Matilda Ninyo with her cousins from Plovdiv

Here is my brother Zhak Levi (in the middle), my cousin Zhak Levi and I. My cousin Zhak is son of my father's brother Aron Levi. My cousin was killed as a partisan in the ‘Anton Ivanov’ squad in the 1940s. This picture was taken in Plovdiv a little before 1940.

My uncle Aron Levi went to live in Plovdiv around the time when I was born so I don't remember seeing him in Karnobat. I think he had left for Karnobat before I was born.

We had closer relationship with my uncle Aron Levi. He was married in Plovdiv. He had a strong feeling of responsibility towards our family and especially towards us, the kids, who were half-orphans. After I started school I used to spend part of the summer holiday in Plovdiv with his family. Apart from that, it was a tradition for him to send us new clothes for Pesach and Rosh Hashanah. I remember that clearly, because it continued till our internment in 1943. My uncle was a very kind and educated man. He kept a shoe store. His wife - aunt Dina was from Plovdiv and they had two daughters and a son. The eldest son was Zhak and then his sisters Rebeka and Lily were born. Unfortunately, his son Zhak who was a brilliant schoolboy, entered some progressive [i.e. leftist] anti-Fascist circles and died as a partisan of the ‘Anton Ivanov’ squad at the age of 17. Now there is a memorial plaque in Plovdiv of the killed partisans and his name is engraved there. Rebeka and Lily were younger than me. Now they live in Israel. Generally, my uncle's family was very conservative. My uncle was the one earning money for the family, while his wife was taking care of the household.