Document text
Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview
FORM A
Circumstarces of Intea'vic_-w
KuaE New York State
NAME OF WORKER Terry Roth
ADDRESS 47 W. 69th Si.
DATE
Nov. 17, 1938
SUBJECT LOUIS JAFFE MILS OF A BURIAL
1. Date and time of intep7lew
November 17 and 18th
2. Place of interview
Mr. Jaffets Shop
3. Name and address of iaformaut
Mr. Louis Jaffe
897 Eighth Ave.
4. Name and address of person, if any, wno put you in
touch with informant.
(See former report)
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
None
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
See former report
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, each
bearing the proper heading and the number to which the material refers.)
STATE New York City
NAME (IF VORKFR
ADD1,ESS
DA1F
FU7!V
Personal i*:tory 0. infoeb2a
Terry Roth
47 W. 69 84.
November 17, 1938
SUBJECT MR, LOUIS JAFFE TELLS OF A BURIAL
1. Ancestry
(See former report)
2. Place and date of birth
3. Family
4. Place iti datcL
5. Eithcation, wlh dai,cs
6. Wcupations nnd accwapiit"Acsnte, ifith datc:,z
7. Special skills and interests
8. Communit:y and religious actiA/itl.
9. Description of informant
10. Other Points gained in intervieA
FOLKLORE
NEI YORK
FORM C
Toxt of -Iterview
STATE New York State
NAVE OF WO.E Terry Roth
ADINIE S S
DATE
47 W. 09th S.
Ilov. 17* 1938
SUBJECT LOUIS JA10174 7111,03 OF A Bt.) UL
FOLKLORE
N`71t: 0141K
In de uld oountry* dire vna vunce* maybe dot veal induse
you dot your boss vould *loll on me* a reech man Jew dot lived new. a
tonne like on de otekolts end he vas so stingy dot he vould nevair
spend a do flair or geeve a noeckle fur charity. Dom days dey heving
in de community de idea dot it you're geeving emoting to de community
von somevun he diem* °oats less. De reech man is not belunging to de
organization of the cemetery belunsing to de tonne. Day poisonal had
to pay a ooitin amont efter his mahne fur de burial gronds end under*.
taking. 5.ing dot he vua so stingy so dey said he his an uld fithdair*
von his fandair veil die* vi voel get die mail* vs viol chug him planty.
In vun vay or annandair he fond oat dot dey phoned to do dot for ull
his brutalities dot he done* dot he nevair spent a penny dey are getting
even on him. He nevair gave a man somting* a drink or if somone came
you oak if he vus hungry* you geeve him to eat* he vould nevair eak a
poison. Finally it heppons vaunce dot vun day his fander finally dies.
In a smullt onno instead of de tailor shop* dire vas alwuyi
vun who would do die voik but instead de people should come to hi r he
used to take on his beck a befog beg vid a hand machine* tread* needles*
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iron and so fore and come to coitin families and sew for don. Dey
used to weave dere materials, dotton. Finally dot tailor Sam comes in
de morning. Von he pees dis house de reech vim culls to him he shotald
take a rest. He esks him vair you goyinc so early? "Maybe I get
eon yolk, I go around somtimes to de fahmers." "Do you pray already?
Go ahead, dahvin (pray). Den you veel hey nom breakfast." Sam vus
surprised natural, but he put his Tails (prayer shawl) on. "Maybe
you vould hey some schnapps, "de reech man asked. Sam hed vim, two.
"Take annandair." Finally dot tailor rot so drunk dot he dindt know
vair he vus. De reech man he tuk off ull de clothes from de ,tailor
and put on his deed fandair and feexed op his beard, end feexed him
op just like de tail -)r, end he put his fandair wid de beg vid de
machine on de road by de deetch. Den he poured into de tailor as
moch viskey as he could.
Finally from de tonne a man drives his hoes end vegen and sees
a.man sitting on de road. He goes oveir end pooshes heem end sees de man
is deed. So he made a hollair, "It's Sam de Tailor". Vat could he do.
De ritual is he must be buried de same day. He brot him to de under-
taker who cleaned him and feexed him up and buried him. His voman
saw dot he vas her husband so she set sheever seven days you know how
it ees, for seven days on boxes. Now ve'll leave him go and come beck
to de real tailor.
Vat could he do vid de tailor. Efter all he's drunk, so
de reech man vent over at night on de cemetery and dug out a hole
and put Sam de tailor in. In dose days, von people expect to die dey
alvays lied vhite clothes ready in deir bureau, tachiches (shrouds).
He took dis tachichen end put on de tailor. He dindt trow dirt on him,
just put buds (boards) on de top and vent avay. End den he hold de
news dot de tailor vus buried so he leffed. Dot tailor de vind blew
.3.
out till de vhiskey out of him. He gets op in de morning end tuins
arund end sees he is in vhite. He stood op end thows de buds tiff.
He knows how a dead vun is buried so he says I must hey died. Tinks
to himself, if I'm on de cemetery end having everyting dot a dead
man years, I must be dead. Seems to me I'm alife. He stots getting
hongry. Neverdeless its possible dotaal people are coming beck end
dey are getting hongry. He lays donne again. Seems to him dot his
punishment is dot efter he is dead he is hongry. Finally he lays
aronned he dont know vat to do, is night end he is hongry. Has got a
plan, vat you call to setisfy his honger. Near de cemetery is a baker who
bakes bagle dot brings dem to tonne. Dey usually go in a besket to
delivair dot. In de morning de boy comes by vid de bagle end Sam runs
op end grabs End nuts in his bosom. De boy ruas beck to de shop vid
de empty besket end fulls on de floor. "Vat's de metter" oaks de boss.
"Sam de tailor dot died a couple days ago, he run uff de cemetery end
took till my donuts." De boy is totting to faint. be people ull leff.
"Don't I know Sam de tailor from de town" he says. But de people day
says "How could it be? How did he look?" "He come in his dead clothes.
He dindt say vun vord, lust fooled op his bosom and ren beck on de
cemetary."
De next morning he vas not goying to deliver de bagle. He
dindt go dot day, he vus not fellinc, so. good. Sam de tailor vetches
for him. 'Efter all is it possible dot I am dead? He hoe to leave
water (you should excuse me, he nevair hoid a dead man should hey to
to die. Maybe of ter he died somting is wrung. II know how to find
out. I'll look in my vindow. Inde middle ot de vindow a leetle lamp
boina end Ian see dot there is boxes end my vife end cheeldran site
sheever. So he vent home in de middle of de night end looked in and
he sees a leetle lamp is boining end de vife is sitting sheever. So
.4
So now he knows dot he is dead end he lays in de gronned again. In
de morning dot boy vent to deliver to his customairs again, cause he
voided fur a boss end he hod to go end Sam grebe again. De boy fulls
into de shop hollairing "Sam took again." De boss is vary engry.
"Tomorra morning I am goying myself. I vant to see if dis is true."
Finally he goes himself. Sam grebe de bagle. "You are dead" de boss
hollairs. "All I know is I am hongry." "Veil, you come vid me to
de Rabbi. He veel tell us vat to do." So he takes him by de collar
end brought him to de Rabbi. "Look, Rabbi, a dead vun come beck frum
de cemetary." Naturvl de Rabbi knows his business so he says. "Isn't
it a feet dot I vus to de funeral, dot you died fife days ago?" "Rabbi",
said Sam, I know dot I lay in de ground on De cemetary end dot I am
hongry. I must eat." De Rabbi stots gredual examing him abot his
seens. "How did you live?" "I vus a poor tailor ull my life. I used
to go out to sew fur fahmairs ot uf tonne. On Soturday I used to corn
home." Finally he stotted qvestioning him frum day to day. De ony
ting dot comes to memory that he vus over to dot Isreal, dot reech
vun dot hed a road house end he esked hi- he should hey breakfast.
De Rabbi ordered dot a comnittee uf tree men should go dere end find
out vats vat datr. Dey find out dot his fandair died. "So you 1111
vaited for me to get even vid me. Now 'get even vid you people. I
know vat you vus -!oying to do." Vat could de Rabbi do now? He toined
to de reech Isreal end said. "Frum dis day you shell be knows as he
who gave op his fandair's name fur a few pieces guld." End you know,
Miss Rutt, no vun vould j.,o near his business or tuk to him end von
he died no vun knew abot it fur a lrng tire. In dey house deyfonned
guld onder de floors, in peetchairs, ull ovair but vat good vus it to
him now. You see, he died fram stahvation cause no van vood corn near to
.5.
him end sell him food end yen his pentry was empty dere vas notting
he could eat. It's a lesion my moddair tuld me end I tell it to my
cheeldren. A fyhdairts name is sacred. Dunt sell it fur a lettle
money."