Interviewer

Sandra McGee Deutsch

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee

Born in Turkey in 1902, she came to Argentina when she was 17 years old. She and her husband headed straight for Posadas. In the 1940st hey moved to La Plata and then to Buenos Aires. Salomón, a docto, is one of her seven children.

Summary of Interview

Luna de Mayo is 98 years old and her son Salomón, a retired doctor, is in his 70s. She met her future husband in her uncle's home and her aunt said she would marry him. He was 20 and she was 17, when they arrived to Argentina. They headed straight to Posadas (by train), where he had sisters. Posadas was very poor then, and their lives were very difficult. They lived in a one room wooden house with a well and no running water. Household tasks and raising 7 children on her husband's initially meager earnings, selling in the street was difficult. She kept the Turkish foods and sang the old songs in the home. Her children are her life. The Sephardies and Ashkenazies went to the same temple. She did not believe in educating her daughters past primary school- they just went to a nun's school to study sewing and embroidery, and one daughter studied piano. Three of the boys, however, became professionals and studied at the Universidad de La Plata. When her husband opened a business, she worked in it. She became the president of the Sub-commission of Ladies of the Temple, which raised money for the temple, school and the poor. She became a citizen because her kids were born in Argentina.

Date of Interview

9-20-2000

Length of Interview

1 hour

Tape Number

No. 952

Interview Number

No. 952

Terms of Use

Unrestricted

Comments

Interview in Spanish.

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