This is a family photo from the middle of the 1920s, taken in Sofia. Almost all our family is here. In the back on the left, sitting right in front of the tree is my paternal grandmother, Rozalia Elazar. I am sitting in front of her, drinking lemonade. My mother, Vergina Elazar, nee Bohor, is in the center, next to grandma Rozalia. My father, Solomon Elazar, and my sister Rozalia Navon, nee Elazar are in her lap.
The man with the moustache on the right is Rufat, the husband of my father's sister Matilda Kantardjieva, nee Elazar. She is next to him with one of their children. The other people on the photo I no longer remember.
My father had two sisters, Matilda and Linda, and a brother, Bentsion. Matilda was married to Rufat and they had five children, four girls and one boy, Buko. All left for Israel except their daughter Ventura. My father's other sister lived alone with her three children after her husband died in World War I. Their family experienced a great tragedy. They tried to reach Israel in a small boat, which crashed and sank. They all drowned except my cousin Bitush. He managed to reach Israel, but he could never forget that tragedy. My uncle Bentsion had five children with his wife Ester. He worked as a cobbler. I don't remember anything else about him.
My father married twice. He had two daughters from his first marriage - my stepsisters Rozalia and Dora. His first wife, Matilda Baruh, died of tuberculosis.
I hardly remember my paternal grandparents. My grandmother died in 1932 in Sofia, shortly after the death of her son Solomon, my father. She was religious and always observed Sabbath. But I don't remember her much. I only remember one phenomenon about her - she lived until she was 90 years old and her hair remained black all the time! It was incredible. You can see that on the photo.
David Elazarov's family
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