Hasse Umova and Nehama Belinson

In this photo are my mother Hesse Umova and my cousin sister Nehama Belinson, my mother's older sister Juganna's daughter. This photo was taken in Tallinn in 1993, when Nehama came from Israel for her mother's funeral. In the 1970s Jews were allowed to move to Israel. Our acquaintances and relatives were leaving for Israel. My cousin Nehama, Aunt Juganna's daughter, Rebekka, Yakov's wife, my deceased uncle, and her daughters left for Israel. We didn't correspond with them, and I know nothing of their life. My mother and I didn't consider relocation. We were used to living here, and changes could only scare us. My mother's sisters Juganna and Sheve lived a long life. Juganna died in 1993. Juganna's daughter Nehama arrived from Israel for her funeral. Juganna was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Viljandi. In my childhood Nehama and I were good friends, but she's lived in Israel for over 30 years, and we felt like two strangers meeting and having nothing to say to one another. She has her own life, her children and grandchildren. Sheve died in Tallinn in 1994. This was a hard loss for me. My aunts loved me, and I loved them, too.