Sonya Lazarova and her landlady's family

This picture was taken in Karnobat, the town to which we were interned. Here I am with my landlady's family, where we were accommodated. The picture was taken in the yard of their house in 1942. In the photo from left to right are: my landlady's daughter, the landlady's son, me with my sister's baby, my landlady's niece and nephew. In May 1942 my sister Hilda and I were interned to Karnobat. My mother was sent to the labor camp in Somovit. My other sisters, Liza, Zivi, Gizela and her son Alex were sent to Vratsa, while my brother Fridrich was sent to a forced labor camp. My father was already in Israel [Palestine at that time]. In Karnobat all Jews were allocated and settled in local Jews' houses. They were scattered all over the town. We used to inhabit a large house with three other families. Asya and Olya Weisberg were in one of the rooms; Rafael Nissim's aunt and cousin were in the other room and my sister Hilda and I were in the third. The landlords, also Jews, helped her a lot with furniture and food. The life in Karnobat was like in a ghetto. There was a curfew and certain streets and places were forbidden for Jews. We didn't have the right to leave the town. We weren't allowed to work. We were given food from a cauldron. During the police blockade of Karnobat in which outlaws were hunted for, they not only broke into the Jewish houses and sought for people in hiding places but also robbed canteens, rucksacks and clothes. We used to gather in the small park, where we walked and sang songs, but I can't remember exactly which ones. I helped the landlords mainly with the household, because we were restricted from walking around. At that time I wasn't a part of a UYW group and I wasn't engaged in UYW activities.