Selected text
In 1940 I appeared before the recruiting committee. I was approved as an artillerist. However, the Law for the Protection of the Nation was passed and they didn’t take me in the army. The Jewish labor groups [see Forced labor camps in Bulgaria] [18] were created. I was allocated in the Seventh [forced] labor group in Samokov. In 1941 I was sent to such a [forced] labor group in the village of Rebrovo, Sofia district. In 1942, I was already allocated to the village of Transka Klisura, Breznik district, and in 1943 I was sent to Dupnitsa. In 1944, I went to the village of Isvor, Lovech district. In Dupnitsa I dug tunnels which were meant to be used as shelters during air raids. I worked at road construction sites in the other places. It was very hard work. We dug with our hands using picks and spades, removing the earth and stones in wheelbarrows. All the [forced] labor camps started at the beginning of summer and ended in early November. The rest of the time I spent in Dupnitsa. I used to work at home as a shoemaker. In 1944 I was in the Jewish [forced] labor groups until the beginning of September, when I ran away and returned to Dupnitsa.
In the camp in Rebrovo we dug a highway from Kurilo to Svoge. [Kurilo village, the town of Svoge and Rebrovo village are situated along the Iskar River in the Balkan Mountain. A railway road passes through them as well as highway connections in Northwestern Bulgaria direction.] We lived in tents and were given frugal meals. Thank God some people had friends in Sofia, who supplied them with additional food, which was shared by all of us. There were several tented camps. The Jews from Dupnitsa, including me, were in one camp. Yet, I escaped to another camp several kilometers away, where I had relatives and friends from Sofia. There I met a youth from Pleven, with whom I kept in touch for a long time. His name was Mair Melamed. He has already passed away. He used to work in a textile factory in Pleven. Later he moved to Sofia. In this camp our chief was a kind-hearted man with good manners, who treated us well. We ourselves were camp guards: we had fatigue duty. Every evening there was a roll-call.
In the camp in Rebrovo we dug a highway from Kurilo to Svoge. [Kurilo village, the town of Svoge and Rebrovo village are situated along the Iskar River in the Balkan Mountain. A railway road passes through them as well as highway connections in Northwestern Bulgaria direction.] We lived in tents and were given frugal meals. Thank God some people had friends in Sofia, who supplied them with additional food, which was shared by all of us. There were several tented camps. The Jews from Dupnitsa, including me, were in one camp. Yet, I escaped to another camp several kilometers away, where I had relatives and friends from Sofia. There I met a youth from Pleven, with whom I kept in touch for a long time. His name was Mair Melamed. He has already passed away. He used to work in a textile factory in Pleven. Later he moved to Sofia. In this camp our chief was a kind-hearted man with good manners, who treated us well. We ourselves were camp guards: we had fatigue duty. Every evening there was a roll-call.
Location
Bulgaria
Interview
Sabat Pilosof