Part 1

Never Wanting (1925 - 1937)

Mukacevo, Czechoslovakia was a small, commercial capital of a region at the base of the Carpathian Mountains. Prior to WWI, the region was part of the Astro Hungarian Empire. While the surrounding area was largely logging and farming, Mukacevo had banking, medical practices, as well as various mercantile trades. The region was ethnically diverse with Ruthenian (ethnic Russian or Ukranian), Magyars (ethnic Hungarian), Slovaks, Romanian and Roma populations. Mukacevo was the most important Jewish community in the region with 40% of its residents being Jewish. No significant anti-Semitic tradition existed in the area with relations between Jews and the diverse ethnic communities being described as “placid” during this time.