Stories of the House of Love and Prayer

Moishe Yitzchak and Bernice Kussoy

Recorded at Moishe Yitzchak and Bernice Kussoy's house

Redwood City, California, March 22, 1995

Bernice: We used to take a camper and park it in front of the House. I remember doing that several times...

Moishe Yitzchak: Yeah, just living in the house. Cause the House was crazy so we'd live in the camper, in the truck outside the House.

Bernice: One time in the old House everyone went off and left us in charge...

Moishe Yitzchak: No no no! That was MEANT to be...

Bernice: Yeah, yeah! It was MEANT to be, and left us in charge. I got German measles. (laughs)

Moishe Yitzchak: You didn't get German measles. You got a rash...

Bernice: That was German measles...

Moishe Yitzchak: Yeah, that was scary...

Bernice: I was really sick...

Moishe Yitzchak: You didn't get German measles, but you were sick though, you were very sick...

Bernice: Yeah, it was German measles...

Moishe Yitzchak: No.

Bernice: Yeah! THAT I remember, very well...

Moishe Yitzchak: (To A) What we had decided was to take a load off you I think, that you were doing every Shabbos...

Bernice: Yeah...

Moishe Yitzchak: So the married couples, Moishe Fohrman and Nadine would take it maybe once, one Shabbos every month, or one Shabbos every two months. And we would take it. Responsible people would take it.

Aryae: (laughs)

Moishe Yitzchak: And that would let you off the hook to decompress. Okay? So we had it. And that was, that was scary. That was quite a ... cause I had never done that before, and I didn't KNOW anything. It was quite a responsibility, you know? You try to remember the Shlomo songs, and try to tell a few stories. I can't tell stories. (laughs) It was really scary. It was like stage fright. The thing is, what drove me nuts ... not drove me nuts ... but that was amazing ... several years later (after) the old House of Love and Prayer had moved across the park, people remembered us doing that. More than we did. They came up to us and said, "Hey, I remember when you were in charge of the House for that one Shabbos blah blah blah and it was really nice." And I thought, wow! I didn't think it was nice at all but ...

Bernice: I couldn't get out of bed! I was so sick ...

Moishe Yitzchak: ... yeah, it was...

Bernice: ... high fever ...

Moishe Yitzchak: ... just amazing that we survived that Shabbos!