Suzana Hacker as a pupil in Jewish school

Photo of my Jewish school classmates in Szentes, 1941.

For my early childhood, I returned to Szentes where we were taken when the raid occurred. My brother was captured, I remained there and I finished the first, second and third grade of elementary school. 

The fact that we spoke Hungarian and Serbian parallel in our house helped ease the situation.  I spoke Hungarian and I finished the first, second and third grade of elementary school. Since these were already the war years, as a child I went to Jewish school, because we were divided. That Jewish school did not have special grades, since it was a small place there were not a lot of us children. 

The teacher, who was also a Jew, had to know who to teach and what material to ask which students about. We were all  in one room, and it was for four grades. I learned to write Hungarian and grammar and I only continued with Serbian in school after the war, when I came back from the camp. 

In that school we learned to write and read Hebrew, all connected to Jewish history and customs and naturally general history and subjects. I was there until March 1944, when all the Jews, not only in Szentes but also in other places, where taken to the ghetto.  

Centropa Collection acquired by USHMM

The Centropa archive has been acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. 

USHMM will soon offer a Special Collections page for Centropa.

Academics please note: USHMM can provide you with original language word-for-word transcripts and high resolution photographs. All publications should be credited: "From the Centropa Collection at the United States Memorial Museum in Washington, DC". Please contact collection [at] centropa.org.