Serafima Staroselskaya's mother Kisya Staroselskaya with her husband Nakhimya Staroselsky and her cousin Rosalia Tripolsky and Rosalia's husband Seva Tripolsky

This is my mother, Kisya Staroselskaya (nee Vigdergaus), to the right in the upper row. To the left is her cousin Rosalia; in front of her is her husband Seva Tripolsky, he perished during the war. My father Nakhimya Staroselsky is to the right. My mother was born in 1915. Mother married Naum Staroselsky (his name was registered in the passport as 'Nakhimya') when she was 22 years old, in 1937. The wedding took place on December 5th, it was the holiday of Stalin's Constitution Day. Father's ancestors came from the town of Gorodok in Belorussia. By the way, the name of Staroselsky derives not from the nationality but from a location. I read about it in a book. Both Russians and Jews could have such a last name. Father lived in Gorodok approximately up to 1928, because he had to help his parents. Later he moved to Leningrad. He had there a room in Basseynaya (now Nekrasova) street. There was a Jewish club nearby, where a lot of young people gathered, so dad lived a Jewish life mostly owing to that. Jewish young people entertained themselves and relaxed there, it was not prohibited at those times yet. There was even a peculiar 'meeting club'. Dad had a lot of friends. He was a very outgoing and cheerful person. He met mom in one of such companies. He was wounded in the war, lost his health, which had a significant effect on his temper. Mom very often recalled what kind of nature he had had before.