex organisations and operations. You are free from old Cold War thinking, and have different views on the way partnerships can contribute to global peace. You youngsters, you are the leaders of the future on whom many people will put their trust! I wish you lots of success in your military careers!"


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