Otto Weissenstein

This is my mother’s older brother, Otto Weissenstein. The photo was taken in the 1910s, but I don’t know where. 

Uncle Otto was born on 1st March 1894 in Nachod. I remember him well, although I hadn't been to Nachod very many times. Uncle Otto had this magical box, which when it was opened in some fashion, always contained a candy. I've always loved sweets, which is something that has stayed with me, so I remember this impression very well. Every time he saw me, which wasn't that often, he always had that candy box with him. Otto died on 8th January 1936 of heart disease. He was buried at the Jewish cemetery in Nachod, but his gravestone is no longer standing, as the entire cemetery was liquidated, today in its place there is a park.

I remember my uncle's fiancée, Zdenka Camrova, who wasn't Jewish, but had a close relationship with my uncle. Zdenka was a nursery school teacher, back then it was a very valued profession. Nursery schools were quite rare and were intended for children from the upper classes. Few and far between could afford to put their children into one; poor people didn't have the money for it. Zdenka even drew this fold-out booklet about me, which had pictures and rhymes. After the war I met her once, and I don't think that she was happy; by the looks of it she hadn't married according to her expectations.