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I was born in 1929 in the city of Bourgas, where I used to live with my family till the age of three. My father's father Yako Cohen is from Aytos, but I don't know anything about his ancestors. Later they settled in Bourgas.
My grandmother Rosa Cohen, my father's mother, is from Bourgas. My parents and I used to live at her place after my birth. I remember her being very cheerful, kind and always joking. She was a brave woman! She coped with life on her own. My grandfather Yako Cohen had died very early leaving her a widow with six sons. She also had a daughter who died very young. She raised her children by herself. I don't know how she managed but she never complained. I suppose her elder sons worked and helped her.
My mother's kin is from Odrin. My grandfather on my mother's side, Meshulam Aroyo, comes from there. My maternal grandmother Evgenia Solomon Aroyo's parents were Solomon Behar and Mazaltov Behar. Solomon was born in 1860 and my great-grandmother in 1866. I know only that she was a little girl during the Ottoman yoke [see Ottoman Rule in Bulgaria] [1] and her family had already come to Bulgaria, but I have no idea when exactly.
My grandparents Evgenia and Meshulam were born in Sliven. I have wonderful memories of these grandparents of mine. I felt closer to my grandmother than to my mother. Unfortunately she passed away very early, in 1941. A photo album is the only thing I have from her and I still keep it, though it is already torn and the pictures have scattered, as a loving memory of her. She gave it to me as a present for my bat mitzvah. She was a very vivacious and courageous woman. Everybody loved her - my mother and me and all the other relatives. Besides she was a very intelligent woman; before her marriage she had worked as a teacher, which was a great merit in those times. Our family used to boast about this fact. You wouldn't have called her pretty, but she was a very nice and kind woman. A relative of ours, I cannot remember his name, used to come on a regular basis to ask for food. He was very poor, he wanted bread and yellow cheese and she never turned him down. Moreover she was never angry that such a small man would eat such an enormous amount of food. As a whole, my granny was more flexible than my mother and she got used to innovations more easily.
My grandfather Meshulam Aroyo was a very intelligent person too. He spoke several languages: in addition to Ladino and Bulgarian he also spoke French, Turkish and German. He did the correspondence of the local factory- owners. He cared a lot for his family as well as for the observation of the Jewish customs. My granny used to cook at home and I remember she used to prepare all kinds of cheese crackers and sweets traditional for every single Jewish holiday.
My grandpa had four brothers and one sister, all of them born in Sliven. His brother Isak was a trader. His wife's name was Bolisu. They had three children: Elia, Berta and Vitali. After the war [WWII] they left for Israel, where Isak remained till the end of his life. The second brother, Nissim, was also a trader. He lived in Plovdiv with his wife Rebecca and their children Berta, Marko and Eli. The third brother, Yakov, was also a trader and I remember that his second wife's name was Rashel. They had three children: Tsvi or Daniel, Sofi and Berta. Yakov died in Bulgaria, but I cannot remember the year. My grandfather's fourth brother, Iliya, was married to Mika. They had no children. They also lived in Israel. Their only sister Perla didn't work. Her father took care of her. She never got married.
My grandmother Rosa Cohen, my father's mother, is from Bourgas. My parents and I used to live at her place after my birth. I remember her being very cheerful, kind and always joking. She was a brave woman! She coped with life on her own. My grandfather Yako Cohen had died very early leaving her a widow with six sons. She also had a daughter who died very young. She raised her children by herself. I don't know how she managed but she never complained. I suppose her elder sons worked and helped her.
My mother's kin is from Odrin. My grandfather on my mother's side, Meshulam Aroyo, comes from there. My maternal grandmother Evgenia Solomon Aroyo's parents were Solomon Behar and Mazaltov Behar. Solomon was born in 1860 and my great-grandmother in 1866. I know only that she was a little girl during the Ottoman yoke [see Ottoman Rule in Bulgaria] [1] and her family had already come to Bulgaria, but I have no idea when exactly.
My grandparents Evgenia and Meshulam were born in Sliven. I have wonderful memories of these grandparents of mine. I felt closer to my grandmother than to my mother. Unfortunately she passed away very early, in 1941. A photo album is the only thing I have from her and I still keep it, though it is already torn and the pictures have scattered, as a loving memory of her. She gave it to me as a present for my bat mitzvah. She was a very vivacious and courageous woman. Everybody loved her - my mother and me and all the other relatives. Besides she was a very intelligent woman; before her marriage she had worked as a teacher, which was a great merit in those times. Our family used to boast about this fact. You wouldn't have called her pretty, but she was a very nice and kind woman. A relative of ours, I cannot remember his name, used to come on a regular basis to ask for food. He was very poor, he wanted bread and yellow cheese and she never turned him down. Moreover she was never angry that such a small man would eat such an enormous amount of food. As a whole, my granny was more flexible than my mother and she got used to innovations more easily.
My grandfather Meshulam Aroyo was a very intelligent person too. He spoke several languages: in addition to Ladino and Bulgarian he also spoke French, Turkish and German. He did the correspondence of the local factory- owners. He cared a lot for his family as well as for the observation of the Jewish customs. My granny used to cook at home and I remember she used to prepare all kinds of cheese crackers and sweets traditional for every single Jewish holiday.
My grandpa had four brothers and one sister, all of them born in Sliven. His brother Isak was a trader. His wife's name was Bolisu. They had three children: Elia, Berta and Vitali. After the war [WWII] they left for Israel, where Isak remained till the end of his life. The second brother, Nissim, was also a trader. He lived in Plovdiv with his wife Rebecca and their children Berta, Marko and Eli. The third brother, Yakov, was also a trader and I remember that his second wife's name was Rashel. They had three children: Tsvi or Daniel, Sofi and Berta. Yakov died in Bulgaria, but I cannot remember the year. My grandfather's fourth brother, Iliya, was married to Mika. They had no children. They also lived in Israel. Their only sister Perla didn't work. Her father took care of her. She never got married.
Location
Bulgaria
Interview
Rosa Kolevska