Jakub Kaferman and Stefania Krasucka

These are my parents, Jakub Kaferman and Stefania Krasucka.

This photo must have been taken in Warsaw, in front of their house on 7 Hoza Street, in the 1930s.

A very handsome man, Father captured Mom's heart; subsequently, they had a romance. Marriage wasn't on the cards for a long time, because Mom's family put up desperate resistance; it was a misalliance.

But in the end there was a wedding... Since on account of his convictions, Father was a personal enemy of God, there was only a civil wedding. Father believed in general that religion is stupidity.

He used to say that everyone should be a decent person and act in accordance with some principles, that the Ten Commandments is just the code of behavior of a decent person, etc., but he refused to take part in any form of religious marriage ceremony.

A solution was found in the end - my parents got married in a civil ceremony in Katowice.

As a result, I bear my mother's last name. Even though their union was formalized, the difference between the law in Silesia and in Warsaw was such that I was a legitimate child in Katowice but not in Warsaw.

The house we lived in was No. 7 Hoza Street. Father worked as a chemist and his professional life was peppered with ups and downs.

For example, he was the first person in the world to successfully candy pears. Unfortunately, he got cheated on the patent, which he sold for 300 zloty.

He thought he had got a good deal, but in fact he had sold the patent on which others made thousands.

Besides, whenever he got a job anywhere, after one, two or three years he would get into some trouble as a PPS activist, so we were constantly in a see-saw situation.

Some time later Father went to work for 'Three Anchors,' the same company which employed Grandpa.

As an expert on food chemistry, he worked on the expansion of a drying plant for mushrooms intended for export, near Bialowieza Primeval Forest.

If there had been ups and downs in previous years, 1937, 1938, and 1939 were a period of relative prosperity in my family because Dad was working all the time.

When my father found himself in financial straits, then my grandparents from Nowowiejska Street helped us in a discreet way.

On the other hand, Father always helped his own family one way or another, regardless of our situation.

But it was always done discreetly, in a manner that was respectful of the feelings of his relatives.

Mom also was in favor of assisting Father's family. In general, theirs was a good marriage.

Mom gave private music lessons, but when the Depression came, she had few lessons.