Josef Baruhovic's grandfather, Moshe Baruh, and his family

This photo, taken in Pristina in the 1920s, shows my paternal grandfather, Moshe Baruh, and his family.

Standing in the back row are: my father, Haim Baruhovic (second from left), and next to him his brothers Avram and Isak. In the middle row, sitting are: Tamara, my grandmother Rahela Baruh, my grandfather Moshe Baruh, Klara with her daughter Rivka (on her lap).

I don’t know who the children in the front are.

My father's family was of lower social standing than my mother's. They were small-scale merchants in Pristina where they ran their small family-owned shop.

My grandfather knew how to read and write. In his shop they wrote in Hebrew letters and spoke Ladino.

My father's family was mainly looked after by my “Vava,” Pristina Ladino for grandmother, Rahela Baruh (maiden name - Simon).

My grandfather, Moshe Baruh, liked to drink and did not make too much of an effort to look after his large family.

Those responsibilities fell on my Vava. Looking back it seems to me that the women in my family were much more capable than the men: starting with my Vava, then my mother, and now my sister.

Otherwise the Baruhs were a typical Pristina Sephardic family--traditional in their religious observances and modest in their means.

Photos from this interviewee