Jozsef Grunstein at the holocaust commemoration

Jozsef Grunstein at the holocaust commemoration

The photo was taken with the occasion of a deportation anniversary. I don’t know exactly in which year this was taken, because I have photos from every year. The holocaust memorial in the cemetery of Marosvasarhely was built a long time ago, we light candles there in memory of the people dead in Auschwitz. At the entrance [on the top of the stairs], on the left is Mr. Sauber, next to him is my husband, Jozsef Grunstein. They were leading the commemoration. The first person from the left standing with his back to us is my brother-in-law, Marton Grunstein, next to him, the small elder person with white hair is Imre Kis.

My husband attended the Jewish community for sixty years; he was there with every occasion. While he was working, he went to the synagogue each Friday and Saturday; after he retired, they prayed each day in the synagogue until they were enough persons. Later he took part in the prayers only on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. When he was still working, he entered the synagogue through the neighboring yard, yet they watched him and reported him. In the communist era, during services women came to us, because they were afraid, so they waited for their husbands here to come from the synagogue. We weren't afraid. In those times Scheiner was the leader of the Jewish community, then it was Sauber. [Editor's note: Centropa made an interview with Bernat Sauber as well.] My husband led the funerals, the weddings, he was the cantor. He died at Pesach, in March 2002.

The commemoration is organized yearly. Before they emigrated, a lot of Jews lived in the town, and we marched by fives from the centre up to the cemetery, just like in Auschwitz. However, in recent years they keep the commemoration in the synagogue; we are not able to march up there anymore.

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