This picture was taken on the day of my wedding to Manuel Arouch, in 1952 in Thessalonica.
My husband's family and mine had known each other for a while. That is how we ended up being introduced. Manuel was born on 7th April 1911 in Thessalonica.
His mother tongue was both Spanish and Greek. He had left Thessalonica in 1932 to come to Athens to study; he spent most of the occupation period in Athens.
He was organized with the progressive youth organization of the university and the occupation period was hard for him as well as for all students; they survived on student commons. He was a doctor already when we got married.
Our wedding took place in a synagogue in Thessalonica, the rabbi, Morris Halegua, performed the ceremony. It was a small but traditional Jewish wedding, very moving.
There were not many relatives because neither my husband nor I had big families any longer.
There was his older sister with her husband, Gracia and Leon Carasso, his mother Sonhoula Arouch, my parents and my sisters.
My wedding dress was very beautiful, it was a present from my mother, and I still keep it as a memento or reminder.
