Cape Breton's Magazine

more. But the old buildings (the step)--it wasn't, like, brick or cement--it was a 12- by-12 block of wood. So I remember lying myself close to it as I could, and the door. So when they came, they jumped right over me, and they missed me. I can still-- you know, I can--all of those things. They jumped over, you see. But I laid myself down, just at the edge, against it.... See, those are the things I remember. And then for years when I came over here, I used to have these dreams I was falling-- falling, falling, falling, and always I try to hold myself back, and I couldn't, and I always had--bang--you know, hit something. For years and years, that used to go on. (When you think of that period, up till you're 14, while you're still there in Po? land- -if you had to pick a word for it, would you say it was fright, or pride, or what was the feeling that you had at that time?) The biggest thing, I think, at that time, was, you had no vision of what's ahead of you, the future. You had no dreams of coming anyvhere else but there. And you had no--you didn't do too much thinking. You were thinking mostly just of your exis? tence from day to day. That's what you were going by. You didn't have much. (And what was your name when you were in Poland?) Yazernicki--Yona Yazernicki. And then when they came here, like, they changed it, like, my sister (Fannie Fage Leah [Fagela]) changed it, they changed it for* her, into Yazer.... (But you're not aware of what you as Yona Yazernicki wanted to be when he grew up.) Never. None whatsoever. (What about the Jewish cemetery in Po? land?) I don't remember even a cemetery. Riverside Cleaners Cape Breton's Only Drive-Thru DryCleaning KINGS ROAD • SYDNEY Lowest Drycleaning Prices in Town! JONELJIM GENERAL CONSTRUCTION TILT-UP CONCRETE BUILDINGS CONCRETE STRUCTURES PRE-ENGINEERED BUILDINGS TURN-KEY PROJECTS DESIGN BUILD Riverview Drive, Sydney Fax. 539-0104 539-2222 My mother-- the only thing I re? member of my mother was when I saw her dropping over, just bent over. And I remem? ber seeing her in the bedroom on the floor. I think it was a bedroom-- in one of the rooms, with straw on the floor. She was on the floor, cov? ered, and the candles on the head of it. (The candles near her head.) Yeah. (This would not be unusual, would it?) Oh, no, nothing unusual, but that's the only thing that.... (Because I understand that in old Jewish ways of laying people out and preparing them, they often put them-- am I right?--on straw, on the floor.) Oh, yeah. I'm not saying it's different.... But the only thing that my mind absorbed. You see, there's so much blank in all those years, that I don't remember any- Mr. & Mrs. Morris (Moses) Spinner AVwtliaweri Over 70 Stores & Services Every Last Thursday of Each Month Is SENIORS DAY Enjoy Tea & Cake in the ' Marks & Spencer Court ' Congratulations on 20 Successful Years! 800 Grand Lake Road, Sydney, N.S. B1P 6S9 I.G.Tax Services Quality Tax Preparation • Fast and courteous service • Special rates for seniors • Year round tax service 350 Charlotte Street Sydney, Nova Scotia 564-8800