This is my fiance Aron Rayzberg and I. This photo was taken shortly before we got married. Now I keep this photo in our family album. It was taken in Riga in 1953.
Aron came from Korosten, Zhytomir region, Ukraine. Aron father's name was Moisey Rayzberg. His mother's name was Basia. Basia was a dressmaker. Moisey owned a bakery. The Soviet regime nationalized this bakery, and he worked as a baker there. They were poor, but all children went to school. They had six children, but three died in infancy. Three survived: Isaac, Aron's older brother, Aron, born in 1928, and their younger sister Ida, born in 1929. Their family was very religious.
Aron's older brother perished at the front in Belarus during the war. Aron, Ida and their parents were in the evacuation. After the war they returned home. Korosten was ruined. There was no place to live or a job. Their relatives had moved to Riga. Aron's cousin Semyon Rayzberg was at the front in Latvia. He participated in the liberation of Riga, and moved to live there after the war. They were very hard up. Aron worked as a founder, before he fell ill with silicosis, and doctors advised him to change jobs. Aron finished a technical school. He was responsible for equipment and devices at the factory. Aron was well respected at work.
We got married in 1953. I met my future husband Aron at the factory. He came to work as a foreman assistant at the shop. We decided to get married after we'd known each other for under two months. We lived a long and good life together, despite the hardships and difficulties.
We had a traditional Jewish wedding. Of course, we couldn’t go to the synagogue. Aron was a party member and a shop party unit leader. There was a chuppah set up in my husband parents' home. Our mothers cooked the wedding dinner of traditional Jewish food. Aron moved in with us after the wedding.
