Testimony of Sheli (Choef) Yulezari, born in 1931 in Sofia, Bulgaria, about her experiences as a girl in Sofia and Ruse

Testimony of Sheli (Choef) Yulezari, born in 1931 in Sofia, Bulgaria, about her experiences as a girl in Sofia and Ruse Life before the war; offspring of a Zionist secular mercantile family; family owns a confectionary and a porcelain import business; mother active in WIZO (Women's International Zionist Organization); family members lack Bulgarian citizenship; war breaks out in 1939; German occupation ensues; Jews placed under restrictions; "Aryanization" of Jewish-owned businesses; deportation to Ruse; witness attends a Jewish school; studies Hebrew, chumash, and reading Hebrew literature; renews visa each month; life under curfew from 21:00 on; holds jobs: producing makeup compacts cups and selling almonds; liberated by Red Army forces in 1944; celebrations upon liberation; active in the Hashomer Hatzair movement; studies sewing; immigrates to Israel by sea in 1948; marries aboard the ship; adjusts to life in Israel. Husband: Haim Yulezari; inducted into labor brigades in1941; sabotages railroad tracks; concealed by villagers; joins the Bulgarian partisans and takes part in partisan activity for about half a year.