The day of Shabbat…on Friday, we would cook and wash. In the evening, my father (would) go to the synagogue and he would recite blessings. The next day, we would go to the Muslims (neighbours) to bring hot water (because) we didn’t have any (on Shabbat). At our place we used to make tbeet…on the gas we would make it. We had gas. On the burner, (with) a wick, we used to do it. And for water, we would go to our neighbours’ place. We would bring water and boil tea. We would bring the tea and drink it. We would not light a flame at all. Once, (a thing) emerged on my hand…I don’t know what it was. I didn’t sleep all night. I was crying. My grandmother would put me on her knee and rock me so I would (be able to) sleep. In the end they said to her, “she has…you must bring a frog, and put it on her hand. (Then) tear the frog’s stomach up”. My mother went and brought the Muslim (worker) and said to him, “bring my daughter a frog”. He caught one and brought it to her, and she put it on my hand and wrapped it on my hand. And I (was) crying (because) it (was) hurting me. This was on a Friday. On Friday night my mother grabbed my hand and took me downstairs. She went outside…we did not have electricity. There was light on the street. She opened up my hand…suddenly she took it off me. She brought a razor and cut my hand. I will not forget it (in) my life. I went and slept for two days. Two nights and two nights I slept until my hand got better. Pizmonim…my grandfather would sing on Saturday evening, an uncle would sing…”el, eliyahu, bizkhut Eliyahu…”. My uncle would sing. They would bring us myrtle…the men. But the old women…were uneducated and did not go […] I would go after my grandmother all the time. I used to love sitting at her place. I used to go with her…from seven years old I already fasted.

We arrived, (and) they took us off the plane. We came to Shaar HaAliyah. We stayed for eight days. We did not have… my father would start crying every day. We were all without both food and drink. They gave us a big tent. We did not even have breakfast. They would give us water from the sea. We only wanted water and bread. Even that wasn’t (available). After, they took us to Pardes Hana. My siblings… my older brother did not come. My sister did not come. I was the oldest… and we brought clothes. Each person had a suitcase. They took us… in the morning, (and) brought us to Pardes Hana at night. They put us in a tent (with) maybe twenty families in it. This person was screaming, that person was crying, this person was yelling. They brought us. Two days later… we were old (enough), my brother Shaq and I. He was twelve years old at the time. And my brother Ghazi was ten years old. He could carry (things). And they would go wandering. He would wonder all day in the transit camp. Wherever there was a small tent we would go. Every day we would go to a different place. We would change our place, so that it would be good for us, quiet. We would go to work, and bring tomatoes, peppers. My mother went to buy… my cousin gave us a burner. My mother would cook. (When) we had money, we would go to the market there. My mother used to go buy Israeli couscous. Whatever was there at the market, we would bring. We would bring many things. My siblings would put it all in their pants. Cucumbers and tomatoes. They would give us eggs, (and) we would go sell them. People would walk and hear (us shouting) “eggs without water”. So that my mother could make food. What (could) we eat? It was hard for us in the transit camp. In the end we came to… by the road, we had a tent alone. (It was) white. All eight of us, nine people went inside it. We had beds. We would sleep on them, and go to work in the morning.