Rosa Kolevska's family

This family picture was taken in Sofia in 1964. We took this picture with delayedaction shutter release in front of the house in which we currently live. My older daughter Natasha Kurteva, nee Kolevska, is first from left, my ex-husband Vassil Kolevski is second from left, then there's my mother Berta Cohen, nee Aroyo, first from right and I. My other daughter, Bisserka, was already born at the time but she is not on the picture. In 1964 my ex-husband and I bought the apartment inhabited now by my younger daughter and situated on the second floor of the same building, in which I live. Back then this area used to be very nice! Although it is still a calm residential quarter, at that time there were only little houses with lovely yards. It was very beautiful indeed! My husband used to take care of the garden, which we had in the backyard of the house. He used to grow tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries, beans and even potatoes. It was a nice period of my life! The children grew up in a calm atmosphere; they used to play in the yard. Later that ugly house was built next to ours, which finally hid the sun from the first floors of our living estate. My mother didn't oppose to the fact that Vassil was not Jewish. He graduated in Russian philology just like me. He is a professor; he used to be rector at VITIZ [Higher Institute of Theater and Film Arts, now NATFIZ, National Academy of Theater and Film Arts], and he is also a writer. He wrote five or six books, most of them on communist topics. My daughters first studied in 56th School; later the older one finished 119th High School and the younger one 'Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin' Russian High School. Although they are from a mixed marriage, my children feel Jewish. I acquainted them with the traditions as best as I could.