Members of the Hashomer Hatzair Jewish youth organization

These are members of the Hashomer Hatzair Jewish youth organization. The photo was taken in Sofia sometime in the 1930s. Our leader Marsel Lidji is in the center. He left for Israel together with his wife. He was quite well off there. Now he often comes to Bulgaria, although he is rather old and sick. The girls were good friends of mine. Unfortunately I don't know what happened to them. In the 1st grade of the Jewish junior high school I became a member of Hashomer Hatzair. Hashomer Hatzair aimed at the establishment of socialism in Israel. It was a 'progressive' organization with a strong national aspect. I organized a very big company there. We often visited the Aura community center on Opalchenska and Klementina Streets, which was regularly attended by Jews and 'progressive' Bulgarians. Mois Autiel noticed us there. We didn't know then that he was the UYW responsible for our sector. Mois was making propaganda for this organization, which was different from Hashomer Hatzair but which had the same goal, the establishment of the socialist order. Our class was divided into two groups, 15 people each, both supporters of the UYW. Anyway, only two or three people - including me - were selected to become UYW members. Mois was the person in charge of our group. I became a member of the UYW on 5th May 1942, right after I finished the 3rd grade of the Jewish junior high school.