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Family Is All That Matters 16 but notice Hava growing up, first as a pretty girl, then a budding beauty, and eventually a stunning and accomplished woman. "My father oen talked about his memories of my mother's birth and childhood," Iosif recalls. "He told stories of how he would protect Hava om neighborhood bullies." Even before Shlomo knew that their lives were destined to be together, he was protective of Hava. This was a practice he never abandoned, until the last day of Hava's life, when Shlomo, to his everlasting regret, was not there to protect her. But that story will come later. Right now, let's remember Hava as Shlomo knew her: a happy, hardworking young woman, protected by her parents om the cares of the world. From an early age, Hava was a religious girl. She observed Shabbat and helped her mother carefully prepare their home for holidays. Her brothers called her "Havala." Shlomo & Hava's Life in Gorodok Shlomo & Hava's Life in Gorodok Given Shlomo's education and wealth, he was great marriage material. His daughter Inna has heard and recalls many stories about how the mothers of Gorodok all tried to get their daughters to marry this rich, handsome, outgoing man. But only one mother could be successful. "And that was Mariam Brandes, my maternal grandmother," Inna says. "By the time my father returned to Gorodok om his studies in Warsaw, my mother, who was 13 years his junior, had blossomed into a beautiful woman. Grandmother Mariam once told me, 'What business does Shlomo have going to Warsaw? He is ordained to come home and marry my daughter, Hava.'" And this is exactly what happened. Living up to his nickname "Alta," Shlomo was a relatively old 39 when he married Hava in 1917. This was a seriously advanced age for a first marriage at the time. In Russia at the end of the 19th century, many men were grandfathers by the time they were 39. Hava herself was 26, also considered old for a bride. Although it

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