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AMERICAN MIZRACHI WOMEN
— ATLANTA CHAPTER —
CESHER TZION CHAPTER
wish their Members and friends
a healthy and happy New Year
A shvltz in the old days
was a community affair
In Lithuania and Poland not
too many year* sgo, people could
do without a meal, without do
cent clothes, without separata
sleeping quarters, without fresh
air in their houses, even without
toilets in the large cities — but
everyone just simply had to hare
a ikvitx (steam bath) at least
once a week.
The baths in the larger towns
were bearable. The one thing
worth mentioning about these
baths was the steaming of the
clothes. Not only did one go to
the bath to cleanse the body, bat
also to rid the clothes of vermin.
Under the ceiling of these
baths there were racks (or the
patrons brought long sticks) on
which the clothee were hung.
The heat at the ceiling area was
so great that the “little crea
tures” were roasted. If one care
lessly walked under these hang
ing clothes, one felt that one was
under a shower of hail.
Mainly, it would be
worthwhile to describe the baths
of the peasants and Jews who
lived in the small villages. A
building of sorts was thrown
together in die middle of a field
(in order to protect the village
against fire). The building was
made ef crooked logs which from
a distance appeared to look like a
large trunk.
Then was no roof because
roofs were made of straw, which
was too easily combustible.
Thera was merely a ceiling made
of boards, which were covered
with earth in order to keep the
heat from eecaping. -
There was a hole about one
foot square, covered with a pane
of glass. This was the only win
dow. A larger hole, through
which a man could barely
squesse, was tbs door, made of
boards which turned on a pole.
In one corner near the door
was a large pile of stones cover-
ing e hole filled with wood,
which wee burned to beet the
stones red-hot Since there was
no chimney, the bath became
filled with so much smoke one
could barely breathe.
Outside, near the bathhouse,
was a large hole filled with
water. Inside the bathhouse
there were two wash tubs (usual-
Greetlngs and Best Wishes
for a Happy New Year
PIONEER WOMEN’S
Organization of Atlanta
Chapter ( and
Golds Meir Chapter
Atlanta, Georgia
laL ,$’• H ? "ujOr
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ly made of casks), which were
filled with water from the bole
outside the bathhouse One tub
was for cold water, the other
was for hot water, which wee
made by placing hot stones in
the water.
• -■ .
When everything was ready
(that is, when the water was hot
end the stones were red-hot and
producing steam), aa many peo
ple as possible sat around the
tube washing themselves. The
steam readied the ceiling, caus
ing the earth to fall down along
with the hot drops of water from
the snow melting on the earth.
Some bathers were on the
benches of varying heights, and
others were rubbing and beating
them with bunches of leaves.
Those being rubbed and beaten
felt tike they were experiencing
e taste of paradise. There was
constant shouting of: “What joy!
What pleasure! Have mercy!
More steam!”
After 15 or 20 minutes of this,
the bathers ran outside and
jumped into the pool of water.
(In the wintertime they rolled
themselves in snow.) Then back
into the bathhouse for more rub
bing and beating, sighing with
pleasure, then running outside
for the plunge — doing all this
about three or four times.
This wss considered one of the
greatest plesures which a Litvak
or a Russian could experience.
Jtnitk Exponent
May tl
happiness,
nron nrto nraft
* i--s-rh rA
ATLANTA SECTION
RjCKj'*' ->|J
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN
Residents, Officers, Board
and Staff of the
JEWISH HOME
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
extend to all members and friends
best wishes for a very
Happy & Prosperous-
New Year
Harbort Cohen, President 1977-5788 Gempe Landsman, Exec. Director
THE
AMERICAN
JEWISH
COMMITTEE
ATLANTA CHAPTER
A Happy, Healthy
New Year to You and Yours.
Though the task be difficult
and the hours long
It Is not your duty to complete
the work but
Neither are you free to desist
from It.
— Rabbi Tarfon
J WILLIAM t. EPSTCIN
Co-Chairman
TED V. FISHES
Co-Chairman >
WILLIAM A. CMtALNICK
S. E. Rational Director