I was born in Hungary on December 25, 1927, in the town of
Matesalka, which was an average-sized town in the province of Satmar.
Jews and gentiles lived together. Our next door neighbours were gentiles.
My father had a university degree and was a banker, a trade that may have been easier for Jews to enter than others. I think banking was less affected by
anti-Semitism. He was also a great sportsman. He even went to the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. I remember that he was very upset when he came home. I don't know when my parents married. I was not an only child. I had a sister Katalin who was three years older than me and who was a very good pianist.