Lisa was curious about affluent Jews. Max was very aware of the differential economic opportunities of larger cities, compared to those in Wysokie. (This material moved from the "Working" chapter, original page 14 as it pertains to life in Wysokie)
LISA: Lisa, interviewing her grandfather, Max Were these rich Jews in the small towns or the cities?
MAX: Max, interviewed by Lisa or talking with other family members It makes no difference. The bigger the town was, the more opportunities were there for able young men, able businessmen who could develop a business. In the bigger cities were more chances for like... did you hear of a city Bialystock?... Did you hear of a city named Brest Litewskie, and if you didn't hear of them, you saw on the map, or did you hear of city Warsaw, the capital of...
LISA: Poland!
MAX: Naturally! In the big cities there were more chances for able men...
LISA: But there were still some prosperous Jews in the smaller towns...
MAX: Very small, very little. There were a few who had a little land...
LISA: Were they farmers?
MAX: Farmers? Maybe they didn't grow the fruit, but they used to sell them. Buy them from the peasants before they grew up and then sell them in the market, on the open market. Some people were able businessmen... They used to go and come to a peasant and make with them a deal: "These apple trees, all that's gonna grow on the apple trees, I take it off. For this I pay you that much. It's not yours no more. It's mine, as soon as it comes"... Do you get it?... When it gets ripe then he has the right to come there with a wagon, a horse and wagon, and take them all off, and sort them – the better ones, the smaller ones – and that was his property!
Max also was aware of the role of Jewish middlemen in the regional fruit business. In view of the harsh, comprehensive anti-Semitic measures of the May Laws of 1882 and widespread prejudice against Jewish "profiteers", is it significant that he was not all defensive about this role?
/16/ Sachar. p. 246
/17/ Ibid. p 191