This picture was made in Cimelice where my paternal grandparents lived. I am the small kid sitting on granddad,beside him is grandmom and my parents are standing behind.
I can't remember my grandmother or grandfather on my father's side too well, as I never spent much time with them, even though we used to visit them twice a year in Cimelice, which is a small town near Pisek.
My grandfather on my father's side was called Vilem Fantl and was born in Lubenec in 1858. In Cimelice, south Bohemia, he had a farm with land under crop and horses that he was very proud of.
He also had a store there, which is still standing, although it now sells Dutch furniture.
My grandmother on my father's side was called Jindriska and was born in 1859. She came from Suchomasty, Beroun. My grandparents were both religious.
They had separate sets of dishes, ate kosher food and probably had a Jewish wedding, but my grandfather didn't wear a yarmulka. Their devoutness was not, I think, passed on to any of their children.
My grandparents had seven children. Ota, who died in infancy, Rudolf, Emil, Ruzena, Marenka, my dad Julius and another son, Ota.
Ota was born in 1894, remained single and lived in Prague, at Koubkova Street 3. He had been to high school and I think he worked for a firm involved in foreign trade.
He wrote short stories and had a literary talent. Ota was a really nice gentleman and a very witty person. He used to go to Kutna Hora to visit us.
On my dad's birthday he would always arrange for a cake to be sent to him from Mysak's. In Prague there were two famous candy stores, Mysak and Berger, both in Vodickova Street.
When I was born, I received some silver cutlery from Ota. He was transported to Terezin and straight on to Treblinka, where he perished in 1942.
