David Avramov Kalaora

On the photo you can see my brother David Avramov Kalaora with a yellow button instead of a yellow star. This was an exception during the Law for the Protection of the Nation because it showed that my brother was a war orphan. I was born in 1919 in the Bulgarian seaside town of Varna. I have five brothers and one sister. My family was very united. I remember that my brothers often read the Varna dailies at home, as well as the ‘Echo’ newspaper, which was progressive, that is, presenting left, communist ideas. I remember that when I was young, in order to make me go and buy them the newspaper one of my brothers would tell me, ‘I will spit right here on the pavement, let’s see if you can come back before it gets dry. Come on!’ And so I ran. I remember that my brother Perets read the works of Maxim Gorky, ‘Mother’ and others. Jacques and David read mostly ‘leftist’ books. David worked very much. He gave all his salary to our mother. My other brothers would always find some work to do on Sundays. For example, people hired them to build the electrical installation in their houses. I also helped them when they laid the pipes in the walls. David and I had the same mother, but different fathers. When the Law for the Protection of the Nation was passed David changed his name. He adopted his father’s name, who was killed in World War I. His name was David Moshe Davidov. Also, during the time of the Law of Protection of the Nation my brother did not wear a yellow star like all Jews in Bulgaria, but one yellow button. It showed that he was a war orphan, but did not entail any other rights. I remember David Kalaora as a caring husband and brother.