Matilda Israel's family and relatives

This is a family photo. I (first from left, sitting), our older son Marcel Israel (first from left, standing), Uzi (in the middle, standing) - son of Lunchi, the daughter of my husband's sister Rashel, my younger son Michel (first from right standing), my mother Rebecca Yulzari, nee Perets (in the center, sitting at the table), my husband Salvator Israel (second from right, sitting at the table) and Lunchi (first from right, sitting at the table) - the daughter of my husband Salvator's sister Rashel. Lunchi's family lived in Israel and they had come to visit us. The photo was taken in my apartment in Sofia in 1964. Rashel, my husband Salvator's sister, married Solomon Perets and they had two daughters, Lunchi and Hanika. They moved to live in Israel in 1948. We tried to educate our children in the spirit of the Jewish traditions. Neither I, nor my husband is religious, but we still chose to observe the traditions. I believe that Jewish traditions are a real treasure to everyone who respects them and observes them, without going to extremes. We celebrated all holidays. Salvator - or Daddy as we all called him, myself included - always read the prayers. We celebrated at home and didn't go to the synagogue. On Sabbath my mother lit the candles and later on I did. My mother cleaned the house on Thursday, cooked on Friday and Saturday was a day for rest. We didn't go to work then. When the children were little, they loved Tu bi-Shevat very much. I made them purses with various fresh and dry fruits, in which they groped as if they were bottomless and their contents - priceless. Marcel ate everything right away, but Michel preserved his fruits and ate them gradually, until his brother asked him to share them 'like brothers'.