Stepan Neuman

This is me skiing in the Carpathian mountains. My wife Adel photographed me. This photo was taken in the suburbs of Uzhgorod in 1986.

There was a Jewish community established in Uzhgorod during perestroika. I am also trying to be of help to the community, though I am not religious. For me those middle age Jewish rules and traditions are not acceptable as yet. But I am a Jew and I will be helping Jews.

I also work in the Hesed of Uzhgorod, which was established in 1999. I am an instructor for tourism, mountaineering and skiing in Hesed. We go to the mountains in winter and in summer.

I know that I need to be healthy to do this and I try to keep healthy. Every morning I do exercises from 5 to 7am. I lift weights, go jogging and do push-ups. I have done it for many years. There has to be a system. I went skiing, when I was a child and now I go skiing too. My wife is also good at mountain skiing. I’ve taken the first place in slalom in my age group of over 60.

Of course, mountain skiing is expensive. We have no money for it and so I went to work at the mountain base on the Shcherbin Mountain. I install and repair equipment and do its maintenance. I do not get paid for this work, but I have a room with two beds and a bathroom, mountain skiing equipment and I can use the cable-car for free.

The Centropa Collection at USHMM

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