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Oradea
 (09-008.09-F) -  Shelf Number: MDV 288
 IUCAT




No streaming derivative is available.

Date: June 5, 2007

Participants: Freundlich, Mihai. Interviewed by Moisei Lemster.

Location recorded: Oradea, Bihor County, Romania

Language: Yiddish, Hungarian

Culture Group: Jews, Yiddish-speakers, Romanians

 Recording Content:   

The recording is the continuation of a formal interview with Mihai Freundlich. (Part 2 of 3. See MDV 287 and MDV 289)

00:00:00 Freundlich discusses his childhood memories. He then addresses prewar cultural life, in particular Yiddish theater performances.
00:02:44 Freundlich speaks about Purim celebrations before the war. He describes how he dressed up as hasid.
00:04:49 Freundlich addresses holiday food customs and his childhood memories of how his mother prepared food and baked bread, as well as mamaliga. Freundlich states that his mother or he brought six kilogram dough for bread and challah to the bakery every week.
00:10:36 Freundlich explains how his mother koshered meat and stuffed geese. He then addresses other dishes, including falshe fish and fish.
00:17:35 Freundlich answers questions about cultural terminology. He then addresses prewar Yiddish culture, in particular performances by Sidi Tal. He then addresses his childhood memories and how locals would gather to listen to the radio.
00:21:54 Freundlich addresses Yiddish literature in Hungarian translation.
00:23:49 Freundlich speaks briefly addresses the local Zionist organization, he joined before the war. He then speaks about his life and family after the war. Freundlich visited Israel for the first time in 1968, where he met siblings. He then recalls his experiences and use of Hebrew in Israel. Freundlich mentions that he studied Hebrew at home after his visit to Israel.
00:28:50 Freundlich addresses prayers, in particular how he said "moyde ani" as child.
00:31:11 Freundlich speaks about his life during the war. He was a soldier doing forced labor in villages near the border of then Hungary and Moldova.
00:33:28 Freundlich addresses different Yiddish dialects within praying customs. He then answers dialectological questions from the AHEYM Yiddish linguistic questionnaire.
00:51:16 Freundlich speaks about prewar Jewish life in the Maramureş region, where poorest Jewish families lived according to Freundlich. He then continues to answer dialectological questions from the AHEYM Yiddish linguistic questionnaire.
01:02:15 End of recording.