Egon Lovith at the mandatory communal work for Jews

In 1942, before I was taken to forced labor, I was called up among other young Jewish men to a so-called preparation pre-instruction, because we were not allowed to go to the levente training [Hungarian military youth training]. Every week it was mandatory to work a full day whether or not our employer let us. I was working at a transport company and they let me take a day off to do my communal work. We had to assemble in the barracks. There they read the names and then we had to march with our tools, with shovels to the worksite. The yellow armband was made mandatory. Early on they gave us a Hungarian army hat and I even saluted but the officers protested against Jewish people with yellow armbands in civil clothes saluting them and our hats were taken away. When we were outside of the city we had to sing particular songs but I didn't open my mouth. When this photo was taken we had to go do communal work. I remember the kinds of work we did: at Hoja [near Kolozsvar] we built a ski-run and deforested the area. Somebody died there because the tree came down on the wrong side and crushed a boy, but I only heard about this accident; I wasn't there. At the time, the lake in the main park of Kolozsvar was drained and we were ordered to clean the bottom of it. They were daylong works. After we finished we had to back to the barracks and we were relieved from there to go home. I am at the back, fifth from the left, among the people standing. This photo must have been taken in fall 1943. The rich Jewish boys were also here, because no matter what kind of high positions one's parents had, communal work was mandatory for every Jew. I received my order to register for forced labor in Nagybanya in February 1944 .