This is me with my son Lev Kil and his wife Ludmila. We had our picture taken in the premises of the Jewish social center Rahamim, when my son and his family came from Israel on holiday. The picture was taken in Riga in 2005.
In 1960 our son Leo was born. His Jewish name is Leib, after my father-in-law. He had his bris milah. There was a minyan. All was done in line with the rite. It was very dangerous at that time and people were convicted for it. Of course, we did it gingerly, trying to do everything quiet for the neighbors not to hear anything. We could not help doing that. It was very important for me and for my husband that our son was a Jew. In 1969 our daughter Anna was born. We call her Channa at home.
My kids were nice and loving. They did well at school. After school my son entered the light industry college, the refrigerator department. Having finished his studies, he became a refrigerator mechanic. Lev married a nice Jewish lady, Ludmila Shukhman. She is one year younger than him. They have two sons: Semion, born in 1984, and Yakov, born in 1988.
My daughter Anna finished the light industry institute. She is an engineer. She is married. Her last name is Koretskaya. Both my son and daughter had traditional Jewish weddings. Both of them were willing to do that. Anna's husband, Dmitry Koretskiy, was born in 1967 in Riga. He is working in automobile maintenance company. They have two children: Alexander, born in 1989, and Elina, born in independent Latvia in 1995.
Unfortunately, I see my children and grandchildren rarely. My son and his family immigrated to Israel. They are living in Ashkelon. My daughter and her family are living in Stuttgart, Germany. Their life is good. Of course, I miss my children and grandchildren. They often call, come on vacation, but it is not enough. The children are asking me to come over to see them, but I don't want to. My life has passed here. There are dear tombs for me. My friends are here. Young people have their path, and I have mine.
