Judit Lovi

This little girl is my older sister Berta's eldest daughter, Judit Lovi. The picture was taken in Hetyen, sometime around 1935-36.

My sister Berta got married in Szamossalyi to a produce salesman. They had three children: Judit, Eva and Marta. Once I went to visit Berta in Szamossalyi.

That's when I first heard the huge anti-Jewish instigations, at a rally before the election. Then what happened was that a Calvinist bishop arrived in Hetyen at the Calvinist church and gave a speech.

Everybody went to hear the bishop speak. He was a very democratic person. And he said, 'Unfortunately, hard times are coming, black clouds rumble above us.

German boots are already stomping on the streets of Prague. I'm afraid, that black clouds with reach us soon.' I still remember those exact words. Then we didn't have to wear the yellow star yet, we still went about freely.

On 30th April 1944, they took us away, and on 2nd May, we arrived in Birkenau. They told us they were taking us to work, and the old people would go to special treatment.

They didn't say where, just that it was in Germany. They didn't tell us anything, just treated us like animals. In the boxcars, everybody went together, but when we arrived, and got off the train in Auschwitz, they separated the women from the men.

The trip took two or three days. The train stopped along the way, but we couldn't get out. We just stayed in the boxcars the whole time, the little window was barb-wired, and we peeked out of there.

Some died along the way, they threw them out. My parents, Moric, Erzebet and I were together.