Rimma Rozenberg and her husband Ilia Kleiman at a 1st May parade

This is me, Rimma Rozenberg (on the left in the second row), at the Odessa University's 1st May parade. This photo was taken in Odessa in 1950 and is particularly dear to me since it was taken on the day when I met my husband to be Ilia Kleiman (second from the right). My husband Ilia Kleiman was born in Andre-Ivanovka village, Ivanovo district, Odessa region, in 1921. His mother Claudia Kleiman was a teacher, and his father Bencion Kleiman was a party official. After finishing 8th grade in 1937, Ilia went to study in Odessa Higher Military Artillery School. After finishing he entered the Second Artillery School in Leningrad. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War Ilia went to the front where he was the commanding officer of an artillery squad of a regiment during the defense of Leningrad. He was wounded several times. He wouldn't throw away a piece of bread even now since he took part in the break through of the siege of Leningrad and saw horrific scenes of hunger. Ilia was ranked captain at the end of the war. After the war he served in Simferopol for some time. He even thought of entering the Military Academy, but it was clear that they would not admit a Jew. Ilia demobilized, returned to Odessa and entered the History faculty of Odessa University where we met. For four years before our wedding we had such a romantic relationship that our friends teased us. Once at a student party our friends were showing an amateur film about students? life, the events happening in the life of our friends: some were traveling, some doing this and that, and ?Rimma and Ilia at this time were addressing each other with the polite form of ?You?; this was the refrain of the film. After university Ilia got a job assignment in the town of Nogaysk at the Azov Sea. He taught history at a secondary and technical school. In the winter he visited us and in 1953 we got married. There was no wedding party; we just had breakfast at the Londonskaya hotel restaurant. Since then we?ve celebrated our wedding anniversaries each year there.