Luna Romano’s father Salamon Razon

(Luna Romano speaks) This photograph was taken before I was born. This was during the Wealth Tax, a photograph taken in Sarikamish, let me tell you what my mother recounted. My father had a haberdashery store in Edirne. When the Wealth Tax was implemented, because he could not pay that tax, he was sent to Sarikamish, and started selling off all the merchandise that he brought from his store in the garden of his house. Having sold those, they settled in a house in Ortakoy. They escaped from Edirne in fear. They lived in Ortakoy until the military service ended. Later on, when the Wealth Tax was done, it was said that business picked up again, and they returned to Edirne. My wife’s father is Salamon Razon. He always wore a startched shirt, tie and felt hat like my father. He dealt in dry goods and notions. But he died at a very young age, at 57 years old. He was a loving man, full of love. Even though she was a grown-up, mature girl, he still held her on his lap and loved her. There was always joy in the house. There would be music, we would have fun. My wife’s older brother played the accordion, my wife would sing. Then, they also grew up with the children of my wife’s aunt, in the same house. His mother tongue was Judeo Spanish. He doted on his family. He dealt in the commerce of dry goods and notions. He had two stores in Edirne. My wife’s father did his military service in Sarikamish. My wife’s father Salamon Razon brought his merchandise to the house they lived in. Then her aunt tried to convert that into money. Aunt Dina Razon (Mizrahi) is the mother of Erol Mizrahi. During the Wealth Tax, they closed up the house, and moved to Istanbul Ortakoy, along with my wife’s mother, older sister and brother.