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The weekly “fair,” which was established in 1927, was one of the most important sources of income in town. There was a “history,” which lasted a number of years, for the establishment of the “fair” and its origin was in the “dispute” between two “community leaders” that two “parties” formed around them in town. This “dispute” had a personal background that was tied to the two important community leaders - Yitzchak Weinshail and Eliyahu Gamerman. Yitzchak Weinshail had a large lumber warehouse and was interested that the “fair” will be in his street. On the other hand, Eliyahu Gamerman preferred that the “fair” would be close to him since he had a large warehouse of sacks for grain.

The conflict lasted a long time and in the meantime, a “fair,” which was held every Monday, was established in nearby Făleşti. Then, the “proprietors” from the circles of the shopkeepers and the merchants, who previously “stood on the side,” intervened and managed to reach a compromise that the “fair” will take place in two locations: in the middle main street - for poultry, vegetables etc. and at the edge of town - for cattle and horses. Yitzchak Weinshail took care of the legal side of obtaining the license and after a lot of work he managed to get it, but, even here there were “problems.”

Y. Langman writes about the matter of the license (“Unzer Tsayt” No. 1597 from 1.1.28):

“For many years the dignitaries of the town are trying to obtain a license from the authorities for a “fair” (a regional market) in our town but, to our sorrow, all their efforts were in vain. In recent years, because of years of drought that turned many “wealthy” in town to poor, all the residents began to go through a serious economic crisis. The idea to obtain a license for a “fair,” which had a great economic importance to our town, resurfaced. They approached the public activist in our town, Mr. Yitzchak Weinshail, and asked him to obtain a license for a “fair” from the authorities. He agreed, started to work on this matter and last month, after a lot of work and great efforts, managed to get a government license for opening the “fair.” Now, when Mr. Weinshail is asking for the return of his expenses, there is no sound and no answer. Do the local residents really want to pay Mr. Weinshail “evil for good?” It's hard to believe that it would really happen.”

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Our town, Mărculeşti, is pictured in my memory as an isolated island that in the first belt around it: the river, the “Răut,” and green fields of wheat, oil seeds and tobacco crops, and at the outer belt: villages of Moldavians, primitive farmers, ignorant and anti-Semite. In the summer the “Răut” served as a bathing place for many and in the winter - for skating. In the winter large blocks of ice were taken from this river and transferred for storage in deep pits that were covered with a roof of straw and reed. This ice eased the life in the town during the hot summer days.

The town was primarily agricultural. Many residents purchased, or leased, plots of land that some of them were around the town's houses and some a distance of several kilometers. My family, which was headed by my grandfather Chaim Kupershtein, also had an agricultural farm - “Kukweitz” - across the river. It was reached by a shortcut on a rickety bridge over the “Răut,” and by a longer road through the village of Mărculeşti on the way to Făleşti. It was a real farm with all kinds of orchards and a sizable heard of sheep. In a number of yards in town there was a cow or two and working animals. The “simple folks” had a goat or two, and we remember well the painting of a goat on a straw roof. In most of the yards there were also chickens, ducks and geese. Almost every house “produced” good butter, tasty cream and cream cheese.

However, the residents not only made their living from agriculture. There were shops of all kinds full of merchandise that was brought from the big cities, small craftsmen, small and big middlemen who worked with the “landowners” in the area. Such were: Baruch Goihman; Itzi Greenberg, Arki Landau and others. The trading in grain, especially “green grain,” with the farmers in the villages was very common. They purchased the grain from the farmers before sowing, received it after the harvest, and the profits were good. Over time, the trade with the big cities was developed and the grain was sent there by train that connected the town with the most distant places. Also the trade in lumber was developed, more in the direction of import than export. In the last years a number of factories for soap have sprung up and the industry of cooking oil, which was exported afar, was quite large.

Many of the town's residents earned their living from the gentiles in the nearby villages who came to buy their products in town all days of the week, but mostly on the day of the “fair.” Hundreds of farmers from the surrounding villages arrived with wagons harnessed to horses and bulls, loaded with the best agricultural produces: grain, vegetables, fruit, eggs, dairy products, horses, mules and even pigs - and with the “proceeds” bought all they needed - from shoelaces to needle and thread. At the end of the “fair” they entered the taverns and on herring and whole-wheat bread emptied dozens of bottles of wine and vodka, and when they were drunk they danced in the streets, and at times, caused quarrels and beatings also with knives. The truth must be told,

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that the purchase of “green grain” at cheap prices with the addition of “deceit” in the weight when they received the grain, exploitation of the farmers in the prices at the stores, the taverns that emptied the farmers' “pockets” together with the bottles - all of these didn't increase the farmers' love to the Jews and caused open and disguised feelings of Anti-Semitism.

In each town there were two wide streets that crossed the town lengthwise, and a few narrow streets - crosswise. The buildings were different and strange, without any plan. In my memory are a few buildings that impressed me. The house of Mendel Adimashik, Chaim Itzi Grinberg, the imposing house of Baruch Goichman with its wide stairs that was purchased by the “master” Moshe Davidson, the Sorofman house and especially - the mysterious house of Aharon Benykov that was planted inside a big and spacious garden and located at the edge of town on the border of the green “Tulika.” Especially beautiful house was the Levitt house which was located deep at the edge of the lot and the entrance to it was through an avenue of tall and straight trees and a beautiful garden. One of the only two telephones in town was also there (the second - at the “master” Moshe Davidson). The building of “Shaarei Zion” Synagogue, with its one and a half story, big windows and painted wooden doors, stood out among the public buildings.

Among the typical Jews of our town I remember: R' Yisraelik Chalfin, an orthodox Jew, fanatic and strange; Baruch Seltzer - the tall, fat and kind hearted “Saroste” [leader of the Jewish community]; R' Chaim Leib Levitt, a tall Jew with a beautiful white beard; the Shamash [beadle] Yeshaya (“Frodik”), who sounded his clear and strong voice on the nights of “Slichot” and woke us up with a knock on the window and with a beautiful, and almost grim long call that touched my heart; Yosel, the owner of the cart, with his carriage and a pair of excellent horses, and who knows if without him we would arrive to the train station on difficult days of mud and snow; Alter “Bunder” - (cooper) - a beautiful Jew with a big beard white as snow, he was a good craftsman and some say that he also engaged in side questionable livelihoods; Fishel the greengrocer, a Jewish dwarf but a sharp Jew who knew his craft; R' Noah Broytman, a warm religious Jew who was dressed in white on Yom Kippur and didn't move from his place in the “eastern” corner at “Shaarei Zion” Synagogue - from Yom Kippur eve to the Ne'ila'; Eli Gamerman - the “prayer leader” who passed before the Holy Ark at “Shaarei Zion” on every holiday, especially during the “Mussaf ” prayer on “High Holidays,” and was enchanting in his melodies even though he had a slightly hoarse voice.

There was also no lack of “strange” characters: Luzer (Eliezer), brother-in-law of Berl Bertzis, who wasn't of sound mind and brought water from the wells to many homes; an unusual woman- Breindel Kornfeld (“Kozak”), the owner of a big grocery store who weird in her cloths and the makeup on her face; Yanker Zeltser (“Keisar”), the owner of a tavern and the leader of the “well built” and the shady characters in town.

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Friends who have died from diseases

In the colorful rainbow of memories from the days of my childhood, school, gymnasia [high-school], youth movement, games, experiences of “weddings “ and holidays - the days of “Sukkot” with family visits, the holiday of “Purim” with “Mishloach manot,” there were also heavy clouds that covered the town and resulted from its poor hygienic condition at the period during the First World War and after it.

There was no hospital in town, there was only one doctor and we were mostly helped by “Feldsher” Limonchik and “Buba” (midwife) Rykiel. There was no running water in the houses and the toilet was in the yard in a primitive structure. There were wooden bathtubs in the homes. On Thursday or Friday they were filled with water and the members of the family washed in turn for the Sabbath.

The main institution for the protection of hygiene in town was the “bath house,” men, the elderly and the children, streamed there all days of the week and mostly on Friday, some for a real wash and most - for a “sauna” (“schvitz”). They lay down on the stairs in a room full of steam and perspired from the heat of the hot stones. In this condition there's no wonder that many diseases spread in town. There were many typhus epidemics in town and despite the care that was given by many volunteers, among them, we, the school students. As part of “Bikur Cholim” [“Visiting the Sick”] we spent day and night with them and put ice on the forehead of the sick. The inadequate medical care caused many cases of death. Engraved in my memory is the “victim” of this disease, my classmate, Gedalia Takacs. My friends, Roitman, Tova Mesterman and many others died of chronic tuberculosis that was also prevalent in town.

Only at the enc of 1920s they managed to improve the hygiene conditions in the town and put an end to this sad affair in its life. It was as a result of the general development of medical treatment, by overcoming chronic diseases in that period and also the new approach of the townspeople to this painful problem. The establishment of sports organizations in town, which encompassed most of the youth, helped a lot for the improvement of the situation.

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With closed eyes I return to my town and to the period of my childhood. I was a dark skinny girl, spoiled and happy at home and miserable at the class in the gymnasia [high-school]. I was very shy and blushed every moment. It seemed to me that everyone laughed at my embarrassment. I was jealous at those who gave the “tone” in the society like Bracha Terif, Bracha Midler, Dora Lisinker and her brother Monia. One day, I have done something daring at class, in the middle of the lesson, when the teacher wrote on the blackboard I started to eat a sandwich and drink chocolate milk from a bottle. Everyone looked with amazement at my daring, waited for the teacher to turn to the students and discover what I was doing during class and… nothing happened. Since then I became one of the group, all of us loved the gymnasia, it was ours, days and nights, for all of us and each one of us separately especially on summer nights in the garden among the blooming trees and the fragrant grass. Svally, the genitor, made sure to leave an open window for us and through it we entered the building. There, our first love bloomed and also our first disappointment. I loved the principle, Isay Lazrovitch, and I was afraid of him, the day that he smiled at me I was full of pride, the day he was angry at me was a dark day for me. He was also honored and respected at home and his activities were appreciated. When there was danger that the Romanian authorities might close the gymnasia, my parents stood to the right of the principal, Tumarkin, to prevent the decree.

I remember how my father, Zosia Langman, accompanied the principal in his journey to Bucharest. With worry I heard what he said: “God forbid that the time would come and they will close the gymnasia.”

I also remember the Lisinker home which served as a social center for our class. Here, we perspired together on logarithmic, memorized from “Faust” and “Iphigenia,” and “broke teeth” on Roman texts. Here, the fate of our new teachers was sealed. Here, we planned parties, turned off the lights in “Apteka” (pharmacy) Square and practiced new dances and from a distance the housewife, Polia Lisinker, watched everyone with a warm and forgiving maternal glance. The home of Chain Greenberg and his wife, Chaika, also didn't escape from my memory, and in Polya's room we worked diligently on our studies. It was an organized and very comfortable room to memorize the lessons. And another home was close to me, the home of Yerachmiel and Malka Fayershtein, and in it was Sonia, a sister and a friend as one. From her, and from her big brother David, I learnt a lot, mostly to delve into reading a book, in a good conversation, in friendship.

I also loved to sit on the “Gunick,” the “balcony” of Noach Broitman's house where the young “intelligentsia” gathered. Here, I listened to literary debates and was fascinated by Ethel's reading from Ruslan and Lyudmila and from Nadson's poems.

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The epidemic in town

In 1921 a typhus epidemic broke out in Mărculeşti and it also didn't skip our friends from the class. The first to pass away was Gedaliahu Tekatesh, his best friend, Kalman Gemoriman, who set by Tekatesh's bed at night, also contracted typhus and didn't recover. The epidemic spread and hit additional friends. We matured at once, we gathered and decided to do what Kalman Gemoriman has done, to help the families of the sick and take turn at night next to our friends' beds. Our parents worried about our health and tried to object, but stood helpless against us. Our sick friends gathered strength from our presence next to their beds and overcame their illness. Changes have occurred in our life, we started to concentrate through discipline, we started to search and ask about the meaning of life and new ideas ran around in our brain, grownups' ideas.

Thanks to the gymnasia, physical education for the youth was introduced for the first time with the establishment of “Maccabi.” This period was a period of happiness even though many parents objected that their daughters will participate in “Maccabi's” sports activities and that because of the short pants that they saw as “shameless promiscuity.” However, gradually they reconciled with this new “trouble” and even used to see us marching through the streets in blue and white uniform and accompanied by drums. They also came to our athletic performances to see our free exercises and exercises on sports equipment that were purchased by “Maccabi.” The exercises were always accompanied by the sounds of the waltzes of Strauss and played by the orchestra that was established for that purpose. Our performances were very successful. We were a group of 12 girls and called “Maka” “Bistki” (in Russian) - we were “Maccabi girls.” We pleased everyone and our reputation preceded us also outside Mărculeşti. We received invitations and performed in Dombrovani and Soroca.

In training, in preparation for performances and in outings, we loved to laugh out loud, sing and dance. Once, there was a dance at the gymnasia and Romanian officers also came. One of them only wanted to dance with me, the principa,l Tumrking, turn to my father and asked him to let me dance with him, and I danced with him, and I danced a lot. My father had met every whim of his only daughter. However, one the Scout's members threaten that she would tell the head of the Scouts, to Leibush, and then I would be taken out of the movement. One day my relative, Yiseaelik Chalfin, who was very religious, came to visit our home. He rebuked my father that he was spoiling his only daughter and one day she might bring a “bastard” to his home! His words left a difficult impression on my father, and from his words he realized that he heard details

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about me that weren't known to him, And indeed, father didn't know, for example, when I got home at night because I used to enter through… the window.

One August night, the moon was full and I was on the way home accompanied by a friend. Suddenly, I saw someone walking towards us, dressed in an open pajama and his hair disheveled. It was my father. Fear, which shook me, reflected from his eyes. Probably, he decided to spy on me after hearing Yiseaelik's admonishment. When he woke up at night and saw that I wasn't at home, he panicked and rushed to the street to look for me. When he saw us he couldn't say a word and with difficulties said the sentence “it's already so late!!!” This sight doesn't leave me and when I remember it, it causes me, even today, heartache and anguish.

But, after all, I remember my father's home for the better and it was full of light and good mood. Before that, it was preceded by the home of my grandfather, Alter Langman, which stood between the homes of Meir Wolf Chalfin and Frida Schramm. In those good times, grandfather acted like a man of the big world and every year traveled abroad, to Karlsbad [Karlovy Vary]. Even so, he was wholeheartedly closed to his small town, to the synagogue and his place in the “east.” His love to the town passed as inheritance to my father. From him I learnt the love for reading. He exchanged books at the library three times a week and read until late at night. Also the gramophone added its own personal touch. Tchaikovsky and Schubert's records were played countless times that they began to squeak from use. Only the records of Vertinsky, the Russian poet of that time, were still new, those were brought to the house in honor of the grown up daughter. Mother also accompanied all these events with interest, with love and motherly blessing. She treated the parties that I held at our home with the participation of my friends, with tolerance without having to send the parents home as is customary in our time.

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