This photograph was taken by the common grave of the perished Red Army soldiers, where my wife's father Ilia Chestnetskiy is also buried. From left to right: my wife's mother Sofia Chestnetskaya, Lilia Shcherbakova, my fellow student, who lived in Voronezh after graduation, I, my wife Nora Landsman and the representative of Voronezh military enlistment office. The picture was taken in Voronezh in 1967.
In 1955 I was employed at a design institute of water supply systems, 'Giprovodkhoz.' There were many Jews there. First I worked as an engineer, and then I was a senior engineer.
In 1973 I requested to be transferred to the All-union organization 'Soyuzvodoproyekt'. I worked there as the head of the group of designers of municipal water supply, then I became a 'chief expert' - that was my job title.
I published seven articles of mine, and received five copyright certificates for inventions and I was awarded - two silver and one bronze - medals of the exhibition of the achievements in national economy. I retired in the year 1990.
In 1958 I got married. Nora Chestnetskaya was born in Moscow in 1929 into a Jewish family. Her father, Ilia Chestnetskiy, was an engineer, and her mother, Sofia Chestnetskaya, was a housewife. Nora was an only child. Russian was Nora's mother tongue. Yiddish wasn't spoken in her family. Nora was a schoolgirl when the war began. Her father was drafted in the lines, and Nora was evacuated to Ufa with her mother.
In 1943, Nora's father died in the battle close to Voronezh. When Nora came back from evacuation with her mother she finished school and entered the German philological department of the Moscow Teachers' Training Institute.
Her mother got married a second time. She was married to a wonderful man, Isidor Mazur, who became Nora's stepfather.
I knew Isidor. He was a remarkable man, who had a very complicated life. I dwelled on Isidor's life as he became a dear person not only to my wife but to me as well. My outlook was affected by him, he made me see things I hadn't noticed before.
My wife and I lived with Nora's parents. We celebrated birthdays of family members, New Year's and Victory Day. Soviet holidays such as 1st May, and 7th November and Soviet Army Day, were also celebrated. It was customary to mark those holidays at work and they were extra days off for us.
