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Family Is All That Matters 82 When he visited, his sisters, knowing how much he liked the theater, would buy tickets for a show, ballet, or opera. Iosif was hungry for the kind of culture that Russians could only get in Moscow. On January 8, 1951, his sister took him to Giuseppe Verdi's opera Aida. Aer the show, with the triumphant melody of "The Grand March" om Act II still echoing in his ears, Iosif went back to Inna's house. He was very content to be with his beloved family. During this visit, Iosif had occasion to chat with his sister's neighbor. This neighbor just happened to be Zina Braverman Volinsky, Lyubov's older sister. They started talking and Zina quickly appreciated what a handsome man Iosif was in his Air Force uniform. Zina had a question. "Iosif, are you married?" Iosif replied he was not married. "Well, I have a sister," Zina said. "Would you like to meet her?" "Why not?" Iosif answered. Above: Lyubov and Iosif in Moscow, 1951. Previous page: Iosif, Yeva, Lev, and Lyubov Volsun vacationing in Evpatoria, Ukraine, 1957. Zina smiled at his non-committal answer. Why, she wondered, was it so difficult for young men to shout,"Yes! I would like nothing more!" In any event, Zina told Iosif that if he wanted to, he could meet her sister Lyubov the very next evening; she was coming for a visit. Zina explained that Lyubov, an English teacher, lived and studied in Chkalov, a small city a few miles north of Moscow. The city was named aer Soviet pilot V. P. Chkalov, who in the summer of 1938 made a celebrated nonstop flight over the North Pole. Later an Air Force base also named aer Chkalov was used to train Russian cosmonauts. Two days later, January 10, Iosif went back to his sister's house and eventually made his way across the street to meet Lyubov for the first time. Iosif was wearing his Air Force uniform with lieutenant's bars. Lyubov was a very short woman: about 4 feet 10 inches. What was Lyubov wearing? What did he see in her? Iosif 's memory of the evening is vivid: She was wearing a grey skirt with black stripes, a nice striped jacket, and boots with heels. She was short, but with heels she looked very elegant. She was beautiful. Her eyes! From her eyes came rays. It was impossible to take your eyes away om her eyes. It was magical. Lyubov had a very nice smile. She was always cheerful. When I looked at her, my pulse raised to 100 beats per minute. I took one look at her and fell in love. That's it! The couple was immediately taken with each other and spent as much time together as they possibly could, much of it in the train between Moscow and Chkalov. Both families were happy that Iosif and Lyubov, products of good Jewish families, had found each other. But the couple had to act quickly if they were to have a future together. Iosif was due back at

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