Teachers from the Jewish primary school in Trencin

This picture was taken in front of the Jewish primary school in Trencin. Belo Brunner, the headmaster, is on the right. Belo Brunner died in a concentration camp. Alica Rosenbaumova from Piestany, a teacher at this school, died along with her mother in a limekiln in Kremnicka.Then you can see Anna W., nee Rosenfeldova, my wife and me. The photo was taken just after our wedding in March 1942.

From Hashomer they sent me for hachshara. Hachshara means physical work and preparation for Aliyah. Not far from Velke Levare [Bratislava Region] we had our hachshara. We were helping regulate the Morava River, so that it wouldn't overflow its banks. In time I found out that they needed a Jewish teacher in Trencin. I think three of us applied for that post, and I got the job. During 1941 and 1942 I worked at the Jewish primary school in Trencin..

In Trencin in March 1942 I married Anka. Anicka Rosefeldova was also a shomer. By coincidence she was doing hachshara in Trencin, where we met. Her father, a Czech Jew, and a doctor, worked in Rozhanovce [Kosice region]. From there he'd been expelled to Czechia, for one as a Jew, for another as a Czech [11], and for yet another as an officer of the Czechoslovak army. So Anicka remained alone. Her mother had died before the war, of blood poisoning. She had gotten blood poisoning, and her husband, a doctor, was of the opinion that her arm needed to be amputated, but she didn't want to have it done, and finally died of her wound.

Those were sad times, the principal of the Jewish primary school, Belo Brunner was deported. Right before the deportations, Belo had a child born to him. They deported him along with his wife and baby. Another colleague of mine, Alica Rosenbaumova, hid along with her mother. After the war I found out that they had been in hiding. After the suppression of the uprising [Slovak National Uprising] they caught them, and dragged them off to Nemecka [Banska Bystrica region] where there was a limekiln. There they shot them all and threw them straight into the burning lime. Gradually my class began to empty. Until one day it was completely empty.