Alexandru Kohn with Zionist friends

This photo was taken in 1949 during a retreat in the Retezat Mountains with our local Zionist organization. I'm the one wearing a cap. Also pictured are several of my friends: Mandel Peter (an engineer from the United States), Jakob Peter (an engineer from Germany, Schiller Miki (an engineer from the United States), Breger Ladislau (an Israeli physician), Kara Tomas (an Israeli physician), Doja Gyuri (an engineer from Australia) and Seiner Stelian (also an engineer from the United States).

During school I had both Jewish and non-Jewish friends, although, truth be told, I had more Jewish friends. This was partly due to the fact that I was active in the local Zionist organization in Arad after 1944. I was a member of the Hanoar Hatzioni organization, providing me with a group of Jewish friends that I met with after school. In my free time I also went to Hanoar Hatzioni for sports. I played table tennis, and canoed.

In the summer, on the weekends, we often went to Trei Insule – Three Islands – a place along the Mures River around five kilometers from Arad. We went there with Jewish friends for excursions in the hills around Siria. In the mornings we would meet at the Zionist organization’s headquarters, and we spent the day singing, playing and just generally having fun. During holidays we also went to ski with Jewish friends. I still have one very good friend from my childhood, but I don’t even know if some of the others are still alive. I believe two of them are in the USA, but we are not in contact anymore.