Alexander Stín

I don't know if it was in that first, second or third year, but it was before '48. As we were sitting in class, I had a classmate there, the son of Dr. Homola, who was the district physician at that time. Palo Homola was sitting behind me. And he was swearing at the Jews. And I was already a strong boy then, he was such a home-grown boy of the doctor. And I said to him, 'Palo, stop it. ' He didn't stop, so he got loaded from me in a boyish way. Of course, he went to complain, well, and Dr. Homola came into the classroom with Mr. Lobotko, the principal. He, poor fellow, didn't know what to do. There the district doctor, here again an acquaintance with my parents. Of course, he asked me how I imagined it, how I dared to do it. And then I said, I didn't talk to his father, 'Mr. Director, Palo Homola is calling me names, he is calling me a Jew, a stinky Jew. Don't be angryfor what I have done, but why should I tolerate this? I survived the war and I'm glad to be here. I'm even going to serve as a minister. ' We had that as a hobby. Suddenly Palo from behind my back stood up and said, 'You see, the stinker. ' The headmaster says, 'You mustn't do that, Šaňo.' 'I'm not allowed to do that? If you want I'll smack him in front of you.' 'I'd like to see that. ' I turned around, the boy's nose started to bleed right away, but when we grew up, practically, as teenagers got bigger, that's where these things were forgotten, but deep inside I have never forgotten. 'Paľko, you don't have to tell me anything, I've had my experiences with you. A fascist is a fascist, and will always be a fascist.'

Our house, where we lived in that ghetto, was just on the border, because there was a two and a half meter wall with a gate, and the guard would go through that gate. The others - it ended there. And there were some rooms upstairs in that ghetto, but they were more or less not used because most of the time they were already - we were down in the cellar at that time. Because there were air raids followed by air raids above our heads. I owe the fact that I'm sitting here now to one lady. When the sirens ended the raid, we went upstairs, they took me, too. Breakfast in quotes, so some hot melta or tea, I don't know what we had available. So at one round table we sat down, I sat down on that big children's chair, which even now the children sit on those canteen chairs, and we sat down, but at that moment another air raid came and the sirens came, but we couldn't go down to the shelter, we did not manage to do that. Everybody was hiding under the table and the last lady that went, she knocked me down with that chair and a splinter got lodged in that spot on the table at that point. So that's what I'm saying, a memory from the ghetto that can't be forgotten. That's one. And two, I remember that house that we used to live in in the ghetto - used to live in, used to be in, used to experience - so we kids were allowed come out of that hiding place. There was a little yard, a concrete fence, roughly like this, and then a metal part of the fence with the other house. And my parents didn't want to let us up there, but the kids will be kids. We went up there, and just at that time, from the neighbouring house, the nyilashas were taking away everybody who was there. And we were behind this house and we saw them shooting those who couldn't make it.