Maria Yakuta was born in 1921 in Teplyk. She grew up with six siblings. Her parents were also born in Teplyk, and her father worked as a hatmaker. She attended a Yiddish school for seven years. Her parents and three siblings were killed in Teplyk during the war.
Other Interviews:
Peeking into the Men's SectionThe Binding of Isaac
The Matzo Bag
"and a goat on a chain"
Eating Sour Mash - the Great Hunger
Sanctification of the Moon
“Der Shtern”
Teplyk, Ukraine
The interwar Soviet shtetl was never completely isolated from the wider world. Residents of small-towns eagerly devoured news from larger cities. High rates of illiteracy combined with the rarity of big-city newspapers, though, meant that for many reading was a collective experience. In this clip, Maria Yakuta paints a picture of a shtetl population intensely interested in the world around them.