Dolly Asher of Perahya tells she was born in 1934 in the city of Thessaloniki. Her grandfather, Haim Perahya, was a rabbi in Thessaloniki and his brother, Gabriel, was Jewish Court judge (Av Beit Din). Her grandfather passed away in 1939 and her grandmother came to live with them. Her father used to smoke on Shabbat, but out of respect to his mother, he used to smoke at the building’s corridor. On Shabbat no fire was ignited, and food was preserved from Shabbat evening to keep it warm. Dolly never went to a Jewish school, but a Greek school. She never learnt Hebrew, but when her children were born, she sent them to a Jewish school and they had a Bar Mitzva (the son), and Bat Mitzva (the daughter). She and her husband insisted on a Jewish life. During the Holocaust, Dolly lost both of her grandmothers and grandfathers, as well as many other loved ones: two of her father’s brothers, her mother’s sister- aunt Sharina- and her family, and others.

General translation: Dolly tells that in June 1940, her brother, Ḥaimko Peraḥya (Ḥaim) was born. In October 1940, the Italians attacked Greece and from then on, for them, started World War II. Her father, that realised the danger, asked the family not to speak Ladino near the baby so that they would not find out they are Jewish. The situation became dangerous in Greece. Dolly, her sister and her brother ran and hid at a Greek family. Their parents ordered them not speak Ladino among them but only Greek. That was the reason why their brother, little Ḥaimko, did not know how to speak Ladino.

Viva viva Phalastina our beloved land; the Holy Temple was built for us embroidered with precious gems.