In 1939 my town Bielsko was very close to the German and Czechoslovakian frontiers. I had a wonderful childhood – in winter there was skiing and ice skating. In summer everyone went hiking and climbing in the nearby mountains. Bielsko had a mixed population, comprising of German, Polish, Czechs and Jewish citizens who were all well integrated into the community. But, when the German armies invaded, the ethnic Germans turned against their Polish neighbours and the Jews. As old resentments re-surfaced, the Polish citizens also turned against the Jewish population