Martin Shlanger - March 4, 1983
Relations with Non-Jews
Do you think there was any resentment or anti-Semitism because of that? Or do you remember any?
Yes, there was anti-Semitism, yes. Yes, there, there was anti-Semitism.
Did you experience any specific incidents that you can recall?
It wasn't on the open until 1938.
Well, before that, what, what did your family think about life in Czechoslovakia? What were your memories of?
No, my father was a strong believer in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. He, he, he considered me a uh, communist because I believed in democracy.
So, what did you think of Masaryk, for example?
He was a very liberal man.
How would you classify the Czechoslovakian government?
Democratic. Truly democratic.
Was there a, an official position on uh, anti-Jewish acts, anti-Semitism?
There were no such acts. There was anti-Semitism. There were individual anti-Semites but there, it wasn't um, it... the government did not approve of it.
So, any blatant offender would be, would be uh, prosecuted under the Czech law?
Well, nobody was prosecuted because uh, nobody, um... For making a statement, they did not prosecute anybody. Unless um, someone committed acts then uh, he was prosecuted, yes.
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