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Emerich Grinbaum - October 3, 2000

Can you remember as a, as a young boy how you felt about allthis going on? Was it puzzling to you? Did you...

Always.

understand what it was going on?

Always, always, always You know, you know, I practically I neverhad non-Jewish friends because the, the area which we lived there were onlyJews. School, only Jews. No the, in that building, next neighbors and all,all, always all Jewish.

But your father had non-Jewish...

Customers.

customers.

Yes. Sure. So, he had contacts and-I had, I had very little contactwhen playing soccer or something like with you know, with them. That, that'sthe only, only contact. I didn't have friends. Uh, my friends were all Jewish,mostly from the Hebrew school. And, and uh, I was, I was always puzzled, youknow. I, I always felt that they are not worse than-and I uh, I was awarewhat Jews all about, the history. And, and until now. Even now...

Now.

I still, I still don't understand, you know. The, this two-thousandyear hatred which is you know, uh, irrational and... Although some try torationalize about this, but you know. The Jews are the communists and thecapitalists and whatever, you know. And the socialists and the anti-socialists,everything.

So did you-was there discussion in your household about this?

Not political. No.

No political discussions. Was there talk about trying to getout and go to, go to Palestine?

No. First of all, after '38 there was no way to get out. TheHungarian. During the-those years before '38 when there was Czechoslovakiayou could get out, yes. But you know, there was, we lived a good life, youknow. Eh, small, the youngsters, especially those who graduated the Hebrewschool with very b...Zionist upbringing, a lot of the, those youngpeople left for in '35, '36, '37, '38. I was at that time in elementary school.But I know. And those who man...then managed and they survived.