food products, cakes, tea, wine, and lunches at pre-war prices. [30] There was countless entertainment. There they had, as the saying goes, “wine, women and song”. They lived it up to the fullest, drank no less alcohol than our former rulers in Poland, and perhaps even more.
Theatre
I have to admit that I didn’t go to the theatre. I only heard about it from my comrades, friends, and sister, who did go. Theatre was on a very high decorative and artistic level. Only once, in November 1939, did I go to the small Yiddish art theatre (“Ararat”), where the Łódź artists Dzigan, Schumacher,120 and Goldsztajn were performing. The whole audience laughed till it cried at the former Polish rulers, at “Madam Prystor and the Ox”,121 and the priest, Trzeciak.122 With their sketches,123 they soon adapted to the local stage. The programme, under the literary direction of Moyshe Broderzon, was excellent. The performances were a great success, and the troupe was invited on tour to Kiev, Kharkov, Moscow, and Leningrad.
Red Army House
It’s an entertainment venue for Red Army troops. In front of the building are two statues of muscular soldiers, and the building itself has a fine aesthetic appearance. It has everything you could wish for: a theatre, a cinema,
