This is a class portrait of the elementary school of Mrs. Schina in Thessaloniki. It was taken in 1934. You can see our teacher Maria Koniordou, and I am there at the back, third from the left.
The school I went to for elementary education was owned by Mrs. Aglaia Schina. It was right next to my house in Analipsi where we lived when I was young.
It was a mixed school with many Christians and many Jewish students but we all studied together.
Among my Jewish classmates were a boy called Allouf, who was a very good student, and a boy called Salmona.
The reason I went to a Greek school was because my father realized the Greeks had come to Thessaloniki for good and the one sure way to survive was to know the Greek language well.
I had lots of friends from school and I used to play with them in the neighborhood as we all lived close to each other.
I have a friend from that school who still remembers me today; he is a doctor at the Mitera hospital, which is a maternity hospital.
