Semyon Gun with his brother Alexandr and sister Bella

This is me (first from the left), Semyon Gun, and my brother Alexandr and sister Bella. This photo was taken in Odessa in 1951. I was born in Odessa on 17 October 1934. I was named Semyon after my mother's father. On 21 December 1937- Stalin's birthday - my brother Alexandr was born. I went to the 4th from in Odessa and Alexandr went to the 2nd form at school #50. I don't remember any anti-Semitism at school. There was a healthy environment from this point of view. Alexandr and I studied well at school. I was an active Komsomol member at school. My closest friend Igor Milan was Russian. We became friends in the 7th form. We got together at his home in Paster Street: we sang, drew and issued a wall newspaper. Igor Milan, Oleg Novitski, Syoma Sorokatiazh, Valentin Goldenberg and I were leaders at school. Actually, our class was unique: 8 or 9 of my classmates finished school with medals. I took part in amateur art activities. We played football and basketball at school. I took sandwiches with goose cracklings to school. It was such delicacy! My brother Alexandr finished school in 1954 and entered Odessa Navy School. It was next to impossible for a Jew to enter this school, but our father was working there and it helped. He studied in a very nice group at school. They were friends and they still meet. My brother was fond of sports. He played football. He was a goalkeeper. When he was a cadet my brother married Lora, a Russian girl from Vinnitsa. Lora finished the Faculty of Physics and Mathematic with honors and worked in design institute called Storm. Alexandr finished his school and had a visa for sailing abroad opened. I would say, he was very lucky to get it. I remember that the head cadet of their group Lyonia - he was also a Jew - was not allowed to sail abroad. They explained that he had relatives abroad. Alexandr was an electric mechanic on tankers for 42 years. In 1964 their son Yuri was born. Now Yuri is a big businessman in Moscow. He is a broker at a stock exchange, makes deals and provides railroad maintenance services. My sister Bella was born on 5 January 1945. She went to school in 1952 at the age of 7. Boys and girls studied in different schools, so she and I studied in different schools. She studied well, but at about 10 years of age she began to have heart problems, rheumatism. Our parents were worried about her. They sent her to a children's recreation center in Tuapse.