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There was a retail store named Mayer on Istiklal street that I often stopped by. We worked with them for a long time. At one point, they went on sale, and asked for my help, thinking it would be crowded. While working there for 15-20 days, I met my dear wife Fortune who worked there [during the 1950’s]. She was the daughter of a good Jewish family.
Even though I am not very religious, I always observed certain things. I go to the synagogue and say my prayers, I recite the Kiddush on Friday nights and still do certain things like that all the time.
One day, there was a conversation about the theater. I asked Fortune if she could come to the theater with me. At first she didn’t give a clear answer. Flirting was very difficult in those days. You had to get permission from the mother and father first. She struggled a lot to get permission.
I did not have the means to get married. Finally, we went to that theater and our dating lasted three years. We dated for 1.5 years, and were engaged for 1.5 years after that. Going to each other’s houses started during that time. Her family was a conservative family. My wife’s maiden name was Kastoryano.
She was an only child, her mother Viktorya was from Kuzguncuk, her father Izak was from Haskoy. They lived in Tepebasi then. After we were engaged, they moved to Kuzguncuk. They asked about me to friends and neighbors, they believed in my intentions and they accepted me. My mother-in-law, because her father’s name was Nesim too, and because they did not have a son, was very fond of me.
I had started earning 300 – 400 liras by then. We found a house on Kumbaraci Hill. It had a rent of 115 liras. We rented the house 1.5 months before we got married. I always had the attitude of being against dowry. We did not speak about anything pertaining to money.
On March 1st, 1953 our wedding took place. A week earlier was the civil marriage. We were married in the Zulfaris Synagogue in Galata.
We have a sad memory related to our wedding day. The husband of the older sister of my mother-in-law, Lazar Franko [his wife Rashel Franko] unfortunately died a day before the wedding due to a sudden cardiac problem. Of course we did not tell Fortune or my mother-in-law.
Only my father-in-law knew. When none of the family members from that side showed up at our wedding, we attributed this to the weather being gloomy and rainy. We ate at the Taksim Municipality Casino that evening. I remember, there was a good singer who sang the first pop songs in Turkey, Celal Ince. He left for the United States later on. We listened to him, and stayed in the house we rented, that night. And I told my wife about the sad news the next morning.
Even though I am not very religious, I always observed certain things. I go to the synagogue and say my prayers, I recite the Kiddush on Friday nights and still do certain things like that all the time.
One day, there was a conversation about the theater. I asked Fortune if she could come to the theater with me. At first she didn’t give a clear answer. Flirting was very difficult in those days. You had to get permission from the mother and father first. She struggled a lot to get permission.
I did not have the means to get married. Finally, we went to that theater and our dating lasted three years. We dated for 1.5 years, and were engaged for 1.5 years after that. Going to each other’s houses started during that time. Her family was a conservative family. My wife’s maiden name was Kastoryano.
She was an only child, her mother Viktorya was from Kuzguncuk, her father Izak was from Haskoy. They lived in Tepebasi then. After we were engaged, they moved to Kuzguncuk. They asked about me to friends and neighbors, they believed in my intentions and they accepted me. My mother-in-law, because her father’s name was Nesim too, and because they did not have a son, was very fond of me.
I had started earning 300 – 400 liras by then. We found a house on Kumbaraci Hill. It had a rent of 115 liras. We rented the house 1.5 months before we got married. I always had the attitude of being against dowry. We did not speak about anything pertaining to money.
On March 1st, 1953 our wedding took place. A week earlier was the civil marriage. We were married in the Zulfaris Synagogue in Galata.
We have a sad memory related to our wedding day. The husband of the older sister of my mother-in-law, Lazar Franko [his wife Rashel Franko] unfortunately died a day before the wedding due to a sudden cardiac problem. Of course we did not tell Fortune or my mother-in-law.
Only my father-in-law knew. When none of the family members from that side showed up at our wedding, we attributed this to the weather being gloomy and rainy. We ate at the Taksim Municipality Casino that evening. I remember, there was a good singer who sang the first pop songs in Turkey, Celal Ince. He left for the United States later on. We listened to him, and stayed in the house we rented, that night. And I told my wife about the sad news the next morning.
Period
Location
Beyoğlu/İstanbul
Türkiye
Interview
Nesim Levi