My husband's sister Anna Saushkina, my daughter Tamara and I, Faina Saushkina. Photo made in Voronezh in 1940 to be sent to my husband in the army.
My husband Alexandr Savushkin was born in a poor family in a village near Voronezh, in the central part of Russia in 1912. His parents died of typhoid during the Civil War and Alexandr and his sisters grew up in a children's home.
My husband Alexandr served in the army in Slavuta. At the beginning of 1935 we had a civil ceremony at the local registry office. On 30 March 1935 my husband's term of service was over. He demobilized and we began to prepare to departure to Voronezh where he came from. Soldiers and officers from the military unit where Alexandr served came to say "good bye" to us and wish us happiness.
Alexandr's sister Ania met us in Voronezh. She was older than Alexandr. She lived in Voronezh with her husband. They didn't have children. They welcomed us with warmth and we moved in with them into their big room. My husband went to work as a locksmith at the same plant where he worked before he went to serve in the army.
I went to work at a kindergarten. In some time we received a room at a communal apartment not far from where Anna lived. We celebrated Soviet holidays and went to parades with Anna and her husband. I lived in a Russian family and of course I didn't observe any Jewish traditions. However, before Pesach my husband always bought me some matsah in a bakery and I cooked all traditional food that my mother used to cook. My husband and his sister treated me with respect and we never had any conflicts related to national differences.
On 15 September 1938 my daughter Tamara was born. In summer 1939, 9 months after our daughter was born my husband was recruited to the army to participate in the Finnish war. After this short-term war was over my husband wasn't demobilized - he stayed in the army. Alexandr's sister loved Tamara as much as she loved Boria and helped me to take care of the baby.
