Jane Katkova
Lawyer
(Continued from last month’s issue)
Jane, tell us about your family’s roots.
I was born in Riga to the family of a very religious father – Samaria (Shmaryahu) Shebshelon. As a child, my father studied in cheder in Latvia and spoke fluent Yiddish, Hebrew and five other languages. He was incredibly committed to Jewishness. In the Soviet Union, where few people celebrated Jewish holidays, my father observed them all, at kosher, knew the prayers by heart, and went to synagogue.
What was your father’s profession?
My father was an engineer in the port of Riga. He was also a singer - he sang in the Chamber Choir of the Latvian Philharmonic and in the synagogue. He knew and really loved old Yiddish songs.
What was Jewish life like in your family?
My father went often to synagogue on Shabbat. For my favorite holiday, Chanukah, my mother baked latkes. We always had matzah for Passover. My father was an active member of the Riga synagogue. During the High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, he went to the synagogue to pray early in the morning with a prayerbook. Our family revered Yom Kippur very much. My father fasted, my mother mom prepared special dishes for my father to eat after fasting. This was all a significant part of my childhood, and I remember it with great warmth.
My grandmother on my mother’s side was also religious; the prayer book was an integral part of her life. She listened to Radio Liberty broadcasts with the receiver in her hands. Such vivid pictures of childhood remain in my memory. My grandmother passed away at the age of 90, carrying on Jewish traditions despite the obstacles of Soviet reality.
My mother's name was Sarra Katkova. She kept her Jewish name without changing it, say, to Sveta, and this name, testifying to her Jewishness, accompanied her throughout her life. My mother was a famous neurologist; patients from all over the country came to her for consultation and treatment.
My mother’s cousin was the artist Mendel Gorshman, who illustrated the works of the author Sholom Aleichem, and his wife Shira was a famous Yiddish writer. Many of her works have been translated into Russian. It is interesting that they met in Israel.
How did they get there?
They lived in Moscow, but were among the first pioneers who went to settle and build in Israel. They returned to Moscow together. Shira's daughter, Shulamith (Shlemita), became the wife of the great actor Innokenty Smoktunovsky. My mother often organized literary readings where Aunt Shira sat at the head of the table and read her works.
In what language?
She read Russian, but spoke with my parents in Yiddish. The last time I saw Aunt Shira was in Israel, where she later emigrated. She was awarded a state award for her contribution to Jewish literature. I brought Uncle Mendel’s beautiful paintings of Jewish themes with me to Canada, where they hang in a prominent place in my house. My mother and Aunt Shira loved each other very much. My mother had wanted to write a book about her extraordinary relatives, but it didn’t happen...
Returning to the conversation about my father, I have to mention his knowledge of the Torah. My father knew the Torah almost by heart. And this was the result not only of serious study, but also of his love for Judaism and, of course, his great love for the Torah. Rabbi Zalzman spoke with him more than once about the Torah, and they discussed the Torah enthusiastically. It was very interesting to watch them talk about Judaism.
I remember your father well. When he first entered the room, it immediately became clear that he was regal to his fingertips.
Yes, he was like that. He was a beautiful man, and his Jewishness was a big part of his beauty. Everyone who was lucky enough to communicate with my father, to talk with him, will certainly tell you that in a conversation on any topic, my father not only had his own well-formed opinion, but also a quote from the Torah. At the right moments, my father quoted from the Torah, and always in the original Hebrew. And then he translated the statement into Russian or English, which he was fluent in, as well as Latvian and other languages.
In Canada, my father continued to lead an active Jewish life. He led prayers in the synagogue. My father’s Jewishness defined him in many, if not all, ways. He had an amazing ability to appreciate beauty – the beauty of people, the beauty of nature, the beauty of art. He had a lively, flexible mind, his range of interests was very wide. He was a passionate philatelist with a magnificent stamp collection. Until the end of his life, my father retained clarity of mind and good memory, could speak on any topic and took advantage of every opportunity to talk with people.
My father was a man of incredible beauty of soul. And my mother, too, she was beautiful, noble and very smart. She was less traditional than myfather, but she was the wife who brought all of his Jewishness to life on a practical level.
When my parents passed away, I promised myself that as long as I lived, I would talk about them so much. These were extraordinary, sublime, spiritual people. I miss them very much.
