Grandma Bella was raised in a Shtetl in a part of Russia that went back and forth between Russia and Rumania. When she lived there it was Russian. Her family owned vineyards. (Aunt Jenny who became Jenny Hendler, came from the same village. Her family were the barrel makers.) The Shetl had reunions in New York. Aunt Jenny came to the reunions. She lured Grandma Elaine back to Philadelphia to meet her son who was going with Pauline (who later became his wonderful wife.) She wanted Elaine to go with Sargie and break up his relationship with Pauline. Fortunately, Elaine met Jenny's nephew Bill and the rest is history. When Grandma Bella lived with her family in the Shetl, the Cossacks raided in what was called a Pogrom. Grandma's older sisters were away. Grandma hid with her younger sister in the hay in the barn. The Cossacks came, slaughtered her parents. They used axes to chop into the hay. Grandma had huge scars across her head from the axes, but she kept quiet as did her sister, and both survived. Christian neighbors took them in after the Pogrom until their older sisters could come and get them.
Grandpa Joe used to tell Susie and me stories at night time when we visited them (every other weekend throughout our childhood.) He always used Blacky the Cat as his story vehicle. The story of the Pogrom never left my memory. Many years ago I wrote a series of short stories based upon his stories. I will publish them in this blog if I can find them.
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