Boris and Rachil Mikhelson

These are my parents. I photographed them in a cafe. This photo was taken in 1950 in Riga.

We heard about the end of the war on 8th May 1945. Everybody was happy that the war was over and we could go back home. My father was the first to go to Riga to arrange some accommodation for us. Mama and I waited till my father notified us that it was time for us to come home. Some time later we left for Riga.

My father received a nice four-room apartment in the center of the town. My parents went to work. Mama worked as a piano teacher at the music high school. She worked there till she retired. My father worked as a foreman at the factory. When my parents retired, they could spend more time with my son Alexandr, and he liked visiting them.

My parents didn’t observe any Jewish traditions after we returned to Riga. They were not religious before, and when Latvia was annexed to the Soviet Union, the Soviet authorities struggled against religion and national traditions. We celebrated Soviet holidays at home: 1st May, 7th November , Victory Day, 8th March, International Women’s Day. We also celebrated New Year and the birthdays of members of our family.