Sabina Vulih

This is my grandmother Sabina Vulih. The photo was taken in Kiev in the 1930s. My mother Maria Vulih was born into the Jewish family of Lev and Sabina Vulih in Soroki, Bessarabia in 1903. Her father was a photographer. Her mother was a housewife. Maybe my grandfather owned a photo studio before the Revolution, but I don't know anything about it. My grandfather was a very well read and educated man. He followed all political events in the country. He was critical about what was going on during the period of Stalin's repression [the so-called Great Terror]. He was a very intelligent and a very reserved man. He never raised his voice. My grandmother Sabina was also a very intelligent and educated woman. She was also very kind. The family didn't observe any Jewish traditions. My grandmother didn't cover her head with a shawl. She didn't go to the synagogue. They talked in Russian in my presence, although they could speak Yiddish. My grandparents only spoke Yiddish when they wanted to keep something a secret from me.