Mikhail Vainshelboim was born in Berdychiv in 1928. His parents were both born in Berdychiv, where his father worked as a painter. He had four siblings, two brothers and two sisters. He studied at a Yiddish school for four years, before completing his education at a Russian school. His oldest brother died at the front, his younger brother, parents and two siblings were murdered by the Germans. He escaped the mass shooting that killed his father and was aided in hiding by several non-Jews. He was liberated from a forced labor factory. After the war, he briefly worked in a mill before being drafted into the army in 1950. He served for four and a half years. After his service, he worked another 25 years at a mill, and then at a factory.
Other Interviews:
Bones of BerdychivKosher Chicken
Berdychiv, Ukraine
Kosher Meat - Not for Vegetarians!
Moyshe Vainshelboim from Berdichev talks about all the stages involved in the process of making kosher chicken, from slaughtering to plucking to cooking. Vainshelboim remembers a kosher butcher (shoykhet) being active in his town in the 1930s, and he recalls how his mother would salt a slaughtered chicken at home.
Vainshelboim emphasizes the fact that the chickens were plucked without the assistance of hot water. Scalding a chicken is an oft-used method of facilitating plucking, as it loosens the feather follicles; it is, however, not allowed when making kosher chicken. Salting, additionally, is a process particular to kosher chickens, as it ensures that all of the blood is properly drained.