Stawiski -The Town My Mother Came From

The town square, Stawiski Poland — all photos copyright Andy Romanoff

She had no great love for Stawiski…and why should she? She was just a little girl stuck in a small town that suffered between the Germans and the Russians. She waited for the day when she could leave.

Her father, Chaim, was gone, emigrated to America in hopes of securing their future. She, her sisters, and her mother were all stuck behind, trapped by the first world war. The family lived with her grandparents while they waited for the time when they could leave. She was only six years old, old enough to remember what a child remembers.

They lived in a place like this, my mother, her mother, and her grandparents

Her father had little love for Stawiski too or maybe he just wanted more. Either way, he left, making his way to Chicago where he worked as a carpenter while he waited for the war to end so he could reclaim his wife and children.

One thing I know is that to my grandfather being Jewish was important. All his life he was a regular at his shul, davening every morning and afternoon and acting as Baal Tefilah. He must have had his practice long before he left home although we never spoke of it.