Yitzhak Bograd and his family

This photograph was taken in 1928 in Kharkov, on the occasion of my grandfather Yitzhak visiting his children Yefim, Dina and Revekka.

From left to right: my aunt Dina Kogan (nee Bograd), my aunt Revekka Sadikova (nee Bograd), my grandfather Yitzhak Bograd, my cousin Vladilena Bograd (Yefim Bograd's daughter), my uncle Yefim Bograd, and his wife Raisa Bograd. My father kept this photograph.

My paternal grandfather was born in Dobroye in 1869. He and his brothers Velvl and Aizik Bograds finished a cheder and became blacksmiths.

My grandfather and Aizik worked in one forge and Velvl worked in the Jewish colony in a neighboring village. My grandfather horseshoed horses, and fixed iron wires on wagons, caravans and carts.

My grandfather wore a yarmulka at meals and to the synagogue, and a cap at work. My grandparents were religious. My grandmother observed all traditions strictly. She made sure everyone followed the traditions.

My grandfather, being a laborer, might have breached the rules, when my grandmother wasn't watching. I remember seeing him smoking rather odorous tobacco.

It was Saturday, and he waved his hand to me to stay silent, and enjoyed the smoke-break. He told me not to mention this to my grandmother. My grandfather closed his forge on Friday evening. My grandmother cooked for the holiday.

My grandparents had eleven children: Two of them died in infancy. Six boys and three girls survived. All I know about them is what my father told me, but I wasn't interested at the time and I didn't go into details about my relatives.

My father's older sister, Dina, married Victor Kogan, a Jew and a very nice person. He dealt in agriculture in the neighboring village that was also a Jewish colony. He died from tuberculosis in 1930.

While working in the field he drank some cold water. Tuberculosis was incurable in those days. Uncle Yefim helped Dina to get a job at the radio plant in Kharkov. Later, she became a party organization supervisor in a shop of the plant.

Yefim, graduated from a higher Party School. He joined the Communist Party in 1917 and was rector of Kiev University.

Aunt Revekka Sadikova, graduated from a Teachers' Training College in Nikolaev in the 1930s and worked as a teacher at a secondary school.

She was married to Abram Sadikov from Nikolaev. He perished at the front in 1942.

Their son Yakov was born in 1934. Aunt Revekka and he evacuated to the Ural during the Great Patriotic War and lived there. I had no contact with them.