Rashel Nissimova Levi in the yard of the house in Ferdinand

This is my sister Rashel Nissimova Levi (nee Cohen) in the yard of the house in Ferdinand (now Montana) where the family was interned. The picture was taken in 1943. Rashel was born in 1924. Her husband's name was Izi Levi, who was a doctor. Rashel graduated in Bulgaria and then left with her husband in 1948 to Israel where she finished her education. She is a nurse. She has one daughter and two sons. They are all Israeli citizens. Her elder son is Israel, who graduated in oceanography, the other, Ronen, is in the air force, and the girl is a teacher in a kibbutz. Rashel died two years ago and her husband died before her. During the war we were first interned to Stara Zagora. Then we were interned again because there were some kinds of military facilities in Stara Zagora or something of the kind. We had to go to the town of Ferdinand. Once again we got on a train and traveled for a long time, we passed through Sofia. Something very dramatic happened here. My sisters Raina and Sofka had some friends: Armenian brothers, who lived near the station. When we reached Sofia, our wagon stopped far away from the station and we didn't know when we would leave for Ferdinand. Both my sisters decided although the train was guarded, to fool the guards and visit their friends. I can't describe how worried my mother was before they left. She behaved as if she would never see them again. She asked them not to go, she cried, but they left. They had managed to fool the guards. Later, they told us that the mother of the brothers gave them food, because they were hungry. And the people at the station were already telling us that the train was about to leave. But my sisters were nowhere to be seen. My mother was hysterical with worry. And at the last second they appeared! We got on the train and arrived in Ferdinand. There we were once again taken to a school and lived in it for two or three months.