Pavel Sendrei's parents, Adolfina and Aleksandar Sendrei, on excursion

Pavel Sendrei's parents, Adolfina and Aleksandar Sendrei, on excursion

This photo was taken in 1939 during a family excursion near Zilina. Bottom left is Lizl Vajl, a Jewish friend of the family. Next to her is her step-son, Jan Vajl, who now lives in Israel. Next to him is my mother Adolfina and my father Aleksandar Sendrei. Above him is my mother's niece Janka Lengel and I, Pavel Sendrei am sitting above her. Next to me is Eva Vajl, the daughter of Lizl Vajl, and Rut Lengel the daughter of Janka Lengel. I grew up in a middle class Neolog Jewish family. We did not go to synagogue everyday, but we observed the big holidays. We lived in a rented apartment. Hungarian was my mother tongue, because my father had finished his studies at the university in Budapest and my mother went to a Hungarian school during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I had a governess who taught me German. I only began to learn Slovakian when I started the first grade of primary school. My father Aleksandar spent all day in his drugstore. He was a big fan of football. He was a member of the ESKA ZILINA football club and one of its big donors. This football club was once one of the leading football clubs in Slovakia. My mother, Adolfina, was a classical housewife. She made really tasty meals, but her cuisine was not kosher.
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