My mother Taiba Ogushevich, my sister Vera Belova (nee Ogushevich), my brother Michael Ogushevich and my daughter Sophia Zabozlaeva. This photo was taken at my mother`s home in Saratov in 1953. On the wall on the background are portraits of my grandfather Semyon and grandmother Vera Ogushevich.
My mother was very kind and handy: she could sew, embroider and knit. My mother made her clothes herself. She didn't wear any shawls or hats. She also made clothes for her acquaintances.My mother was a housewife and did everything in the house. There was no specific religiosity in the family. My mother was a terrific cook. She made delicious Jewish food.
My mother and father had three children: I was the oldest and was born in 1929, and my brother Michael was born in 1936, in 1941 my younger sister Vera was born. We actually didn’t socialize with other people. Only my mother’s clients came to our house. For celebrations we got together with the family and there were usually about 12 people sitting at the table. I also remember that when there were 13 people sitting at the table my mother didn’t sit down. We had a close family.
When a senior pupil I attended a history club in the House of Officers. Boys from a school for boys attended it, too. In 1945, when I was in the 8th form I met my future husband Yuri (Georgi) Zabozlaev. He was born in Saratov in 1929. I finished school in 1947 and entered the Pediatric Faculty at the Medical College. I passed my entrance exams and got all excellent marks. My Jewish identity didn't play any role I finished this college in 1953. After finishing the 10th form Yuri was sent to a pilot school in Balashov [over 800 km from Moscow] in Saratov region. We got married after I finished my third year in college. This happened in summer 1950. In 1952 our daughter Sophia was born.
In 1944 my brother Michael went to secondary school # 30 and music school to learn to play the violin. He became a young Octobrist, then a pioneer, joined Komsomol. After finishing the 7th form Michael entered the mechanical Faculty at the Aviation College in 1951. He studied well and played in the college orchestra. He finished college in 1955 and entered an Automobile Faculty at the Polytechnic College of Saratov. In this college Michael also played in the orchestra. In 1960 he finished college and joined the Party. Michael worked as an engineer in various companies of the automobile industry in Saratov. In 1969 he was appointed as director of the design office of Privolzhskstroytrans trust. In 1971 this design office was transformed into Saratov affiliate of the OMTS (Organization, Mechanization and Engineering Support of Construction) design institute and Michael became its director. He worked as director until 1992. When he was a student Michael married his co-student in 1957. His wife Ludmila Zotova, born in 1937, was Russian. Michael and Ludmila had two children.
My younger sister Vera was a weak and sickly child. Our cousin sister Elia Avgustevich took Vera to the synagogue for the first time. This was at Pesach. Vera was 6 years old. Vera wasn’t religious, but she liked Jewish holidays. She went school #13 for girls in 1948. Since 1956 Vera got a job at a plant, because she failed at the competition to the Aviation College. She studied at the evening department of Saratov Aviation College and worked. She worked as production engineer and retired in 1994. Her husband had died and she needed to support her daughter Katia. She had to do something to earn more money.
