The Story of Rimon

Name of speaker: 
Luiz Ben-Eliyahu
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Housewife
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
90
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Judeo Arabic
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Dr. Assaf Bar-Moshe
Year of recording: 
2014

Translation: 

A: Ah, when she was born, at the time of birth, she (the mother) was cold, she was cold. Xālda (the mother). They brought her a hot bottle, they put it between her legs. Rimōn (the baby) came down, she fell down on the hot bottle. The hot bottle is very hot. And she is, naturally, "fresh meat". And she… got all burned. And she is crying and… that.

?B: How old was she

A: A second. She just came down.

B: Wow.

A: And she is crying. And they say, No, she doesn't have a thing. They, the small children, when… when they just come to the world they start crying. And then, what do they see? (Rhetorical – meant as a fact - this is what they see)

C: She was one day old or something. (only) one day.

A: What do they see? (Rhetorical – meant as a fact - this is what they see). And good that Alīza (the baby's aunt) was with her in the hospital. They are changing her, they bath her and are changing her, (to) Rimṓn. She was just… She told them: What is it? Alīza (said). They told her, No, nothing, there is nothing. And she, all of her, was burnt really severely. And there was a mess about her in the hospital, and they wanted to fire the nurses from the hospital because… they (almost) killed her, they damaged the girl. And poor her (she was) forty days in the hospital.

B: Wow. A: They brought her fish oil. Till (the blisters) really dried a bit, and they took her home. And poor her, (the burn scars) remained. A small baby. Maybe… she wasn't even 7 days old. Poor her, what she suffered. Wow.