Leon Madzhar with his future wife Suzana Buko Levi

This is a photo of me and my future wife, Suzana Buko Levi, while we were studying in Sofia in 1953 or 1954. In January 1945 I was released from the army and continued my education in the trade high school in Sofia. After two years I finished my secondary education. While I was a student before 9th September and after that I lived at my grandmother Sara's place. I celebrated many holidays at their house. Usually the whole family from Sofia gathered on such days. My grandfather had a grocery store on Pozitano Street. After that I applied to the Institute of Economics and I rented a room of my own. I studied Finance from 1946 until 1950. When I graduated, I had to do my military service and although I took part in the war I had to serve more than two years. It was not a difficult service, I was in the military command office in Dupnitsa. My wife was born in Kyustendil in 1933. She is also a Jew and has a brother and sister. Her brother was a partisan and on 9th September he came down from the mountain, took part in the battles in Serbia and was killed there. He was only 21 years old. Her sister Vitka was also born in Kyustendil. She was a housewife and for some time she was a sales assistant. She and her husband have passed away. Suzana finished school in Kyustendil and came to Sofia to study Law. We met when she was in her first year. We became very good friends and married in 1954. We didn't have a religious wedding, because there were no such weddings at that time. We married in Dupnitsa. Then she finished her education and she worked as a lawyer and legal adviser until she retired.