In 1492, my family was kicked out of Spain in the Spanish inquisition, and from there they went to Livorno, Italy and stayed there for about 10 years and then moved to Sidon, Lebanon. They stayed in Sidon for about 300 years and then moved to another town in Lebanon called Deir el Kamar for 20 years. In 1860, there were fights between the Jews and the Christians so my family moved to Damascus. When they were in Damascus, there were two brothers Meir and Aharon. Aharon went to Egypt and Meir stayed and built בית מדרש חסון. Before WW I, a Christian monk and his Muslim servant were murdered and the Christians blamed it on the Jews and said that they used their blood to make Matza. The Italian, French and other governments gave passports to Jews to keep them safe. My family got Italian passports so they couldn't be arrested. In World War I, they were exiled but because they had Italian citizenship they were brought to mountains in Turkey for people with the other sides countries passports. After the war was over, they moved to Damascus. In 1948 or 1949, my Jido (Grandpa) moved to Lebanon when he was 1 years old. In 1966 my Jido moved to Canada because it was easier to get a visa to Canada than it was to America. The World Council of Churches helped HIAS, or Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, get into Lebanon so that they could get Jews out. In 1968, my Jido got a job and moved to New York.
My Grandfather's Stories
When my Jido got to Montreal, he thought that peanut butter was the same as normal butter. It was much cheaper, so he made eggs with it. Now, he won't eat peanut butter because he thought it was disgusting. To shower in Damascus, they sat in a tub and poured water on themselves. They only showered on Thursday nights for Shabbat. Everyday, they were delivered a chunk of ice to put in their freezer to have frozen food. To bake things, you had to put everything you wanted baked on a tray and bring it to the bakery, where they would bake it for you. My Jido brought water to his uncle in his store when he was a kid and his uncle paid him. When my Jido was 17, he didn’t have documents yet so his father went to the Rabbi and said he was 19 so that he could start working earlier. My Jido’s mother hid him under his skirt so they could get into Lebanon. There was one Jew in the parliament and he had immunity so he brought my Jido and his family to Lebanon.