Transcription
Michalis: You mentioned some symbolisms inside the synagogue. Would you like to give us an example?
Rita: Let's say one of the songs of Yom Kippur that is the most symbolic of all is the one where we beg God to absolve us from the vows that we couldn't keep the previous year.
Anita: Also let me say that this ten-day period that follows between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is the ten days of Awe. These are the days, we call them the "yamim noraim" and they are very decisive for the Jewish religion.
Michalis: Tell us something really briefly about your family. You said your father was Joseph Cohen and your mother?
Rita: Mary Cohen.
Michalis: Were they both from Larissa?
Rita: Yes.
Michalis: And you had siblings.
Rita: Us. You. I have one sister in Voulgino.
Michalis: Roulakolo. What's her name?
Rita: Roulakone.
Michalis: At home, what language did your parents speak to each other?
Rita: We always spoke Greek. But when they wanted to hide something or say something so we wouldn't understand, they spoke Ladino. But that corrupted Ladino. Not even as Ladino is now. Because now I'm learning Ladino.
I can tell you that we didn't want them to speak like that because others might hear, I don't know, that we were hiding something or doing something and they said it secretly. When I wanted my children to eat by force and they had learned what my mother said "basta."
Michalis: To the eyes.
Rita: Yes, to the eyes, and they would say it later too.
Michalis: Yes.
Rita: And they said grandma said "basta."
Michalis: What did your father study?
Rita: My father didn't study anything, he finished gymnasium which was a big deal then to finish gymnasium and he had also gone to what was called "school administration" for two more years.
Michalis: Yes, he went.
Rita: Did your mother finish gymnasium?
Rita: No, my mother didn't even finish elementary school. She stopped in second grade elementary.
She started learning to sew and she learned to sew and was a very good seamstress, and here in Larissa most women of that era and later, like Rosoula and others, were seamstresses and good ones.
Michalis: You mentioned Rabbi Kasuto's school. Was this parallel to the other school, or was this where the children went?
Rita: It was what they called "Meldar." More of a Meldar. It existed before the war but also after the war where children went and learned, and because he was also very strict and would hit them with a ruler on their hands and such things, my sister apparently saw this when she first went to school and didn't want to go.
Michalis: It was a traditional school then.
Rita: It was a Jewish school. Jewish but purely Jewish.
Michalis: Maybe it was more of a yeshiva.
Rita: Maybe it was more of a yeshiva. What she calls Meldar is. Not a yeshiva, no. Girls went.
Rita: Girls went of course.
There was also a choir, there were quite a few with good voices among the Larissans and they had created a choir. But even later in my years when I was engaged and Isdras was older and my father was in it. We went with this choir to Israel too. To a festival that was then. It was called Zimria.
And we took part and sang both Greek songs and Hebrew songs. We had maestro Negri then.
Michalis: How did your parents meet?
Rita: Well, then everything was through matchmaking.
Michalis: And you finished school.
Rita: I finished with excellent grades and I told you before that I was very good and such, and there was even a whole discussion among the teachers. There was a little discrimination in religion where they didn't want to put me with the flag, to hold the flag because I was an honor student.
I should have held the flag, they didn't want to put me because I was Jewish, they didn't say it clearly but they brought various excuses and such and I didn't hold the flag. Yes, but I was an attendant, that is, how the flag was - there were the eighth graders, as we called them then, the eighth, seventh and sixth graders front and back.
First, second, third, I was there as attendant but didn't hold the flag.
Michalis: And you lived with your parents until when?
Rita: Until I got engaged.
Michalis: And at what age was this?
Rita: I got engaged at 18 to Isdra Moysis.
Michalis: How did you two meet?
Rita: Mine was also like matchmaking. Mine was also like matchmaking. This wasn't exactly accurate. That is, we saw each other somewhere at the Club where we danced and such, we were all together.
And outside, I would pass by his house and go to English lessons to a teacher I went to and we would talk about things and such. Anyway, he showed some preference, I know. Towards me. And the engagement.
Michalis: How long did it last?
Rita: I got engaged in January. A year and a half.
Michalis: And what year did you get married?
Rita: What year. 1958.
Michalis: Where did your wedding take place?
Rita: Here in Larissa.
Michalis: And do you remember who married you, as a Rabbi?
Rita: It wasn't Vramzosonis, it was Pelesis. It wasn't Vramzosonis, it was Pelesis, of course.
Michalis: Would you like to tell us a few words about the wedding day?
Rita: The day. Well. Look, then things weren't so impressive and such. It was of course okay, a nice day. Relatives, many friends and such. Esdras had many Christian friends who came for the first time to see a Jewish wedding. A beautiful day.
We left, it wasn't done. Some who wanted to had some dinner, those who didn't want to left for the honeymoon. That's what we did, we left. Of course we changed clothes and such and left.
And we went, not far don't think, to Thessaloniki. Three days, three-four days there and that was it. But we had gone to Israel before. Then with the choir we went and such. There was great joy there and such and so it didn't bother us that we went to Thessaloniki for a few days.
Michalis: What year did you go to Israel with the choir?
Rita: 1958. We went in August 1958. And then we returned here and the wedding took place.
Michalis: Let me ask you something. Was the choir funded by someone then?
Rita: Usually everything is funded. I think, yes it must have been from... To mention the form how things were done then. And I ask this here. It had been funded. It was funded.
Michalis: Yes.
Rita: By Jews from Europe, let's say. Who did it. European organizations. France.
Michalis: So they understood things from then. From Europe to us.
Rita: Yes, but there were also locals. From here. Many came. Larissans came, I know.
Michalis: Ah, who gave.
Rita: Yes, who gave something, yes. Besides, we didn't have luxuries there. We slept in a school. The men on the lower floor. The women on the upper floor. Like that, yes. And wherever we went, of course we went to very good centers. To very beautiful halls. Which for us was something special. We had seen such things.
Michalis: Do you remember which place you went to?
Rita: To Israel. We went to many now. Okay, to Tel Aviv, to Haifa. We went to Haifa by ship then. We didn't go by plane, it didn't exist. We went by ship to Haifa. And from there we then went to Jerusalem too. There were some other small cities. I don't remember now where exactly.
Michalis: You already said that your father often went to the synagogue and said the prayers. Did your father pray at home?
Rita: Daily. Not much. In the mornings okay, he would get up, say a little prayer. The Shema, more that. And left for the office after.
Saturday he tried not to work. When he could take leave and such. He didn't work on Saturday and everyone knew it. Just as they knew for me when I went to school. That it was, not Saturday, holidays. We all kept the Jewish holidays. We all kept them then. Those years we kept them. Later they started, one would close, another would close. Now no one keeps them.
Michalis: Did your mother do something for Sabbath at home?
Rita: For which ones.
Michalis: For Sabbath at home, did your mother do.
Rita: Ah something special. She always cooked from the day before. She never let herself cook on Sabbath. And also on Sabbath she didn't do anything. Even though she was a seamstress. And they would tell her sew me this button here a little. I sew tomorrow, not Saturday.
Yes, she never did anything on Saturday. On Saturday they would sit. They would eat the sporakia. The women would chat among themselves. They would go to the market. To the market, to the synagogue, to Al Kazar. Whole families would go with the children. We went many times. Both on Jewish holidays. And on Sabbath when we went to Al Kazar. Sabbath all together.
Michalis: All together.
Rita: And we ate, what did we eat ladies and gentlemen. We eat dairy and cheese things on Sabbath. What we did over here. We ate little boureks, kassates.
Michalis: Kassates, yes very nice things.
Rita: What were kassates.
Michalis: And all the children played there.
Rita: What were kassates.
Michalis: What are kassates.
Rita: I can tell you I didn't make kassates. Because this is more of a Volos thing, this sweet. I mean the sweet, the salty. I made little boureks. Mainly everyone. Little boureks, yes, with cheese and a little potato inside so the cheese wouldn't be strong. Such things, that's what I made. For Sabbath.
Michalis: Yes.
Michalis: When you were a child with your parents, did you do something for Sukkot?
Rita: For Sukkot, we made the sukkah at the synagogue and there we went around and around. We didn't make a sukkah at home, we didn't make a sukkah. Since we didn't have. We didn't even have a house for a sukkah. We didn't do anything special.
We went, then we were very happy with the candles. That we lit and it was beautiful for the children to hold the sefer and there was great joy. We went around and around and such.
Anita: In our sukkah, excuse me to say what I remember. In the sukkah we brought every evening all the ladies something cooked. Either pie or egg. And we shared it all together, we divided it. And every evening the sukkah had various things. Among friends. Everything outside.
Michalis: You said about the Seder that you gathered and grandfather read. Do you remember singing songs at the Seder, at Passover?
Rita: At Passover we said this the Had Gadya. The most we said, Avanti Magino.
Michalis: Yes.
Rita: These were inside the Haggadah.
Michalis: Yes, Had Gadya is outside the Haggadah.
Rita: Yes, it was after.
Michalis: Did you maintain, did you observe the holidays later as an adult and married in your home?
Rita: Yes, of course. These had been passed from generation to generation and we all sang them of course and still now. And still now, how do you call it. It's unthinkable. It's unthinkable to do Passover without saying the Haggadah or I know, Rosh Hashanah to say these blessings. We all observe everything.
Even though we have a Christian son-in-law but Alina's husband is more involved, more.
Michalis: And how many children do you have?
Rita: I have three children. There's David, Minos and Alina.
Michalis: And Alina.
Rita: David and Minos had Bar Mitzvah. David and Minos of course. Alina had Bat Mitzvah.
Rita: Alina didn't make it. They were preparing to do Bat Mitzvah but there was a tragic event that happened then in the family and the Bat Mitzvah didn't happen. There were ten girls ready to do it. It didn't happen for any of them. It didn't happen, no.
Michalis: A question I have. When did girls start doing Bat Mitzvah in Larissa?
Rita: Yes. I wanted to say this about Bar Mitzvah too.
Michalis: Tell us about Bar Mitzvah.
Rita: Bar Mitzvah, let's say in the old years wasn't something impressive, nothing like that. We didn't notice. When the boys we were friends with became adults. We didn't get news of it.
Michalis: What was Bar Mitzvah then? They put on tefillin.
Rita: Yes. They did a service at the synagogue among themselves, the relatives and such, and it was over. Not even, nothing was even heard that it happened... We didn't know what this meant.
Michalis: Yes. We didn't even know.
Rita: When did this start.
Rita: I don't know if it started. With David or a little earlier. I think, anyway, maybe with a year... maybe in '58 let's say. Something like that started. To become more of an event that...
Michalis: Yes. Tremendous event.
Rita: Social event.
Michalis: Yes.
Rita: Then I had next to me a... Mrs. Frida lived next to me. Who had Zakino and Aaron. They went to America later. And from there they send me letters and correspondence. And when David came to that age... She told me how they did it there. The Bar Mitzvah. So I did too. We did something like that later. And it became a very beautiful celebration then for David. Then Minos did it too.
Michalis: Yes. And we did it for him too.
Rita: But he didn't want much outside grandeur and such. He wanted to have a party at home. He had a party at home for his friends. And then Alina didn't do Bar Mitzvah. For what I told you.
Michalis: While with David you had a meal and guests.
Rita: Of course. We had invited Christians too. And many Christians came to the synagogue and such. And indeed a very educated and very good lady. She heard the vows that the boys give then and the responsibilities they undertook towards the family and society and all that. And she says, she shook her head and says I was educated today here.
Michalis: Yes. She liked it very much.
Rita: And then we had David's children too. I have them all. And the first Eddie from the boys did it. Eddie's Bar Mitzvah took place in Crete. At the synagogue of Crete where we went. We opened that synagogue, that is. Yes. And it was very good and very magnificent and very that. It was beautiful, very beautiful.
Michalis: Would you like to say a few words about your husband?
Rita: My husband was the son, the eldest son of a large family. With six children and two parents, eight people. And he and his family were saved in a village, called Stomio. Stomio. And he was, then he was of course also in the partisans.
He went because he was also one of the educated ones there and they had him and he went and brought the orders they gave and where they issued the, yes the orders they gave had to be transferred to the whole village and such. And there they treated them very well. They loved them very much.
Isdras did many things there including the archive of the community and of that village community and all that and they had him here and there. Andreas they called him then, the Christian name, and they had him constantly and where we went together later too and until now still. Andreas, Andreas. How is Andreas doing, how is Andreas doing.
After we left there we returned here and Isdras then took on the archiving of the community and whatever existed to collect it because things didn't exist. Many had been stolen, had been looted, had been destroyed and all that and he worked very hard then to bring the community to a proper point.
He was president of the community for many years, yes he was 18 years, I think, years of the community. He was very good, worked very hard, published many books and this monument that was made there I can say is largely owed to Isdra. Because he communicated then.
Rita: He communicated then with the mayor because the mayor wanted to expropriate all the Jewish houses there in that area and pay something and such. So Isdras intervened and says to expropriate them but let's do something for this space. All these that you see here, he says, were Jews who lived and they arranged then that a monument should be made.
Well of course there was great correspondence. Well of course there was great correspondence. With the state and with the Municipality and with all these, all this is written in his books and finally he managed after much work to make this monument. The first. The first monument in Greece.
And this monument was made in April 1987. Then Isdras in 1986 had stepped down as president. And the monument was inaugurated with Michalis as president. They put a cylinder down at the monument below. This is a separate lesson you should do on how the monument was made.
They made a parchment and inside there they put the names of those who didn't come back. How they died in Auschwitz. And it was very beautiful. Isdras put it like that and they covered it later and it doesn't get uncovered. Since then it hasn't been uncovered. No. Nor was it uncovered. They made it so it would stay in there without ever being uncovered.
And people came. Many came from the state, ministers. It became a very magnificent celebration and from here of course.
Rita: Now what Isdras did was besides being president of the community he was also an accountant and insurer. As an accountant he again excelled. Everyone held him in great esteem. When he went to the tax office and said it was his. Ah okay, we know Isdra.
He left very very much and was very modest. He didn't promote himself like that. But what he did was that he didn't let anything fall down. That is, if someone wrote something I know about some Jew or if someone said something, a jab in speeches and such. If he heard one jab. The next day there was definitely a response in the newspaper. Which even now sometimes I see you Isdra answering.
In the second part of the interview, Mrs. Rita Moisi talks about the language spoken at home, her parents' education, Rabbi Kasuto's Jewish school, and her dance troupe's trip to Israel in 1958. She recounts her marriage to Isdra Moisi, religious observance at home, observance of the Sabbath and Jewish customs, as well as the evolution of Bar Mitzvah celebrations from simple ceremonies to large social events. Finally, she presents her husband's work as president of the community and his decisive role in the creation of the first Holocaust memorial in Greece.
Rita Moysi
Transcription
Michalis: You mentioned some symbolisms inside the synagogue. Would you like to give us an example?
Rita: Let's say one of the songs of Yom Kippur that is the most symbolic of all is the one where we beg God to absolve us from the vows that we couldn't keep the previous year.
Anita: Also let me say that this ten-day period that follows between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is the ten days of Awe. These are the days, we call them the "yamim noraim" and they are very decisive for the Jewish religion.
Michalis: Tell us something really briefly about your family. You said your father was Joseph Cohen and your mother?
Rita: Mary Cohen.
Michalis: Were they both from Larissa?
Rita: Yes.
Michalis: And you had siblings.
Rita: Us. You. I have one sister in Voulgino.
Michalis: Roulakolo. What's her name?
Rita: Roulakone.
Michalis: At home, what language did your parents speak to each other?
Rita: We always spoke Greek. But when they wanted to hide something or say something so we wouldn't understand, they spoke Ladino. But that corrupted Ladino. Not even as Ladino is now. Because now I'm learning Ladino.
I can tell you that we didn't want them to speak like that because others might hear, I don't know, that we were hiding something or doing something and they said it secretly. When I wanted my children to eat by force and they had learned what my mother said "basta."
Michalis: To the eyes.
Rita: Yes, to the eyes, and they would say it later too.
Michalis: Yes.
Rita: And they said grandma said "basta."
Michalis: What did your father study?
Rita: My father didn't study anything, he finished gymnasium which was a big deal then to finish gymnasium and he had also gone to what was called "school administration" for two more years.
Michalis: Yes, he went.
Rita: Did your mother finish gymnasium?
Rita: No, my mother didn't even finish elementary school. She stopped in second grade elementary.
She started learning to sew and she learned to sew and was a very good seamstress, and here in Larissa most women of that era and later, like Rosoula and others, were seamstresses and good ones.
Michalis: You mentioned Rabbi Kasuto's school. Was this parallel to the other school, or was this where the children went?
Rita: It was what they called "Meldar." More of a Meldar. It existed before the war but also after the war where children went and learned, and because he was also very strict and would hit them with a ruler on their hands and such things, my sister apparently saw this when she first went to school and didn't want to go.
Michalis: It was a traditional school then.
Rita: It was a Jewish school. Jewish but purely Jewish.
Michalis: Maybe it was more of a yeshiva.
Rita: Maybe it was more of a yeshiva. What she calls Meldar is. Not a yeshiva, no. Girls went.
Rita: Girls went of course.
There was also a choir, there were quite a few with good voices among the Larissans and they had created a choir. But even later in my years when I was engaged and Isdras was older and my father was in it. We went with this choir to Israel too. To a festival that was then. It was called Zimria.
And we took part and sang both Greek songs and Hebrew songs. We had maestro Negri then.
Michalis: How did your parents meet?
Rita: Well, then everything was through matchmaking.
Michalis: And you finished school.
Rita: I finished with excellent grades and I told you before that I was very good and such, and there was even a whole discussion among the teachers. There was a little discrimination in religion where they didn't want to put me with the flag, to hold the flag because I was an honor student.
I should have held the flag, they didn't want to put me because I was Jewish, they didn't say it clearly but they brought various excuses and such and I didn't hold the flag. Yes, but I was an attendant, that is, how the flag was - there were the eighth graders, as we called them then, the eighth, seventh and sixth graders front and back.
First, second, third, I was there as attendant but didn't hold the flag.
Michalis: And you lived with your parents until when?
Rita: Until I got engaged.
Michalis: And at what age was this?
Rita: I got engaged at 18 to Isdra Moysis.
Michalis: How did you two meet?
Rita: Mine was also like matchmaking. Mine was also like matchmaking. This wasn't exactly accurate. That is, we saw each other somewhere at the Club where we danced and such, we were all together.
And outside, I would pass by his house and go to English lessons to a teacher I went to and we would talk about things and such. Anyway, he showed some preference, I know. Towards me. And the engagement.
Michalis: How long did it last?
Rita: I got engaged in January. A year and a half.
Michalis: And what year did you get married?
Rita: What year. 1958.
Michalis: Where did your wedding take place?
Rita: Here in Larissa.
Michalis: And do you remember who married you, as a Rabbi?
Rita: It wasn't Vramzosonis, it was Pelesis. It wasn't Vramzosonis, it was Pelesis, of course.
Michalis: Would you like to tell us a few words about the wedding day?
Rita: The day. Well. Look, then things weren't so impressive and such. It was of course okay, a nice day. Relatives, many friends and such. Esdras had many Christian friends who came for the first time to see a Jewish wedding. A beautiful day.
We left, it wasn't done. Some who wanted to had some dinner, those who didn't want to left for the honeymoon. That's what we did, we left. Of course we changed clothes and such and left.
And we went, not far don't think, to Thessaloniki. Three days, three-four days there and that was it. But we had gone to Israel before. Then with the choir we went and such. There was great joy there and such and so it didn't bother us that we went to Thessaloniki for a few days.
Michalis: What year did you go to Israel with the choir?
Rita: 1958. We went in August 1958. And then we returned here and the wedding took place.
Michalis: Let me ask you something. Was the choir funded by someone then?
Rita: Usually everything is funded. I think, yes it must have been from... To mention the form how things were done then. And I ask this here. It had been funded. It was funded.
Michalis: Yes.
Rita: By Jews from Europe, let's say. Who did it. European organizations. France.
Michalis: So they understood things from then. From Europe to us.
Rita: Yes, but there were also locals. From here. Many came. Larissans came, I know.
Michalis: Ah, who gave.
Rita: Yes, who gave something, yes. Besides, we didn't have luxuries there. We slept in a school. The men on the lower floor. The women on the upper floor. Like that, yes. And wherever we went, of course we went to very good centers. To very beautiful halls. Which for us was something special. We had seen such things.
Michalis: Do you remember which place you went to?
Rita: To Israel. We went to many now. Okay, to Tel Aviv, to Haifa. We went to Haifa by ship then. We didn't go by plane, it didn't exist. We went by ship to Haifa. And from there we then went to Jerusalem too. There were some other small cities. I don't remember now where exactly.
Michalis: You already said that your father often went to the synagogue and said the prayers. Did your father pray at home?
Rita: Daily. Not much. In the mornings okay, he would get up, say a little prayer. The Shema, more that. And left for the office after.
Saturday he tried not to work. When he could take leave and such. He didn't work on Saturday and everyone knew it. Just as they knew for me when I went to school. That it was, not Saturday, holidays. We all kept the Jewish holidays. We all kept them then. Those years we kept them. Later they started, one would close, another would close. Now no one keeps them.
Michalis: Did your mother do something for Sabbath at home?
Rita: For which ones.
Michalis: For Sabbath at home, did your mother do.
Rita: Ah something special. She always cooked from the day before. She never let herself cook on Sabbath. And also on Sabbath she didn't do anything. Even though she was a seamstress. And they would tell her sew me this button here a little. I sew tomorrow, not Saturday.
Yes, she never did anything on Saturday. On Saturday they would sit. They would eat the sporakia. The women would chat among themselves. They would go to the market. To the market, to the synagogue, to Al Kazar. Whole families would go with the children. We went many times. Both on Jewish holidays. And on Sabbath when we went to Al Kazar. Sabbath all together.
Michalis: All together.
Rita: And we ate, what did we eat ladies and gentlemen. We eat dairy and cheese things on Sabbath. What we did over here. We ate little boureks, kassates.
Michalis: Kassates, yes very nice things.
Rita: What were kassates.
Michalis: And all the children played there.
Rita: What were kassates.
Michalis: What are kassates.
Rita: I can tell you I didn't make kassates. Because this is more of a Volos thing, this sweet. I mean the sweet, the salty. I made little boureks. Mainly everyone. Little boureks, yes, with cheese and a little potato inside so the cheese wouldn't be strong. Such things, that's what I made. For Sabbath.
Michalis: Yes.
Michalis: When you were a child with your parents, did you do something for Sukkot?
Rita: For Sukkot, we made the sukkah at the synagogue and there we went around and around. We didn't make a sukkah at home, we didn't make a sukkah. Since we didn't have. We didn't even have a house for a sukkah. We didn't do anything special.
We went, then we were very happy with the candles. That we lit and it was beautiful for the children to hold the sefer and there was great joy. We went around and around and such.
Anita: In our sukkah, excuse me to say what I remember. In the sukkah we brought every evening all the ladies something cooked. Either pie or egg. And we shared it all together, we divided it. And every evening the sukkah had various things. Among friends. Everything outside.
Michalis: You said about the Seder that you gathered and grandfather read. Do you remember singing songs at the Seder, at Passover?
Rita: At Passover we said this the Had Gadya. The most we said, Avanti Magino.
Michalis: Yes.
Rita: These were inside the Haggadah.
Michalis: Yes, Had Gadya is outside the Haggadah.
Rita: Yes, it was after.
Michalis: Did you maintain, did you observe the holidays later as an adult and married in your home?
Rita: Yes, of course. These had been passed from generation to generation and we all sang them of course and still now. And still now, how do you call it. It's unthinkable. It's unthinkable to do Passover without saying the Haggadah or I know, Rosh Hashanah to say these blessings. We all observe everything.
Even though we have a Christian son-in-law but Alina's husband is more involved, more.
Michalis: And how many children do you have?
Rita: I have three children. There's David, Minos and Alina.
Michalis: And Alina.
Rita: David and Minos had Bar Mitzvah. David and Minos of course. Alina had Bat Mitzvah.
Rita: Alina didn't make it. They were preparing to do Bat Mitzvah but there was a tragic event that happened then in the family and the Bat Mitzvah didn't happen. There were ten girls ready to do it. It didn't happen for any of them. It didn't happen, no.
Michalis: A question I have. When did girls start doing Bat Mitzvah in Larissa?
Rita: Yes. I wanted to say this about Bar Mitzvah too.
Michalis: Tell us about Bar Mitzvah.
Rita: Bar Mitzvah, let's say in the old years wasn't something impressive, nothing like that. We didn't notice. When the boys we were friends with became adults. We didn't get news of it.
Michalis: What was Bar Mitzvah then? They put on tefillin.
Rita: Yes. They did a service at the synagogue among themselves, the relatives and such, and it was over. Not even, nothing was even heard that it happened... We didn't know what this meant.
Michalis: Yes. We didn't even know.
Rita: When did this start.
Rita: I don't know if it started. With David or a little earlier. I think, anyway, maybe with a year... maybe in '58 let's say. Something like that started. To become more of an event that...
Michalis: Yes. Tremendous event.
Rita: Social event.
Michalis: Yes.
Rita: Then I had next to me a... Mrs. Frida lived next to me. Who had Zakino and Aaron. They went to America later. And from there they send me letters and correspondence. And when David came to that age... She told me how they did it there. The Bar Mitzvah. So I did too. We did something like that later. And it became a very beautiful celebration then for David. Then Minos did it too.
Michalis: Yes. And we did it for him too.
Rita: But he didn't want much outside grandeur and such. He wanted to have a party at home. He had a party at home for his friends. And then Alina didn't do Bar Mitzvah. For what I told you.
Michalis: While with David you had a meal and guests.
Rita: Of course. We had invited Christians too. And many Christians came to the synagogue and such. And indeed a very educated and very good lady. She heard the vows that the boys give then and the responsibilities they undertook towards the family and society and all that. And she says, she shook her head and says I was educated today here.
Michalis: Yes. She liked it very much.
Rita: And then we had David's children too. I have them all. And the first Eddie from the boys did it. Eddie's Bar Mitzvah took place in Crete. At the synagogue of Crete where we went. We opened that synagogue, that is. Yes. And it was very good and very magnificent and very that. It was beautiful, very beautiful.
Michalis: Would you like to say a few words about your husband?
Rita: My husband was the son, the eldest son of a large family. With six children and two parents, eight people. And he and his family were saved in a village, called Stomio. Stomio. And he was, then he was of course also in the partisans.
He went because he was also one of the educated ones there and they had him and he went and brought the orders they gave and where they issued the, yes the orders they gave had to be transferred to the whole village and such. And there they treated them very well. They loved them very much.
Isdras did many things there including the archive of the community and of that village community and all that and they had him here and there. Andreas they called him then, the Christian name, and they had him constantly and where we went together later too and until now still. Andreas, Andreas. How is Andreas doing, how is Andreas doing.
After we left there we returned here and Isdras then took on the archiving of the community and whatever existed to collect it because things didn't exist. Many had been stolen, had been looted, had been destroyed and all that and he worked very hard then to bring the community to a proper point.
He was president of the community for many years, yes he was 18 years, I think, years of the community. He was very good, worked very hard, published many books and this monument that was made there I can say is largely owed to Isdra. Because he communicated then.
Rita: He communicated then with the mayor because the mayor wanted to expropriate all the Jewish houses there in that area and pay something and such. So Isdras intervened and says to expropriate them but let's do something for this space. All these that you see here, he says, were Jews who lived and they arranged then that a monument should be made.
Well of course there was great correspondence. Well of course there was great correspondence. With the state and with the Municipality and with all these, all this is written in his books and finally he managed after much work to make this monument. The first. The first monument in Greece.
And this monument was made in April 1987. Then Isdras in 1986 had stepped down as president. And the monument was inaugurated with Michalis as president. They put a cylinder down at the monument below. This is a separate lesson you should do on how the monument was made.
They made a parchment and inside there they put the names of those who didn't come back. How they died in Auschwitz. And it was very beautiful. Isdras put it like that and they covered it later and it doesn't get uncovered. Since then it hasn't been uncovered. No. Nor was it uncovered. They made it so it would stay in there without ever being uncovered.
And people came. Many came from the state, ministers. It became a very magnificent celebration and from here of course.
Rita: Now what Isdras did was besides being president of the community he was also an accountant and insurer. As an accountant he again excelled. Everyone held him in great esteem. When he went to the tax office and said it was his. Ah okay, we know Isdra.
He left very very much and was very modest. He didn't promote himself like that. But what he did was that he didn't let anything fall down. That is, if someone wrote something I know about some Jew or if someone said something, a jab in speeches and such. If he heard one jab. The next day there was definitely a response in the newspaper. Which even now sometimes I see you Isdra answering.