I was born in 1928 in Carpathia (now Ukraine), in the city of
Berehovo, which was known for its rabbis. I came from a close family. I had five sisters, including my twin sister Miriam. My oldest sister was married and had a child. I had many uncles, aunts and cousins who lived in the same city. Our family observed the
Jewish traditions and went to
Synagogue services on Friday nights. I attended cheder (Jewish school) as well as public school.
Things started to change for us in 1938. The Hungarians came into power and the Czech government ceased to exist. I started learning Hungarian in school. Some members of the Hungarian regime were anti-Semitic and adopted the
swastika as their symbol. They robbed Jewish families of their belongings and caused us a lot of problems.