Leon and Berta Asher

This is a photograph of my wife's parents, Leon Moshe Asher and Berta Asher, nee Ilel. It was taken in Sofia in 1918/1919, soon after their marriage. Leon Moshe Asher was born in the town of Samokov; he was a leatherworker. His wife was born in the town of Vidin. At the time of their marriage they came to live in Sofia. They lived in the Jewish quarter [Iuchbunar] - the poorer Jews lived there, those who were wealthy lived on Exarch Yosif Street, on Iskar Street; their shops were on Leghe Street. When the Law for the Protection of the Nation was enacted in 1940, the rich Jews who lived east of Maria Luiza Boulevard were ordered to move to the west and then Iuchbunar became something like a Jewish ghetto. My wife Ester Baruh was born in Sofia in 1928. She had one brother, Mois Asher [1920-1995] who was a construction engineer and married to a Bulgarian, Elena. They had one son. I met my wife in Pazardjik where she was interned with her family. She was very young, 16, a high-school student. We got married in 1948 and we have two children, Valeri and Shelly. My spouse was a teacher in Biology.