The family were Jewish and so had to survive through exceedingly difficult times, suffering discrimination and then violent anti-Semitism. Paul was a brilliant pupil at secondary school in Budapest, showing at this stage his remarkable mathematical abilities.
Ang pamilya ay Hudyo at sa gayon ay upang manatili sa pamamagitan ng lubha mahirap beses, kahirapan diskriminasyon at pagkatapos ay marahas na anti-Semitism. Paul ay isang maningning na mag-aaral at sekundaryong mga paaralan sa Budapest, pagpapakita ng mga ito sa yugto ng kanyang pansin matematiko kakayahan.