Transcription
Rita: This is my family, my paternal family. My father, my mother, my sister and me.
Rita: A student with the white collar.
Rita: This is what I told you is the most historic photograph. It's at the Karalaka position where a battle had taken place and our children had been killed. There were four in this battle and we are some families here who passed through there to go even higher. So they wouldn't find us.
Michalis: And where are you in this photograph?
Rita: I am this one.
Michalis: And who else do you recognize here?
Rita: And this is my sister, my father with the raincoat, handsome. And... I don't recognize others.
Rita: Now here are the years when I was little. Here I am with two of my cousins, with my sister and here with my sister.
Michalis: Here why are you dressed like this?
Rita: Because at carnivals then we either dressed as tsoliades or as Karagounes. We didn't have magnificent clothes.
Michalis: Was it for carnival or for Purim?
Rita: For carnival.
Rita: This is all from Purim.
Michalis: Here is the period when you lived in that basement you told us about?
Rita: No. From there it's... No, it's not. Wait, how old am I... Yes, yes. It's until '48. From '45 to '48. Yes, I was there.
Rita: Yes, this is a cousin of mine who was in Israel, he died. This same one.
Rita: And here are some families. As we told you, Sukkot, the Sabbath when we went out. In the countryside we ate there and such. Only the mothers are here. The fathers work.
Rita: Here I am. The fathers worked and we ate.
Rita: Here again I am with my mother. We took photos at a photography studio then.
Rita: And here it's carnival, look. I'm a tsolias. Tsolias and my sister nothing.
Rita: Again my family here. I'm showing off with my dad. We go for a walk.
Rita: Here we are with classmates.
Michalis: From fourth grade?
Rita: From high school here.
Rita: '51. I finished in '56. Here I am in high school. '51 and... Yes, in transition. Yes.
Rita: Here I am with Michalis Levi. There's one extra here it seems. Who later became president.
Michalis: Is this the one who became president later?
Rita: Yes, yes. At his house where we stayed.
Rita: Here again are my girlfriends from high school. Now life becomes more high school-like.
Rita: And here is again at a celebration now. Sukkot, I don't know. So at these celebrations you went out.
Rita: We went out, of course.
Rita: Look. Karagouna.
Rita: Here I am at Jewish camps. In Fragoklissia I think. It's here. We are at the Jewish camps. Now I'm here.
Michalis: This was the... This is the camp that the Zionists had set up?
Rita: It wasn't from the community here. The Israelis hadn't made this one. These yes. There are children from everywhere. From all of Greece. Not Israelis though. No. Only from Greece.
Michalis: And what did you do at this camp?
Rita: What. What did we do. How did you spend time? We spent the hours. We played. They made us various games. Such things. We didn't... We didn't do anything special. And actually I had gotten upset and wanted to leave.
Rita: Here. This one. This photograph is a bit shocking. I was in first year of high school. And because I came first, let's say, I took... They gave me a prize, a book. And I went to take it. It was given by the respective... The respective... Say it. Metropolitan. No, not metropolitan. Bishop. The bishop. Yes. Metropolitan. He gave it. He went to schools and gave it.
Rita: Now I saw that all the others kissed the hand. Of the bishop. Now should I kiss it, should I kiss it, I was like this. And there on my hesitation he took the photograph. Because when he also heard Cohen, let's say, he went more cautiously.
Rita: Here I am as a standard bearer. At the flag. In first year of high school here. Standard bearer.
Rita: Here again it's at a school celebration. The eve. Of the 28th I think. And here again at the flag. I am.
Rita: Well here I am the good girl embroidering. My dowry.
Michalis: Did you have a dowry when you got married?
Rita: If I had cash and such that they give. If you had some things in the dowry?
Rita: No, we didn't have cash to give. My father didn't have. But the other some household items, let's say, and such, yes. I had. But it wasn't necessary. My husband wasn't like that. He was ahead of his age. And he said what will we do with it. We want a dowry, we'll buy what we need.
Rita: Here we are again all on excursions now with friends.
Rita: Here are the children of the Zionist association. All of us are on an excursion. To the good waters of Volos I think.
Michalis: Is it a Zionist association of Larissa?
Rita: Yes. And Esdras was also president of the Zionist association.
Michalis: Is Esdras here?
Rita: Here now he's not because these are the younger ones a bit. But he was the founder of the Zionist association here. And he became president later.
Michalis: Your husband's family was only from Larissa?
Rita: From Larissa.
Rita: And this one. Here we are at a house, at a party. Here. And I'm dancing here with Alchanatis. Well, these. We had parties like this and at the parties all ages were there. From the fathers and mothers who were proud of us. To us who were proud of ourselves.
Rita: And here. Look, Rabbi Mizan is this one.
Michalis: This is Mizan?
Rita: Yes. He was a first-class dancer.
Rita: And here we are all the girlfriends who... This is Zinoula. Of Zakinos Mizan, the rabbi. This is his sister. She went to America. This is me. This is the... Not Lousy. Who is this one. Desy Varsano. Varsano. And this is Lousy Levi.
Rita: Here again we are with this father of Zaneta.
Rita: And here I had gone to Metsovo. Where a cousin of mine was serving as a justice of the peace who was there. And I also went in the summer.
Michalis: What is this?
Rita: Ah, all the girls here. In high school.
Michalis: This was the principal you mentioned?
Rita: Yes. Yes, this one with his wife who is also here.
Rita: Here now the pre-marriage life begins. Engaged here.
Michalis: Are you here with Esdras?
Rita: Yes.
Rita: Here you are at home in the apartment buildings.
Rita: No, here we are at the house where Esdras lived as a young man, as a bachelor.
Rita Moysi shares intimate childhood and youth memories through family photographs, describing her paternal family, wartime experiences including a historic photo from the battle at Karalaka, school life, Jewish summer camps, carnival celebrations, and her involvement with the Zionist association. She also recounts her engagement period and early relationship with Esdras.
Rita Moysi
Transcription
Rita: This is my family, my paternal family. My father, my mother, my sister and me.
Rita: A student with the white collar.
Rita: This is what I told you is the most historic photograph. It's at the Karalaka position where a battle had taken place and our children had been killed. There were four in this battle and we are some families here who passed through there to go even higher. So they wouldn't find us.
Michalis: And where are you in this photograph?
Rita: I am this one.
Michalis: And who else do you recognize here?
Rita: And this is my sister, my father with the raincoat, handsome. And... I don't recognize others.
Rita: Now here are the years when I was little. Here I am with two of my cousins, with my sister and here with my sister.
Michalis: Here why are you dressed like this?
Rita: Because at carnivals then we either dressed as tsoliades or as Karagounes. We didn't have magnificent clothes.
Michalis: Was it for carnival or for Purim?
Rita: For carnival.
Rita: This is all from Purim.
Michalis: Here is the period when you lived in that basement you told us about?
Rita: No. From there it's... No, it's not. Wait, how old am I... Yes, yes. It's until '48. From '45 to '48. Yes, I was there.
Rita: Yes, this is a cousin of mine who was in Israel, he died. This same one.
Rita: And here are some families. As we told you, Sukkot, the Sabbath when we went out. In the countryside we ate there and such. Only the mothers are here. The fathers work.
Rita: Here I am. The fathers worked and we ate.
Rita: Here again I am with my mother. We took photos at a photography studio then.
Rita: And here it's carnival, look. I'm a tsolias. Tsolias and my sister nothing.
Rita: Again my family here. I'm showing off with my dad. We go for a walk.
Rita: Here we are with classmates.
Michalis: From fourth grade?
Rita: From high school here.
Rita: '51. I finished in '56. Here I am in high school. '51 and... Yes, in transition. Yes.
Rita: Here I am with Michalis Levi. There's one extra here it seems. Who later became president.
Michalis: Is this the one who became president later?
Rita: Yes, yes. At his house where we stayed.
Rita: Here again are my girlfriends from high school. Now life becomes more high school-like.
Rita: And here is again at a celebration now. Sukkot, I don't know. So at these celebrations you went out.
Rita: We went out, of course.
Rita: Look. Karagouna.
Rita: Here I am at Jewish camps. In Fragoklissia I think. It's here. We are at the Jewish camps. Now I'm here.
Michalis: This was the... This is the camp that the Zionists had set up?
Rita: It wasn't from the community here. The Israelis hadn't made this one. These yes. There are children from everywhere. From all of Greece. Not Israelis though. No. Only from Greece.
Michalis: And what did you do at this camp?
Rita: What. What did we do. How did you spend time? We spent the hours. We played. They made us various games. Such things. We didn't... We didn't do anything special. And actually I had gotten upset and wanted to leave.
Rita: Here. This one. This photograph is a bit shocking. I was in first year of high school. And because I came first, let's say, I took... They gave me a prize, a book. And I went to take it. It was given by the respective... The respective... Say it. Metropolitan. No, not metropolitan. Bishop. The bishop. Yes. Metropolitan. He gave it. He went to schools and gave it.
Rita: Now I saw that all the others kissed the hand. Of the bishop. Now should I kiss it, should I kiss it, I was like this. And there on my hesitation he took the photograph. Because when he also heard Cohen, let's say, he went more cautiously.
Rita: Here I am as a standard bearer. At the flag. In first year of high school here. Standard bearer.
Rita: Here again it's at a school celebration. The eve. Of the 28th I think. And here again at the flag. I am.
Rita: Well here I am the good girl embroidering. My dowry.
Michalis: Did you have a dowry when you got married?
Rita: If I had cash and such that they give. If you had some things in the dowry?
Rita: No, we didn't have cash to give. My father didn't have. But the other some household items, let's say, and such, yes. I had. But it wasn't necessary. My husband wasn't like that. He was ahead of his age. And he said what will we do with it. We want a dowry, we'll buy what we need.
Rita: Here we are again all on excursions now with friends.
Rita: Here are the children of the Zionist association. All of us are on an excursion. To the good waters of Volos I think.
Michalis: Is it a Zionist association of Larissa?
Rita: Yes. And Esdras was also president of the Zionist association.
Michalis: Is Esdras here?
Rita: Here now he's not because these are the younger ones a bit. But he was the founder of the Zionist association here. And he became president later.
Michalis: Your husband's family was only from Larissa?
Rita: From Larissa.
Rita: And this one. Here we are at a house, at a party. Here. And I'm dancing here with Alchanatis. Well, these. We had parties like this and at the parties all ages were there. From the fathers and mothers who were proud of us. To us who were proud of ourselves.
Rita: And here. Look, Rabbi Mizan is this one.
Michalis: This is Mizan?
Rita: Yes. He was a first-class dancer.
Rita: And here we are all the girlfriends who... This is Zinoula. Of Zakinos Mizan, the rabbi. This is his sister. She went to America. This is me. This is the... Not Lousy. Who is this one. Desy Varsano. Varsano. And this is Lousy Levi.
Rita: Here again we are with this father of Zaneta.
Rita: And here I had gone to Metsovo. Where a cousin of mine was serving as a justice of the peace who was there. And I also went in the summer.
Michalis: What is this?
Rita: Ah, all the girls here. In high school.
Michalis: This was the principal you mentioned?
Rita: Yes. Yes, this one with his wife who is also here.
Rita: Here now the pre-marriage life begins. Engaged here.
Michalis: Are you here with Esdras?
Rita: Yes.
Rita: Here you are at home in the apartment buildings.
Rita: No, here we are at the house where Esdras lived as a young man, as a bachelor.