Zinaida Alperovich

This photo was taken in the very beginning of 1920s, before my mother’s wedding in Bologoye. Here you see my mother Zinaida Alperovitch (nee Bogorad).

My mother was born in 1900 in Gorodok. I don't know, when her family moved to Staraya Russa, but, it seems to me, that happened around 1913; mother told a story about some London aunt, who wanted to take them to her, but then Jews were allowed to live on Russian territories in honor of Romanov dynasty' three hundred years anniversary [in 1913 in Russia they celebrated three hundred years anniversary of Romanovs' ruling], and they decided to stay.

I guess, they believed in some better future as far as authorities allowed them to live in Russia, not far from the capital and to run their business. Probably, they just didn't wish to emigrate and to leave their Motherland and hoped that everything would be all right for them in Russia.

At school mother was a friend of some Russian girls. And apparently her name 'Ghindah' wasn't in use, everyone called her Zina [short from Zinaida], and so it happened to be the same in future.

Her brothers and sisters were big friends, they all played and studied together, and Tatiana, one of the eldest, ruled this small group. The two of them slept in one common bed.