We met the rest of the family during the holidays. My aunt from Timisoara, Eugenia, used to spend the holidays with us. My mother's second sister, Elisabeta, was married in Curtici and we used to meet her two children, our cousins.
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Clara Foldes
What I also remember is that Purim used to be celebrated with a lot of cakes. My mother arranged different kinds of cakes on china plates, covered them with a white napkin, and we had to take them to the Jewish families who were our friends. We used to make a lot of shelakhmones, cakes with nuts and poppy-seed.
I remember how we used to celebrate Pesach. Most of the time it was during my school holiday, so I could spend it with my family. Matzot were hidden in different places, and we, the children, had to find and steal them. Because my father knew all the customs, this feast was celebrated in every detail.
The Jews lived scattered around Curtici; there was no separate Jewish neighborhood. The Jewish community was made up of fifteen families, which meant that we were enough for the prayers. The Jews had a synagogue in a transformed peasant house - there was a room for the men and one for the women. It wasn't a special building but meetings were held on every Friday, Saturday and on every holiday. Being so few, we didn't have a rabbi or other functionaries. My father was the president of the community. My father wasn't a very religious man, but he knew everything. My mother lit the candles, but she didn't wear a wig.
When I was seven years old [in 1927], my grandmother Vilma moved from Sofronea to Curtici with us. My mother had just had an operation and my grandmother came to help us, and remained with us. My grandmother was sending us to the butcher's, she used to give us 5 lei and tell us, 'Go and buy some meat, so that I can prepare a veal goulash for your father tonight.' We didn't go shopping too often. My grandmother enjoyed doing the shopping herself. She took care of the household, while my mother and father worked in the shop. We didn't buy any pork. In fall we bought geese. After they were stuffed, the best parts were put in pickle brine and smoked. We kept them like this during the winter until springtime. We did the same with veal. The smoked meat was kept in the storeroom. It tasted delicious.
We lived on the corner of the market. In the middle of the square was the Orthodox Church and between the church and the buildings surrounding it, was a semicircular empty area for the market. The market days in Curtici were Monday and Thursday. It was a very rich market - with dairy products, eggs, fowls, and a butcher's shop behind the church. We bought dairy products, vegetables and fowls. The shochet was slaughtering it, making it kosher. The butcher was Jewish, but the meat he sold wasn't kosher because there were only a few Jewish families in Curtici.
I was born in Arad on 17th March 1920. I had a brother, Gheorghe, five years younger than me, so he was born in 1925. We had no financial problems in Curtici before the war. We did well. We didn't have any land, but we had a big house, which also included our store. My parents had a textile store - they sold material for both winter and summer: buttons, thread, headkerchiefs, and the shrouds needed for funerals. My mother had a helper in the house, Florica, and in the store they had an apprentice.
Our house in Curtici was a large one, U-shaped. I don't remember the number of the rooms of the house. I know that we were using three of them. The rest of the rooms were rented out - we had three tenants. My parents improved the condition of the house: we had running water. From the fountain we pumped water into a large pool placed in the attic - water, which was used in the kitchen and in the bathroom. We, the children, enjoyed doing this a lot. For the heating of the house we used wood. We had ovens made of cast iron. We also had a large courtyard and next to the veranda there was a small garden. It was my mother's; she took care of it. We didn't have any animals.
We had books in the house. My parents were reading the local paper; there was no Jewish paper in Curtici. I was only at home during the holidays, and we spent this time together at home.
Our house in Curtici was a large one, U-shaped. I don't remember the number of the rooms of the house. I know that we were using three of them. The rest of the rooms were rented out - we had three tenants. My parents improved the condition of the house: we had running water. From the fountain we pumped water into a large pool placed in the attic - water, which was used in the kitchen and in the bathroom. We, the children, enjoyed doing this a lot. For the heating of the house we used wood. We had ovens made of cast iron. We also had a large courtyard and next to the veranda there was a small garden. It was my mother's; she took care of it. We didn't have any animals.
We had books in the house. My parents were reading the local paper; there was no Jewish paper in Curtici. I was only at home during the holidays, and we spent this time together at home.
The family was kosher. The men went to the synagogue every day; when they didn't go they said their prayers at home. The women only went to the synagogue on Sabbath. They observed every Jewish holiday. My father's parents, his brothers, and his sisters-in-law were very religious - the sisters-in-law wore wigs.
My father's parents lived in Konyar. My grandparents from Hungary spoke both Hungarian and Yiddish and were very religious. They were called Grunbaum. I had the chance of knowing my paternal grandmother. She was a small, thin woman, and she wore a wig. She was very religious. My paternal grandparents had five children, all born in Konyar: a girl, Aranka, and four boys - Marton, a dentist, Pavel, an office clerk, Lajos, who ran the parents' store, and my father, Andrei, who was the youngest.
Financially they did well. They had a textile store and land. They grew corn and watermelons. They also used to hire men who worked their fields. I remember that my grandmother had a large courtyard, where the corn was stored. The watermelons seemed enormous to me. I was four to five years old then and I used to ride on them. Because we lived close to the Hungarian border, we often visited our grandparents from Konyar. I don't remember any animals, but since it was a big household, I guess that she must have had geese and chickens. My grandmother had a big, nice house with two kitchens; one for wintertime and the other for summer. The house had about four rooms, built in line, and a long glass terrace in front of them.
Financially they did well. They had a textile store and land. They grew corn and watermelons. They also used to hire men who worked their fields. I remember that my grandmother had a large courtyard, where the corn was stored. The watermelons seemed enormous to me. I was four to five years old then and I used to ride on them. Because we lived close to the Hungarian border, we often visited our grandparents from Konyar. I don't remember any animals, but since it was a big household, I guess that she must have had geese and chickens. My grandmother had a big, nice house with two kitchens; one for wintertime and the other for summer. The house had about four rooms, built in line, and a long glass terrace in front of them.
My mother met my father on the train - they were both going to Curtici. My father was a soldier in the Austro-Hungarian army [see KuK army] [2], and my mother was working as a clerk. My father, Andrei Grunbaum, was born in Hungary, in a village near Debrecen called Konyar, in 1890. My father fought in World War I, but I don't remember where. Both my father and my mother graduated from Commercial High School - my mother in Arad, my father in Debrecen. My parents spoke Hungarian, but my father could also speak Yiddish.
My mother's parents spoke Hungarian because Oradea was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire then. My maternal grandparents moved from near Oradea to Sofronea, a small village close to Arad. My grandparents had kind of a restaurant near the railway station in Sofronea. My grandfather Moric died in Sofronea in 1918. He was buried in the Neolog [1] Jewish cemetery in Arad because there was no Jewish cemetery in Sofronea. My grandmother stayed in Sofronea for a while.
Marika Krpez
Grandmother Regina was very religious. She
insisted that all the holidays be celebrated in her house, and she went to
great efforts to make sure that everything was according to the laws. I was
two years old and cannot recall all the details about celebrating our
holidays. All the members of the family regularly went to synagogue. My
grandmother liked to knit and to do all other kinds of handicrafts.
insisted that all the holidays be celebrated in her house, and she went to
great efforts to make sure that everything was according to the laws. I was
two years old and cannot recall all the details about celebrating our
holidays. All the members of the family regularly went to synagogue. My
grandmother liked to knit and to do all other kinds of handicrafts.
When war broke out in 1941, my father was in the reserves and he managed to
make it to Subotica on foot where the Hungarian troops had already entered
on April 10, 1941. Shortly after that all Jewish males began to be taken
away for forced labor, at first near Subotica to build and fix roads and
train tracks. In 1941, after about two or three months, my father was sent
home for a short leave. At the beginning of 1942 he and all other males
over 18 were taken for forced labor. He went from camp to camp, changing
work camps 15 times. Most of these camps were in present-day Hungary.
Between 1941 and 1943, my father was in a work camp in Transylvania (today
in Romania) and that is where I saw him again. Until the arrival of the
Germans, the Hungarians allowed visits to the camps, and my mother and I
went to see him. In the autumn of 1943, my father had learned that he was
going to be sent someplace far away, and he asked my mother to bring me to
visit him. At that time most men were being sent to Ukraine to clean up the
ruins and to dig trenches. But they did not send him there.
On the 9th of November 1943, my mother and I started out on the visit to
the work camp in Miskolc. We traveled by train. There was an open section
in the wagon where there was a police officer with a feather in his hat-
these officers were well-known for their brutality. The train stood still
and my mother started to get off, not knowing that we had yet to arrive at
the station. At that moment, we suppose the officer pushed her, because she
lost her balance and, together with me, fell onto the tracks. The train
started moving and my left fist was on the track and was run over by the
train. I screamed and a railroad employee ran up to us and helped us get to
the station. Here they gave me first aid. An express train was stopped
which took us to Miskolc. They operated on me immediately. I also had a
concussion. My father found out what had happened to me from the Hungarian
commandant of the camp, and he got permission to come visit me in the
hospital. The last time we saw each other was November 19, 1943, when he
accompanied my mother and me to the station. We traveled to Budapest, where
we stayed with my father's sister, Serena, and from there we continued on
to Subotica. In Subotica, I went frequently to have my hand treated at the
Jewish hospital, which at that time had been forcibly relocated to the
basement of the building.
make it to Subotica on foot where the Hungarian troops had already entered
on April 10, 1941. Shortly after that all Jewish males began to be taken
away for forced labor, at first near Subotica to build and fix roads and
train tracks. In 1941, after about two or three months, my father was sent
home for a short leave. At the beginning of 1942 he and all other males
over 18 were taken for forced labor. He went from camp to camp, changing
work camps 15 times. Most of these camps were in present-day Hungary.
Between 1941 and 1943, my father was in a work camp in Transylvania (today
in Romania) and that is where I saw him again. Until the arrival of the
Germans, the Hungarians allowed visits to the camps, and my mother and I
went to see him. In the autumn of 1943, my father had learned that he was
going to be sent someplace far away, and he asked my mother to bring me to
visit him. At that time most men were being sent to Ukraine to clean up the
ruins and to dig trenches. But they did not send him there.
On the 9th of November 1943, my mother and I started out on the visit to
the work camp in Miskolc. We traveled by train. There was an open section
in the wagon where there was a police officer with a feather in his hat-
these officers were well-known for their brutality. The train stood still
and my mother started to get off, not knowing that we had yet to arrive at
the station. At that moment, we suppose the officer pushed her, because she
lost her balance and, together with me, fell onto the tracks. The train
started moving and my left fist was on the track and was run over by the
train. I screamed and a railroad employee ran up to us and helped us get to
the station. Here they gave me first aid. An express train was stopped
which took us to Miskolc. They operated on me immediately. I also had a
concussion. My father found out what had happened to me from the Hungarian
commandant of the camp, and he got permission to come visit me in the
hospital. The last time we saw each other was November 19, 1943, when he
accompanied my mother and me to the station. We traveled to Budapest, where
we stayed with my father's sister, Serena, and from there we continued on
to Subotica. In Subotica, I went frequently to have my hand treated at the
Jewish hospital, which at that time had been forcibly relocated to the
basement of the building.
,
During WW2
See text in interview
Our family was very poor, so we never had our own home, we always lived in
rented apartments. When I was born, we lived in a garden apartment not far
from the center, in a quiet neighborhood called Kert. All the houses there
were family homes with gardens. When I was a year and a half old we moved
to a two-room apartment in a large house with a garden.
rented apartments. When I was born, we lived in a garden apartment not far
from the center, in a quiet neighborhood called Kert. All the houses there
were family homes with gardens. When I was a year and a half old we moved
to a two-room apartment in a large house with a garden.
When my father took ill, my mother took care of him, and only
then did my grandmother relent and agree that her son could marry a shiksa
(non-Jewish woman), as she called her. My mother made a great effort to
learn as much as possible about Judaism. From her mother-in-law she even
learned to cook Jewish food. Quickly, she acquired significant knowledge
about Judaism, and she raised me and educated me in this spirit. She was a
devoted wife and mother. She died in Subotica on September 30, 1985.
then did my grandmother relent and agree that her son could marry a shiksa
(non-Jewish woman), as she called her. My mother made a great effort to
learn as much as possible about Judaism. From her mother-in-law she even
learned to cook Jewish food. Quickly, she acquired significant knowledge
about Judaism, and she raised me and educated me in this spirit. She was a
devoted wife and mother. She died in Subotica on September 30, 1985.
In 1918 when Yugoslavia was created, he had to
change to a Serbian school, because, according to the law, Jews had to go
to Serbian schools. He had never learned Serbian and that is why he was a
bad student. But he had nice handwriting.
change to a Serbian school, because, according to the law, Jews had to go
to Serbian schools. He had never learned Serbian and that is why he was a
bad student. But he had nice handwriting.
Grandmother Regina was very religious. She
insisted that all the holidays be celebrated in her house, and she went to
great efforts to make sure that everything was according to the laws. I was
two years old and cannot recall all the details about celebrating our
holidays. All the members of the family regularly went to synagogue.
insisted that all the holidays be celebrated in her house, and she went to
great efforts to make sure that everything was according to the laws. I was
two years old and cannot recall all the details about celebrating our
holidays. All the members of the family regularly went to synagogue.
The first Yom Kippur after the war, my mother and I went to synagogue.
Instead of sitting upstairs we sat downstairs. When I opened the drawer
where the prayer books were, I discovered that I was in what had been my
father's place, because there was a small plaque on the seat with his name
on it.
I finished primary school and gymnasium in Subotica. From 1957 to 1961 I
studied English in Belgrade where I met my future husband, Djordje Krpez,
from Zsombor. We married in 1962. We returned to Subotica and on August 11,
1962 I had a daughter, Branka. I worked as a professor until my retirement
in and 1993.
I am very active in the Jewish Council. I was a member of the executive
board for about 20 years. I have been a member of the executive board of
the Jewish Councils' Union since 1996. At the moment I am the second vice
president of the Jewish Council in Subotica. I take part in all activities
and I am trying to give the others as much as I can of my knowledge and
experience.
Instead of sitting upstairs we sat downstairs. When I opened the drawer
where the prayer books were, I discovered that I was in what had been my
father's place, because there was a small plaque on the seat with his name
on it.
I finished primary school and gymnasium in Subotica. From 1957 to 1961 I
studied English in Belgrade where I met my future husband, Djordje Krpez,
from Zsombor. We married in 1962. We returned to Subotica and on August 11,
1962 I had a daughter, Branka. I worked as a professor until my retirement
in and 1993.
I am very active in the Jewish Council. I was a member of the executive
board for about 20 years. I have been a member of the executive board of
the Jewish Councils' Union since 1996. At the moment I am the second vice
president of the Jewish Council in Subotica. I take part in all activities
and I am trying to give the others as much as I can of my knowledge and
experience.
Serbia
Germans occupied Hungary on March 19, 1944, and formed ghettos in three
places in Subotica. A neighbor rescued my mother and me from the ghetto.
She met us on the street and told us not go home under any conditions
because another neighbor had already given our names to the authorities.
From then until the end of the war we were hidden by two Hungarian
families.
The first was the Domsodi family. They were three sisters who lived in a
family house with a big garden in the suburb of Subotica. They were
seamstresses and I recall that they gave me rags and cloth rests to play
with. They were very kind to me, very gentle and understanding. At the same
time, my mother was hiding at the Borosh family's house. It was safer, both
for us and those families, that my mother and I were separated and that we
also changed our hiding places from time to time. In the Borosh family were
three children whom I played with. In their yard was a shelter where we hid
during bombings. In the shelter were only a few things, a bed and an oil
lamp. I stayed with them until the war was over.
places in Subotica. A neighbor rescued my mother and me from the ghetto.
She met us on the street and told us not go home under any conditions
because another neighbor had already given our names to the authorities.
From then until the end of the war we were hidden by two Hungarian
families.
The first was the Domsodi family. They were three sisters who lived in a
family house with a big garden in the suburb of Subotica. They were
seamstresses and I recall that they gave me rags and cloth rests to play
with. They were very kind to me, very gentle and understanding. At the same
time, my mother was hiding at the Borosh family's house. It was safer, both
for us and those families, that my mother and I were separated and that we
also changed our hiding places from time to time. In the Borosh family were
three children whom I played with. In their yard was a shelter where we hid
during bombings. In the shelter were only a few things, a bed and an oil
lamp. I stayed with them until the war was over.
Serbia
When war broke out in 1941, my father was in the reserves and he managed to
make it to Subotica on foot where the Hungarian troops had already entered
on April 10, 1941. Shortly after that all Jewish males began to be taken
away for forced labor, at first near Subotica to build and fix roads and
train tracks. In 1941, after about two or three months, my father was sent
home for a short leave. At the beginning of 1942 he and all other males
over 18 were taken for forced labor. He went from camp to camp, changing
work camps 15 times. Most of these camps were in present-day Hungary.
Between 1941 and 1943, my father was in a work camp in Transylvania (today
in Romania) and that is where I saw him again. Until the arrival of the
Germans, the Hungarians allowed visits to the camps, and my mother and I
went to see him. In the autumn of 1943, my father had learned that he was
going to be sent someplace far away, and he asked my mother to bring me to
visit him. At that time most men were being sent to Ukraine to clean up the
ruins and to dig trenches. But they did not send him there.
On the 9th of November 1943, my mother and I started out on the visit to
the work camp in Miskolc. We traveled by train. There was an open section
in the wagon where there was a police officer with a feather in his hat-
these officers were well-known for their brutality. The train stood still
and my mother started to get off, not knowing that we had yet to arrive at
the station. At that moment, we suppose the officer pushed her, because she
lost her balance and, together with me, fell onto the tracks. The train
started moving and my left fist was on the track and was run over by the
train. I screamed and a railroad employee ran up to us and helped us get to
the station. Here they gave me first aid. An express train was stopped
which took us to Miskolc. They operated on me immediately. I also had a
concussion. My father found out what had happened to me from the Hungarian
commandant of the camp, and he got permission to come visit me in the
hospital. The last time we saw each other was November 19, 1943, when he
accompanied my mother and me to the station. We traveled to Budapest, where
we stayed with my father's sister, Serena, and from there we continued on
to Subotica. In Subotica, I went frequently to have my hand treated at the
Jewish hospital, which at that time had been forcibly relocated to the
basement of the building.
At the end of 1944, my father Lazar was sent to Mauthausen. He arrived
there on foot and met up with his sister Klara's husband and others from
Subotica, who relayed to us that he died there of typhoid.
make it to Subotica on foot where the Hungarian troops had already entered
on April 10, 1941. Shortly after that all Jewish males began to be taken
away for forced labor, at first near Subotica to build and fix roads and
train tracks. In 1941, after about two or three months, my father was sent
home for a short leave. At the beginning of 1942 he and all other males
over 18 were taken for forced labor. He went from camp to camp, changing
work camps 15 times. Most of these camps were in present-day Hungary.
Between 1941 and 1943, my father was in a work camp in Transylvania (today
in Romania) and that is where I saw him again. Until the arrival of the
Germans, the Hungarians allowed visits to the camps, and my mother and I
went to see him. In the autumn of 1943, my father had learned that he was
going to be sent someplace far away, and he asked my mother to bring me to
visit him. At that time most men were being sent to Ukraine to clean up the
ruins and to dig trenches. But they did not send him there.
On the 9th of November 1943, my mother and I started out on the visit to
the work camp in Miskolc. We traveled by train. There was an open section
in the wagon where there was a police officer with a feather in his hat-
these officers were well-known for their brutality. The train stood still
and my mother started to get off, not knowing that we had yet to arrive at
the station. At that moment, we suppose the officer pushed her, because she
lost her balance and, together with me, fell onto the tracks. The train
started moving and my left fist was on the track and was run over by the
train. I screamed and a railroad employee ran up to us and helped us get to
the station. Here they gave me first aid. An express train was stopped
which took us to Miskolc. They operated on me immediately. I also had a
concussion. My father found out what had happened to me from the Hungarian
commandant of the camp, and he got permission to come visit me in the
hospital. The last time we saw each other was November 19, 1943, when he
accompanied my mother and me to the station. We traveled to Budapest, where
we stayed with my father's sister, Serena, and from there we continued on
to Subotica. In Subotica, I went frequently to have my hand treated at the
Jewish hospital, which at that time had been forcibly relocated to the
basement of the building.
At the end of 1944, my father Lazar was sent to Mauthausen. He arrived
there on foot and met up with his sister Klara's husband and others from
Subotica, who relayed to us that he died there of typhoid.
Serbia
Even though I was very young at the time, I remember my father as very
caring and tender. When I was two years old I came down with whooping
cough. During this illness he was with me all the time, he even held my
head when the coughing made me throw up. He took me to Plinar because they
said that the air there helped reduce coughing. He was always laughing and
frequently carried me on his shoulders. His friends told me that he was the
favorite in their group. He was a good football player and a member of the
Hakoah football club.
My mother, Jelena Deutsch, was not a Jew. She was born in the village of
Martones, 30 kilometers from Subotica. Her father died in World War One and
her mother, Olga Vasic (nee Ziskov), died in 1919 from Spanish fever. My
mother and her sister, Olga, were raised by their grandfather. At age 14 my
mother came to work in Subotica. There she met my father. They dated for
five years but my grandmother opposed this relationship because Jelena was
not a Jew. When my father took ill, my mother took care of him, and only
then did my grandmother relent and agree that her son could marry a shiksa
(non-Jewish woman), as she called her. My mother made a great effort to
learn as much as possible about Judaism. From her mother-in-law she even
learned to cook Jewish food. Quickly, she acquired significant knowledge
about Judaism, and she raised me and educated me in this spirit. She was a
devoted wife and mother. She died in Subotica on September 30, 1985.
caring and tender. When I was two years old I came down with whooping
cough. During this illness he was with me all the time, he even held my
head when the coughing made me throw up. He took me to Plinar because they
said that the air there helped reduce coughing. He was always laughing and
frequently carried me on his shoulders. His friends told me that he was the
favorite in their group. He was a good football player and a member of the
Hakoah football club.
My mother, Jelena Deutsch, was not a Jew. She was born in the village of
Martones, 30 kilometers from Subotica. Her father died in World War One and
her mother, Olga Vasic (nee Ziskov), died in 1919 from Spanish fever. My
mother and her sister, Olga, were raised by their grandfather. At age 14 my
mother came to work in Subotica. There she met my father. They dated for
five years but my grandmother opposed this relationship because Jelena was
not a Jew. When my father took ill, my mother took care of him, and only
then did my grandmother relent and agree that her son could marry a shiksa
(non-Jewish woman), as she called her. My mother made a great effort to
learn as much as possible about Judaism. From her mother-in-law she even
learned to cook Jewish food. Quickly, she acquired significant knowledge
about Judaism, and she raised me and educated me in this spirit. She was a
devoted wife and mother. She died in Subotica on September 30, 1985.
Serbia
Our family was very poor, so we never had our own home, we always lived in
rented apartments. When I was born, we lived in a garden apartment not far
from the center, in a quiet neighborhood called Kert. All the houses there
were family homes with gardens. When I was a year and a half old we moved
to a two-room apartment in a large house with a garden. Then I got a cat
named Marko.
rented apartments. When I was born, we lived in a garden apartment not far
from the center, in a quiet neighborhood called Kert. All the houses there
were family homes with gardens. When I was a year and a half old we moved
to a two-room apartment in a large house with a garden. Then I got a cat
named Marko.
Serbia
My father, Lazar Deutsch, nicknamed Lazi, went to a Jewish elementary
school. He started school during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and all the
lessons were in Hungarian. In 1918 when Yugoslavia was created, he had to
change to a Serbian school, because, according to the law, Jews had to go
to Serbian schools. He had never learned Serbian and that is why he was a
bad student. But he had nice handwriting.
He went to work in a big wholesale store as an apprentice. He worked there
until 1937 when he married. My mother, Jelena, sold a small parcel of land
that she and her sister had received from the state, and my father used
this money to start his own business. He sold buttons, threads and other
items to tailors in neighboring villages. My mother used to tell me about
how he was such a good man and how he used to give people the goods on
credit. When he came to collect the money, the debtors would prepare a
chicken soup and ask him to be patient, and they would certainly pay him
back the next time he came to collect. Because of this laxity, he was
always on the verge of bankruptcy.
school. He started school during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and all the
lessons were in Hungarian. In 1918 when Yugoslavia was created, he had to
change to a Serbian school, because, according to the law, Jews had to go
to Serbian schools. He had never learned Serbian and that is why he was a
bad student. But he had nice handwriting.
He went to work in a big wholesale store as an apprentice. He worked there
until 1937 when he married. My mother, Jelena, sold a small parcel of land
that she and her sister had received from the state, and my father used
this money to start his own business. He sold buttons, threads and other
items to tailors in neighboring villages. My mother used to tell me about
how he was such a good man and how he used to give people the goods on
credit. When he came to collect the money, the debtors would prepare a
chicken soup and ask him to be patient, and they would certainly pay him
back the next time he came to collect. Because of this laxity, he was
always on the verge of bankruptcy.
Serbia
She
died in Subotica in 1940. Both my grandfather and grandmother were buried
in the Jewish cemetery. My father did not have much money and so he erected
a metal plaque with the basic data for them.
My father's sister, Klara Bohm (nee Deutsch), was born on April 30, 1907 in
Subotica. She was a milliner. She married a man who did not work steadily,
so she was always up to her ears in work to ensure her family's survival.
She worked all day in the workshop where she made women's hats. The shop
was in the Jewish area of the market. My aunt Klara had two daughters: Eva,
born in 1930, and Ana, born in 1934. All three of them were taken to
Auschwitz in 1944 and immediately killed.
died in Subotica in 1940. Both my grandfather and grandmother were buried
in the Jewish cemetery. My father did not have much money and so he erected
a metal plaque with the basic data for them.
My father's sister, Klara Bohm (nee Deutsch), was born on April 30, 1907 in
Subotica. She was a milliner. She married a man who did not work steadily,
so she was always up to her ears in work to ensure her family's survival.
She worked all day in the workshop where she made women's hats. The shop
was in the Jewish area of the market. My aunt Klara had two daughters: Eva,
born in 1930, and Ana, born in 1934. All three of them were taken to
Auschwitz in 1944 and immediately killed.
Serbia
Fazekas Magda
My mother wore only a kerchief, because she didn't even have a wig. Nobody wore a wig in her family. They were religious, but not very much so. However, my father wouldn't have broken Sabbath. Somebody told me here in Marosvasarhely - she was a needlewoman and did sewing for us - that when she was a child in Gyergyoszarhegy, my father gave her candies: 'Come and make fire in the stove, come and light the lamp.' She told me this, but I can't recall this being so, because I know we made a fire ourselves. Perhaps this happened before we were born, that is, me and my younger brother, who recently died; we were the last two children in the family.
On Saturday we didn't work, and we didn't cook, because it had been done on Friday already, we just warmed up the food. One didn't sew on Sabbath, we didn't do anything on Sabbath. If the weather was fine, we went out to the flower garden, there was a bench, where we sat down and we were talking, or reading, because we had good books. We took the 'Brassoi lapok' along and would read that newspaper. But we didn't solve crosswords, because writing was forbidden. I liked solving crosswords, I even sent the answers to the 'Brassoi lapok'; they published crosswords once in a week.
On Saturday we didn't work, and we didn't cook, because it had been done on Friday already, we just warmed up the food. One didn't sew on Sabbath, we didn't do anything on Sabbath. If the weather was fine, we went out to the flower garden, there was a bench, where we sat down and we were talking, or reading, because we had good books. We took the 'Brassoi lapok' along and would read that newspaper. But we didn't solve crosswords, because writing was forbidden. I liked solving crosswords, I even sent the answers to the 'Brassoi lapok'; they published crosswords once in a week.
There wasn't a synagogue in that village. There was a prayer house, but they gathered there only on high holidays. In the prayer house men and women got together. There were two rooms, one for men, and the other for women. There was communication between these two rooms. In fact it must have been the restaurant or something like that belonging to a Jew. These two rooms weren't a prayer house all the time, only on holidays. They kept service only on high holidays, but never on Saturdays.
In that village there weren't many Jewish families. There was the Majer family; Aunt Roza Majer was my father's sister, they moved to Brasso. There was a family called Izrael then, they also left the village, I don't know where they went. And there was the factory owner, but that family didn't actually live there.
There were two clerks in the factory, the bookkeeper and a works manager, Grunstein. He got married in Gyergyoszarhegy to a Christian girl, Zsofi Olah, who was my classmate in elementary school. Grunstein was deported, his wife was left behind with a child. His wife, Zsofi, died during the bombings. Grunstein returned from deportation, he remained a widower. The child, a little boy, survived too.
The other one, the bookkeeper, Ferenc Met, lived in Gyergyoszarhegy with all his family, and he had a sister, who was a very good friend of Dorika's, my sister. It is possible they were deported. Ferenc Met survived, and after the war he married a Christian girl from Gyergyoszarhegy.
There were two clerks in the factory, the bookkeeper and a works manager, Grunstein. He got married in Gyergyoszarhegy to a Christian girl, Zsofi Olah, who was my classmate in elementary school. Grunstein was deported, his wife was left behind with a child. His wife, Zsofi, died during the bombings. Grunstein returned from deportation, he remained a widower. The child, a little boy, survived too.
The other one, the bookkeeper, Ferenc Met, lived in Gyergyoszarhegy with all his family, and he had a sister, who was a very good friend of Dorika's, my sister. It is possible they were deported. Ferenc Met survived, and after the war he married a Christian girl from Gyergyoszarhegy.
Chanukkah is memorable indeed. Besides lighting the candle, there was a game we played only at Chanukkah. It was this spinning top, and we liked this game a lot when we were children. The stake was toffee, candy, not money. The spinning top was called 'tenderli' [dreidel], and presumably it was made of wood. We twirled it, and it either twirled, or tumbled over. I suppose the time counted, who could twirl it better, and for whom it twirls longer.
In those times the greatest delicacy was lemon drops. It was orange or lemon flavor, in the shape of a slice, but little. And we had those small cubes, 'Stollwerk' - a product of the Stollwerck chocolate factory - it was a delicacy one had to chew. It was a very delicious caramel that came in small cubes, and as you chewed it, it melted in your mouth.
I can't recall now what presents were given at Chanukkah, but since Chanukkah most often falls on the same period as Christmas, we certainly got presents. For Christians too it was a time for great presentations, so we, children got something for sure. A Christmas tree was a great desire of mine, and I tried to make myself a little Christmas tree; but I don't know anymore of what. I put a few fondant candies on it, so that I had a small Christmas tree of my own, which my father wouldn't see. It hurt me so much to see the Christmas trees in other children's home and not having my own.
In those times the greatest delicacy was lemon drops. It was orange or lemon flavor, in the shape of a slice, but little. And we had those small cubes, 'Stollwerk' - a product of the Stollwerck chocolate factory - it was a delicacy one had to chew. It was a very delicious caramel that came in small cubes, and as you chewed it, it melted in your mouth.
I can't recall now what presents were given at Chanukkah, but since Chanukkah most often falls on the same period as Christmas, we certainly got presents. For Christians too it was a time for great presentations, so we, children got something for sure. A Christmas tree was a great desire of mine, and I tried to make myself a little Christmas tree; but I don't know anymore of what. I put a few fondant candies on it, so that I had a small Christmas tree of my own, which my father wouldn't see. It hurt me so much to see the Christmas trees in other children's home and not having my own.
We didn't celebrate the Feast of Booths [Sukkot]. In those times at the Feast of Booths we met our relatives, they came to us. That's how we celebrated, but according to the tradition one had to set up a booth, decorate it and take meals in it. But I don't know anybody in the village who did this, since there were only very few Jews, and those who lived there were poor factory workers. So they didn't observe religion much.
On holidays we had all kind of delicacies, cakes made by my mother: honey cake, 'strudli' - surely this word comes from German. [Editor's note: This is strudel.] It is a very thin dough, which she rolled so long on a big table, on a white table-cloth, until the dough became as thin as paper. Then she squirted it with a little goose fat, then put nuts on it, poured honey over the nuts, and then she folded it up. This can be made with apple, curds and cabbage - there are different types of strudel.