Romanians were the majority, followed by Germans; the number of Hungarians, Jews, and Czechs was about equal, and there were no issues. For example, when I was a student, there were a total of 40 in my class, of which two were German, one Jewish and the others Romanian... and there was no problem because we were close friends. When the anti-Semitic actions started, Horia Sima, one of the Legionnaires' leaders, was a teacher here in Caransebeş, for 4-5 years, but I was not in his class. He had a major impact on the students. And then the issues began for those who continued high school.
[...] Most of the Jews, however, went to the Jewish High School in Timișoara. There were no significant problems until 1940, when they were banned from attending classes. [...]At that time, students were divided into two groups: those who didn't get involved or who didn't join the legionaries (because we had parents who told us not to), and those who became legionaries.The Legionnaires used to go through Teiuş (in the forest), here in Caransebeş, because they went on trips, sang, and performed some kind of rites. They lit the fire at night... This started in '39-'40. The Germans here did the same. Then began the fight against very wealthy families, such as the Pollaks, a family of merchants, who later left for Israel. [...]
