This ís a picture of my mother Margita Steinerova, nee Abrahamova, and me in the streets of Bratislava. The photo was taken in 1934.
I was born on 2nd April 1933 in Bratislava into an urban Jewish family, whose Bratislava roots date back to the first half of the 19th century. The Steiner family came to Bratislava in the 18th century. One could say that our prime began in 1846, when my great-grandfather established a second-hand bookshop he named after himself, Steiner. Today the store is managed by my cousin Selma and I'm proud to say that it is one of the most important cultural centers of Bratislava. It is the heart of the old town, and the front of the store looks like it did a hundred years ago.
I often stayed with my grandparents in Banovce nad Bebravou during holidays. At home I had a nanny because my mother worked. I have to say that I was never really close to my mother. She never had time for me, so I do not know much about her.
Margita Steinerova with her daughter Lydia Piovarcsyova
Centropa Collection acquired by USHMM
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