Family Stories and Memoirs

Armour (Branzi) SHARGEL daughter Shimena GURFINKEL, born in 1922 Emilchino
Recording a conversation June 3, 2011; Translated from Russian
(from the site Jewishperson.org of Zalman SHKLYAR)

During the war tombstones were demolished. After the war relatives who came and remembered the locations of graves and restored them. The synagogue was in Emilchino until 1937 when the the authorities made of it a club.  During the war the building was destroyed.  Now there is a House of Culture is located on its place.

Till 1937 there was a local rabbi.  Father took the children to the synagogue. On Fridays a cantor came to the shtetl. On Friday father brought a poor man to take part in the holiday meal, who ate supper and dinner after they returned from the synagogue and also slept there. It was "mitsve khesed". Other families behaved in the same way.

For poor people who came to Emilchino and who were taken to other families homes the "tsduke"(donation) were collected.

Matsa was made manually only. 

The "Emilchino lekakh" recepee  :7 eggs, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of flour. While breaking eggs, one should separate yokes from whites. Then you have to whip the whites till they turn into sour-cream shape, gradually add a cup of sugar until it dissolves completely. Only afterwards add yokes and gradually flour is added. The baking dish has already been warmed and greased with butter, bake for 45 minutes.