One must always ask the Talmudic question: “Why?”

Timișoara
Interviewee:
Iudit Cohen
Date of birth:
1936
Interviewer:
Getta Neumann
November, 2012
,
Lod, Israel

The Romania-Israel Friendship Association was established; we had 500 members from the intellectual environment. They made me their secretary. The first president was Gheorghe Leahu. Such a philo-Semitic person! He also knew Yiddish. He was the first to tell us about Yad Vashem, about the section with one and a half million children killed. The second president was Pius Brânzeu. […]

Conferences were held; everyone struggled to be able to hold a conference at the association. Rabbi Neumann arranged for us to have a very nice location, a flat with four or five rooms, where concerts were also performed. People were coming! What else can I say… the best of the best of Timişoara! It was located on Kogălniceanu St. It’s too bad it was dissolved. I don't know why. Before this association, conferences were held at the Community, organized by Rabbi Neumann; many non-Jews came. Outstanding conferences! One guest was Nicolae Cajal, he said that medicine is a profession of research and that one must always ask the Talmudic question: “Why?”. You don't accept things as they are, if necessary you ask why.

Source:
Neumann, G. (2014) Destine evreiești la Timișoara. Portretul comunității din perioada interbelică până azi, Bucharest: Hasefer Publishing House

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