Sabina Laufer, David and Janeta Davidsohn

This photograph was taken in the 1930s. There was nothing written on the back of it. The one on the left is my mother, Janeta Davidsohn, the one on the right is my mother's youngest sister, Sabina Laufer, and my father, David Davidsohn, is the one in the middle.

My mother had two other sisters - Ana Laufer, Maly, and Sabina Laufer -, and a brother - Iosef Laufer. The sisters weren't married. I believe they were employed. I remember there was a pavilion where mineral water was sold in the Public Garden in Vatra Dornei - they brought water for the visitors -, and the cadet, Sabina, used to conduct a band there - something like that, I remember it as if it were a dream. She was either doing volunteer work or she was employed there, the whole matter is foggy in my mind. I couldn't be any clearer. I think the older sister worked at the Community [the Jewish Community in Vatra Dornei]. That's as far as I recall. They both died in Transnistria. They were young when they died - 21-23, around that age.

My mother's name was Janeta Davidsohn. Her Jewish name was Seindla. I suppose she too was born in the 1900's - given the fact that I was born in 1931.

My parents met either through a matchmaker or when my father happened to travel to Dorna and met my mother… These are suppositions, I didn't get to ask him these questions. I was 12 when mother died, there wasn't enough time for her to tell me all these things. Then, when my father returned after the deportation, he remarried, and there were things left untold, things that I would have wanted to learn, to know, but they remained unspoken.

My father was from Botosani, and he married my mother, who was from Vatra Dornei. And he stayed in Vatra Dornei as well after they married. My mother didn't work, she had no regular job, and my father was in charge of the store. The store was located downtown. I forget what it was called, but he ran it with my uncle, my mother's brother, Iosef Laufer. It covered the space of a two-room apartment and they sold hardware, nails, they even sold lime there.

My mother had 2 sisters and 1 brother, all of whom lived in Vatra Dornei - the brother was married, he even had 2 children. We all lived apart, and at a certain moment we decided the entire family should unite. We moved in a larger house with several apartments, and everyone had their apartment. So my parents and I lived in one apartment, my mother's brother lived in another apartment with his wife and two children, and my mother's sisters lived with their mother, meaning my grandmother. There were 5 rooms, 2 kitchens and 1 basement, where the laundry was located. And indeed, we were a very, very close, loving family.