Hersh-El'ye was a mason who also did
interior renovations. Unfortunately, his was a trade that he could
carry on full-time only a few months, during the fine weather. Chava,
his wife, kept a little shop where she sold sweets, mineral water and
ice cream. That may have been an improvement on the ordinary, but in
her business there was a crucial problem: ice. It was the custom
during the winter to go to cut large ice blocks in the "Sadzawka", a
frozen pond which, during the rest of the year, served as a watering
hole for cattle. Hersh-EI'ye put up a building in his garden intended
to keep ice. Full of initiative, he even found a partner, Leibke, to
finance the stocking and transport. Thus, it was easier to sell cold
drinks.
Who would have thought that with such
an enterprising spirit, HershEl'ye wouldn't even be able to feed his
family? That, however, was unfortunately the case.
In 1937
Hersh-EI'ye, at the end of his rope, attempted to make a fresh start
in Paris, with the firm intention of eventually bringing the rest of
his family there. He went so far as to sell a field of four thousand
square metres to cover the cost of the trip. In vain! Good fortune
absolutely refused to smile upon him. He was forced to return to
Ozarow, with death in his soul.
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