The Kaufmann and Kandel families
This picture was taken in Nagykaroly, in our yard by Margit, my second eldest sister. On the left is my eldest sister Anci, next to her is Rozsika Kandel, the wife of Imre Taub, then Gizella [wife of Moric Kandel], Rozsika's mother, the boy standing next to her is Saci [Sandor] Taub, Rozsika's son, then my sister Manyi, my mother, Roza Kaufmann, and myself.
My father had many siblings: Rezsinke, Gizella, Mariska and Ignac. The eldest one was Rezsinke. After Rezsinke was Gizella, Moric Kandel's wife. She got married in Cegled. We were on very good terms with them. She had four daughters: Rozsika, Kati, Magdi and Boris, who got married to Dunapentele. Rozsika, Imre Taub's wife, was the eldest. The Taubs lived in Szopor, this was in Szilagy county, and they were millers. There were three Taub brothers: Imre Taub, Miska Taub and Endre Taub. Endre was the youngest. Rozsika's son was Saci, who returned to Szopor after World War II. Poor him, he was taken away by the Securitate, because he was very wealthy, as he had inherited a lot, and they beat the hell out of him. After he was released he committed suicide. We lived through some awful times, it was horrible.
Our house was very long. Outside there were stores which were only accessible from the outside. Our apartment was inside, on one side of the yard. We had three rooms, a kitchen and bathroom. It wasn't furnished, but later my poor mother made a tin bathtub. Next to it there was a boiler where we used to heat the water with wood. We had a light violet bedroom, with curtains and overlay made of thick silky material. It was beautiful!
On the other side of the yard, behind the stores, there was a wooden shed for each store. Then there was a tapestry-manufactory, with a 'szenapad', a hayloft, upstairs. On the side of the hayloft there were two dark toilets, without windows, nothing but electric lighting. They only consisted of a cesspit, which was emptied from time to time, not too often. The toilets had wide wooden seats. Later, my mother made a cement cesspit, God knows why. We used to go there, too, because we didn't have a normal toilet. It was a great thing when my mother made another separate toilet in the front, which had some more light. On that side there were the servant quarters, room and workshops.