My parents enrolled me at the Iosefin Israeli primary school, where the late Fleischer, whom you might have known, served as principal. A remarkable man, as was his wife, who was a third grade teacher. The school was very good; but, when I was about to start the fourth grade, my family relocated from the house on Ion Ghica street to one on Doja street, which was too far from this school. I then enrolled at the public primary school in Lahovari Square. My classmates were Romanians, Hungarians, Germans, of all kinds, representing the ethnic composition of Timişoara at that time. The principal, Olaru, was a person who knew how to maintain balance and a pleasant atmosphere.
I only began to be treated in a different manner by students and teachers after I had transferred to “Loga” State High School, particularly by some of the teachers. At first, I didn't understand the reason, but with time I realised that the Romanian language teacher was anti-Semitic, then that the botany-zoology teacher was clearly anti-Semitic, and, later, it became obvious that the calligraphy-drawing teacher was anti-Semitic, as well as the history-geography teacher. They spoke to us, the Jewish students, somewhat reserved and gave us lower marks than we deserved. The history-geography teacher never gave a Jew a grade higher than 8. That happened between 1936 and 1938. There were four or five Jews in a class of forty students, about ten percent, as much as the proportion of the Jewish population in Timişoara. It became even clearer in 1938, when the Goga-Cuza government, an anti-Semitic government, came to power. Our history-geography teacher, an important member of the Goga-Cuza party, was then appointed mayor of Timişoara. It did no longer surprise me (he laughs) that he was anti-Semitic, or how he treated us.
How did the other students treat you?
It depended on how they were educated at home. A few showed their anti-Semitism, but not violently. Some were indifferent; many were downright friendly. We formed an increasingly large group of friendly students. This friendship somewhat had a purpose, as we were good students, and they were interested in collaborating with us, since we helped them. Interestingly, the atmosphere improved; so did the marks. I became a prizewinner and was the first to pass from the fourth to the fifth grade. Interestingly, the atmosphere has improved, so have the grades. During that period, the Romanian so-called democratic-liberal government changed into a dictatorial one. But the dictatorship of King Carol was not anti-Semitic, so the anti-Semitic legislation introduced by the Goga-Cuza government was cancelled immediately after the dismissal of this government. As a result, anti-Semitism subsided to some extent, and relationships with other students improved. The political shift had such an impact that, for instance, the drawing and calligraphy teachers began to prefer me outright. I drew well, wrote beautifully, and always got a "10". So the teachers’attitude was not constant either.
1940 came. I went to enrol in the fifth grade of high school, very proud that I was at the top of the class. At the school register’s office, I was informed that the Ministry of Education ordered them to stop accepting Jewish students in the school. In September 1940, Antonescu and the legionary government came to power. One of their first laws was the exclusion of all Jews from all educational institutions. Provisions followed for the exclusion of Jews from certain occupations, and their gradual replacement in others.
My brother, who had received his lawyer's licence in the summer, could not practise law and had to become a factory worker, where he was barely accepted; and my father, who ran a small commercial enterprise, had to share his position with a Romanian assigned for Romanianization, and to bear a supervisor sent by the legionnaires.
Blow after blow followed. I was kicked out of school, but I was lucky that there was an Jewish High School in Timişoara. At the “Loga” High School registrar’s office, they kindly told me: “The Jewish high school continues to function; here are the documents; go there.” So we all went to the Jewish High School and were received incredibly warmly. That high school was much more than just a high school for us; it was a welcoming home, and that I cannot forget.
I want to mention something that moved me deeply. That day, I went out with two or three boys, to the park near the high school. We sat on a bench, we were sad. Suddenly, two of my old classmates approached, two of those who had sworn at us and insulted us in the past four years. We expected them to insult us all more, because, well, they had come to power, and now they could swear at us in public. But they came to us and said: “We heard what happened. You can no longer enrol at our school. We did not want this, we did not even think of that. We are sorry we behaved the way we did. You should know that we are sure that this will not last long and, before long, we will be classmates again.”
