Izel Sarhon’s brit mila

This photo was taken in 1976.  This was the brit-milla of my grandson Izel Sarhon.  My husband, Izak Sarhon is holding the baby, you can see my elder son Sami Sarhon, the baby’s father standing beside him, the woman standing with her back to us is my sister-in-law, Anjel Sarhon.  They are giving the baby to me so I could take him back to my daughter-in-law.

My elder son, Sami, finished his secondary school at "Tarhan Koleji" [a private Turkish school] in 1967.  He then went to Israel to study lycée there.  It was fashionable those days; everyone was sending their kids to Israel to study.  Sami also wanted to go, so we sent him and he left with a few of his friends.  He went to study electronics there.  He studied for one year but he was not happy because they taught him not electronics but carpentry.  So after a year, he came back.  He finished the lycée at Tarhan Koleji.  Then later, he was able to get into university and he studied economics at the Iktisadi Ticari Ilimler Akademisi [Economics Akademy in Osmanbey].

My sons grew up, they became young men, they had friends, they came they went.  My elder son, Sami married Ceni Levi in 1974.  In 1976 they had a son called Izel.  Izel studied in the Jewish Lycée.  He did not go on to university.  He did his military service and since he came back he has been working in the textile business.

In 1980, my elder son had a daughter called Sandy.  She finished "Kadikoy Kiz Lisesi" [private Turkish high school].  Then she studied tourism and hotel management at the University of Istanbul.  She has been working at the Swiss Hotel since she graduated.