Sophie Gingold with her Jewish pupils

Sophie Gingold with her Jewish pupils

Behind the children the one on the left is my mother's aunt, Sophie Gingold, and the others are all Jewish children with their parents and grandparents. Aunt Sophie taught the Talmud Torah, Yiddish in Suceava, and the children were probably her students. The picture was taken in Suceava, on the 8th June 1958. On the back it is written: 'Riri 7 Jahre', so probably the girl holding the cake was called Riri and they were celebrating her birthday.

My maternal grandfather had three sisters. One of them was called Sophie Gingold, and was born in 1888. She was a teacher of German and Yiddish at the Pedagogical School in Cernauti. Aunt Sophie wasn't deported, she remained in Cernauti during World War II, and after the war she refuged here, to her sister Regina Weber, who had a house. She taught Talmud Torah and also Yiddish in Suceava. Aunt Sophie was a rougher woman. Being a teacher, she was stricter, she liked discipline, order. She helped us with our homework sometimes. She wasn't married. Her sister, Regina Weber was married, then her husband died. Aunt Sophie and aunt Regina lived together. We had good family relations with them. We met and visited each other. Aunt Regina Weber died in 1970 at the age of 85, and in December 1975 Aunt Sophie also died.

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