Augusta Kovanicova with relatives

This picture was taken six years before I was born. In the middle in the upper row standing is my dad Pavel Kovanic, holding my sister Gertruda Kowanitzova, nee Kovanicova.

Beside him on the left side there is his twin, my uncle Petr Kovanic.

In the second row from the left are my maternal grandmother Katerina Spitzova, nee Adlerova, her husband Bedrich Spitz, dad’s sister and my paternal grandfather Vilem Kovanic.

In the third row there is my mum Augusta Kovanicova, nee Spitzova, in the center with her best friend, dad’s sister Elza Kovanicova.

My grandfather on my father's side was called Vilem Kovanic, but I don't know when he was born. I didn't know him at all. It was said that he might have been a dealer in feathers. I

know that he came from a Czech family and they spoke Czech, but he also spoke German. My grandmother on my father's side was called Julie Kovanicova, nee Kopecka.

She was a housewife and gave birth to nine children. My grandmother died when her last daughter, Olga, was born in 1898. Until that time, my grandparents had been living in Kolin.

After my grandmother died, my grandfather moved to Prague and got a housekeeper, Marjanka Zazova. His eldest daughter Irma and Izak also looked after him a lot. My grandfather died in Prague in 1924. He had a Jewish funeral.

My paternal grandparents had nine children together: Arnost, Irma, Leo, Elza, Petr, my father Pavel, Zdenek, Ota and Olga. My mum made friends with my dad's sister Elza and it was through her that she met him.

Elza was actually my mother's best friend. Dad often used to say how they had been together at some gathering and that he accompanied all the girls home but took Mum home only at the end, because he liked her.

Even back then, when I was little, I used to ask myself why he didn't take her home first if he liked her. They had a Jewish wedding and were married by Rabbi Reach.