Rifca Segal as a young lady

This is me, Rifca Segal, again, on the stairs of a children’s home. It was called Oze and it was subsidized by the Joint. I started my career here, where I worked as an accountant for three years. The picture was taken in 1947, which means that I was 19.

I, Rifca Segal, was born in 1928 in Sulita. Officially, my name is Rifca, they named me after a great-grandmother, the mother of my grandmother from my mother’s side. But people call me Rica, as Sulita’s county chief – his name was Hotupasu – had a daughter whose name was Rica. And my parents were very good friends with the county chief.

I wasn’t a mother. My husband wanted a child so badly, he loved children. I said: “Who will work? I’m not giving up my job.” Anyway.

I started working in 1947 and I worked until 1986. At first, I worked at a home for children, it was called Andrei Bernat, it belonged to a Jewish organization, as it was subsidized by Joint – I was hired as assistant accountant, for I had no studies – but they weren’t required back then, they required you to know your job. I worked there until 1950. Then I was transferred to the ready-made clothes factory, where I was an accountant at first and then I was in charge of cost price and financial planning. And that’s when I started to evolve. And I started to enjoy it. There was the Commercial Department, and there were resort industries, which were independent yet coordinated by the Commercial Department. And I was in charge of Industrial Mechandise, someone else was in charge of Alimentara, someone else at LPFST [Local Public Food Supply Trust]. And I worked as a chief accountant for 25 years in the field of trade.

Since I wanted to have a leading position, and I wanted to be in charge, to have a high salary, they made me join the [Communist] party as a mandatory condition. And my father said he would cut off my legs, poor soul. He couldn’t conceive it, try as he might. I told him: “Father, what would you have me do, work as a mere accountant until the day I die? Look here, I can get a promotion…” “No, and no, and no.” But I didn’t listen to anybody, and I did what I pleased, and I hope I made it to the top of the pyramid. It’s not as if I became the Finance Minister or anything like that.