Page 50 - The Legacy of Abraham Rothstein - text

Moshe Itzel and his brood

Moshe Itzel called his sons together, not with his voice, but with
that cane, knocking it on the floor or pointing it at his brood. And he
called them often, since the whole family, four sons and three
daughters as well as their children, all lived on his five acres of land,
which was mortgaged and behind in taxes. So the brood responded
to the first sound of the pounding cane and gathered around him in a
circle. He would begin to say a few words, then throw back his head
and open his mouth to draw a bit of air into his lungs, after which he
would have to wait for a few minutes to continue.
Nobody disputed what he said. Paternalism is as powerful in some
countries as monarchism; in such cases it is rare to rebel against one’s
parents. The only question was which of his sons should undertake
to attend to the financial troubles or buy the used lumber to repair
the foundation of this or that house. Of course, my father, the oldest
son, was picked to do the important business, and he accepted these
commands without a murmur. My father had to furnish money
which he never saw back, suffering a good bawling-out from my
mother, for it was money for her own household expenses that he
had to spend on the whole brood. Moshe Itzel never bestowed as
much as a smile on my mother or her children, for he knew she did
not fear his autocratic behavior and never paid him back in his own
coin. When a barn had to be shingled, I was ordered with another of
the grandchildren to get up on the roof and nail the shingles. This
paternal command we had to obey, in spite of my mother’s
objections. At the time I was twelve years old.
On Sabbath day in the afternoon, Moshe Itzel’s sons and sons-in-
law came with their sons who were studying the Talmud, to let him
examine the boys and see what progress they had made in their
studies. I recall the old man sitting in his chair with his head thrown
backwards listening to me reading a problem in the Talmud. When
my reading displeased him or he thought I did not understand my
lesson, he would swing his head from side to side, his mouth open
wide gasping for air. When my reading was correct, he would move
his head up and down, never giving a smile or a good word.
Grandfather was very orthodox and well-versed in the Talmud. He
used to chant or act as the chazzan on the Holy Days in the

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