Ester Shilo

“My father’s name was Schlussler. He was a police officer. When he started his service, he was guarding Ben-Gurion, the prime minister of Israel. Ben-Gurion used to say: ‘My guard cannot have a non-Hebrew name!’ So my father went to his dad and told him: ‘Listen, I am called to guard the prime minister of Israel, thus I need to change my name to a Hebrew name.’ And his dad answered: ‘Good luck on your way then and change your name.’ He changed it to Shilo. That’s why I am Shilo today, what in Hebrew means Ten Commandments.”

“We came to Cífer and we were looking for old women. We went by foot and suddenly, a woman walked by her bike and led one older lady along. She told me: ‘Excuse me, I see you are looking for something.’ We said we were. My father came from Cífer and my grandma with grandpa used to live there. They were the Schlusslers. The woman said: ‘I think that when I was a child, I heard that name at home. Just wait until I accompany my mother in law. I will come to pick you up and take you to my parents, to tell you what I used to be listening to.’ Few minutes later she was back and she rode her bike so fast that I barely kept up the pace with her driving my car. She went inside, I parked the car and when I entered the house, he mom said: ‘You aren’t Vali, you are Bubi’s daughter.’ My father’s name in Slovakia was Bubi. I look much alike my dad and he had a sister named Vali, whom this lady knew. So I replied to her: ‘You are right. I am Bubi’s daughter.’ Then my mom introduced herself as Bubi’s wife, we sat down and talked together. Then they invited us for lunch, to come and visit them again, and ever since then we have been friends until present.”