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We didn’t agree with the official policy of Bulgaria towards Israel. We had so many friends and relatives there. And I don’t like Arabs in general. I always kept in touch with my friends and my relatives. We received letters regularly, maybe they were censored, I don’t know. My mother was quite afraid, because my father often expressed his true beliefs in the letters and wrote jokes against the regime.
I have been to Israel ten times. Because of the official policy of Bulgaria to Israel, we traveled separately until 1989 [28]. Our family wasn’t allowed to travel together to Israel. In 1963 I went there with my daughter, then my husband went with our daughter and I stayed here. In 1972 I went alone.
Afterwards, when my daughter was a university student, we applied for a permit to go to Israel together but Tosho wasn’t allowed, because he was in charge of confidential information at the company where he worked. He was chief of the supply department of ‘Patni Stroezhi’ company. My husband was very angry, so he went to the director and said to him, ‘Find someone else to do my job starting tomorrow!’ He stopped doing the correspondence, but he was still not allowed to travel to Israel with us.
The first time we went to Israel together was in 2000. After that we traveled to Israel a lot. I learned Ivrit during my first visits to the country. I usually spent three months with my brother’s children, who didn’t know Bulgarian. I spoke to them using basic words in Ivrit and gradually learned to speak and write it.
I have been to Israel ten times. Because of the official policy of Bulgaria to Israel, we traveled separately until 1989 [28]. Our family wasn’t allowed to travel together to Israel. In 1963 I went there with my daughter, then my husband went with our daughter and I stayed here. In 1972 I went alone.
Afterwards, when my daughter was a university student, we applied for a permit to go to Israel together but Tosho wasn’t allowed, because he was in charge of confidential information at the company where he worked. He was chief of the supply department of ‘Patni Stroezhi’ company. My husband was very angry, so he went to the director and said to him, ‘Find someone else to do my job starting tomorrow!’ He stopped doing the correspondence, but he was still not allowed to travel to Israel with us.
The first time we went to Israel together was in 2000. After that we traveled to Israel a lot. I learned Ivrit during my first visits to the country. I usually spent three months with my brother’s children, who didn’t know Bulgarian. I spoke to them using basic words in Ivrit and gradually learned to speak and write it.
Period
Location
Plovdiv
Bulgaria
Interview
Sarina Chelibakova