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