Oto Konstein with two friends

Oto Konstein with two friends

This is I with my two friends. The picture was taken in 1941 in Cakovec. I am the one to the right. In the middle is my friend Picko Cajzler; he was one year older than me.

His brother still lives in Zagreb, his brother's name is Eugen Cajzler and he is around 80 today.

They are from a mixed marriage: their father was Jewish, and their mother was Catholic. Because she wasn't Jewish, the mother could have stayed in Cakovec, they wouldn't have taken her to the camp. But she didn't want to let go of her husband and her sons so she went with them.

Eugen was a bit older so he was put to forced labor and he endured, he survived. But both of his parents and his brother Picko died. Had the mother stayed, she could have survived and Eugen would have had the mother.

After Eugen came back, he was alone. The boy on the left was a friend from Mursko Sredisce. He was also Jewish, but I don't know what happened with him in the war. We weren't as close friends as I was with Picko.

At the time when this photo was taken, we didn't know what was in front of us.

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