Thursday, June 25, 2020

The Hungarian Houses in Jerusalem

Batey Ungarin is small neighborhood in Jerusalem, peopled by religious Jews that settled here a century ago. Mostly, they live from donations of rich American Jews. The apartments are very small. When I arrived in Israel went to visit my uncle Moishi Abelesz and was surprised by the modesty of his place. He let me see old pictures of the family in pre-WWII Hungary, my grandparents and uncles. Very friendly. But I was then inflated with myself, having made a lot of money in Nigeria. I felt uneasy with Jewish poverty. I should have asked for a room then and there, and a schidduch. But I did not and the past cannot be changed.  

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