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Neither my father's nor my mother's families were very religious. Father's
family was small, they were only two children. His sister was two years
older. They lived in Kremnica, where they owned a little textile shop. My
grandmother's family came from Kremnica, and she had many brothers and
sisters there. One of the siblings had a small watchmaker's shop and my
grandparents had a clothing shop. Back in those days, my father's family
was named Silberstein.
My parents talked about the family history, but I have to admit it was not
a very common theme. The reason could be that a part of our family survived
thanks to their jobs and duties in foreign countries. Those who stayed here
- my mother, my father and my grandmother, as well as my older brother -
survived thanks to some good people who gave them underground shelter in
Klenovské Lazy in the mountains. My father was a member of a partisan
brigade. He survived the uprising and the period of deportations to
concentration camps by hiding in the mountains. Aunt Josefina survived in
hiding somewhere in Hungary with her husband. The others were abroad and
after the war, in the 1950, when I grew up, this just wasn't a proper
conversation subject. It was after high school that I became interested in
these matters and began to learn more about my family.
family was small, they were only two children. His sister was two years
older. They lived in Kremnica, where they owned a little textile shop. My
grandmother's family came from Kremnica, and she had many brothers and
sisters there. One of the siblings had a small watchmaker's shop and my
grandparents had a clothing shop. Back in those days, my father's family
was named Silberstein.
My parents talked about the family history, but I have to admit it was not
a very common theme. The reason could be that a part of our family survived
thanks to their jobs and duties in foreign countries. Those who stayed here
- my mother, my father and my grandmother, as well as my older brother -
survived thanks to some good people who gave them underground shelter in
Klenovské Lazy in the mountains. My father was a member of a partisan
brigade. He survived the uprising and the period of deportations to
concentration camps by hiding in the mountains. Aunt Josefina survived in
hiding somewhere in Hungary with her husband. The others were abroad and
after the war, in the 1950, when I grew up, this just wasn't a proper
conversation subject. It was after high school that I became interested in
these matters and began to learn more about my family.
Location
Slovakia
Interview
pavol skalicky