Ludvipol: A Modern Shtetl
A Happy Childhood
Jewish doctors from Mezhirichi, a larger town than Ludvipol, and from Rovno, about sixty kilometers away. Their names were Dr. Segal and Dr. Tzitel. Midwives delivered babies. We had two drug- stores in our town. I used to get sore throats quite often, and the local doctor thought my tonsils should be removed. My father decided to take me to Rovno, which had at least twenty-five thousand Jewish inhabitants, about half its population. We traveled by horse and wagon to Koretz, and from there we took a bus to Rovno, which was a big city with electricity. We stayed in a hotel overnight. My father promised that if I was a good boy and cooperated, he would buy me all the ice cream and other treats I wanted. He took me to the doctor’s office to be examined, where they put me in a chair and strapped down my hands so that I could not interfere with the examination. The doctor looked down my throat and poked his finger in as well. I was uncomfortable, gag - ging, and so unhappy that I screamed and yelled afterwards. But it took only a few minutes for him to decide that there was nothing wrong with my tonsils. He explained that the tonsils help the body fight infection and guard against the spread of illness through it, although in the process they themselves can become infected. He advised against removing my tonsils. My father then took me into the center of Rovno by trolley car. It was like night and day as compared to our town. I had never been in such a place before. We walked around and went into the stores, where I saw ready-made garments. We walked into an ice cream parlor, the first I had ever been in, with flashing red and blue lights in the windows. A beautiful girl, elegantly dressed, re- cited the list of available flavors. Even today, I remember how she chanted, “ Seetree nova, maleenova, chekoladova ,” meaning lem- on, raspberry, and chocolate. She named so many flavors that I be - came confused. Eventually, we managed to order something, and my father and I sat at a table and ate our ice cream. That trip to Rovno, to the big city, was a real adventure. When I came home, all my friends were waiting to hear what it was like, malee nova,
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