By Shaindel Sussman

To make somebody happy – it is so nice, especially when it is your dear parents.

When I was a teenager and my parents went away for the day, I surprised them with a very good supper.

It was not easy. The stove had to be heated with wood and if the wood was not dry enough you were in trouble. That was what happened to me. Until I had the wood burning my tears also came down. The supper was very good and they loved it and it was a very nice surprise for them. I was very happy too.

We lived in a small town in Yugoslavia called Bach Koshut Falva. I was the only Jewish girl there. It was not easy. I had no friends. We had some domestic animals so they were my friends. I used to take them to graze in the hills which was nice and green, full of grass. I also enjoyed the calm atmosphere and I was reading a good book. All around it was a beautiful scenery. This was the summer of 1942 or 1943.