ymribiat,
In the prewar Europe of Joseph’s imagination, everyone was extremely frum. All women dressed tzniusdik k’hilchisa from infancy and wore sheitels after getting married at age twelve. All men had full beards, peyos, dressed chasiddish, learned in yeshiva until they were eighteen, then married and spent the rest of their lives learning in kollel.
No Jew had any secular education whatsoever, none had any contact with non-Jews and were certainly not Bundists, Socialists, Communists or heretics.
Joseph should know, he still resides there.