small brick oven is built to keep the food hot for the Sabbath. A few
pieces of wood are put in, and, when well lighted, the oven is
half-filled with charcoal-dust--this again is covered by pieces of tin
or lime, and, on top of all, the saucepans are put containing food for
the Sabbath meals: also bottles or jars of water are thus kept hot for
tea or coffee. Neighbours who are not lucky enough to have such an oven
bring in their food, and we let them put it in our ovens. In this way we
have enough for every one to drink who may come in. Sometimes twenty
poor people come in on a Sabbath day and say: 'Spare me, please, a
little hot water?' No one would think of refusing to give them some,
even if they had to share their last glass with them.

"Generally on cold Sabbath afternoons our parents have a nap after
eating the nice hot cholent, and we girls and the young married women
go and spend a few hours with our old lady friend, who always entertains
us with stories and discussions on various interesting subjects. So the
time passes very quickly and so pleasantly that we forget how cold it
is. About twenty or thirty of us all sit close together on her divan
covered up with rugs, and this with the excitement over the tales she
tells us, helps to keep us warm.

"Last Sabbath our old lady was not very well, and we were feeling very
miserable without her entertaining tales. Suddenly, one of my
girl-friends asked me to tell them about our life in London.

"As they had never read or heard about life outside Jerusalem, it was
most amusing to hear their exclamations of wonder; for they could hardly
believe what I told them was true, till our old lady confirmed our
statements.