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56 LUBOML
eral weeks. Village boys would stay in town in
Jewish homes, for a small fee, mostly in the Tea
Inn, and every morning they gathered around the
draft boardthe Prisudstva on Polish Street, and
waited their turn.
Out of boredom the recruits from the villagesbig,
brawny fellowswould get drunk,
in spite of the ban against selling liquor during
these few weeks, and they would start some
mischief in the marketplace. They started harassing
the passing Jews and often fistfights broke
out in which the villagers actually received most
of the blows from the hardy city fellows, who
gave it back to them many times over.
The best of our lads were Yehosua Shayndl
Ran es, Avromele Moyshe Avrams (called
"Mazik"), and Itzik "the devil" Komtches.
Our victories were even greater when among
the recruits there were Jewish boys from Odessa,
who for some reason were listed as having been
born in our town and therefore had to come here
to register. These fellows were really agile at
striking blows, and the non-Jewish recruits left
the arena pretty battered.
A Purpose: "Tachlis"
With a boy's release from conscription or at the
end of military service, the parents started to
worry again, and this time about "a purp ose"
meaning marriage and a job. Almost all matches
were the work of a professional matchmaker or
members of the family. Sometimes matches were
made within the courts of the rebbes, where many
Chasidim met, and there acquaintances were
arranged under the tutelage and with the blessing
of the rebbe.
Before a prospective bride was brought to
meet the prospective groom, the mother of the
groom would go, or would travel accompanied by
an experienced aunt, to see what the bride was
like. And, in turn, the father of the bride would go
to meet the groom, see what he was like, and how
proficient he was in the Talmud and commentary.
Whoever wanted to have a Torah scholar for a
son-in-law had to promise, in addition to the
dowry, a stipend for his livelihood (kest) , including
food and other expenses, for a number of years
and perhaps also a partnership in business.
As was the custom in those days, it took some
time until a match was concluded. From that
point on, preparation began for the wedding,
which also often took many months. Most weddings
in our town took place in the summer, and
the preparations were vast: sewing new clothes,
preparing a place for the newlyweds to live,
sending personal invitations to family members
and many friends, hiring the musicians (klezmer),
the wedding entertainer (badchan), etc.
Almost without exception, the chuppah [wedding
canopy] was put next to the Great Synagogue
on the southern side, the side with the entry to the
polish [anteroom]. There was a famous musical
group in the city at that time made up of the head
of the family and its musical leader (on violin) R.
Yakov Hersh Klezmer and his three sons: Arele,
who played the flute; Sender, the trumpet; and
Yossele, the drums; and also Nyusi (a member of
the family), who played the flute.
Menashe "Badchan," the entertainer, was
like a fountain pouring forth folk sayings. He was
great at rhyming. At will he could bring the
audience to tears or he could raise them to a level
of ongoing laughter.
The matter of a place to live was solved fairly
easily: Inside [the home of the groom's parents]
there was a little alcove (alker), or they would
build a small room onto the father-in-law's house
and everyone tried to manage as best they could.
They were under the same roof with the parents
and were in business together, tooone big family
commune.
The Marketplace and the Fair
Most important occasions in the life of the town
centered on the marketplace. All news went out
from it and all information came back to it.
In many ways the marketplace was also the
place for entertainment and enjoyment. Official
celebrations and meetings took place there, the
mounted police held their exercises there, waving
their bayonets and swords while riding their horses;
the army, passing through on the way to summer
maneuvers, would bivouac there; and a visiting
circus would also set up its tent there.
On fair days, the marketplace was so crowded
that passage was almost impossible, even for