The picture was taken in 1938 in the town of Rogachyov.
These are my maternal grandparents, Seina-Khaya and Meilakh Goldin and their son, my uncle Afroim.
All in all grandparents had six children, three sons and three daughters. They had a house in the main district of the town, not far from downtown and the bank of Dnepr.
There was one big room in the house and from that room led an entrance to two small bedrooms without doors. Beside the rooms, there was an isolated room for guests, a kitchen with a Russian stove, a small corridor, and a very big covered verandah. The furniture was good. I remember a fine black leather sofa, a nice black couch, a wardrobe, grandfather's desk, where he worked and a sideboard. It was all in the dining-room.
In grandparents' bedroom there was a bed and a chest of drawers; the other bedroom had a small bed and a small table. There were no paintings, books or book-shelves in the house. I know that they kept a cow and hens, but when I visited them before the Great Patriotic War, there was no cow anymore.
As far as I remember, they kept the cow until 1936, but children began to object. Keeping a cow required too much effort, so it was sold. They always had hens. There was a small garden and a vegetable garden. They had no helpers in the household, but before the Great Patriotic War they were less engaged with it, as children began to help.
Grandfather observed absolutely all Jewish traditions. Grandmother also did it, but a little bit under grandfather's pressure. They had kosher kitchen. They observed Sabbath and grandfather attended the synagogue on Fridays.
Grandmother also attended the synagogue, but not regularly. They celebrated all Jewish holidays at home. All in all, grandfather celebrated all religious holidays, he was very religious.
Afroim was born in 1914 in Rogachyov, Gomel region. At the time when the picture was taken he was serving in the army in the town of Kandalaksha, so he is wearing his military uniform in this photo.
He loved his parents very much and came to visit them during his vacation; the picture was taken on this occasion. Every year his brother-soldiers used to get together at his place and read diaries about their army service.
He served in the secret service forces. He got married and had daughter Sofia; he had two children from a common-law marriage as well. He was a very handsome man, he also had illegitimate children at the frontline, and he assisted all of them.
He worked as a sewing-machines mechanic before the World War II.
After this war he became the Head of repair workshops. He left for Israel to his brother and his wife and died there in 1980 of cancer.
His children left for Canada.
