Eliezer Asher Anski, Gizela Anski and their son Alex Anski

Eliezer Asher Anski, husband of my elder sister Gizela, their son Alex, who was one year old then, and my sister Gizela Anski. The photo was taken in 1940 at their home on 2 Sofronii Street in Sofia. This living estate still exists. They rented an apartment there. On the back of the photo there is an inscription with Eliezer's artistic handwriting, which makes some of the words unreadable: 'To my mother and? (illegible) from Eliezer Anski in?. (illegible) memory'. 2.03.1940. My eldest sister Gizela knew many people from Sofia's artistic Bohemian circles. These people often visited us. She was always the center of attention in these merry companies: she sang, told funny stories, recited poems by Smirnenski, Botev, Vaptsarov, and others. She got married around 1939 to Eliezer Asher Anski. He was a Sephardi Jew. His family was well-off. They owned an apartment on the corner of Tsar Boris and Tsar Simeon Street. He was always quiet, reticent, and uncommunicative; maybe sort of a calm background to the 'bright' Gizela, who always shone. Probably it was due to his character that he couldn't achieve a good career as a director. Later, when in 1948 their whole family moved to Israel, he changed his profession and started making art mosaics. Gizela and her husband were two complete opposites. Eliezer adored Gizela and immensely loved their son Alex, who was born in 1940. In Sofia they lived at first in a lodging on Sofronii Street and after that they moved to Eliezer's own apartment. When they left for Israel, their son Alex also started appearing on the theater stage as early as a little boy. He also made a good artistic career and now is a famous actor in the Abima National Israeli Theater of Tel Aviv. His artistic talent, a continuation of his parents' gift, was also revealed when he starred in a radio show addressed to mothers of Israeli soldiers which was meant to keep their spirits high.