Iancu Tucarman with his sister Sofia Segal and his cousin Ida Haim

This photo shows me (first from right) together with my older sister, Sofia Segal, nee Tucarman (on the left), and our cousin Ida Haim in between. This photo was taken in Iasi at a studio called Foto Select on Cuza Voda Street. The photographer was deaf and dumb. He spoke very slowly, barely understanding the words. He could not pronounce the word ‘smile,’ he could only say ‘smi.’ He was a great man and most demanding. One can see how skilled he was in taking photos.

When I turned seven I started going to the ‘Vasile Adamache’ elementary school. I was an A pupil, I was awarded the first prize every year. I tried to study hard. I knew that my parents worked hard to earn a living and that I had to get ready to help them at some point. I liked all the subjects, but I was mostly drawn to music. When I was six my father hired a teacher to teach me play the violin. 

Sofia could play the violin, unlike the others. My younger sister Fany studied the piano for about one or two years, but my father could no longer pay for her lessons. I remember just one time when I was a child and I went with my folks on a holiday to Targu Ocna for a fortnight. I think I was not older than five or six. But it was our only time, the rest we couldn’t afford it. My father worked very hard and he could barely manage to keep us afloat.

Photos from this interviewee