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NO. 1477 x
.; American Consulate Gen.eral Jertfsalem, Palestine October 31, 1944
UNRESTRICTED Subject: Transmitting Bulletin Concerning Jewa 1n Occupied Europe.
The Honorable CONTROL COPY The Secretary of State, Washington. Sir:
I have the honor to transmit herewith ae of possible interest to the Department and to the War Refugee Board, copies of the September Bulletin v issued by the Jewish Agency Committee for the Jews of Occupied Europe.
Respectfully yours,
L. C. ~inkerton _ American Consul General
Enclosure: Copy ot Bulletin as above, ( 5 copies)
~File No: 020 LOP /11111' :~ D[C I H ii I~
}, . ·!, D~ r'· ·_· frO'. , .·:r)
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~ ·l ·_'- ·.;.. Zi;.- • °f!'>. =:--.'.:."'->.. '~ ~· ~ - ._ ~ - . - ~----~-~~·-· ··-·-·· - •~'-"--~ ~o--_--'.•!"~ ~ ~ =:-,-=:;;-::-·-~~£-·,-.: --.::_ ..- i ::.'.; . ' >:•. : .- . -· •·.~~-fti::.~~~'::_·-~~~J-:m~~~-~+~\f. - ~--' -,·,·. -, __.-. ,:· .' ;-.t- :'.cdm\t.ri~~ ,-%~ The fall ow1·ng ·r_e~o-~:is. bn the .Jewish si tµi;itt()ir\in i:tr~: based ·on· intorma~ion: der the rule of the Nazis· and tl']._ei·r 'satellite:s· sources: .. _. -_. ··· ··- .. _... -·,, received _:from various ;_- ' ."-. -- -: - r'i~cently_ - . . .-· . ..,-_--:-: .'.'-. -'._ .- : ·---. ' ·. ' ·,- -- ; .-~ .·.-'.. by Dr~ ·s •. -G ... of :the. Underground Jewisl);(Na,:t;:I:opal i. Extracts from a
2. THE NEW. DECL.ARATJ:ON BY.DR~ SuNDERMANN.
- . --- .. -. . -- . .- -=~_., .. ,, ;_ - . --·-~~·;. __ .-_.,::. -.· . '.". -> - - Dr. SUndermann, Goebbel' s assistant as;:Chie~ of(tlie cl1r·ess,;me.de-· a fresh stat~ment in Berlin to foreign corresponO.ents as'. regards:c\;he, _< state of the war whic);iis being conductedbetweenG;ermany:and ~~r al,lie.?· on the one hand, and. World· JeW'ry on tp.e other. sunaerniann is oCthe·- : ; • opiniOn that Germany and her allies -have ·tun groUlJ.ds t() dealare.;that· .· the present war+~ that of the Jews against the Reich.artdal;L ~uropf). This is demonstrated by the statement of the Jewishleader~im,Vle~z mann1 published at the beginning of SE?ptember 193~r whenxBritain de ...;; ~-. · claired war on Germa:nvi which demonstrated. that :th~ Je_ws 'of: tl!B w_orid were glad of the. out b'.t't:al!: or tlie :war.. we1-Zmann. '\;lien wro'tf:} to _Gfiamo.er-- lain and informed him that the Jews· were prepareid>CO pla9e, all :1;hdr spiri tucl and f:l,nancial resources at his d:i,sposaL. He '1'{8.!f r_eferr~ng zj_ot to the Jews o,f Britain alone, but to the whole .of,World Jewry,_ ... · > .' / · Until AutUilill 193,g Jews-·were perinitted. td .~mi~~~i~:·iioni Germanf! .. The Jewish badge was introduced only in ·1941, and the' segregpti9p. o.f'.t}le:: } Jews began only after that, Th;I.s was: absolutely ne.c~sf?:~IY :l,p,y;t_,,~._Jlf·//::·~.- ·· Jewish animosity ·towards the Thi!'d Reich, whiuh. h,i.l!l~'a;,~b-si;}'.l;:o~~_d'Et;'/~tr;':~''\': · the conduct of the war against· Jewish Bolshevism;· !fue Jews were intro- duced into the circle of European_ work, and work,.was' demap\l~d from th.em in accordance with their professional l)lld v.Qcati0na1.:tra:l,¢ng~ Where.~t was, impossible to get individua1s· to wor]:t··o_n a,N6luntary::!>aSis1 . ·.they··:, ...... were put to work through .organisations suc:\1,. ~s. ,that of To_Q:t; :l,n ~ Germi:inr, · · · etc. The Jews were also sent to wqrk in agriculture. _~he· tJ'ev.(s.,were pla- ced in conc~ntration c$llps· and were treated in the s.~e way ·as workers. When the Jews are conscipted for w()rk all.super.vision ()f them: by the .. Gestapo_ qeases. Old people or th.ose in_ pos9gi~sion of_- special :privil:ege'E\ . ar~ not consori,pted for .work~· but are. sent;":t!o· :t.he; ~ewis}l~ community _.· . :.... qentre at Theresienstadt·, w~e,ro _.the ffr::~s &':9.Yern, ~llemsel'\!'Eil:Pand, there'".'. .. \:--;· _._., .Lo, ·; ~ ,! '. • .·
is no force.cl- ·lab out.
·1~··p 0 L A.ND •..,. . ·.. o.)' At OsWiC;nc_io 0nd oisewhoro. r .·.· A Polo \'mo was 'imprisoned nt Oswienci,ni ancJ::·~~s :a:iterwards on :t:orc.od laoour, 'to No~J;uy, f'rom which he succeod.O;~.}L:i:i es.caping
,: . ~; i·· ' - -- ~t ·- .· ~ - ~'- The same P:ore ropor:ts that there are stiH'·.Jewish. spe§'iai1$i;.i3 living under· dl'.eo.p..'f,ul condi ti01:i:s at Kattowice. mid.;working' for ·the Ger,;,. 1 _. - ._ . - . .- - •. -~-:: . ·:. ·- - . - . - · . :-r: ... Another ';«')'1e from th~ Kielce district,' who· ai~>fled·i~~bn\:19.°6r~_ ·. way to Swoden rc;;port!'?: TJ::tere c:.re Jews incl;lrcerated .. iµ CaJ11PEI at Ataraho"'." wice·~ They number ·about 2~ ooo in all. They are· eJ1plo;Y'.ed on forced 'labour unq.er terrible cond:j.;j;ions. '.Ih~y had to work _in ]he'.r·iy~rf.1.IJ. ~}le _l!19s~ J: :. · dreadf-µl cold with th!.3 wp.tc;;r up. to. their ,chosts-vwhile•:tl'i:ey w~re .abso: lutely.,naked. ·i'he nµmper of .victims is countless~ A];tb,i)~p. the ·crunps ;-· are kepi; 1;l.lldii'.!1 9triGt; gua!dj. the workors ·.cmd!.·intell.efJ?~~.P¥··~p.;i::q:v[.;.;,.J&~~:.,;~, •..•·· bread or o\;her food_,./lhe ..iews look _like wi•ld::0 peL'lfft•tf§''<\;111(I'!•~nO--~t1'rt:h -:,"·· · · · population are sorry for thc::m. · This Pole. relates. the following" r.~tar.diing w'ar:;iaw:. miiny·.J~w~ ... still live there in "secret •.. Those in hiding ha:V.e":ooriey. They are' noi(gi'"' ven . sufficient help; ;not o-n E>ccount· ·of ·Antiee'r.iitism; :'how~ver.; -~~t ... be-'.- ..···· cnuse of tho diffi.o.ul ties invol voQ.. ·There is-.110 1!lutm11: aid, ,among the Poles ei thcr, nnd each one· liv.es his own li.fe fo~. ·himsel~ •-- -. ···-··-·_1_ .. _; .-'. ;_
---~, The .:~ 1.1\r'.'\>,e:j.'j;e;r I:·Z.ci tung',',, ·,of :2o/7/44 ·l)l.lblifihes' a_·:rep"o:rt on. ti,ie ' Oswiencim camp as f;oJ.j!.Q;\I!~, ·bEJsed: on· .. the·y"ITidence ,of·.tw-o·•Jows :froni · . Slovakia: .· .. :·-..· ·.'.-.· •.: :· -,:: :-,,.·,:_:_'.._ · -- ... ,.::····· ·· ~-c:-·._·:. , _:· ·; As soon as we flrrived .:it Oswi.~ricit1 we; wore- sent to a hl.lge barn-
i .-1 like building whero we had to take our clothes off• ,Jl1 efu~tli~fbui-1ci1iig> we were disinf'ected with Lysol after our hair wa~ sliaved off;,Eaohof u~ was given o. number, beginning at 28.ooo. For greater seow,~t_y·~1;1,~_'..nµmd~> ber wc.s bro.nded on the left side of the chest •. We were &iven convict· · clothes and clogs• That same afternool;l the Clothes. were5.taj!:en ·away_: froi:n us and we were given old Russian uniforms' ·worn· and tor~~; :We'we)?e/then taken to the Birkenau C3!:1p, which is under the ordo'.!'S o;f. 't;}le; .Oswienoim . c.'.lrlp coomnndant. The prisoners receive ser:l.c.l num,ber~.ao~ording_to. thei,r . time of arrivnl in the caI:J.p. ~At the time we escaped,; in· April: ~9.44': t:h;~L . nunber ho.d reo.ohed 180.000. the numbers .were tattooed o~ t.h~ ~ef't:,_leg~ , Wi t'hin the perimeter area. of the Osw:i.e~c:f.m. cruJJ.p_ the~e/flrEl. w~rlt.:. shops for the German aramament firms Krupp and Siemens., .as well a.e/the. · · storehouse of a large factory for the ll!anufacture of 11 buna~- {syrit}J.E!'1;1,c ... rubber) whi_ch is ·si;l'll under construction. ' · . ·· .··.- > '.' . < >, When we reached Birkeno.u we found a· kitchen for "t:he.'.feeciing.~f fifteen thousand men with two buildings and athi;rd u,nd:er. oonstruoti9n_. Three days after my- arrival I was ·sent together with 200 Jews from Slo. vnkia to work at the Oswiencim workshops; and we con:tinµed 'to :live.~at Birkenc.u. Ile received food twice a day·; a litre of beetroot !)oup at<; . : noon and 300 gralnllles of poor-quality bread in the eyenirig. Workir;ig Coj:i.;. ditions were inde84'ribably bad, Mo.st of the men could:n.·ot .work.· o.·n'ac.cbunt .· of the poor food. !rhe nortali ty in our group amounted to 3,o -4o pe;r-;ctay. Many WE; re killed by the 11 Kapus 11 (comp guards) during work• The·,· dead . . ; . were replaced by others, who were still left in. Birk:enai:i. V/heJ:1. the se~ · -. c9:r,i.d transport arrived forteen days later, there were on:i;y 15() left .,,·: .. ·· alive out of 650. \ihen we returned to OswienciI!l I'was put:in)~harge pf . the hospital building, to which those incapable of wor-k: were broilght·~ · ·_ About 150 people a day used to die. Their bodies were burnt in. the .Os•; wiencim crematorium. The camp inmates wore numbered every)lloµday and ·~~!sday{wh~n the Head Physician wou;l.,d decide ai:; to the nuiube:i; ofpeopie t-O"be dest~oyad, and afterwards burnt. Those selected were taken tcr>a birch.;;;.wood;.· Those· . who reached it al-ive were taken 'and kiHed by gas :a~d~_aft~:rwor9,.s,,·tlieir'. ~~~~~s d~:~e a b~!~~;:i~b~ul~~~/~s t~e r~~~n t~} ~~friri~p~B'.~i~rf1~!,_::f:~~~~J~i<;~'J:s°'~·- • • - ·' ~ - - >. • • • • ·' ' - '-· • • - • - ,- ._. -. • The 11 Sonderkommando 11 or Special Cot11nand carried_ou,t-the exter• mination by gaslJl.and QrpmP.:J;.io» of. the. bodies.;.~ey... ·w··.o:rk~d··q.ay.·.. ·:,a.ml.·ni.g}t:t ...·: in two shifts. ...n~ !lle.m'b~l'f> of. the Sonderkor,miando 'J:i v~d. away. from . the . . rest, for it was· impqss:l.:~l~ ·tq- remain n~a;r 'th~ili 01raoootint: of'.'.th~· Ejtonch emanating from them.,.-([lhey 'fJ,re ;~il thy, :.savage -!'Jhd' :degraded beyond '·all_· . imagining. ·. " · · ·· ' · · · :' ,.. · ·-. · : · · : · ·· · · In February, 1943, ~he ·0.remator:fom a~d ~a's-.;;bh.amb'~rs cdn.st~,c~ ted at Birkennu were·- opened. Four Cremator~a are '~ow. in. oper_ntj,on .at_.· · that"'spot. Theyare composed o't. tp:r.ee po_rt_ft: ~-• the incinel',ato!s; · · ·
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·.... ::.- ·i· - .. .·
2. a bath-hall; 3. tho gas-chanbcrs. Nine ov~n~. vii th fbu:ti ap~i_:tl?-f~·~·: are placed round a t.:i.11 chirmey. Each uperture can. t.ake: thr9e normal' bodies, which nm burnt in about Ctn hour. and ahc:tff;-~&;~lipf!City of<·.. the incinerntors is two thousc.nd people a day •. Ne_arby,·.:is' a .l_arge, :_hall~ ·-.. ··.• constructed in the fo.sl{ioJ.1 of a bath-hou~e·, intp· Wh.:ii_ox,e9 thi.cn;tgh .. the '.:. windows. On the boxes· is wri ttem ". Zilp:ilori for· fif;htirig•posts 11~Theae~"-- boxos bear the L'll!.rk oia-'f"C.C.t0ry---ril1Ii:u::.burg. It appEi'a'.('s t}li-.:t' tlliS is ·. a substance cont:1ining _cyanii:le of Potassiun, Whic.p. :b.e66mo~.';;rgas.a:t · certain temper::.tures. '.!.'be victims are choked by tne. gas. wi thi;±l;, three. .: · minutes. T:he ueubers of the Sondercoor::iando afterwards· renove ·.the ·bodies to tb.e incinerators. Six thousand bodies o. clay' :are burni; in·j;b'e fo:ur · CreCTatoria in operation. .·
Inport __ :._:_~'__,·.:.. :{ ~~ ·._ - sickness and st.::Lrvation. Part of them were hxpeiled to th~:1~X:ebiiilk~; _ Death -Ca.mp. --.··,< -.-.· At Barnnowi.cze ther~ were i2. ooo Jews before ~th~:: wi:ifi_ ()~:·rxJicih _.. _ · the 4 th,1942, 2000 Jews were inu,rdored, and on SptGcibe.r 2_2P,ci o;t' .1;he .so.tie .· . year 15. ooo. A further 3. ooo were ourdered. dur.~ng 194'3'• ·'he :iet;lainde.~ : ,, were· sent to the death comps. A few succeed,ed J.n escapi~ ~nd 'J o;lned the• Guerilla forces. ' - - - - ,- .. . - - . At Lida there 'wore 6, 700 Jews befo~e the Wfu:o~ Ali 6:i· t~em. ~i;;~e shot- at -Ka trow, a snall village in. the neighbourhoodi: Soon af~e.:r this _·: th& Ge~ans also z:mrdered the Jews of Warnnowa, Sk:idal and :Pziatel•- At the outbreak of the Viar', 1.600" Jews lived in Snorgofr~- \Phey were sequestered in the Ghetto, and at the b.eginning ofl943.they''were' all murdered. At Nenenczyn · 700 Jews - were concentrated in t_he school- _ building' w:tiere they were left for some'tice ·with-Out fo·od·-:-a,n:d~e:r·e,:e·re:r- ; - wards all taken to a forest in the vicinity. About:· loo people succeedeq: in escaping on the way, while the renainding· 600 were r:iurdcrect-by :the .Na;.. zis. At Molodeczna 2.ooo Jews wore ourdered, amd at the el;ltry;fo ··: : .. 4. LITHUANIA, ~ 1.• !·~v--:-':_~;... ·• ~- --.. · ·-.'~:~;-~~> -• •• 1 11 _ O'.f'_, . · ' The Li thuc.nio.n Ickis wr~ tes in .the SWcd~s.J:i:P~llE1f·i, }\1~.eJ;k:da · · in._ ~9ft'.tr.Q}:,~e:W1E!;b.vil:t.f'.e . 13, 4, 1944 thc.t QS hong D.S the L;i. thunnians were six weeks, that is on Augu.?,t _5 _th- 1941, :i;_}le wc.s not in G.o.I1[5E:r; but o.fter. adr:linis.'."':· to ros.ii:;n qnd wns lJCplnced 'by the: ~ortran:=:·tlfV:i,'l Goverru:iCnt heed :t'o\_Y:?is ·and itlpr1~~· trn;t;ion.-. 'llheo Gerl:l11ns' .-fr"s'ti.tblishod ghettoes in the lats~ who were suspe,dt13d :of:= syi;ipathy'-.wi:t;h Coia'.'.".:' soried ,the Jews in thlab, '1\-ios-e bodies "who ii :wi·th'· the death cross, Those with· powerful nuniso were oarkc the Shield of David.· -· were not suspected. -o-f. Gciru:unisn wore' rn:irkod with. for hnrd,c-lc.bour such-as stre~t clean),:µg, .road.bu:j.lding, nnd conscripted \'iB~n the·worker;!'.l be~_ of fort:i,;f;ic~hqns nt the fr5mt, etc. construction exhrn.l.st1ng labou;t qnd_ the g::m to lose their strength as o. rusult of the Li::!rked with the death cross, Old people, sick bud food they were nlso the Jewish property"'", . and ch1Iaren were oo.rkod for ext0roinc.tion, All its owne'is; itas aeb.i'n, which the Lithuanian Governuent had returned to the ~estnpo •. · Ngpff~Y:'=y.r_E:i~ ·· conf:lscated by the Germms o.nd transfor::ed to_ .. .-~·--.. --··. .. . .· ·. ·· .<.-. _,.,- • . • entitled to hold oore th::m a hundred reichsnm;ks• which Tpe_Gernans endeavoured to conpel tile L:l.tn-danian.police, by fresh security sections, to.ci;irry.o\it the exe-· had be<:n suppleeente?- then reached The Lithunri:L~n reaction neninst the persecutions cutioris. the bishop sent peak. Priests protested froo their pulpits, a,Rd its Coonissioner.. 1iihen. th.G · L;i. thuanian their protests tu the. .. Gcrno.n General . to :Po,;r:;ti-iqipnte in the work. of' e.x:ternii),_1;1:t:io?l.. th.ey.were police refused:_ _out· a·ll Ge_r1_:1an orderrh replc.ced by Ukrnip;ians· who were prepared to car_ry· of i'342/43 the nunber of· Ukrainian·groups;was.increas~d Durinc the wiritet" 't:-oops~. by tho introduction of several battalions of Gener,nl :VJ.as§l:ov,~s -- ·5 ·.,.: ~ '~.,, r ·_; ,.-~ - _. - . - • . ._J_ --/ •• .~-.- •• :_ • ..:_ - _-,. -- .- --- ,. ,- ,r.. • ' ::·- - :;; D.pproached the border$ of Iiithu?lµa,.ln .Ati;tUmn \jµen. t:g.e fr0i?-t• actiVi""., the Geri::laris concentrated even·nore on their· exterr.Unatioil. 1943'i of :~ho.se ~~~:t.:bi;i.ties •. ·Th.e ties, a~cl also set out ~o o1J.li terate :n.11 traces Inlaispa11.. gave "deta11's.,of· -..t'he. manner .in,-.~,~ Li thuaman underground Journal~· ,the-.·-: .. ::,_~(, which the liquidation .of thf.) ghetto wa'B 'carried:.:enit·i-.'.'(.11:11e·:p.£Urr~:-a:e oe .assuia~d. ta· lmve: 'he_9,~ t~~ 'ont::.)it, Ko:V,.;.· °';(, • ghetto is :illQt g~ve~,- out H nay -T.he.,. .. ;,~ · he .ghetto_ was .swrrounded py· mil1.tar;y;~,and 1~'Pl;l9'e~~· no or Kuµnas.) ·. '-$in9f)'. th.a. int,.: '. · , themselyes .eru:fo.aVourea: tb enter· tne· housssy»'bfit- eerdnns ;l;hei'-Q':enia.hf?fA:i~i~~~!'-.,~~~0~'o,, and 'b-C:rl tbd_ fron within,- 7 ter wore closed, lockod - - · • ., ' · o.nd blew up an eptire quarter. , ·· : · · use explosives -- . .' ::~~- -rL: -~· ~t_:.~·=2~~~:;~_·:~.. :.. · ·.. _:_, The Ger- . Many Jews endeavoured to escape. th.Yi:riigh ·tfie.'iiie.w~-rs;, of escap§l· .fren ;past 'Zexperienc,e ~ and . aans already knew of hhis i;lE:~tP,Qcl. .· .a11'>the ,sewers and gav:e, .. t4e Jews· no opportunity :9~, therefore flooded of the ghetto,lo~ ooo w~re escapi]:lg .. Of the total of 14, ooo inhobi tants thousand people were -~;L;tled .in. efCplosions ~fr:· by' expelled to Dvinsk, Two .were ·pern;itted· .. , . Chilc"j.ren -~J1d.,pld j>eople who were. s<\!:.tU·. p.l~Y.@ drowning. ·.... -,- .. , . .. : . .. · . '.: · to remain on the .spo;~·'· :. . . 11 K)ivat'i,iiilt.w·rep·oi"'tie·a·;·on·5.12~J:943 • · *-·- --. 'J -e- - - .- ; ;.'-..::..:.::··.-:...~-.- .<- ·-.:-,'~':.. - :· C:: ~t -,:;;- t hc t the Geroans had begun to dig up graves near.the ninth fortif1.cation north-west of K~vno. . · _ ·1'- .:f:· -> . -.- , .. . ·. Gieantic boilers trc.nsforned -\;he -l:)od_ie1:>- 't:~Hd'Ustr Thi~.')l~eM-tul work_wos cm;riccLqut by_thEi Jews theoselvcs~ · ··.,::;;--- .· .. ·>·; ····:.,:· -~ '. . A'sim:i,tdi:iicc.ount is found in ,:the ''~opr:lkla\isvll, :r;ietwvi:;" ;of.:··:· 20,.12.• 1943 _regar!1i4. the d;\.gging up of grave·s_-j_p: ~her lar{te; SaJ;ld..,fi.e;J.._~.. o.~:Varena by the :Geruans._ The spot is situated.so11e .. i;iil.e~,;f,ron.,.Vil,ni:i,_~~ .smd. was· the scene'_ of the uµtde:r: of Jews for two·.-yotµ-a·.; . · .~:.~:;:;·:-.:-.:-,,.:· i · .: .. · · The underg:izound Lt"thuanii:m press gives 4~eadful supp,lf?tneritary-. details. It is thought that of the 23 .ooo Jews in .,_ 5. HU N G ~ R Y. - -'c-.- - - _,,: _____ : a) Confiscation_ of Jewish Property •. The "DE::utsches Volli:sblatt" reports that the authorities esti~ oate the ready oonoy found in the possession of the Jews of the capital-, · .::." and to be !equisi tioned at about a oiilion _pengoe. ., . : :~.: ;t The "Maey~r ·. uj·sagil reports that the Hun~arian Police hav.e :re;«.· solved to confiscate froo the J.ews all the1r gold, jewellery, .precious ;.. stones and art possessions·. It is estioated thnt ·the value ·of -all' thi's :: aoounts to three nil 1-i8:fd p_engo. The 11 Estertas 11 which is the organ of the HungarianNazis, es tio~tes the Jew;J;s,h, p_roperty about to be reqWisi tioned at. s.ome thirty 01:).-. linrd pengoe• I:n order to gain sane idea of the amount: o~>p1•operty con fiscated, it should be noted that the·Hungµrian na:1;1·onll.l;_deb1;:at·.j;he;ehd of 1942 amounted. to,Je.s.$ than five oi:l,liard peil,go~• -1 .- <- · .,, ·. <: ".· •_· __ 'The - "Don~~zei t\ing;, of 2'.). J. 1944 reports t~£Lt'fn::\h.~,tQWJ;i ~f-.·.t;_ ;:>: Grossvmrd~in 2oo4 '0hris~_ians wore arrested o'.n suspicion;.of ·o~;I:\Ce~l,;tng·: ,:-~_.' "~'·, Jewish property Worth 40: million -pcngoe. !I'hose '··arrested' i'Ilc;lµde ,P(JrS.OliS · . of high rank. According ·tp."the 11 Pestor L_loy;d!~~;?~tKk!:J~!~:,k_~~t : ~ came a faniliar occurence in the streets of. B.ui;lapesth ft ·is rumoured • :· :\'." ::. - .. -- < .r -9- thnt durine tho first ten r.ays followine the odCJ\lpati~n~25~qo~5J.,ew.:3 w_~;r,e .... ' expelled to Dnchuii, A lnree nuuber of Jev!S were expelled tcVP9la.nd~ Mn;Q.y · were kidnl'.pped nml no body knows where. they. ate,·. In vi~w~ .?f ,thif:l;, perso0,u tion unny Hune;nrfan ;:in1;:!,_- seni tes c_haneed their~.· at tit~Q:~,:·in --r.E!s;peci; .of .· the Jews, Han;y Jews coricenled theoselves in vnrioui{ plB.c:<3.s·, ,i-licil!ixdi.ne·;!: .. f.'.lro-ltf!iuses, The Catholic and '~rotestant churches lent 't_}le.:l,;r'.'rii(l·,,t_o,:th~-· Jews, ~he wenl thy Jew Fcranz Horin fl.ed to the fanous Bem,;dictine :!IIono,... ,, story D.nd concealed hiuself thero for several days;:il\l~*ne J:i~.stay a~- the Mor.:.nstery h0 learnt· thc.t his. dc.u5hter t who had ;:t;.ElOD.J.ned in Budapc::,s:t, hnd fc.llen sick, He coLIIlunicat&d with her by telep):J:o;n.e mid was_ar~ested on the followinr; day~- · · · · · · · · .. . ~.. . . ' ! ·The "Afton Tidnincen" of 26.4. '1944 quote,s' t~e words ~f- Fro.µ.:. ' ciscn Hilson whic.h w~re published in the "Econonist,n::, hQ ffeite_r· vis:l;i;pd Hunc;Gry in 1939/40 .::md observes: It is possible that ·t:p.e Polish re:fueee,s . in. Huncary enjoy · fnv·ou;rabl e . t:rrt,-r:ient--,-bu-t-tIJ;e--i-npct:l):~r'.: J,eY"~.?e~J~f~gees · froo Polo.nd nre inprison_od in uc..apest prisons on th(3. cllo.ree -.of.' Coi;in1.1• niso, and the c.tti tude towards· then_ is shaneful. ./''' · · _ c) The Mass Conv0rsions in Hungary. j ! ...." 1; ;~ :: ·- The ·mass ·co:p.versions inHuncary serve'as ari 'iupor;tnh_t. issµe .in 11 the Huncarian press. 1'he"lJ!agyar Kour+or , the organ ,of the tilrurch .. in· B.u._ do.pest reports, tha_t iii- view of the laree queues of.SJows:fili:hing l1i> ih front of churches to be baptized, they could not iniDedi~tely f(,ChievE:J · their desire, but would hc.vo to .wui t for nbout t~co":months:•. -~hos~ wn.o approached the Church .e.ftor· the date of 23. 6, 1944~ NiOuld riot be. ?¢c.ep'ted for the present, Pre,paration for c_onvorsion~ by pr.ivate> indivj_dti.fl:l!3 ·a.nil . not by an authorised .priest would· not be tD.kert into '-ll<,:co~t, with Jh.e~ .. exception of ure-£:nt co.sos like sickness; e:tc.- -· · : >-''( ;_ · ·· · ·· · · · · , · ·./ - ...... ·_.·. . ,·__ . - -(1·. -.-"·:-·. _ An evangelical. papE?r published in Budo.pest p:fib.t's a warning· not. to accept· Jews unijl.er the· protection of the -Christian fuith.' The papier ····. reni:!.rks :that- the· beho.v_ipur of th,e copv'orts dist'urbs . the orc'j.er . of prayers' and ~affects the .·snncti ty of. tl1e church. · • .... , . .. . . · . ·· •· ' · · . ·· '·· _; •- • • • ·• • • : ~ - ":•• -\----~--~ '._ • -.- -· r"•·._ ~·•·>~._C=·--~=-~·._;~~:- ~>>~- _' The 11 Maeyar Ko'lµ'ier" .puJ)lishes instrv,e;t.i'Ons'}'t~?.t~-ff.W~~b~Fgy::.fc)'°?··· exercise considerable care i.ri acltii tting Jews· .. 4o ·th«? boSoI!l of ,the· church. In such cases it is noces?ary, :l,n .. ~cJdi i}ion:·to ~:h's.~r-a:)._:l,~ioµs ¥!iPW,':\.<0dge ·· of the cand,:1.date, alsc;> to ascq~to.i~ . ; ·. ·~ -10- half a year and to clarify the situation. I:( ~O~e.~S{U'y thi~ period_. ·should also b~ extended. The ".Magyar Kourier 11 publishes a wafning give religious to p~iv~t~ p~ople who instruction to candidates fgr conversion, And"'?ihoeven t~e .paynent for such instruction. Since thf;i uu.t_horietii;is courses of this kind know·that. - are held in Budapest~ ~hey.·w1·sh tg inforli: the,·: piiblic thc.t this is done without the apJ.JrCival authorities, of ·the ecclesi~stiqal . •;~ and those who attend these course Al;ld pay feos·to pate are the victios of frc.µd. partici The Protestc.nt_l3ishop Zoltan S~u:i'asti has published a declo.ration on the attitude of Jewish pro tho church tpwnrds the bl co ancl the Mass Conriers:l,on uovei:;ient .amo'.l'lg the eo.ry, to the following 1 Jews. of Hun• effect: he protection of.the Church cannot withheld. :froa·those who desire be it; .but on the othe:i' hand oar~ must be to.ken that this should not be purely a natter wishing of conveniQnce~_~body to change his relieion, and possessing.·~- his flll!lily who .s61i:ere · :tiris'tiaJi. in docs not bolong to the Evo.ngelical hurch, ·should sent to the Church ·to which the ;.be · nenb&r of his flitrl.ly bplon0s. '.AJ.l ·the oth1.;rs have to pass o. period of trial ahcl This study lasting a full year. arrangenent will prevent the: int:roduction of those intere;sted to their who are only own pe:tsonel advnntage. . · . Until the uiddl& of Aueust the Hu11[:;ariun·press had not pµb - lishod even a reference to tho declaration the ioprovem:nt of the Red C:ros13.rega:rid'ing in the situation of Hunc;arian Jewry • .,M&anwhile hns beGn a crisis ·in there :vis tho Cabinet, and n few ·Jews have· succeeded in. leaving Hungary with the aid of the Gestapo. Accorcling,to cei ved it is cl<::ar the. news re: that. the Jewi.sh pro bl era has nothing to do with tpe Cabinet chnnces or the internal crisis the: Jewish in.·Hungg.ry~ It is correct that problem servos to create. tension~ .but this.·does, the tension in question nean. ;that· has. cuused the resignation. of th,e, three pinis ters or the sickness of IDt~ay. Even in Gernan fereucos of opinion circles there are dif' regarding the"finnl solutidri1! ·of :the Jewish. lea in Hl;tnc:;ary. , • prob..; · · . . . ;·>, '_:.:y._ .,,_·: ,c'·~.-. , .. ~ 11 . The j omnai' 1 I .i\cti on 11 of. 28. 7 ~. 1944' \~li:ich;.14-irtisr;:~.hed Lausanne, gives th& rates charged iP. .·· ... by the Gestapo ·_:f'br ·the 11 rescue1t. of tho Jews of Hune~ry,~.e. for their oxpulf!i~n.·.:tq,~~~"i,xi;;.ttr~()~)17*•'-':!\11· old Jew costs 4o .. ood Frs. The r~te for chil¢lrE!n le. From 5-lo ·r-\lllS'.'On·a~·slichng sca •. ooo Frs. or over, according 'to.·wtght. 'ij:nd category. stead of sending.such Jews to.Oswienqiin, In Gernnn-Swiss.frqz+tior, the Gf:!n::uns take then to.the after their representative has received an ad-· vance paynent of 'lo.ooo Fra. in Switzerland paynent .or Porttigal.~is advance is never rot.urned under any conditions. The balance count is placed at the dispos.'11 of the ac".'.' of a Gestapo _off'icici.l, .whose duty it •· is 1>o deliver th,e "consienpoont" at the, also Gerntm-SWi.ss frontier~ It is possible to ordbr a-.j 01..i.rney to Basel· or· to but in such· cases· : LisJ;>on .:bY aeroplane, tbe ·?Jates are exceedingly high. For an 11 :1,oportant consigm::;ent" suoh as\wo;Ei roco.ntly sent "to Portugal !, ;• -.there.. are" also. • • • •_ • r ' -· ... : . -11- . ~ '- . . }. ::._, ~ · .. ~~_._ . . . ' . :- :.-;. -. ,~ ;.~f"' ~..,, _'. . ... ~-, _._ . . .· deductions. This k1-nd of-'.trade .flourishes, ·.aJ::t.hQllt§l;l. it r;;.eets with cei: to.in. c1iff'.icutties ·on ybe part -of .the Hungarian Atithorit:f:es_; because the . ·' r::onoy disappenrs froC: the clenr~ne ngre~I:lep.;t-.P.nf}_.;S,C:.;rves oJttl.y as.~~.spur- ce of livelihood fox p~i:vnte, peo.pl.e.. . . · ~-~:.:<'.~"-''.. · · '.,. -b • B U ·L. G A R I A.·. · Jews who left Bulec..ria in July , 194.4, repo_;rt that, the. ses}gna tion of stoconynkow, .the forcer CorT.issioner .for" ~ewish M'fafri:f, 'was . th0 result of diffErences of O,Pinion betweeh hin and Professor stalleshem, Ministe:r for the Interior. stooony8.kow is known to have resolved not.to introduce :my chnnees. either for better or. wors~,in the Jewish 1egis±a ti on, l~ow that the stc.te o:f r::ind in Bulc;aria has ·chmiged, he was .called upon to abolish thnt part of the Jewish J,.q:;islation which do.:e_ti- cicil orclor in. this connection has ye:t been published. . ,, . ·111 th reeD.rcl to the ooq:iU:lsion of the Jews thqre ·:i~ A nan who 1 eft Praeu,~ on: 1~2. 7. 1944., . i'~ports that there'. are . '.. still 4:. ooo Jews· thori:; 1. Vfll.i:>. :we0cr. the. J<':.wish,'. pn.dge, . Part· of them: work ns experts· in fac'j;o-rieff; }ihile part were eqploye!]. · fn .th~ .., fo:r:'r:J.er ,"Aus wnnderunesstolle". {Er:Jierit~ion CeJ::!:tre).)whiah ·now erteaees in the supe:rvie::. .. sion qf Jewish property~· "A'·stfoll nuob(;r of. Jews wo:rk in the liberal _ professions, pnrtic¥lo.rly· ·as physicians. Jews uay not enter' eertairt ports of the town. hey 1:iay not leave their how~s after a p.o. nor nay ~ •, . .. -12- thcy to.lk to Aryans. Jews nupt wetir the Jewish badge-~ an:a.JnEif:tr~:Ve1.·only in the trailers of trl9Ds. Jews are not subject to Czech.·C()iu;J;s .. but oil!y . to sp.ec":i. .::il (l~.rnan Courts'. In eeneral, however,: thE:(·a:t;titU.d~.-{owards .. _: tliefse Jews is 02sier than it was two yeurs-aeo~ ···~~ "·· The grenter part of Jewish property in ,th~ are.a; _of.· the. Pro-tec tornte was not confiscntcd for the Stnte Treasury. ~-The Ge:rtrans a]:i:tfr>int'ed . trustees over this property, including Jews. AB Gernan_officials began to be taken to Geroany O!). account of t.otal nobilisation they :were :Z:.l?t,.•. ·placed by nany Jews l)Jld Ulso by Czecha. · . . '· ::·:~ . ~ j- . Jew~ ure also still .t"D be found in·Br,~~ini, vvhere.the Jew;l.sh.,. "l•:Ii t.:teiluni=;-sbly:ftn. conti:nucs to appear~ r .· 8-. The STORY OF DUTCH JEWRY. The course of events in Holland, Follo~irlg the. Gern~n conquest. of Hollarid in May' 194.o,: a way~ . of suicides bccan 0J.C?ne the Jews. However, li:l.le:i:con"l!inued its. t:id~oul .. course and, nobody took any. st.eps against. th~n~ :he 1heqd of·._the fl-7 - -13- Hendrik Koet, a D¥tch Nazi, was seriously wounded. That evening the;; GhGtto was surrounded by the Po1. ice, ani;l conducted _searches anQ.:-arrei:;ts .wE)re ' therE, The Jews were ordered' to hand :over .. 1;11,8, arz;:11:( possession within 24 hours, ilr·"their bµt nobody fuLf_illed .tI?:e corder~ .- , - - : . _: ,_ . ~- on the - e~cnilig of February 22·· nd., the~ Geir:i'~~s c6nducted first lare;e-scale Jew their .. hunt •. 700 o.en a:eed· between 18. uric:l. 35 we:i;-e lil."res tEd, beaten and afte~wards sent to. the soon Concont:tc.tion Cru::ip at Scho6:tl. after the Jewish Council learnt· of cases of death;llLlone soners, By the end these pri of 1941, not one of then retiiHned al!lve. The. Dµtch·. population deoonshated its anger at this hunt, lowed, .nn.d t{\ose that fol.- ' by a general strike -at A!lsterdao, Hilversum,;''Z~anddn•and·;naar lon. In response the Germans dismissed the Mayoi:s ;-of thts ·towns I_ ap pointed Dutch NaZis in their places, and al.s_d (The fine on .hnsterdc.m iznposed·C:ol~e¢tiirE:L:t'ines_, anounted· ·to 15 milli'on fl'orfiil};_t· · At the end of March.1941 a census Jewish was carried_ o:ut amone 'the inhc.bi imnts of Holland, For- the greater pal'.t. eve.de this census, thinking J~ws:c1i!l ho,t that they wouJ,.,d afte._r\'Jards ~be le.ft :a..}. one. They never dreamt of destroyi~ the records., u.rchi'ves,· a_nd :1is;tfj o:t' the - ~ewish Comm';ll1ity, .and thus escapiJIB. In {mc1!ls_t._J,.9 issued. bearing 11 __ 4.l:·s_P_ ecial .:c_a;rd~were the letter "J , It was then found_ that.-.,there 140,000 Jews in .wer.e - Holland, Eµld 6._ooo Jewish.partners ip;mix~d_ma,:l'.':riages;. and that these included 25. ooo ·foreign there were lo·o,o·:oo ·Je\VS. subjects. ~Jh:_AnisterqlllJJ.:. itaelf - · - · · :,. -·- - -,. -· - .- · The re~oval ;Of t·he. Jews fros- their begun -positl6n~:·.1i{-eccihoriic?' life in October and November· 1941. ·he methods emplgY.ed.iyver-e' as hnd already been -the'. sane - utilised ih Poland, e.g., the fre~zing , accounts in bank§, of. Jewish- the prohibition against h!hlding:·ruiy amount exceeding .~, ooo florins, the duty of depositing at 250 florina the pa~?\any,.$tinls\exce~d.inq - _ per month; and likewise the prohibition o:f,removalsf-roni place to plc:.9e_and of journeys,the liquidatiori.of,Jewiah and the like. This ehte:i;prises -- was ·followllld;.by the ·exp~lsion ·of th(;} Jews to _-lE;Lboui: camps at Oviziy, Drente, and elsewhere. In Nar·ch examinations and ,April 1912~mec1iQ~l, . were Clonducted of men aged fr,.om 16~\;o· .55j;_fl13W:i'"s4i~-~J,f;ff;('"7' cians ,who il2llllediately· understoo·d that was to the 'pui'pose of·'the .exi!iriinations - send all fit men to labour camps, ref'.uaed to 'par'tic:J,).'a'te Af3 against this, Ary,eyn in '!;hem~· physioiahsmade a vast aniourit-ofmbiley by is.:.. suing certificates· ·-ot poor heal th to -thei:r Jewish_ to be heal thy p'atients ~ Those found were_ sent·~ 'bo. labour camps~ _ - • . - · " - . - In May and June i942 fresh examined e~amiriations\v~r~ helld~· Ai1'_ tl;lo.se were ·found to be heal thy and were. serit to labour the nutrition was inad"equate, c.ainps, where On _2,lo.42:.all .the -.l'abour Clm\PS were closed and.the inmat'~s were transfe;rred were sent to westerboU:ro~~ j.~o Jewi;i wpo· from the Ham.i.e and Utrecht~ to tlie . 11 11 . ' . '. ! • ' • . ' JeriisaHim camp _(hear·- . . . • ~ - ·• -• : _.,. • ' . ~---.. -' '- - . . . • - ! i. _: -:i-+4- . . i#-~ , . ..·.;;·.:. :·1 - n' .' -.~:-.{. - _;./'.'·i·., -- EllCOm) ~at the beginning oi "'ugust .'wer~ b~~en.~~i th.;'.~fu:P~ .'~ifii;. ;iii.":' ting at the static,in; a1;1d wel'.e_ treated:;~¥ 1:1o·:~:tue;i.-. a'.. _fa.sM.~n that· most of them d;ted·· within, three months·; . he :i:eµ1ainder1 :who Ylete :af- ·. terwards ·transfer.red to Westerbo:urck, inc].ude~ s.~~~d: e;x::\').austeq people who had ;to undergo hos:pital·treattnent.b~eY.·we::re aJ;l·skinand, bones and ·had .scurvy sores aLl over their bodies~· .·:· - ';' · __ :: "· ,: I , I. .-. • _ ; •. • -~~Ji?· ::.: . . -·.-: : ~ ~.:': ·:..,; :.. ·). :_:· '.·_.· _ .:, "· I : 1~ The Jewish,_ badge was introduced irt· '.May·~l~4l f and '.in·; a.ddition' . J.ews were forbidden to.i.appear in •public p1aces·, and the. ~renbtil'fr.'.'"' laws cazne into force. he Jews were excluded from·many·cidcupati<1ris. Physicians, phar~acists. and ,lawyers were pe:i'm1-tted to praotisiFt.llef.r ptofessions·only among the Jews.Jewis11~crhildliei1 we;re expelled :fr.om general schools. . . .· .- . . -, re - .. . . • -. -~:.:~_· - ' . ; . . . . - . . - ~~ - : . - -:~ ' ' _· - - - - ··. '.. ~- ; ·- .. _-. In April 1943 Himmler.paid a visit to Holland, and soon af.ter the mass expulsiqns to .Poland beg2.n. An ~:i;;q,e:r. w~s publ:j,.sJ:ied. that all'· Jews had to remain at_.._l).ome from 8 p.m.·unt:tl·6;;a._.Il)..,l and to.wfli:t f.or thei~ depc:µ-ture ..... he younger p~ople., age'd ;.fr.o!Il .. :ii:>. . On Ocfober 1 and ':2 '· 'J.,9tt~. ''1$,;-.9,q~ :.&e#~ :-Vf.~f~-'..b~o~g~t ,,toJtt~ =. :'= ' · .Westerbork camp f,rom v.arious towiw-"'in·lio-n·&:no.~· ·!mi.Eire· wg,s no ,.;eood . . • · :•;·~~r;~t~~ii~ 0~~l~~~l°.P~l~6~. ,·~;4_~·!y~~~.~tt~t~c~~~~~,H~l~~~'~{i~~p~ .. • .. : · th_!:! Germaris Pi:,ev~nted :,-~h;l-~. . . · ·, .~._,::. . : ... ;,'.~ .. :•,.;~'.'. .; .• ··~ .. ":.,:,.~;,~., · ... -. • . · At the ·Ellegern -Labour CEU:np ·J.ewS':,_w.e:r,elq \lse.d. for "all li;ilids, of.. ., _ exan(inat:l,ons~ •.. ·Tbey we:re ··bu:de.d up t.o ;the: nae.ck :or .givel,i one p:J.;atfj · of soup a day.. After the examinations· they_;~!\Yer.e .•t:r:ansfe.ri·e'd t'ci the: . w,esterbo::r;~ Hosp~_ta+,, .Vi!:he:r:,e. yarig~~.;p_a:i;~'l;.!f1 ,o~. ,,\;R,e,ir. bqtlies -we:r;;e ampu- .. -i~.t~~.·~1;ef·~·.w.~:ek.:;x'il'.1iifu-~:r·iit ..~i::-~fiti-flf;~.~~~~~-?~d·.;r~w$·.::~~r.~-:~if~Jrit .. ;:' from· ·westprbq~ll:,. t'e>: .os,wie~gi!ll:; • :11,o.ern .e;is:J1ell,e:.c'l,.·WE>re::,;bnnie.1ii_ate;J.y '!.!~.~ · . · P.lacei.d· by·· 017µ~5. yiq:f;~ms'r• .i"fh9, .MXt t_ee~·i(ey»1lY;;ctfq~~f·;~~'~·~re1;1_t,ecl,,.· ;old. Age· Home.s a11d-·ttospi ta-ls ·we-re--tr'ans:t'ei:red. ·to~weater.bork for this pur pose. Lunatics from Appeldo:rf were loaded up like ca:ttle and shipped out of the country • .Among those expelled td .Poland was an oLi wol'llan aged 99. Many Jews wero also concentrated in a camp at Vugl;l_t._ From '; t:··· .-.-;.J!" .,• (l , •r.; i.• ·-15- . ~. ;. . . J ~ . _.- ... .. "!' -~~1- .. :.. - ·0&'.mJ2 --,th:r,ec thou.$1md sick ~hfi'dren vJerd" expelled t 9. B E L G I U M. '' Before the war, 100.000 Jews used to livc=in ]elgi:um, After May loth, the overwhelming majority of them fled • .!!o_llowing th,e A::c rnisticej however, many of them returned. At the.end of 1940 t~ere o/ere 55.ooo ews in 'Belgium. Until 1941 the Germans took no steps agains:t · the Jews, and only at the commencement of· 1941. did. they order1 :all Jews to resister and weo.r the Jewish badge. 43.opo iJews satiafie!l these . re-quirements, including 5. qoo Bele;ian subjects.- ·· · The German authorities handed over thecondudt of Jewish af. fo.irs to the "Organisation of Belgian Jews'\,;. the o.J. l,I•• ln Juiy 1941 the Germans issued a call to young Jews to report :for work, hose who. reported a's required were concentrated in a camp' at )Jlalfnes r tand y.rere afterwords sent to an unknown destination •.BY Octcib_~p - 1942' 1~6,60 Je~s had bern arrested an9: expeEed as a result o.f. s.treet,, arrests and do miliciary searches. he arres'(;s cnntintied until _,1943, (l!ld accolinted for 27.ooo people. ~ ' In Belgium there are Jewish und<:irground organisati~'ns-_which ;,__< are united in a common defence committee. f~e:i.r P'UX'po_se :t.s.,.,;t;_g'"~e~q.-: ' aid to the Jews in hicling frotn_the Gestapo.· he-.Bel:•g:l;EJ.tl,"'~u~i-~.:te.S~~ana-·.'\ Belgian ins ti tut ions have also helped· the Jews. . ; ·. _ ' -, ',. · . The arrested Jews are concentrated in a camp at. Malines. Un til the end of 1943 27 transports had left thi's camp, each.of.about . 1. ooo people. Of late thxY ·have~ ceased to ~xpel people · o'fter the. age -of · 60 as well as children. hesc are placed under the care of' the · "Orga nisation of Jews of Belgiumu. Many Jews succeeded in escaping during the journey. During Passover 1943 the Belgian and Jewish partizans stopped.a.tl'.ansport of Jews; and during the ensuing skirmish with the}.gua:r-ds 5o0-6oo' Jews sue.... ceedcd in escaping; · - ·.. · · · · · - · · · - · ' :·-··fie~ '· ./f.:. I. >~x· . ·~i6- -A.:-. . _''.'.: : ··Let~ers ar~ received from. Je~s e~l)e3'·~~d~,to'.~gp~~X:~~H~s1~~(< , ~h~r~ J~~ ~o,.;new~· fr~m ..tho~e ~ent to Pola?la •..~'lu~.s~ in·_:~U:~si.~;,;l;),g~pl.~n.">:~1 " of. p9·or ·-~ in~d~qu,El,~-~ foot!-,.: _no med,ical he:Lll .B,ll~ e~a-µ_s~i-~::l)~:Y~~~-~) · . (· labour~ ·Those \'l'llO grow- weaJt··are sent to Poland and destru9tio~,-/,. ·:>; . · ·, . " Th~ie' .- are 15~6oo -1~.ooo:·je~s left :j.n ~el~i~!i}~:~-~~()o::J,~g~l~ there (1?1c~udil;lg 600 ·Glt the M~lines camp, 200. ~i~k :I;µ ;t~o)rew1f:llj,;;hJ>Elf' ..,, pitals, 600-800 old, Pi;!ople in the o. J.)1· if1jititl:1.tip11s; .. ~nd:tbf!r~.,:;~ mainder children and· officials of the o.J~ · B. and ·its·.1astitutions~ .. · " . ... TWelve thousan.d Jew~;_ including 2.060 ob!ldre?i; :are ip·n~!iI~J~<~a,.;1 rious place a.,· and -the Gestapo, 1B ceaselessly endeavoiµ;ihg tt) ,traoe·· tJ;iem. · · ·. · · .. · ·· · ·,_,.._. · '.· ~ _· .. ' ) .- :•.t J • ·~ -~~ ..:. ._ .i '~ ------_c- -~- •. Unrestricted. J I Transmitting reports on the ~ Situation in E~rope. r.: .· I have the honor to transmit herewith, as of possible interest to the war ~ef11gee Board, copies of two Bulletins issued by the Jewish Agency Committee for the Jews of Occupied Lurope. Respectfully your~, .-~·,..,. I_- __: -- _, L. C. Pink.er ton A~erican Consul General Enclosure: copies of two.Bulletins. I. \' - -· \ File No. 848 LCP/ep ~-1/j .. ·. j c!Ae_ f. o I v &r0- _ ... ;_' \. The fellewing reports ,,;n the Jewish aituat:l.e:i{;1ti. 6ek'tr'iea'': · • under the rule of the Nazis and thl!ir: sat.eU:ttes are 'bas'~cLon {nter,..;. m,a ~ion reoently- .reoeived. fro;111;;V:arii;>tis ;a·o\frpeai':7t~·;.i,_,~H;~./~:;·· .'·" / · · -:',.:·:- THE GENERAL ------.:;-..=-.,.....,.;c=~.;..;,;:;;.=o;..:..SITUATION., ,) ';.~-·Is.:. ;:f:, . - : . { ': ::-. I ~ :·, ·1--~11 i.~~ ::,_-_,.__ ;~>·,·.· .·-J:A:i: 1. One hundred ~h6:Usand Viotinuf\8. : meritih~ \ ~ ",.,.,, .. d·: Dr. Hugo· V8:ient:~n, ·ieotur~r:~r· th~ ~iii;,:~~~itf,:~f#~·~~~i'.'lh''..~reden:· makes an attempt, in a.?l arti o1e P..\J.?Ji~hfi.~ .in.J;h._~ ":Ong§~~.~.~i'~h,,~°P~;t'·JL9n · 28th, 1943, to give, an pst:l,.me.te oi'. .:l(l,le ;n~ber'.o1 f~v~~:;)'@'.~;,i,~o;.-?~1,: :1..11_. , Poland., He bas.es himself on, the.. figur~s :O,fo 'f,ri.i:>.(l~u_r,~:, ap.}if~~.ehl~·t,.aI1d •n. . the work of .Professor Brodetski, published .~n .the. Apr.ll.~iss:i._i:~ qf .:the "New CoJ?Lr.io1mealth Q.uarterly•i~. Dr. Valen~in reinii.rks· '\Yirtii\t¢gari'l te; Friedburg and Pehle that titeir ;a,ttitud'e :ii,oytEir ' ••••··--~-.-.. -·-·. ~~O· _. .,.~"°""-~·O·~·-·'-~---~--·-~"~~""~";'~' .... ~~J·.···: l j l ·~ . ,·' ••.. . . " 2 ,,. who have not yet been massacred. Secondly, P~hle's period of' t~me ·. is more e:J!:tensive, coming doVln until October,· 1943. Dr, Valentin therefore reaches the con.~lusion; that Professor Brodetsky's .;·'' average of 100 1 000 victims per month is correct. . · ,.. 2. l' 0 L A N D. ! :.<. ' ... .;;:.: ;:~ "'.':'V' .•.:::r;'.'.•i~(tirt . . . a) Inf•rmation tram the· Je\v1$1l N~~foI1a.1;co&ic1i 'iI1 wat-'~~wL LQsses of the Jewfsh Underground in: the Ghetto ·:· B,attle~· Dependable cir ole.s · :iir. I.,onci~n ::htl:;~·feceived a lett~~ from · the Jewish Netio?~l C_ounci~.-i~ y1~rjj~W, da~e~_lptJ:i,09tober? 1943 .. with re.sponsible· signatures· as ·wel:l-as- Letters ;also bear:mg the1 .prop·er · s.ignatur.e hav_e_. likewl1;1e, 'Qe.~p.,r?.~eLve.d, bY-•.-Ytf;i;"io~s;,or_ganisa- . tioris ef. Zioni~t workers •. Jµnong_:,oth~·r. 1n;f;"ortnati6tf;-,:th~ae ,le;tt!'!s.. , es'.l;imate the number, of J.e:w.s ~eft'· Jn f't>:J.and 8c~ 200jOO_o, a.~A>filso·.. gl ve the n;~es of 233 people' .~ho; fe:):l i71 tp._e :o a;t.F:ea ~ ofc'~]ie • \lfal'.'5,8:'?' ghetto. With' the exception of; a few;·)3µrt~i?,ts: 1;}iey Y".er~.:.a1:i-:-:memb_9;-s i~c~~r~~:J.i~~;:~·.'r=1~~6;~i~:~;; 1~~1~a.:·9~~~· {~~f~ 1s~:~~ !~:~~ .'\.- rssista.noe ~n.. -wa:i-saw,' Bi_?-lyst·ok,; Ti'embiinka ~- So!21bci~ ,' '9zen.stoc1'6wa, Bandin Vilno, .Tar~ow, and a numbe~. •f' other:pl!J.ees~-·rn, ·~o+.and. · '. there ls an undE?rgrcitin:d :;i:ewi~h'" R~lief, 0otn)ni;~:t;eer.'.fi.~ y1J(ll'. att a.~, ·:· (loordination Committee bstwe·a:n the':Jewfsh'Nationa-FCoiutcil and the·. Bund. The"S~o:bs,f,~rY.,pi; ~~is:;,9ADJ_!ri~~-t~f ;;:!\~;}.t~~N~t,_:{-,· ;:'_'.:.. ·.; ·.·· ·.' · 1 1 . b) The Genrta~·s' inisint6rni tb.811' bt.m Pubii:~f ·· '•" • :: ' • . The· "IlWS~~isrter. )3sob:ac'f1:t!'i-'''f. ;~li( 1ii~~tr_ai{a~' :ri~~a:~t~f .. ' ;· the Nazi. ~arty ,':,has. ~Ub1:,ished~'P.~p~(jgr~pl1s· f~~'-t!le.'ghet.~o.~·:a~ros·~,: tw• pages of it~ 'issue. or' Jap.\la:ry_ ).3th, J94~ •.. ~~6 ;:;~e;xt, J~.c-~romP;!'lnY:':", ing the pictures proves. tl\at. a,n ·attempt ·is beitig mad:i:;' tp 1Jers:ua.de the. reader. of ~lie continued 13xist_e~~~ •f' ·theU~~~~ti§k~~~l.m'11~~.:'/ !Sprove" that. tfierE> is "regUl.ar traffic'' in 'the''streets" bf'·tlie: ·:·:-~ ... · 11 Shetto. itEven trams, , '.says ~ne: bi', t~e aocomj;)~riyfng'. _(Hiptfo&J, "art; to be found lti the. ghettow. 'Other photographs show· va').'Jous' J¢wi:sh types in Poland,~'"from the stU:derit of' the Talniud;t6""th6 \'lhita'..'::: · Slav!l -~raff~_Of3r''~. anc'\ ,p~qtures ·ot Jew~sh ot;aft:~:r~i1~:.'.'.Whi!ch, ')5~j:;:' .·. Jewish police is endeavouring to ·combat, Th'ese· pictures l'eave· .the' clear :1.Dipressicm that it' :Gr'tlio.ght a.c1visabie· to:·pers"uiide' 'the • 1 • Germans the~.~;i,.vei;i that ghetto~. in \'1pi'oh ·ie~!_s · stili:"'lW!\ a~e }h .· .• exist~nce, and, that 'the .Tews in th13m iµclude· those who' have 'l?.een ~: · eXpelJeP..f~om· :the Reioli; further, tha~· cond,:(tio'n~in')h~se~ g~e~to.sf are not ,too bad; The photogra;I?hs do not. givp the: n,a~s- of, the· ; · · places where. t,hey ;w~rs.,,t~ken,· '.aµd :(?he:re is good; r.easo11 ~~·· assWD:e:;:, that they date 'from ·the" peri:Od when 'the' Warsaw ghetto was still' · · in existence, · · ,._' • c. .< .. .3 This would seem to ind,icate that the Germarinuisses,are\. beginning to feel uneasy in reap.act of ·the Nazis:.treatrnc1nt!of'< the Jews. The Nazis are known to have ID.!l.de .every' eil:ftirtitq>pre~ vent news of their method$ and/ effective exte:r_'.inination·of ths; Jews from reaching the Reich. They have· n~t peen entire.ly ~·. . · successful in this; and apparentl:y. the (!r(lin\').ry Geijna,ns·; wh& > ... are beginning to fear the future, also start.to tbilik of whatc has been d0ne to the Jews and demand an expi.anatibn;. TJ:is Nazls .· preapinably wj,.sh to misl6ad public •pinionj .in so .far: as it 91'."', . ready exists or is coming int.o existence within~ the, R~ich it$61f, · -~- .--~-.. - . c) Pro"'clamation. of the·. Jewish Underground; in War~aw. During: the Je~·fish defEmce of .the;:Vlarsa~.~glJ.e;:t~;·~the Jewish Viar Organisation issuec·r,a p·~oclaina.tl6n tO the; ifJ.hahitE1nts of Warsa~. This proclamation was, signed by_ ·the. Ci:;ntral ,Committee ef the Jewish Labour Movement in Poland. and read'S as ;follows('.·.·. "Residents of Warsaw? We know that the .~dergrofui(lJ?olis.hJ:.abour Movement honours the ~etto Fighters; .but only the Unit6d Nations can bring us prompt and effectiv~ help.-In the nalJ!.e.of :the: millions cf Jews who have been massacred, iri the,_;p~Ei of31rl,llio:iis who were tortured, slaughtered and burnt au ve, ·in ~he· n£lllie of · those wh• still continue to f1ght a.lthough;they kn,o\i{ :·that.they. mu13t die, we cry out aloud :for. the whole of. th,e ,wor.l,d'.~o hearken . to our cry~ Let the Allies avenge eur ~uffering~ .a!ld our death;··~ . - . s• taht even the foe, who no longer IJossesesany-.,,eatige;o.f. h.umal\ity,. may· recognize the iniquity :i'or which avsn~ing h~rids oring'pi.iriish- · ment upon him. Let. the All,ies unde.rstand ·at 16hgth ~h6. historical .. responsibility whi.ch )"sighs upon those wh'o stand by indi.f:fere11tly in sight of the Nazi: wickedness· .towards ·an entire nation; ire· ·: face of massacre of which the last struggle is riOW· takfog':i>l'aii6. The d espserate heroism o.f the. iphubitanta of th~ ghetto>mus.'ti "'' rouse the world, and lead. it :to·retnliatibn en an eq\i.al.sca,J.e''~ d) Jewilh.ltaJrief In~'titutions ~~··d~~~ow,,:'o:.~~'>·'."'.>'.· . (A report which .mi~ sent frO!!l i>oland on :.§.eJ~;tel:l!b.,e.;~~~~~:t'.-t'(~'" . · we lea_rl;l the following: · ·· · · .rr··· · ~·:.: · .. '-· ,·,' i"" '· "The ghetto of c.rncow still exists •. ·• Tn'oua~nds or .Jews''}lave been deported and sen,t to .extermina-bit>n~centres froiti,.Cr~crr/,1,~, .£1.i:i . from ether cities and towns ~f :Poland, 1;3ut -'there are .stn:vabout 2 1 000 Jews .;tn the capital ci:ty. of the Gener~! GQvernment ·~raqcm, Of all Jewish organisations, only tho Judlhsche Unters.t\l,t4ungsstelle is still active in .tha~ city•' It· is directed by Mr~)1iichae::L .•. ·· · Wei chert and H~lfstein ·(probably. 'Dr, Chaim Uilfsteinh It1:1 work is confined· to the· labou~ , camps sinee the Gennan !;lUthoriti es _have banned all assistance. to ·Jews outside of ·the .camps~ The' help'.'wh.ich the Unteratiltzungsstelle is able to send to the camps is, mostly .... -·-.. ---·-·--·-----·--~-~------..:...;.;;.;.. - ...... •'• - 4 .· .. , . < -:.1;t)'~2J}.', limited to medical supl)lies. whi.ch it reoei veil -from .Jew:is)1(r.e1i6'~rJr\: organisations abroad. The Jtidisoh6 UnterstUtzungsstelle iE; ;t;_he . c central Jewish relief organisation for- '\"X in the all the Jews stilLleft·,,· ·· labour~oamps scattered threughout Poland. It' people and r6Il1embers cares fo~ OUJ;" ; · ·~ our brothers in their agony",; · · · · ·. j e} Reports from. the Polish Underground , Moveme~t ~n· the·~ . '. ·--~~, . Liquidation or the J.ewish :PopulaUon. . •·.·. ·· ., ! >·_;".~ I The Polish .. Unde;t"ground>. Newspape-r "Ucwe · Drogil1 of 1943, reports that on March .29th, 'A~r+l 20th, 19431 the Gestapo sent alJ. :'l;he .. Jewish citizens of the United states to be executed,; appear to· refer. (Af!ler1ca:th1s to th9se !J?.. possession .of' papers laaued by South American ~epublics.} On April 30th, 1943, aid of loo.al German gendarmes with.tb,e robbers tj,lled al,1 the rerila.i.ne~ Jewish; i.:lihab:Ltil.Uts of the small town Weng~,J:n return for lll!!.ssacre, their :part1.c:t:¢ tion'·fo ·the the robbers received permission to take of the peopl~ killed and to away tll~:e;J,()'l;li~13 mouths. take· the gold fillings iut'ot- ~fiefr.~' .. · · · ,. ;, ·: •··· ... " -; r - : : -;i . - ' . ~ ! . :. -; - ··. . ' }. 3, S L 0 V A K I A. a) The Expulsion !bf the Slovakian Jews •. . . A Slovaldan Je.w who ._has c"reach.ed ,Istanbul reports th~t ·ltiai:!a ,·: a D_e:partment Head 1~1 the Slovaki.an .Ministerial ·Presidency; wgn_t'.tf . Uppf.l;tl Silesia . at the end 01' l94lc in to orda;t"' to _study 1;}'\e -arrmfgement· be foUhd for Jev1s in the lal?pur camps. When. :he delive;red an enthusiastic returned-he /-. report. •n ·the· regulation cC)f t_he ::t"ewiSh. problem under German rule in Poland. ''class;..levelling"· He began to prepare'plaris'':for in Slovakian Jewry.•·•For this purpose-it.was•····• necessary to make .use Of the aamps at'l~ara.t· and Nqvaki' as model ins ti tut ions-. Kassa went s.o fa".C' as valdan to ·notify tlle -;tea·ders of Slo.; · 'Jewry of his intentions, and endeavoured to pe;rsuadl;l to acaept the plan·•f aonaentrating them their own free will. t~.e ·,·~~ ·j•.. -~==~~-~-~~---~=="~~~~~~~===~~.,,,,,;,~=oo~ :· ~-:_- -· ' ·- 5 effect between Germany-and Slovakia which hafl been··reached en · March 3rd or 4th, 1942 1 by the a.b~:ve ...ineritionedKassa1 In accior"'" dance w1 th t-his agreel!lent GeI'Illaliy ,.,as to ·receivs 500 Marks pe:f head for 60~ooo~trews of Slovakia, which it wpuld accept in Poland, (Anoth-er source 1 it will be rememb e}:'ed, speaks. of 3, 000 E'lovaJ.s:ia.n Crowns, but there is no great differe_nae between. these S\llllS, :.A:t . the end of 1942 the Slovakian Government. enter·ed in· its. clearing• El,ccount to Germany the amount owing according to thts ag~eenient. Rec0t1t].y letters have· bt?,en received from l'l- _riumb~r.of _.: Jewish girls from Bratislava., who a:ra a.t present in the Birkenau . 6amp, These girls were among the first to go· when.. a:n·expulsio:q . of the Jews of Slovakia was carried out in Ma.:t'ch,.':],942~: The I).uinber of single girls aged 16 and upwards who wers then:'exp'6Hed 1 B.In6UAted to abput 2 1 ooo. Since their expulsion np news. had :been'.~eceiyi;d · ~rom thamt" and various rwnours were current a:s to 'thei:r.'~·fat-e•~'\ Among others it was said that they 'had been 'sent to 'brothels ·, •. at the front. Letters have been :c-eoeived only'from·a sma.11·.pro;;. !)ortion of the girls. . ·\,·- · '· ~·< At the vote in-the Slovakian Parliament on the. e:ipulsfon of the Jews Esterhazy, representa.tive of the H~_garia:nqiJ.;i.?,lority, was the· only one to vote against. The Slovaks··rems.l)ll?er tM,.s. o;rime ·. of his, and attach it to tqs list of general charges ,made-::agE!i~st· the Hungarian Minority in Slovakia. Apajlt:f'.roni Esterhazy a certain Lutheran clergyman once permitted .h.mnself to speak eut again~1f · the treatment of Jews. He was kept under arrest for·ab9u1;; twp'.'' .. months. Since his re-le.ass. he has be.en perfectly sHsnt'ana iro)qn ger dares h ;protes;t against the nuthorities on auoo:Unt·qt th~ir behaviour to the Jews. llfith>the exoep:tion off tb.e~e two.no '."· · · ·· · Christians have intervened. · · ' · · · ' '·) b) Further Concentration in Labofil. catii:p~-. Reports fro~ Slovakia ~t~te that the":'coilcentrati on ~f ·J$vis in the uistent labour camps still<. oontinuf;ls ,'.. 'thcnrgh .n,~i~» ~Ii¥,_ . . vast scale. The Jews ere again faced ~by..: tll~'id':l:Teiillll.fi.""'Wftther.... oonoel'f'" · tration in camps within-the oou:nt;ry itself will·serve to saf-e,.. r,· guard them agaihst.expulsion from-Czechoslovakia;:orwnethor, on the contrary, the purpose of the ~oncEmtration is to f'acili tate ' . expulsion activities -in general···· Hitherto experisnce· has s,hP.wn that, with ·the· excep~ion ·of a single oass at .the ·yery b~gi:n'rd,I)g •f the elipulsion, Jews who -have b·een concentrated in la.bl)ur oamps . l.j. have not been· expelled,. Therefere the few .Jews· who n:te still left . in Slovakia viish ilo believe that those wb,o are taken to '1abpur-M.mps will again be. left untouched •. However, they hav:e'lJ>nrnt spmetM.ng frdpl tha experience of. th'e Jews of .Polnnd, and stand t;ensely 1 o'n I the wotoh, · - - - !! ------~----'-~------·--·~~--~--j- 6 The Dr. Kassa mentioned above has now ·been his office dismissed as chief of the Home Secretariat by the Slovakian.·.. · Minister of the Interior, and has. been replaced by Dr. . . The "Donauzei tung'!. of January 28th reports of Bratislava, a Police order requiring the Jews of Slovakia to report to _the Police with all their papers. ·This registration children is demanded .()f· ... and converted Jews as well. .·. I, HUN GAR Y, Murderers •f' Jews to be Tried-'?· A Slovakian Jew who reached Ist~nbul .reports ;tha:t_:wheri~fr~;wa:s at t~e · - Debreczyn railway station •n January R:st; 1944 the'loca1 Jews pointed 1 out tci him a number of goods waggo11s.atanding on.:t;he slidings. These waggons. contained Jews who w.ere tl'anspo..Z.ted a.pparent1,y,:being to Poland. The waggons were closed .and' s·ealeA, ,;and :the Debreczyn Jews stated that thej" had heard voices were from them, They not permitted to approach, but neverthel~ss· in ascertaining,_ that the. waggons themselves .c~e. from Italy. ed that they ~eng_e .t~e Jews .co~clud,.. must contain Italian Jews or Jewish unfortunates who had fallen ·into the hands of the Nazis when.they Dalmatian seiz~d the ..·· coast from the Ita1ians• The latter also seems probable because the direct way from Italy Debrecz.yn. to Poland .would. not pass through · · · · · '-.- -0 ~ A few days later, the inf.ormant states, i:t becan1~--kllPWil that a 0 number of similar wa:ggond hfJ.d also be.en held• ,up. at the:· Budapest Station, Cries for help and. knocks. ·upon been heard. thei: :walls' had , The guards were Germ.ans .and nobody: was •. permitted· to··. approach the waggons • .'Antal'.-;· Secretary of the, m.nisteriaJ,i:.Pres:ldencyl of the Hungarian Govern.:ne}ft, is olainied to ~ave triecl;:to- il}'fluenoe · the Germans to liberate the unfortunate Jews, whom the··Hungarian· Governme~ ·finally agreed to .accept. But would not even t:tl?.l:'J~.~_j;s·:rafµs{i;.d~~*'·" permit food and water to be'cg:tvenTt'os:tns~"~~'""~ ..,, ·· \· . '~.,. Information from: a.very reliable sburoe. intention speaks of the . of the Hungal'.ian aovernment to. bring to .trial those· responsible for the pogroms .against Serbians {Oidiwolc) ·and1 J.ews· at ·Nov,i"sad immediately af;ter power had been seized there· by Hungarians. On December the 13th, 19431 the Hunga-rian author.ities proceeded to the arrest of those responsible,· including and officers generalfl of high rank. The·-report stat.es that :Bardaszi, who was then head of the Ministers, together with ,the Minister of ~Tar in hie Cabinet, would appear. before the Special· C.ourt deal with the that is to matter. It is, thought tnat several •months would be · required to prepare / the charges. J\ later report, the same though not from source·, states thah three generals suooee'dad in• le1ying The r~port does not make any statement regarding<"i;he politoal implications. It may be supposed that :thiS. is·; one link in the chain of activities conducted by the.Hungarinn·Government in order to appease the Serbs; and that the.Jewii?h aspects fs. of secondary importance. It is also 191own that the .H~mgarians used · to explain their behaviour at Novisad as directed against the. Serbians; while according to their ~ccount yhe:Jews who ·sµf'fered did so as Serbs. This report is additional ·evidence Of th'e vacillations of Hungrlhan poli ti ca between two extremes i: '.'• L! ' The official :i:!Ungarian Telegraphic Agency report'S>thk:'·.· [ ' plight of three leading officers of the Hungarian: army \:ih().:,vere ~ .· ', 1 responsible for the excesses-of that army at BaczM in Janj.iary, . ' ~ .. 1942, These; are LieutE.nan.· t Field Marshal. Fe.ke.tha. r. ~. Ma or.""Ge.ner l ·!I1 L , Grassi 1 Colonel Dai k and ~ r-'- · . Q.endal:l!li_~. ! \ re-wmr'l'·ouna that the miii tary authorities were of;ficiall'y lldorm I ! ed that ·these officers were being sought on accoilnt .of fthanoial defalcations; but iii seems that the press merely reports th$ fact that thay are being sought without giving any details. The Jews sup;?ose that the officers are being : looked· :6'orr.oh;)aot>otU1t of I the murders they conducted, but it is possibl6 that this rsaso\j · r is given of set purpose. to the Jews by the. Hungarian authorities, . i, i in order to exploit the fact to Hungary 1 s advanntge 'iri case . ·, i .' Germany loeses the war• For the. Hungaria:hEJ are~anxiousc to 'impJ!IO'le their reputation in the eyes or the Democratic world, ·• _ c • l ·', There- are now ·about 12, ooo Jewish refugees· :f~om s.1~ove,kia in Hungary, about 3 1 500 from Poland, about·259 from Croatre.·an~ a few dozen from Roumania •. All these refugeM' are given;permission to stay in the c~ountry only in connectfon with' p'ossibili"t:!:es ' of immig1ratl"on to Pale_stine, · · · · ·· ' · · -; N o t e: These reports were receive-d~efo~~~~iliJ~,J!~~~~~y~'thto. · Hungary. Naturally the -s-ituation·now iS quite different; Field Marshal Fakehtali, who fledirt connection with the J' :Drial above mentioned, has been appointed Comuaride'r in Chief of the Hungarian· Forces by the Germans. · · I . l ·.... .;.-;-. -. i-' ._,\ - 8 fi. B u L G A R I Al Fresh Repressions., on January 14th, 1944, following the air re.id of_ Sofia.~:)f .-. __ _ Bulgarian paper issued at Plovdiv pubHahed-·an Order_ br _th~ ~> i1(·~ Commissar for Jewish Affairs in this r6gion1 according. to whi9h:· ; a) Until further notice the Jews -are perinl tt'eci to le.ave.. ,\ their houses only for two hours a day, between 8 and 10 a,.m,; __ Durin~ these two hours they may provide· themselves_ with whEJ.t ;tfhey required; b) The Jews are forbidden to gather together or sta_nd _ about in ce.fes; c) The Jews are permi,tted to_ make t_heir. pµr_chaEH3S only within the district in whioh they liye; d) All _Jews :Wor~i:I1g : in shops or enterprises mu.st be d_ism~ssed from t}leir duties __ within -- 24 hours, The inhabitants are also called to -inform the . police et' every oase in which this order -is infringed •..:i;~. :Polov- - div there are now about- 200 fnmilies who belong to t}\e poori;\st Jew:ts11-otrc1a·$ ·o'f' ·So1'le;;: as well_;:~~_~ n.~b~r__ ~f young_ rium :froin th_e 1"r6E!h districts annexed to BUlgaria-; whose· is:areJitS'W\:li's expelled to Poland~ Plovdiv now oontuins the largest iJ'ewish 09mmunity in B~garia. 6. ROUM,ANIA.·' a) The. Situation in Transdniest~cia.',· :; ' The Internation~l Red'q:ros~- gives ~he f'oliov.r~n~'.fi~~r..e~fon Jews in Rounania and: in Transclniestria·: _ _· -• . ,o-,·. _,,,~ \ : · . ' ·-. _·,;.·_ ·."'."' ' In Bucharest .and its v~oinlty there_ are :about.'·:i'.9~,006 iTE>\v_s, They a~e free, and go abo\,lt'without a11y sign. Physicians work ._ without interfere_nos i and in. m,ost oas_es .they· t_rea t t,~e·. .SJok• in th17 . Foreign Colony of the oapital._The businesstnen co:rttj;nue·to oonduot their ~~-tt~s. through-Christians, who .have_be6n registered as: owners. qt the _f ir.lils. The _J ev~ish oler_ic_al _s'tig;tJk~p;:r,~i:go~!.~:}~!?:-:';,,~ make their living -in all .kinds· of ways. F.ormer .·offi·crarn ·al'e in many cases living from their savings. Tha Jews of Bucharest are . . very much concernad .at the fate of. the .Jews in Trn_nsdni~stria,but relief activtties are restr;i.cted .on accoun~ of, lo.ck of_ +.esources; and particularly in view of the ·contribution of-foul' rilillion lei which the Government has levied oµ the·_Jews. of th.a: ()ap1ta1., _ Those Jews who used to live ~long tlie coast have-almost all been k:l:lled. Apart from Je_ws who lived rsgulnrly'.fo- those~ dis tri~ts-, ,.many have been br~ught here from other plo.c·e_s by the • Occupat!.on Authorities. During the wip_:ter of 1941 .. 42 almost half "' 9'1 .the ,:r,~wa. exp·elled died C'.f starvation. The stat-e ·or those who }}ave cre~a;~ned '.·a!b~'lfo. hatr:lmproved slightly of late, beoause they receive ptiroels,•. clothes and food. But most of tlie pnroels are lut on ~he way... · -"o----• • ---·~.--:"""""' .. ~~!:- • ~~~,..:;~·:·•'.~ ~'::,;.:. .-::? '• ";.-~:··;-_.. -·· - '- • • 9 According to officiaLRoumanian stntistics'tl1~l'~J.. r6 . '}l deriving in nart frgq(R}is~in 8.D.d i 82 1 0~8 Jews in Transdniestria, All these ai'e in mortrd ,4nnget new :that . '1. -.-.-·· in pert from Roumania. 1 · the front is beginning to appi'ibaoh, 'Tho folloviing:::ar6 ,the latea·t statistiop.l data reagr.c:Ung the Jews of Transdnfes,t'ria.:(:?;Um.t.h~t . _ '! -.'. ~~~n~~~!:;t~~!/:~; ~!f~tl~~~~ob~h~~¥e~tssj,an. ~, ..,. Ji : ;~g~~~!/~!~~;ai~Y i -. situation,) . .. · · _.. Ananiev -5!)&"j.tr M~hilov lialta GV 1895; 0ozak6w lh-ezkeva 296; Odessa Dubossari ·-230; 'Tfraspol .Golta 3-;063; Tulozin: Yugostr• s,892; ~-.: . - . . . .· . . " ... ~ . ' .. I The Jews in Transdnie.strh- .a,ive ;:i:n · ·JewisJ:i:·ci.U:arters wlif>re the_t .o.an-mo-ve about freely. They ma.y iaO.ve ·thos~ .. qua:rter~: ·.only · permission. This applies particu~arly to.. Jewish·ll\8,nagers by special 1941 an~ workmen who are employed· outside the J,ewish qua:r;ters. ·In and 1942 th·e mortality was gigantic,; Thousand!'! of ]'>llople died .. every da;y of typhoid e._nd ·dysentry. }ro4~i:--thes!3 ,,:Plagues. ~a:v:~ ah most ceased and, which is more~imporctant, _t~~~nurnb.er c;if.biJ:'.ths- ... which had previously fallen to nil increase.d exceed~pgly du+J.ng ./. .headed 1943. Transdnie~tria wa~ Ein.,autonomus RoUro.anian, provfnc.e by a Governor who was dependent on the central authorities at .. Bucharest. Roumania.n currency t>s n·ot used tll'ere but. marks aT,e •. ·. The Roumaninn (lovernment is ·prepared to p~rniit' 6, 5-0tfJ"ews :tQ, · , return to Bucharest from this region.. These·include"wfdows :of - soldiers and a -large number of orphans. (A66o;rding to fnrormabion .. before ~he con,quest 9,f Transdriiestri_a.,by :ttt,e_·:sov:~~1i :toroes, received ·: -·· a,400 Ro~nian Jews had ~eel} t:r.ansferred f.rPrn ·T:rAP,S.,dl\i~st.;o~°'> to , the interior. ). There were about" 320 ,·ooq Jl~~'i&, .v1i:t.h,_~l1, .th,e {ol'rner boundnri ea ef Bessarabie. ... Only 12, 000 cf these ,w!3re let:t J1live;, :and ·they have been sent :to Tra.nsdniestria. -.·· , ··· · ·· · - - ·.. ·. b) - the)mrliilsa~~~~~i}~sT·'i~ -o; - \. Astbeaen~ Res~r~ins. t~~" ie~ur~ - . .. ''M'ten· Tidningen" of 13'•1.44 -r~ports an ~g~~~metjt.,.·si,gtied: ·._ .·:resaraing ths. ;~w~' of Roun~~ia :· -• ·'· ., by the Ro\mallian · do..terruient ~d. ~~e·\ - - '. ;- - _, - . . . return of the J &ws 1'rou Tran:;i~~isstria., 'l'h~ flren!lf.ul .!jUf~_13rinEj .of theae exiles caused certain ~C>~tii.an oi:rc:},p~ to_ :requ"st the · • authorities to ameliorate thefl'.oondj,t~ops. '.J;t is sai~ that tl\e ·wives 01' vrell ..known RO.µmaniim a1:atesmen: Joined in thiEf plra, More yhf1 upproa.Qq .Qf. tne Russian· armY, · . ll'.]' than anything else, howev.~~' negotiatiops ~n this l caused the P.oumonilln GovQX'lll1lli!\~- to·ente'J.',.into 'f'_; olaus es: I respect. The agl'eement contoina the rolloWiJ\g ~ - . '.>.:•.' l:O -- a) Ths Government places at the disposal· of 1:hs ~e\':i{an e;~i~~~?. in Transdniestria ten cars daily to restore th.em: to their f'()r,,. •. mer habitations (from Which it follov1s _:that the asreem~nt: ;'.~'!(L\• fers to RoUlllanian Jews who had been expelled to .Tran$('lniesti;\f!t.,:;;t and not to Jews of other countires). The Jewish Comnn.m~~Y;Pll.Ys.\ ..; for special trains at third-class rates plus 'a sp$1Jial cha::$.e ···,i according to the tariff. · · · _~ . .; - who ·· ·· · ·· ·. · > · . b) Every Jew/returns to his former place of rcsidenc§ m11st p\&,-.: ·: chase an identity card at the Puqlic Labour Of'fice'. '.J.',he. charge for this card will Jbe fixed in accordance with each. ittdiv'isual's · . financial position1 the !Jllnimum rate being 70,boof ).'el.,artd the · . maximum aoo,ooo lei. The Jewish Community is payifig.t}lestlnJ.s required for these cards in advc:ince. _ · ' ~<-- ~ ~;... _.__ o) The J~1ish Community ·undertakes to provi.de decent/clothing :for each individuaJ. .. wbo. :De.turns. The .. paper adds 1;llat by .thf~ '6la.ti.s13 the Rouma:rlian GoverruiJ.ent aimed at prevefiti.,ng ·any: l'eproao~~s WM.-ch' lqight be to the prosperous Rouma11ian Stat~ U peopla:were;':t6il~·. · .1be seen dressed ln cement saoks tied 1'dtih(i: Wi't;h· ..rop~''s~- · · ·· · . -_- -- ·. - '"_,_-., ·---- -.--- .. •· d) The ~overiunent is responsible·f~r the'safe-~y:o:r'tliLe.X4,~s· ... While. on their way back h">me., "A:ften. Tidningen11 add~( t:fiat ~-ti~s clause was ~ece~sary··~b'3cause otherwise- there was. g<;>9d reasp~;" ~ to teer· that. the s .. s, .. ~1' ll!ight l~q~~~.•t.e th.e· t~il'W,J>Oi'tf }f i~~~·· a) The Jewish Comr.unity:-~dertakes· to'-PAY::toti"r miJ.h~rd'],~J;, {~;·; before -the end of 19431 and:immediately_.. -depqs"_t 4 i millia'J;'d lei, for 1944.. f;herea,r~er 'te · . The paper wdtes that the ieviish ... ...... " 4 ~ - • - 11 c) Bringing Back the Exiles. Sbout 6,400 people 1.ncluding,400 children have Eil~?ady - reached Roumania frcm their pl!l.ees of exile in DorohoJ.. In.. - ... e.dditiori 218 political suspec'\s ,- who were sent to Trans.dniestria from various places in "qoumania, have.also returned. A further 280 in the same oategory are also to be bro~ht back. J:t isre portsd that the question of bringing·baok theorpl}ans frol)l Trans .. dniestria has again oeen taken up, but it is'not known•whei;her oondi tions will permit their evacuation~ For the present. the. Jewish c.entre and the Jewish community in ·Bucharest'aI'e ·covering the cost of bringing back the exiles, ·c · d) Par !tels to J ewa in Transd'nie strian Labour-Groups. · ---,-- • .i---c:___ ~., . .· The Roumanian paper "Curantultt of January 22nd published a. Notification by the Rpumanian.:MiH.-tery r '\ :J 'I i -' i )· :'-· -- . ..- -·'-o:. ....- ---- ·.~ -:· -•. _-, ·, .:'.\--:~.: ~.: . -. :~::~-~:~) ,>~~~~,·~.<.~~·, .:·•:') - ...... ·····. :-_.-_ -:_ ___ '··.-,,,_ - 12. 7. G R E C E. LGtters frol!l Izmir deacrib6 the terrible autfertng of the. , Jews of Athens, They. are all in hiding and long to make_ tlieir I' way to Turkey· and to proceed rr.om thence to Palestj,p.Ei. When a .( Jew di6s in Athens h6 is bw-ied in the Christian cemetery; with ;J~ Christian rites, for obvious reasons. If a Jew is :'·caught.in.· hiding he is tortured so that he should reveal tP,e hiding-places ·,·· ..-~e.. -~:~ of other Jewsr Those who cannot bGar tho torture give.away:namea~ There are vast dif1'1cu1 ties in the way to escape. to '.l'urka,y ••. r.1:·of• a. H Q L L A N D, Liquidation •f Dutch Jswmt... The "!ssen Nationalzeitung" of 23,1,194.3 reports the ~~asures taken by the German against the Dutch Underground Mcfreiii·ent !;ind. stresses the pert played .by Dµtch Jews in resistance tci the con queror. Among active Jewish members of the underground 1llention is made of the names of the Jewish physician Dr. Kastein, o_f ·Ke.tan and of Friede, all of whom have been caught by thepol~ce~ In the- Broadcast of the Dutch Governr.ient'in'toridoil ltwas stated: 'rbe•. t!aTat1 :os t.apprb!9D5li1g·~ lts end. Af:-ter th15 action of 26.5.1943 and 20.6,1943. there wera still 16,000 Jews iri. trhe West brook,! Camps, In a barrack capable-of holding 400 Jieo.Pla, 11 ooo ( ?) persons were introduced; In July 9, 000 people <>f alL l:iges were1 sent to Poland from this camp. Each truck contained six~ypeople ·aent ( . under dreadful sanitary conditions. During SeP,tember t.he la~t1 .· Jews of Amsterdam were sent to the oamj>; There areno'longer a:ny tree Jews on Dutch soj,l. · • -· - · r 9. F R A N 0 R. Re atriation of Turkish 'Citizens ·from F'rance, j; . . - .. In the West of France 300 people daily are ·being ari:es_'I!~·-:> .. ,.. ___ •• ~ l including many Jews. Civilian residents on the·.Qo.ast··7arEl-':~g_...-..-=-~ -· 0 evacuated to a depth of 20 kilometres from the coast,· but the ;fc:;ws • ...... ·I are being arrested and set to a· ·camp .. In the eastern pa11t of France·, within the former occupied al'ea, 30,ooo Jewish properties hav13 · been oonfboated. Up to tho present 11,ooo properties have:been liquidated, to a value of 485 niillion francs. I!J. Paris itself 3 1 000 houses with Jewish owners have been confiscated, · •• 13 . on 17. 2, l 944 a transpo~t of ·Turkish Jewish ~Citiz,eris ' ... arrive.d in Turkey from France, from which coWitr:y: th.et had:\ . ·. · been sent back by the Turkish Consulate. They include,sqip.~.whose citizenship is j,n some doubt. The Geriilan& detained the ·trans port for some time at Nish in Serbia, but finally' tpey Y,eJ'e allowed to proceed. . . . . e. 10, I T· A L Y. tonfiscation of· Jewlsh Property•. • The authorities have oo~fisonted au the at-oh~ve~~-o~i~wish synagigues and communities. Jewish property in ·. · Ita~y.is rj:lgar ded as enemy property, The "gazetta Offioiale" has publishe~ a fresh Order on the confiscation of ,Jewish· property" enci of 'plfo7 perty belonging to citizens of enemy countries~ The "Deutl?(lll6 · Allgemeine Zeitung" o'f 5,2,1944 reports ·that the authoritie's discovered a secret radio transmitting SEltat the Synagogue in FiUlile • All the Jewish residents Of the town were > iinmed;iately arrested. · · ··•:.· ~/ · ~ - r .; MThlUTES · A:.~D. REPORTS, ' ~: l. Liquidation of Polish Jewry, A Polish Jew who has passed through :the-entire ~azl J:n .. ferne and has finally reached St9ckholm,. write!?:; ! ' . - ~ - 0-t~:--.f_ ' I have escaped from Folanci, where th~e~-~llio:r,:Jev1s·'and several hundred thousands more fr9m 9th.er countri§s hiiVE! l;>een massacred, r left Vla.rsaw on· 17,8<1943,~.officially~:SPM:king.>. there are no longer any Jews in :Pplaµd, with the. exeepticm- .or ' a few in a handful of small ghettos and a fsw scores"of thousands . in labour camps, whers nothing bu'li massacre awaits them. Iii· · .. ·· · August there were still about 120 1 000 Jews in- hiding, but their number is steadily diminishing. In Vlarsf!W it13elf 20.or 30 used to be caught -every day. The NaZis :used to' take th~m to the r\l_fos_.:. . ·~ of the ghetto, and~ e.fter' torturing-them f6rsoms-'V,!3,6$s_-wowd.~:*~... -~-"'·~"· · kill them, Most of tl;lose ·iri hiding are to "be· found''.fif'."-llffi'i'~"1·,:..:,.,~-s.~>', ·· ,: where there are about 20 1000- in .all_, In &raoow there· a.re 10,000, · in Lwow about 6,000 and in Lodz about 10 1 000, . . .,. · . The state of a person hiding in 11 ~arge :ttivin·i~ no~-tb be compared to that· of a person·-hiding in the provincei:i• >-It is actually safer in the provinces, but it is Ver¥ hard to' stay · there for any length of time. as the local: resi!:l1mts _soon begin to notice. the new face, On t}le .other hand; .it .is h£lrd to f'ind o. hiding-place in the big towns but since such a hiding-place is found it is far safer~ The aotunll exf>reQJH,cm 1•1inJ1iding":is not ··~---.:or--~'· f \ ! • 14 correct as it is impossible to case the neighbours hide tor any length of those _become suspicious, There t~m.e, 1'fl· who concealed Jews. aftexwards w~r,e e_as~s ..~l'e' : . ,:. authorities, either handed them over.. to because they were afraid ct~C?. • <.~ \:;;'> ,, ty or because they or the·-:daa,th p5n~1-., ~ o:r did not reosive the ~'" ~'· the Jews _still left alive payment the_y d,&Irittn._.~e_:_:~.• their nerves are are in constant <1.anger, -\_>'~j'.,,··.· - on edge. The fear a11,d:: ..··.· ::• ~ Many of those who of torture ts e11en worse,. hide .:themselves comm:L;t , · .· ..•·· .. ~ suicide. ·:. Extermination activities. had already The actions began 1.n lost large numbers in swnm.er'.·1~42,, I.wow organbed immediately the pogroms ~hi oh ,tl#'· . August, following its entry into Ges~apOL l94l, the Ukrainians carried t}li~Jown~· ·!rt ' 1ews of Lwr:m on out a pogrom aga:in~t--t~e. were the anniversary of Petlura's . t~lcen out of the town ,d:~.t~i;l,t •.l.5,P09cJews and shot. · :' · · ·· ~ 1 ; ,},)!:, ,;~ ·· . When the Nazis 1 lishment f'irst publ.ished of the ghetto, their Or4er ·for' ~he 'estab 6,000 people which was nftsr.vnrds were shot. Most of oaricelle~· O:bout many Jews• were setting them were old '.folk kill'ed; These out ror fresh l[Uarters while actions were in the nature within ~Jle. ghetto, tematio extermd!nation. of pogroms -rifther ·than expulsion In Morohl.1942,- of sys~ of .a sectic>n the G.er.mens orderE;id the wer_e too of Lwow iJewry; using the· · many Jews there an!i that 15,ooo 6~"9.•that there had. to be'-~emoved. · The Nazis promis~d that speoial places these :Tews v1ouid lie: and that contact might .-s~tti'~d:· in ·The Jewish Community participated ,he .maintained with thG111. given to carry out in this transter.,Orderswere militia.,-only the expulsfon, artd this those who did we.s··4one· by the .Tewi.sh . expelled, and not.work in German t'n6tori6s the expulsion took place- w.ere .• were sent to labour camps. at night. Young:peo:Pie by means of bri,bGry. Some indi.vtduals miuiaged,to . · escaps · ·· l!'or a long time no who had been new.a at all was received expelled, and only after from. the. _p~o~l.;i.--; .,.,. __ "" become lpiown that they a considarabl&c:t!i!i.e,4t~~~:.~~ abou.t had been taken to Belzec · 100 km. from Lwow, There · a snall'-town oamp surrounded by the N~zis had established current. a barbed-wire fence charged a large This was a very myste~ious with a high-tension lation frequently heard spot, and the local passed shots coming from there, p'opu- the station by train couJ,.d Travellers who corruption.. - smell the scent or decay ,. ~· and · - .-J-o · After a while ·it was learnt ·that. had been killed in. gas-cells the parsons .exp.elled C8Jlp in 't>itis oamp . situated in th13 Yanovska •. At the J'e'whh punitlve yellow soap which atre.et in Lw6w they had a. bad am.ell:. :i;t was us~d to. use e. " thought tllat thi~ soap ---· ··------...... -----·· __ - ·:>r <-:::-_!~·-,-" ""· 15 was made frbo the bodies of people who had ~een' klll.ed'~: In- sur:lr:er, 1942,- the Jews ,of Lwovi_i'ound ther.tS~l_ves in-:a~ · stats a+ _alarm. In Ju).y t:he Ge~~apo .lt.~4 issued id.en:t;~ty _cardsv a~gn >d: b7.,tibeoehit)t~otr.Dtet~~C?:1i~~J;_t.,aj.s:to- J'ews -wp:<;> ':wor~e!i in·.:·· ..- .· Gel'r.lan factories. Then rumourscwer.e: heard of large•scale massa~re in the ''Tarsaw ghetto~ .. The ~e'-Ns ·of 'Lwo'vr .lost all hope _qf thoiie<' Jews who had been expel Led sone tfu6' earli.er. · I1i became ]rnown _ that man.v of the latter had be£>n S-hot by the Lithauanain · · ~eUllae•~~- . A rumo\lr began tq be heard ,in the town ii.hat an action would soon oegin. ,_., on 12.8.1942 r left my hous·;;,· at__ .. 9.~:n~mi/,d.\nd. ·saw three.women being taken _,away by t"wo Ukra1n+ans.. ! ~dfO.reft;o,~d' ;tn:a~ ~'l;,tli?( ac:t;:ton ~ had begun, and hur:ried b!'.\c~ to my hopis'·bi:;pause,my·:~d,~ntity:ca]:'d had not been stamped by th'.e poli·ce. My familY v(en"t!- 'doVlri -to' the cellar while I stood.· next_ .to the,.winO.ow •.The f'.~'.r~t groups-()f .Jews, with endl~ss 'despair written in ·'!{heir fac$~~ began '"'\l. ·r· .. ': . ' .. ·~ 15 My brother was in the punitive camp for Jews i.n the Yapp:Vf street where they brought those v•ho were being sent tn_ 'Belzec• He was a frist class trwnpeter, so they made him tll._e_ trU!np13t6r , of the camp and gave him pemission to go. in and o~t.as he liked, By chance. h~ had an identity card, atamP,ed by th6 pol!c,e,whfoly a German factory had sent to a certain Jew.who wo:rk~d/:fpr them; but that Jew had already been taken away from his homEi:ci\lr;Lng-',' - the action. My_ brother brought me the card. I changed th,e .pho~ tograph end became a fr~e ma.n. - · · · - 1,:y mother concealed herself with acqua!ntances. M.ter" a; we'ek had passed the Nazis announ~ed ·that anybbdy who Hid -a Jew of iie~lp•. ad a Jew to escape would be ex-ecuted. The Nazis had already been behaving this way even earlier, b,ut the announcement terjji:fied. many pe,,pls, so that .a large nuniber of Jsws 4ad to_lEiaVec 't;befr}; hiding-pla•eE!• My mother wos ruaong then. · ·· ' · Wrmed with i!ly id~nti ty card I went to rat·oh my :_l!lOt}l~;r, Jn -~· nder t~ take her back to our cellar. I went .in advaniie' irtor.dsr · to warn hsr in case of danger. At a stsEiet corne·rI~0:.t'ourtd,"tvfo'CI Ukrainians. I waved as a signal to her t.o· clear of'f·;'.'iW.ll:t;L~ ·r my:... self walked on V{i th my identity card in my hand. The tikraillians dragged me off to ths entry of e neighbquring house •. · It s.eeined that the factory which had issued the '.card had ha_d rio right to . do so. At th.e .flpot I found .a number of people y.rit:h their !_l:!-0-es .. to the wall and their h_and13 ralsed, One Ukrainfan, p:atrcillf:HL • round thepi,a ri:fle in clte h_and and a _strap in'-:the .other.YJ!e hi(;' ..,. me with. the rifle and dragged me to the, w_all, saying! ·"Yoµ 11· ~Ele'J,. if· you try to run away L_ 111:-shot .you in tbe ear", He went il~.1 , :, marching hit)1er and thither,. from ' tiin.e to t~e hitt1n:g those · detained, · - · ·- ' · · -· .· ·· · · · · · · T!ley brought a:long a· WQman Whose id~ntfty C~rd wi-i:~: no:t in: order. Her husband, who had not been det_alned; came ljl:f:ter.,her~ .. He went on his knees and entreated th_e e xterlllinatOr,s··:to_ lJbei-ate _-_ . his wife, whqe blow after blow fe3:l upon him •.Finally. :thE3 ..Vttl'.~J.~,..;~;.~ .. ""'"'" nians ordered him tr. hand over his card > · •· - they set him too against the wal.l~ wlliCh~ tney- -- 00_tgi!;p:c::up1;,,~:-;z~~~"""'- ---· .,,. . .. · · A nan whose identity cnrd. was in, order went from-.'L• one.,., . policeman to the· other and bQgged ~hem to let him go. Qne police man pushed him in~o a narrow entry, · and said that he w,aa readY' to release him if he got two hundred :i:loty, Whsn he reoeived them he brou~ht the Jew bnok and reported that.tho latter had endeavoured to bribe him. The leader ente:r.ea this l>n the oard, and thus de~troyed the man's la~t ·hop.a of J>ej,ng. save(!,.-. .... { •.,,u,.·,"'·. / . ' .. ·~ • 17 ·.·- Lat6 at. night they loaded us on a tram oar' a.n When the newcomers aame t the damp. eor#andS:nt. ~e].ci' ·a. rs:'{iew. t was .told ot:f for work in tho camp', A rrdddla•age~l ni,.8rt ,did h.is · best to ma~ .himself look like a strong yo\ing feUow.'fo 1 ·orc1$~ to enjoy :.ti few weeks more of lii"e. in the ~camp ~c He- Was .'u.jl;!'J\ib.c~ssfµJ.; The guards thrust him aside nmong those whd wi$re to'be:exp·euea. - . - . .. ._-·_._. i:.: ~'.'(' .. >:'!';· . . ~ -. --'·· .· . ~ Liy brother took me to his barrnoks 1 vih·e.fe;:cfo~dfti'o~f "wefe . better. Lice and thypoid used to make an end 91' •thbs,o• v1ho vl'ere n.ot: killed by I i rI --··...h·"~: ..·<:-·-2-~...:...:r~.~-~·-=-~~-";·;£v_~=-1~~~"""~'!~:t~=-~ ·~..,,;l"!~. I ·~ . ·.<-:1.,. ·f. - . .. ' .- ,~ , ,·:.,· ';"~?.>: - 18 ._,, the murderer would stamp on his throat and choke him. Vlith 'ilt~·i .· ~ ~~· .. ·:9- ~~ ~/}>~~.?< fingernails, to be sure, h13 would scratch for a I!loment.a:t the · high boots of the Gestapo man, and his. heels would drum on \ ,\ . - ···~~ 'l'• - ••~· • ... 19 the false papers which had already been prepared.'.f6~ him-and' went off to the station with his wife. He hurried•beoause he was certain that they would noti•e-his absence and Would s6ilroh tor him. I had no grounds for fear,', so I remained~ My:brqther · nnd his wife prepared to go t.O t1'e neighbouring ;1;own· where a" friend had peomised him work. At the railway s~ati,Ci.n ,ll:e. was attaoke d by a Ukrainian who recognised him, ·and robbed hitA. ~f 0.11 the money nnd valuables which he had. · · ;' :: · · .. . .. ~'"":'- .·!.:.~~·;. ·,-:fJ;'.: ...,~~;··- .. • The action continued for an 6th er two 'days, and riior a ~han . 55, 000 Jews we~e expelled, They vtere taken in· grou~s Oth!~O and . ~loaded 1n trucks which·would carry forty, For sbme.da.ys"r'liceived neither water nor food. Through the tiny windows :.the i;>eop_.io:1J.$ed to beg for some thing to be gi van to them. The bodJes ~ of ·;those ·:_. who endeavoured 110 escape were sca.ttered along t'he l;'ailw(lY lines; · There were oases, . to be sure, of people who; sU:c~eeded~ 1µ 'eso~ping_; · and these wandered through the forests either in grC!u:i.>s 91y.alone. Many of them went md, Only a few succeeded in returning .to: twow . · with the aid of the. local populatibn, ·'' · .t.t that tiue the s econd order regarding' the ghe:ttb:was published. The Gernans J>Ut up posters ~nnoui>.oing tho'!; ths ;Jews had to transfer to the ghetto.within a week. Dwelling.0onditionswere dreadful. There were usually ten people living tqgether>in rooms . ·. ten metres square in tumble-down houses, The Jews'saw.quiti6 ol~rly that the ghetto was a temporary device and~would'not:·last:long>~ · and that thair fate had already been decide.d. Th.'ose v;l:lo -li.~d a little money of jewelery or, which was more imp~rtant~ h~,d-8. face thet ·seeI!l6d Aryan and spoke a good Polif'lh, prov:i.r:lt)d them selves with forged dic\h"!lents and p·repared to 'escape·. This. be came known to the police} and thenoeforytard there VfElS. Open ·war between the German and tne Jews, . · · ·. · .. > The Germans kept watch'. on suoh It was exceedingly dangerousC:f.'or '~ Jsw. tcr· t~~vei by 1·< train, as searches were always conducted• :Every'{suspeot,person . wa.s stopped, and if a me,n he was physivally 1ni;iJ?60ted,·<;rt -seel!IS that the number of women whb have remained S:liVE! must be·,g~ea.ter than 'J;he .~umber of men, sinc.e it is hard ·to 'fi11d~c'!?rO:ofs ;o~,~ :<; . origin 1n their case. · -., <-··:·.· ;.: ;:.,,_·< ''·:· .- · r reached Warsaw when tne action the;re was~ a.irno'st..:..reaoJ:l;,;. ing its end. Sometimes' it· vias still possible to:hear '.$hotsj'llut .· --· . in general ·· the oppositi:on hf!d ·been br'Okenl 'II'he'·G~rman1('lo$J··about 2, ooo killed.., and about 6, ooo wounded~_ Th1111J1> t.Ell1.M(vr~.re)si3t'~A: ;t'ire-' and destroyep..· During the acti.on Germa:n: ');>la~es· .riew ov~r ·:the';; ·· gh~tto. and, ~opped incendiary bbmbs. Befor·e the :i_tq~iq~tipn:. the· <•· _. Poles h.ad supplied the Jews with arms• Wlt,en I ·1ef.t·~~a,rsay;'-Ori·;L;7~8 •.c, . 1943 ntha:·n6erman:s still· mounted guard .over the .wa.l·ls-,·pf .:the ghetto• _ . From -t_he outside nothing more cpuld Off SEi'en.' thatf'':tfi.Wl~ke1:~toJ1.:: . : _-. of buHdings_with bullet marks all over_ thel'll•' Pa:trolif ~~4:ed_'; - · througlit-the ghetto,. as well as detectJves · :j..istening :t'9i' ~p,y $~~"': piofous movement, I heard from· n Jew tha~- :rn th~ ::8het;ifo;t}:iere ,·were ns; ·still Jews concealed in shel tars deep ·under,gr,oU1ld 1 :'!"hi.oh h~d been prepared during o whole; year. It waa··known .tho.t ·the.se·;end.ea- . voured to escape from there through the .sewage· syatem~;.;Iiiuiiediately after my al'rival I saw with ·my ovm, eyes' a: 1iool (?f bl'66d beside_ . ·.·. a man-hole. Men standing by told nie that a• JewfMd triecCto·ooms - out through the ma.n-Mle, and· had been.shot by' ·a;:pal:{lfemafi,. \- 0 . .: .: -- _ ·:: ..:··,. <:·.r'.:- ·-~~~~--~-~;-I~.:~~-::-~-;.: __ : ~:; -:_~ --~~-:~- ,i __ J."•:·~-"'- My mother; who had._gone•·to'Wo;flsaw'ahe¥i.d·1'li<)ld'me: that;"• during the defence of the ghetto she 'had=·sometimes crossed ·the: Kra.szynski square near the ghetto wall. ·On that sqµafe etobd .the · Lunn Park, an amusement centre~ DUripg'th6,pe~i6d ot·tfie•'&:t;t'le· of the Ghetto clouds of smoke had covered-,this square. The re.ttl,e of machine-guns could b.e.' heard every--day; while it! the· amusenent . oantre a band could be heard-play1ng 1 ·andlaughter:canu:i-~hl'ciug~ the eddying smoke. ,,. ·· , ,, •,, ,,::.,:·;'' /' .c,:\:)~ ·During _the fir~t night f~llovting ~Y E!l'~~:Va;;i.~:,i_il;~~(~%;j~{~~'"> ; I slept in a shop where my ·relation was employed~ ·At'cil: ~if.'fu.i'": · · . (in Warsaw there is a curfew from 9 p.m. ). I heard: fciodste'p'.s' out'- - side and the sound of shots. A body feH against' the windcy1. of a shot. People ran to the spot a.nd again there came. a sli'qt. -.T):ieii , oame the sound -of clothes baing·•unbottened._.. oh~ asked. the 'Qtheri "A jew? - "Yes,· oorrect, a Jew" 1 was the reply.• Iri the'.',\llorning·. we learnt that a man had shot at two polioem¢n who 'were chasirig'. him. He mfssed and was wounded and afterwards ·the police in4rdered · him, . I ~., I j -l'- I. l .i . --. • 22 The Gem.ans pursued the Jews oeaslessly• Patrols tnar9~~d round the streets. Persons passing through the streets were?· stopped and !!lade Taise their hand_s. Pl!:i.in~c+o~P-e:\Fpol_ic.~en' /. -~ .prowled round searching in ·houses and str!56tf1_, in onres; 9i)1Ejm,a~' eto. Every day that passed without trouble -used to e:Xha~st.:e,g.; one's strength, JGws with American passport's were d~tntned: a:t,• - the Royal Hotel in the Chmielna street. At the end of May, i:943 they were taken away from there together with their luggage, ana1 were told that they would be exchanged against Geman oiti:zen~• , some of them were transferred to .the J:lavi~k Prison .in: 'l/il'rsaw _and were murdered there. Jd:l trace of the rest·· has ·been lostFThe ·s an\~ thing happened in Lwow, where oi tizens of Brazil, \Chi;L1-i EOuac1or · - and other Ameri~an repubJ;ics werµ •taken out of ·the, P,Ei~si~>ns,•A~ • which they lived, All traoe of them has also beei;i lost1j\t•t_he p.ension wh,ere I lived I_ ~J,1ared a .room wi'l:ih a Pole~~hol'!l I d~tlilot know at ~ll. I was lucky, for nobody suspected me;, ·s~J~ha.t_ I V{a~~ i- able to live there for n long. time. Jl.t that time I learnt; :tha.t · it was _possible to remove the_ nark of circumcision :'h:V:-'means of' an ope.ration 1 • •• • - 1 ,- • _ -,; . '· • -·i.c: .• -~.L;;:;' ,-,~,-:;:.~· ~l8~erform~d th~- ~peration on ~e. It -:;/~s e~o~~dj_"ngly·;-ainfUl, ana if I had known it in advance I would not have had it done·' though it would have cost me my .life. -- -- ::·.·' :Ten -days after the operation, -before 1;he'·wounci. was' pro;. perly healed,_- the Crimilnal Police came to my room~ 'FoUr rUffians came in with- th~ir guns pointing at me. They, _turned to the J;>ole and called him by name, It seems that he ;had beetLqencmnced.Dµring the search out-of-date, documents were found~_ije oortfeased.that_he was a Jews. I was astonished, as his ~ppeara!los had not •h<:ivni : -_ it in the least. Vlhen .talking with ·me he _had;'abu$ed·th~. Jev1s,and : would never have believeq hin to.be one, ------· -·- --- ·---- -·- They als9 examined me,· although not·:too strfot):y~ :i:n s_liite of the fact that they found nothing suspicious about ·me-. they· . - arrested me into the barga_in. Vle were :taken to the Gestapo .head• _ quarters in the Szucha street. Vie were token through the building .. and imprisoned in a cellar. About .fifty people were~lying oil .the __ , - floor. A number of_ them had already been questi9naA1; 7:t'qr.;f't_]t.,;(r'"'m.#~(':·'~, · of questionning could be seen- in their; swollen·fEfo'es afid-lnj\lrfes. _- All of them were accused of b~i.ng of Jew4lsh origtn. From: time , to time Aryans who had a Jewish cast of coU.ntenance were_ brought in. If they were uhlucky. they never saw the 6uter world agaitl•, If they were lucky _their questionning wpuld ei\d with nothing mor,e !'" than a s·e-1'-ej-e __ beating,· I stayed there. two days be-fore the fovi:ni l tigation, lying on _the stone floor the ·whole time, hungry and 'l · -_ lousy, _Before my eyes passed·-the unfortunate prisoners who were returning from investigation, beaten-:to senselessness, I·was prepared to poison myself with the aorphine whioh I had so.vn into rl )'.~ -~c::co____:~=-: c:..--:c-- -- -:----- • 23 ey clothes 1 but I overcame the temptation. On the third c~ay·, I was summoned to investigation. In the corri . - --~:>: 2. Timas of J,iquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto.· . ' . ~; : . Until 1940 there were about 433 1 000 .. •Jews· hr fTf!rsnw·[;.On. November ·15th, 1940 1 the ghetto was establiE,Jhed: a;nd- the;~G9rmah authorities· announced that anybody who .triec;l .to escape. frotr it . would be killed·. On July 22nd• l942i th6 Germans .:res.olved to. remove an average qf• 4, 500 persphs .daily. r Within two'-:r,nonth:s . " 266,000 Jews had been expelled and· 5•,000.wer-~Jdl::J:~~Qlk~~ip~"J;·;~ •. · After this about 161 1 000 Jews were. left. Til. spite of; this ·.the - ' German authorities issued only· 40 1·000 ·foodoards ill !~Ot?,b6:t'i 1942. On January 181 · ).943 1 the German nutho'.d ties: resolv0,ci In March, 1943 1 the Germa.n authorities' announced· the impending transfer of the residents of the.ghetto to,other places in Poland. Part of the Jews were employed in. was_ fa~to):'ia-s of German factories. The young--people, who were :t;he, ov:e:rwhelnling majority of the remaining Jews, preferred passive'·and acti~e; ~ defenoe to transfer elsewhere. During the second we.ek of_ Aprif,. the Germ.ans issued one of their routihe notices· that n large· part of the ghetto inhabitants would be transferred to the, · Trawniki concentration camp. In· accordance with.the orders of the Germans themselves only a few hundred J.ews were ssnt.to -Trawniki. , . . . •. · The battle !bf the ghetto began on the &Venirtgof"April 18th. The German state -police and the s.s., eq\}ipped with. machtne-guns and tanks, surrounded the ghetto, suJ)ported by units - of Ukraintms, Esthoninns and Letts, They all entered-~the ghetto. The Jews began to fight. This was not a mere skirmisn; .it was a · battle in the i'ullest sense of the world, ~1n the cgurse·~of Which several hundred Gernans were killed. On April 21st the Ge}:'mans had recoursed to fresh methods. They threw incediary boobs and hand grenades and sGt fire to rnany houses out of .which~_Jews were S.hooting at the.rp.. During th0 day the G6rmans invaded th6,ghetto. l~t night they wu:bhdraw and left .only patrols behind~' More than once tlie Je-&s left th'Gir: posts and attacked the ·aermuis,, and even compelled them to r6treat·. But, the Jewish ·ammunition began. to give out, and on .:.pril 23rd the Nazis occupied. the 'exterior and central parts of thG ghGtto. · - -The battle movod on ea the n6rthern section. On 'April ~8th, 6 1 000 Germans participated, aided by obs6rv:ation aeroi:t pla-nea and machine-guns._ On J.pril .29th1 5·,ooo Jews out of the · 40,000 still left ·in the' ghetto were killed• ·Betw6en :~hfi:'.":'2nd .. and the 5th of May the Germans employed their f~vburite pincers movement. They penetrated to the triangl,e oode by 25 3. The Germans in L w o w. The extermination of the Jews, which usualiy. goes by the name of' "action", was partly carried out unofficially and partly officiallY, i.e. following notic~-.being given to tlie , .· Jewish Council. It may be stated. that far more Jews fell in the·, unofficial actions than in the official ones.· a) The .first acirion began on Mareh 13th, 1942 1 before. the boundaries of the" ghetto were fixed, and continued for about three weeks. This action was participated iri by the Gestapo and the s.s., aided, by the Ukrainian militia and the ·Jewish. police. The Germans notified the Jewish Coun.cil that they had. to deliver 33% of the Jewish population in the 'ghetto .for tl'q.nsfer !.:... { to labour camps' in various places. At th-e Sobie"skL scl:lool t)ier?·· i was a German Committee ',in which Dr.Jaffe, Messrs.Hader ·and, Seii- · denfrau participated on behalf of the ~ ewish Council •. :Marty Jews 1 particularly those who had_ labour oertifica-tes,...:werec-;sX~l\lPted- ~ from expulsion and a total of 18, ooo were expelled~ In 9rdi3r• ...:to--. encourage them to believe that thay were being sent·~O labour , camps, each was permitted to take with him the things _that he. -- --~ required nost. Of the sum of 100, 000 2.:).oty which the autho. Ji :ti.es -: r allocated as a monthly budget for the ~ewish Council the· latter was permitted to' expend ce.rtain sums on food parcels.':f'Q,~ 'those.. expelled. Even before the people reached the railway statt'on, I however, the s.S,men began to attack them and robbed them of I' everything they possessed, - \ _,- RumOurs were already beginning to spread that· th·ese trans- ports were being sent not to labour camps but to Belze9 .f.or . 1 extermination: M<-ny Jevts comr.1ittea suicide on the 13pot at 'the railway station, The fact that the bodies of those who.· commi·tted ·' suioiae and those who were shot while attempting to escape were i placed in the trucks together with the living people made the . ain of the Germans clear. It was afterwards fo'ttlld that the Ger- . · I mans did not wish the dead bodies to be wasted, 'but W!J.nte~ "'t9.~.·--~·;, i • utilise the¢ :f-at, The stories_ of railway workers--''f!ltQ'.'ao®taPAi'9.ct:.;'l::c·~·pi(. the transport' and the stones of isolated Jews who succeeded . . . . i in jumping out of the ~'IDd'.9, escaping and returning toLwow,made it clear beyond any shadow of doub_t that the transpor.tees were sent to Belzec to be killed, · · · b) In May,·· 1942, the a~thorities establi~hed an extermi= nation brigade which came to Lwow~ Here in Lwow, ona s-ingle Wednesday from 2 p.m. until the·-next· morning; about 10,000 Jews were killed. Some of them were killed in their homes (:the sick ones in their beds) and some at the onmp in the Yanovs)m street·, • 26 w~ile music was played by the Gel'I:lan bands and the German soldiers applauded, On i .. ugust 10th the t.hird official act·ion began and· continued until the 22nd of that month. The s,s., ·the Gestapo and the Ukrainian police dragged off abeut 50,000 Jews, old and young and women-and children, to the concentration camp in the Yanovska street, fron Which they were sent by tr;:i.in to Belzeo where,, they were killed in the usual. way. On this occasion as well ·.the bodies of those who had committed suieide or had been shot were also taken in the trains. Only a few succeeded in escaping, All. these three actions were carried out before the ghetto was.. · established. Apparently the Ger~ans wished to reduce as fiar as possible the number of Jews who would have to enter the ghetto. Ten days after the third action the ghetto-was established and 1 ts gates were closed;,- The Jewish Council was also-.tran:sferred there. One day soon after, when the Jewi'Sh !lrouncil was ·engaged· in its work, Gestapo nen suddenly entered the building and.began to beat all the Jews who were there at the time, not permitting anybody to leave the building. The s.s".officer demanded that all the sick people who were there should be gathered in one place in order thnt th-e-y should not be beaten, Vlhen his instructtons were carried ou~, al.t- the sick Jews were killed by order ofuComman _dant ':'[§1.l~,!!~.enL who., together with the tw ~- -~-=--",..~r··-·.,_.,,__,_--- . ___-- .,_.~-~ 0~~"""'-''>~"~1-1;%0~!j,~~~~~·--...,....,_"-='_,...__.~~ 27 .-,,.· · ... - ·_.,,::.;.:-_·; _·<'.;L_,·;.;:' d) On ·the 5th of J~llUa;y,· 1943'~ •'i:u1oth~;~aotlon+b~~arf and lasted for several: days, Since foforJliation .eJScnit Wi..s .. , .·· ·.·. action had been received several da:ys' iri !idvance~ '.peopie--were, careful· and t-ook their little ohiiaren t·o,workviith th61n-,tlii~~-- ··.. · ing that in this way they wo:uld -s-uoc.eed ,.in ,138.ving tlf.Eim_from_'. · death. The action :began, h0Weve,rt w.ith. nlU':f.'dl'n• ~t: 'f;he gi),t~~·· of :. - the ghetto which had to be 't)assed bi J'ews w.h() Were e) On May 21 1 194:3, an~th~; orfL~i~·~~tfbn bega~~ Thi~~ time about 5 1 000 Jews were taken·;:to.1ih? 't.c..·t· -. ___ .. ____ ;-_.- -- f 1 28 i ·:1tere is no longer a ghetto in twQv1, but 3.... 4· 009 .. Jews may still be round in the Yanovska labour.canip. 1·4· few may have succeeded in escaping to the Aryan ciuarter ·and maY • be in hiding . there. · ' · · · · · ;... · . . .. •. . .; • :; .);? •· \· . ::·.·: Many transports of Jews from Western Europe•wer6'also brought tp Balzac for extermination. Apparently the J~ws in:"' .. the vrest were informed that they were beirig sent to a· Jewj.~h / . colony· at Belzec. They were .permitted to.take luggage with ~hem and made the journey in Pullman cars. These facts and many::/ o:thers misled them' to believe that they were·r.eally -being:seh·t to a colony. '/Then they arrived they were ki].led li~e t?isir'· ·. 0 brethren in the East. · · • <~. • • • ~;. .. • ';. > -~-'."-.'J··,'v._ '_)_-~f:~ 4. More of the Destruction or tl\e Jewi~h co~urtlt:fa:t.::·WG'J/,· .· - .. - __ . - - . - t. -, . _·-:: ' .. .- . :: , _... ~ ·. ' - . A ycn.inz girl !rem Lvjow, who succeeded.in-.lellv:ing·'.ttie':','tovm . before the ghetto was established, gives the following •eye+\·:'..· . witness .report. · ; · ·u·•~,·;,> · · ·.'.,}.Y~ A few days after the Gernians entered ·Lw~rtlie'-·JeWs' wE>re . ordered to bring the1r radio set~ to the Munio!lipality.- 'l'he g:l.r:t. brought her -1&dio set~ ·She was admitte_d to the court :and pl~(}·e.d · -by the wall, where. there we:re other people opvari;Qus· agsif.:'A,. German· soldier of thG. s.s. army pega?J, _ahooting>a1;· them with a · maohine gun and did no.t ev$n _trouble to see whether chi~(victiinl} Y/ere stiU. illive •. Fresµ .people ea me. and ~-:reprac·ea-otfibs 6- who were killed. This action continued'. ·ror. several hours~·· Luckily' for,,:, the girl she Vias XU~ not iilj-qrec1.• She. lay fla£ on thec'gr6un&" and when the slaughter has f1.n:i,shed she crawled out of. the pile··· of bodies and slipped away. · · · · · · · ·:I.,-; Vfhen. workers .wer(.being."iedfrori: thE5; Jewi:sh; labour· .o~p .· . in the Yano-srska street to the bath house . in tije Kozlovska. :atr set, the Nazis used to shoot a~ the~ from the. houses_,,tQ~·-f.~i.~~~~~~~:--'·· about 200 workers ·who had broken down under the harsnTabour·vrere ..... I\ taken :trom the o.3mp to tM Burial :soc.iety Building 'in tlie j$Wfsh. oemetry. They were kept there for some:days ~Yithout_.food·or_Wnter, while the. Nazis sto9d guard over them. and enjoyed the sight· . of people dJing of starvation. The state of these men was indescribable. Jewish eorununnl worke.rs begged the ·Gestapo. t.o shoot them, but that favour was not done to- them• Thank$ to. a heavy bribe they were permftted to bring a little soup ddwn to. them• once in thre_e·. days. By tl_lis the Nazis. ·aimed· at prolonging.·.· their period of sutfering. The gitj_ whO reporttV this 'recolyed. · permission to _give th~m injections., bu~ she was ·carefully· . ,., watched to make sure tl:lo,t .they were not poisoned• Dea.4 bodie,s · were taken out of th.e building every dny until the ·endoame. 29' - .PJ.:ace .1!1 L'i'1ow:: w;:is ~J,16 1,p~ci~t,/stree~:' ·Another. notorious ( pris-on. Nobody who. enter.ed.J;!; _CaJ!I.? .out_.. alJ.'VES_ .~XCJ.>P~,:~i s,~~~t!H Jew who was li'!)erated_.1n ~pcorq~lloe v1Jth,t~ .~p~t.:CN-~}t.o·1'.l?·ior;/. the 1 Central Government .. at O,ra.cow,- · .·. , . . <:\:, Kkini;ner-; h~ad°'o{ .t?e~ G~st~pb/'waf3 ~6~:ti<>lii1~ie ·.··.· · Appar~~tly' .. • · for all the murder.s in J_.wow •. Onc.e the gir;t. wa.s fe!.ti:u;i.dJIJ.g,.in We. 6 6 ~~·~tc~~ o~h-~fi! ~!:~ o~ ~~~~r!~Ai~~1;~ib~~~n~%#:~t~'1j¥.~;~io~..•.. · tlad reoet ye~; as q. gift• He D;Oi;i ced. the girl. who .~<:>ok,i;i,d.,:1~¥,e he ,r.ElsI>op,9-~.d> Aryan~ . ahd as:tced her if. she,. was ,·a., JewE113E? •\Ylh~n,.·.s~e an r~.Pe~~~d in the aff~rrhilti Ve. he repeate·d hi$ quest~P,P,-•: Shi> _a,ga'-~' ' -phat she- would. reI:lain/Jl . ~ewe~s. ~s:rlgpg;:~s :. her ·\vords ·anc;l_;added •. )?1 ~J;i she iiveti~ '{lhen Ke,ntne;r. hefl.rd this hcf hi.t her j:p.,a~geyf.~(le his whipr shouting, '!Here you· are if you are :so p;roup, 5>:t·:·bei~~ a Jaw · , · .. , «.> : ·,, . . . I.· . . to the gir+ the .. membere· 6r:~n$:.f~gllta~:\ie¥¢~~ Aoco~~lng i ~n Aft er this a celle cti vs .fine of 5 1' o()o: dol;t.~rs, l.Vas ..im~o~~d upon the Jews of Kuty, Jl.lld was paic1.in fu1l.cThe[ .. ewis~-Counoil __ obeyed the instruotio:qs of the ·n:t,stric1;·.. Jewish (!O.un6H,d'il14 1W!iS careful not to become invol vec1 i:q. a.ny disput9s '.vii th the;~au~b,()'"'_ rt.ties. When a labour office was'·opsned iii Kowsovi ·the Jude#rat · came under its jurisdiction •. '.!1hE1Jews :l.n ,Kuty -li've The lat.ter ord~req. hi. m .to del. iv..er,- ,w. iv.hiµ··.' ,t·\·".13. n..t. ,Y __ ·'·.··m .. i11u·t· es.,;·.'t. h.-.·~.···.:··.·_: '.·.··.·. ' . \ \ bodi'as o-r t~e people who h~d· been .ki,l~ep, ;wh_~n.,.~l;i,~,.,:G!ll'.~~~~A~;...::t. · entered the town. 'Ai'ter this . the .Jews .nere colleote "'l • ·' / ,· I I ~· ·\, • - -._.-_,______:. ,. .31. s. Li9.uid.ation- of the Jews in the Frontier ;Towns of' Poland Slovakia.. . . - .. Before ths war, ther~ were 3,700 .T~ws.inKossow Hucui~M.;,. 6~ of the whole population. Of the reoainder, 25% .. were 'IJ:k:raf.· ...··. nians and 15% Poles. · ·.i.: ··, ·.• .. . >• ..: ,:.), rized i~: :t!~:;n~~~s~h:~e~h~e~~~:i;~eA;~;s~:~~6ri!~Eii~~~~\l6fro~ .- Jun~ 30, 1941, and the Ukrainian mi~itia 'b-ook it:'ovar; ~he;situat ion of the Jews became worse. The nulitia, under: tl).e leEl.d.ership of Wolanski, s~archeQ. and looted the hbmes. and: attac~e~ the )6r 11 sons of the Jews. The Ukrainian-Vlil'micki, ·the 1€\ader Koszak' and the·militia..,.corunandant Kajai:zuk, tolerated all brutalJtiea.iper-:·" ·I:! petrated against the Jews. The Hungarian forces took possession ·' of the entire district. The Civilian Administration.of Internal ·,; Affairs was left to the. Ukrain:i:t:\ns. 'l'he City Adminis.tra-t.iori de lllB,nded that the _Jewd provide 9 1 000 kilograms of .grain.fof(the. 0 0 Anny :o:::u:::: ::re harded together daily µnd :subjected ;lo\)ru~ tal beatings. AE eff-orts to alleviate this :condi,tigri •were of.: no avail.· After a while, the Germans took possessiOfr cf lihe. 6ntir,e · district and the atrocities were· i:ben~:lf'.ied• The district Adnii= nistraM:on issued a decree on .July 29; 1941; .aigned·:bY ·:~in~er Hnatiuk, ordering all .Jewish men and ..vomeii over, 12-.years';C)fo'.age to wear a yellow badge on their riight> arms.: · ' ·' :' ·'., ,-· > , - ':-~-- ! . The ~wish Council,headed by .Dr.HirsP. and Zlsha"s~hlo~berg, which was formed at this time, was subjected to great· humilia:tion1 , Their efforts to .stamp out the _organised at'J;n.cks against the :Jews t· by the. Ultrainian Youth v10re wtthout .effe.ct·•. Various gahg,9L:would - ·· . '?apture Jews, assault and murder them. On the Thursday, ·900 Jews .. - . ' were shot. During the a-17tacks, which lasted all day, .. the ·Jews wimt into hiding. That night, the Gestapo set fire to -17he big. synago- [ gue. The hill where the Jews w13re, shot µnd buried) wa,s .. named f "The Jewish Hill" by the Gernnns,· ft was saturday'mo:i;nitig .when.· _ . r we saw the terrjJi'ying spectaple. ~ ,oan. Jews were. shoti~' This i_?,l9lud:-- :. ed 14g of the 1/5 Hungarian;-refugees. Men los.t¢;th.e1r:i~~gm:Gft-~c"~',,f' their husbands and childrsn,·c~tldren their faniilies;"11lho~e·'·:/~ ·· · !'e.milies were wiped out •. ifewish homes·were sacked by 'l/inniclr:il· .. and househol:d pos13essions were -cart ea away• .On ..Wednesqay 1 Octoqer 15· there was a joint-session of the Gestapo and the City Adl14..! .· , nistration at which the plan -of attack' against the ,Jews .was worked out, I;>urin~ the bloody massacre, the ·Gestapo singled.. "'Out ·.150 .. , artisans and n:er.ibers of the Jewish Councill. arrested, an·.. d 11.a-ter shot them. The Ukrainians assisted the Getniapo in their bar• ·. barous assaults agaiµst'the Jewish population. Theydisolosed the ·.... ~ ·;-: - \ • ,_,_::- hiding paloes of the J ewa and :forcibly ejec:te·d their them from homes. Entire families were trapped .and murdered~. ..Tews were 500; turnedover to -Poncak,· an :Ukrainian~ Th'ere w¢r6 a•. great number ·.. of informers, such as Dymitry Babluk \Vhn'·l'e_;. ··' . vealed the whereabouts of the family of? lroshe' Bartfeld, Fle.isl,ler. Mrs;· well-lmown in Jewish circles, was shot.l~E!c_ause J3. .·· ••. Ukrainian neghbour .po~nted her· out. The Ros!"nrauch .a.nd: Ka.rpe~., i' t'amilies were apprehanded during the night. D:r;-. S-imcha 1 gave Pilus' s wj,.fe the Postmaster General I a la-rge;-sum of fil()J?.eY condition thE>t on.o ' 1e shield her and her child,' buy.'lle treac1'~~()us].y deltvered them ever to the Germana. The. Josel';~Ftk'.s!:f"~;l)y,'>':i( consisting of 22 people, was betrayed ~Y th~ .U!d,:~~If~·~*i·:P.~#to: Bowioz. · .· . ·· ·_. . ·,. ., _ ;··c;J~;~,~'..;i-:,. _ The attitude of a part of; the Polishlpopµla:tion 1i&ya}4s the Jews was not always as it should be. Many. mente,l Po]. es' ·:we;r.e ~itx~tr.u-. · in trqpping the Jews. Filip Niniki6wicz ..<'li'VUl.g~d abouts of t.he vlher6."'.' · all his Jewish neighbours. Hirsch_ Hellman 'Wal?- fortunate enoUgh/ to escape after PEI-Ying a big brj,be. Xowals:ki '.['hi; photog~~i:lller > and his two sons· drove out ~many Jews f'r9rri. tliE1ir h,iding plaoes, strippi~hem of their J)Ossessions. They: empi;ied. :Rbznower and JhE:i.: '. TarnG>wer stl"6ets com:!,Jletel.y_ of Jewa~ '~Dr.. ·1mr;jB;n: Karpinski, .an old lawterj whose· c],ienteie col'l1~:l~tecl.;!mostlY,:·or: Jews and who had several times been· eJ:e•ted mayor ~by them, b,e-: trayed an oJ:d Jewish neighbour· of his I Anshel · Btil¢r.· their death, ll:~~e· JeWs' me'W when th9y were. thro·wn intb a "burni,ng synagogu1f · which had been ignited by the Germans. 'i'he leaders_ of terror were of :these acts Ukrainian volunteers; Ge'rmaris,:who ,;i~re·'.m;ml)erfJ· _ of the Gestapo and .the SOhderdienst. Their leaders vrere:'··Ober:..· ; starm Fi\hrer Goja, Chief of the sonderdlenst irt · and the leaders Koloiny'ja,, Gesel, HU.ber·a11d Tuerer.; · · " · - ·. . · · · ".· There were also a nilriber of mcrainHtns- liv.eft, S. •.gave v1ho sav~d.Hf~,vtifh . shelter·-to the fe!:l:iH6s Men,del Mamore.sh, Haj;i\3n- . fra.o 1 ·Hti.)?enberg,. Sojfer, FrenkieI, nia.ns who Sp~rer aR~,S~,lil~t~~'-"~~~~'~',· . wanted to loot their, homes. s .. 1!ltiread''tner 0 out the • news·~"~hrough- · tcwn that the Jevrn ·re11ain in hMing~~Ifany .Jewac-vrnre .·co!i oealed by brave Ukrainians, 10 in the cellar of Dr. home •1' B. 1·. 9 · a~. tP,e lls. H. Another brav.e Ukl;'ainian whe ~hid. his .bours was J~1··i~h, ~e,~gh• As. The Ukrainia·~ girl R. warned the. J.ev{~, '\>afore the terl'o;ristiq· aots. .·· began, to keep to their .hiding plaqe~ .. , . • . The Gestapo oarried out its sadistic l ', Jews by rebbing design~· against: the them of all their possessic>ns' and 'then ,driving . · t.hem up the hill to be• shot.. They atrip'!)ed Jewish searched w~inen publicly, their bodies;· iholµdipg their.. sexua.r organf!;. · ~- The murdered .Tews we,:i:·e thrown' il,ntc) oW~n .gJ:'B-yea ·~~ . At the. same time the .l!'eatapo ~a:rrie .. , ~ _.. ,-_, ' ~ ' ~><.··.·.. ! r • ------~----~-'--"~~--"-o~~~~"--'--..-~-'-"'---c--~40 [. - ·Tha-;J~~s, ~hlefly dwelt in th6·-u.rib'c.. 6_upied_A~~iicof . o- "~· ~ France-, particularly in the large .cities,;i~'9p :iis--~.~:t:eu~e';. '<'.':-- . IC.l " •• -~,,,.~'0- ro'f- Marseilles and Lyons, In Octobel;', 1940, the·f'ir-st·Juit:rseind:tie - -; - .... ~'O "' ,) ·.... _. - ~ '~b • <9 Q'. - c -~---01-- .• - le 1;'<'_..,. ... 7fi-====~-'"~"'~"""''.'9'<£'.;~-~:.:.:,;~'"'"-"~:•=.->-~..i oci••. ~-'Q& ~: , e,--//_Af_' - 9 ~- aB -'--,-----~·-·-,------;c-_:_,_~-,----·~._-c-:_-·-,--··_.:.,·'-'-~~~~"-··~····•'-"-···-'!w11_·~-----c:t:-~ }0X~~ ' .. · .. h/ After whe:t occ.urr13d in Paris in July, 1942, :t;he Jews ·ce.' <> . / . .- . ', ;. - . - ~ ·- .-', ~- :.- - - ::_'·;. ~,~,~;;~~}: The behaviour was entir6ly different in the 9C3,9~Pied< Area, where the, French th'smsel ves were under the ygke o.f the . oppressor and could therefore unr. erstand ··the. J evlish position,, Catholio clerics began to pro~ect the Jews.in.summe_r,'. J-9.42~ ~ . when incessant persecution began. They alone, with u few indi vidual Frenchmen, reninded us of the earlier Frange_.:That was the situation until November, 1942 1 when the A;t;Lie13j,nva9,ed .. :· North Africa, e.nd the Germa.ns occup,ie,d. ~he .wno+e·:o;f\Ji'~e?lci3•,. · Hap'1ily we pessed t~rough th~ fi;s{'nonth~ -~t'the ~~tal occupation of France without any great difficulties. T.h,eJews placed their hopes in the Italians and began j;o esca:pe to those districts which the Italians had occupie.d. Thanks to the Italians many Jews were saved. In Ifoveober the ·prevfously unoccupied. · part of Frnnce was divided into two sections, ons:under Geman control and the other under· It!"ll:!:ap. Tl1e .Italiari: section was smaller than that of the Germans, !tnd. comprisE?d the· are ii ~9t\ve'en the Italian frontier and the .. riyer, Rh8ne cont.ainiijg the two · . tCN/nS Nice and Grenoble. The French E;1dministrat;\.on"y~13;s o.et.en;;;:~~-·~~~c." sibly left in place, yet in actual :f.a.ci5-.German~;.-ifffli1eticlt"-~l.Q~"7·1- < immediately be felt in the German area; .while t.}\e Italian· ...· . , influence could not ,be noticed. at all in .tl}e{r Occupied T~rritory. The work of the Alliance Israelite Universe.Us 'Was prohibited. · in the German ares, the Gestapo arre11ted the. ,Ulianci;i .officials at Boulogne and Marseilles ~nd. e11pelled the.m to an unknown· · · destination:. This became knowh to. the .French auth·orit ies some . time later, but all the effort's thay me.de to leRrn the .fate ol' these officie:ls proved unsuccessful, Jews ttere arrested. f.rom time to time, While the expulsion Of J'ews beohlie El daily event. . -·' ..,.,~ . ,... L l 3~ - At the sane tir1e the Italian outhori ties began t.o use· their in1'luence Im the French· adninistration in their Occupied .'.rea, and prevented the carrying eut of the orders of·tlie Frenon authorities. The Ite,Uan · authorities s hc111 ed a singular .,,an<:l 'gen,utn,s friendliness towards the Jews. VThen the Jewish' badge wa's :·-int:r.o.... duced in France After the Glirnans invaded Unoccupied France theFrenc]l began to escape to Spain, and it was learnt that Spain,dic1M;t send then back. Jews also tried to escape to Sp~in; ·but w,h~feas the French were s\fp~1orted by their organisations Jev1S~~oi.W:di;l).'6t·;" · expect aid frop any quarter whatsoever·. For this 'rea'son":the only - Jews tried to escape were those wi 'fih adequat·e financial resourees, or those who were in danger of imr:ied:i,ate expulsion. But after a while the Gernans set up a closed area along the«Pyrennean: ·: frontier, entry to which was ptohibited to all except,i;h0se·'4C)ld- ing special permits. ' · ·· ,. · The oppression and trouble brought the Jews closer to . :me another. Many Jews who had never previous'1y· regarded themselves au such began to feel and to be Jews; and like'.the JeWa of.Eastern Europe, they also began to thihk of 'Zionism as a goal for their own liv~s. · • < · 9. Reactions of the Polish , _ ...... _ •~ '"~z,~, .' • 4- ~ 3t l I Y6t there is a politivnl and moral aspeot ·to.the events or the great week in Warsaw, as well ad to any fui;ur.e . de#ence measures; and it is far from an ironical meaning.. .. . -· They raised the Polish flag'on the walls of, the Fighting Warsaw gh6tte, and when the enemy tore it to tatters it a!rpeared a.trash. t~'/ The Jews continued the Defence of the Capital which began in r Septeober, 1939; and this defence was a proud battle of the /r Polish Republic. The national ninority produced soldiers. who of their own free will resolved to do battle with the comr.ion- tot>. . 1 For this reason their blood has not been shed in vain. For they · paid for those who in 1939 forgot that they were Polis.h citizens. Note: It b regrettable ·that at; this hour, which is so de.cisive ?OF"P'oland1 the Polish undergro~d p:reas 6annot ref:rai~ fr()14 · expressing· Antisemitic sentiment a~d .aQllUBtlf:l.·· the tJey1ish Pilb"'..io f the of activities in which ·.t;hey l:ll:fe ~Y.,e..r :pa~li~c1pn e~ rn.-v_1ew ~ difficult situation in which Poland is now.placed, we do not propose to oomr.:.ence a debate with the Polish ·underground press in order to demonstrate the real fighters for the liberation or Poland ae against those who are responsible for the calamity which has befallen that oountryw , , I, I --,; I ! . ' I ". --·- -, ,_.:__ -~: BULLETIN A number of reports are given below on the situatiOn. of the Jews in countries under the rule of the :Nazis of: tlieiJ:' sate],litesJ> on the basis of information received from various source·s... . . THE GEl'TERAL SITU.A.TIOIJ. l. Approximate r.igures regal"lii ng Sewish victims of the war. The :l'amphlet 11 Ten Years of Hitler 1 s War against the Jews" · Published by the 11.American Jewish Congress.Institute or J"ewish Arfairs", reports that by the end or four years of war 5,a.021 1500 ;fews were missing. According to tl!ais .report there were 8,324,500 ;rews in Europe in 1933 1 - and in 1943 only 3,303,000 were left. The pamphlet gives the following statistics: country No. killed Organised Death in death by died in Murder transit starvation battle, 0 --- & a:i'sea'se' Germany 110,000 15,00(' ?5,000 20,000 Poland 1, 60(·' 000 1,000,QCC 500.,000 100,000 Russia 650,00C' 3?5,000 1501000 125,000 Lithuania 105,000 100,00(' 5,000 t,atvic: 65,oor 62' 0()(' 3 ,000 Austria 19, OC'C· 1,500 10,000 ?,500 Rumania 22?-,60(' 125 'ooc 92 ,500 10,000 l"ugosluvia 35 '000 15,000 12,000 5,000 3,000 Greece 18,500 2,000 85 ,ooo 6,000· 2,000 Belgium 30,000 25,000 5,000 Holland 45,000 40,000 5,000 France 56,0'0 2,0C'O 34,000 15,000 5,ooo czeoh protectorate 2?,000 2,00C 15 '00(• 10·,000 ~lovakia 3?5,000 32,000 5·,000 ranzig 250 250 Estonia 3,000 3,000 Norway 80(' 600 200 Totul:a 3,36?,050 l,?C3 1 100 345,950 ?46'-,?00 235,oOO 11. Number or Jev1s in various cou_p.tries: Other sources report that 2 1 500 1 000 .Jews are lei't alive, this number being arrived at as follows: a. Poland •. ·or 3,50C,OOC .Jews be_fo~e -~JJ~h}'l!;l._;r;,,.o_;"~~~t:;pf... l,f~OO,()OO. · i remained in the "General Government", aft,er many l:fod .Yie-en exfl"E!d to· . Russia, During the war about 600,000 Jev;s were expelled from Germa:riy:, France, Holland, etc. to Poland. The dreadful slaghter and .liquidation or the Gettos wrought havoc on the largest Jewi-sh population of Europe, (; and only a few have been left here and there. According to all reports received directly or indirectly from the underground, it may be -lssumed that the number of Jews left alive is 500,000 to 600,00C'·, some c;>f whom: are kept in forced labour ccmps in c dre~dful state of starv:1tion und distress. ...... , IL> .... -.- ..... - .2 - b. Rumania. At the begi nn:\.ng cir~'the. war there iiere sor.:, O(' b · .Jews in this country. The number has been dreaO.fully reduced· .through: 1) ma?s slaughter or the Jews of Besarabia and Bukowina;_;2) Flight" to Russia rrnm Bukowina with the retreating army; 3)- Al'.lnexatj,Oiiof' ·' the districts of Transylvahia, etc., by Hungary and BU:lgarii:i>Irost 6.f the Jews of Bessarabia anc Euk:iwina, amounting to about 180,.()00/ were expelled1 to T;ransdnestria, and about 65,00C are ·stil} Old Rumania: Bucharest 100,000 Galatz 25,0CO Jassy 25iOC-0 Other towns ~oco 1?5,0C.0 Bukowi na 16, OC·C· Transdnestria _ ?5_;::_t.; occ __ 266,0CC The Je..-s in Transd~estria live under terrible conditions. They are imprisoned in ~o camps ·.·i th three different classificatiOJ;ls; a) "Free", i.e . .ic.·s fror.1 the Buko·;;ina •:ho are permitted to ;.ork; b) Ghettos in :':ohilev end else1.here; c) Concentration canps f'or hard labour. They are nO\: in an exceedingly dangerous si tua:tion in Tiew of the approach of Xoviet forces to the occupied ·territory.- They run the risk of slaughter by the retreating Roumanian army.• c, Yugoslavia. The Je;;ish population amounting to ?5,00C persons, -.:ho used to live peacef'ully in yugosl£.via, have no>. dis appeared, There are 2,000 people left in concentration camps near Zagreb. About 12,NO '!ugoslavi&n Je·;:s fled to Italy, ,,:here the r;ar has now caught up i-ith them. It should be added that a number of Yugoslavian refugees fled to H·rngary, ..-:here they live together \;i th the other Jewish refugees from p~1and, Slovakia, etc. d. Greece. The J"er:ish population r:as largely concentrated in Salonik8, r;herc they numbered about 6C, ODO, Some 10, 000 - 12, OU" lived in Athens, Crete, etc. Early in March 1943 the G<:"raans expelled all the: Salonika Jev;s to p::land within a fortnight more or less. A total of sane Salonika Je1:s, 3, OOC in all succeeded in escaping to Athens, and a similar number fled to the islands y;hcro they arc living sicretly and without any means of existence. About 60 families possos ir,g Turkish citizenship have emigrated ..-;i th the aid of the TUrkish Legation, Another group of 38{' Spanish ci tizcns i~.:.re gi vcn the . protection of the Spanish Legation. Efforts arc being made to transfer them to Spain, from which it is assumed that they will proceed to Palestine. · G. Germany and Yic s!~!Q.. ~!:l!_o:p~~- F:i:_;;.]l~.£.> •. l,t~jc ~::'''"';;~:...-<~~~J~~"'~"~" The process of decstruction and expulsion to the HEastn tias'~c-onfnucd · for t.;o years in the ·;:e;;stern countries, and has brought about the vitual annihilation of the .Jn:ish communi tics in the countries of G•.:rmany, · Austria, Cze;;chia, etc, Tho number of Je-.7s left alive y;ho have not been Exiled to Poland is estimated at: Germany 5,0:0 Austria 80{' Czechia 2,oco Sl:ivakia 20,r·r (about s,ucc "niddan") Fronce lC·c·, f'C-<' Holland 20,0('(' '-, - .__,_ ----: "'"-:--: ~· ----,:-~ . . ' _· .. :~~~~e;-·~o:~<_:,~o;- -- ;;. -:- . . .. ~--·~·-_ ::.... .- - ~~~,---:'.'°-. < - • '· - ·,,:. '>·_ _:_.:-~·-·:__~~--- -\~·--_.'--:,-,.__\..__ :~ '~~-.--- ;~~;'.f~~-, .i 1:ht~~:~~;~I~i:~~?!til!r~if;j~~~~i!l~i!{!~~~tt:~L;t1;;1 · ·otfur satelI11ic aountriei:;. of tnz. Ax;ls~ The· ".i;i1:1:\iJ'7if:~Viisli'·~.:1,v('~:·:··< :, { · ·· introduced in this· country is bei~ put· irit.o · ~fJeo:\i ··DJJ.ly:· j,p:;ec,9i'.1:om1Ci' · · < life.· Land ia being confiscated, vaJ!iouE;·o~d¢rs.!irc:b.cingen~c:t6d~.· i .f etc. , but· these; ~ave: ·not· o.ff0cted. the J:ewiSh·.ti.ervr,.-'cienters'.,r:pd•·:;li!lve: > not fotifid· e:xpress·i on in slaU:ghdJfr: £iij.d. niurder-,:_·a·~·· has'_be:en·!tb;e· oc.'se .•.. in otocr countrie;s.: •·• ··r •._;;. :',>:• .·•·~- .•. '/·:/·'·''··':..·.:::?,,;·•.'><':··~ ..':.'';/.,:·: •.· .. · g. rtalz. ··The Jews in. Itf3.1.y, ntijnberlng-~b'p~t;·$(>,·.j(fof:~ka~.· :{'.! also the 3(',• c: rf>fugi;;es ,fromYugbslaVi!;!..1 wrere.·in tl:l.6 iiJ.os.t.satiS#•c•:. ' factory si'luation of &ll . throughout ·the war period; :but.>th.e.ool.l!i'.Pfle .···; of Italy and thE: ~rman invasion of tho ·nor:thern. cietr\;6i'i:i-qf.)l1~ '> '. . ·( country has gravely affected .. those Jews_ \?ho·· wOI!'~:·tinaplec to mov~~to...- :·"'·· · the south of the country _or to escape 'fto Switzcrlanff. :: . > ,·. . ' <' . The figures givrn &bovc rcsembl,e thoH·publlshed {~'·the. :·<;,: . pamphlet "Ten Ycurs of Hitler's War a~ainst tho Jews·'~';taking :1P:to .··· ecoount tl:ri: fact tl'E.t they do not i-nclude Russia or· tiit,c.Baltiio·". · a cuntriE s...... : .. III. PoL:.nd. - : -· a)-rn-=t"he Gh(ttooa. . -·. The late et information describes uddi t icin'll a~ts.· ~t tcrr·o.. rism in m:::.ny F: lish towns c,Jil vnic,gcs·. About 3o,c::i::- Jcws,'hove boefr·:·· · :·: e expelled from Grodrio, where the members ol' -the. ;Lo9!ll Oommun.s.l Council :.m notE,blcs JcV:ish res id'cnts :.nd intbllz ot\U1ls0 .wc·:r·c,:ahot by the. NC1Zis. . ' .. . . . :,_ . The ghsttocs in Bblistok ~:rrl·LU ·, }--, In tho v ioini ty pf Sicdi1Qt the Gcrm~ns killed .150 Jews who had hiddan themselves. 5 ,.: ·) Jews from Cr·:.cc•i :wr.r( sent to tb$ oonct:ntrc.tion urrl dee.th oainp st 0swicnoim, nnd mol:'e thEJn ii :thousmd · old pocplc, 1..1.nd childrem find siOlc wore. shot on thi:- spot.·· b) Jeyi§... 1-n 'Ljv_c~_J.p_§..§.P_~IJ!P~~-121.~· . . ·. ·. -~~- The; P".llish UJ?.dergrcund newspaper; "B1ulet~Jl;';I:P,.f:~In,.lii.9~~~>:.tX;';~~;7·:" 0•·• which has recently ·arriv!':d· from .Polc.hd, · provid€s informa.t1•a,,· " .. · stEitistics on the number of;Pvlcs, Ukrainians, Jews arid Gtrmalis who lived in Lwow. i_n September ·1942: · Pol.es 1?5,CC-0(56%) 151'1 0.'0 . 15C·,01'10 (59%) Ukrainians · · · · · 30,occ(n.2%) 63,ooc· · 65,0(;oc(2e%) Jews ll'0 1 000(32%L 119,c_·?C .. · _ 351_coodl4%). ~- Ckrmans 2,ou~(0.8%) , l,3L'(' . · ·· . ,_ · ·._ · .9J.!1:.C.~.~--...J,: .. ~-- ~ ----~...... ?.. t~S'...0 ...... -·------··-- ---··-· ,.;,,!itl'O :~.----~ ...... Total 316,(•\.(' J36,5:T· 2::>l, 0·';_ . . .. ··· o} De~truction,ot :r~~s in th~/~~~i.::~!l ·~··iifl~(li~ ~; p~~and: . The Polish Uridergr-ound-p-::i.per-·1tfioron1'if" of$eptemb€::r.24; 1942, ,re~rts: "A.fter practioally all the 'JeWf1 1n;Oeni~ra:I.'Pol!itid~l.1'::ld,be.~~;>(:> liquidated, tho. Germans began' tci e:x=ter~lnate-t~.;J'cy;>s 1~ fC>J.~ss1a.'.;. , •·. At E!l.rania Gora,Drohiczyn and B~zeso,, thr:. ~rl1lop:s.:aI);l:1;m)JJc:rei1~1ani:, engaged in dreadful bloC)~shed. am.ong, thE) J0ws,· w)io. wo~e:; i'll\M.'.1.n1;o;~ .. > gravr;s nhich they v;crc compelled _to.cdig -~l'..·t~EH1~~pJ,;ycs,. \;;~'•: ·i,. >" ·.' .. ·~ ~ ·.·.. '-· In ace ordanoc. with the. or~_r_Qf.__C'_oj;Ql)~~~e_, J,J,}j_a·,J~g';.;i'd_ing~i-.~ thc prov·isi on of ape c iel districts f o:i:; · the J'9wE1.{ gr cups• o:t 'Sows, tro.in other towns have been b:rought to the Wti.rscv1gMt~o~- .. ·· _.• · ·· . All in all there arc na-1 (1''ovcmbcr. i942f !34·;96'9 itv;ircgi~tcl'cd:· in the ~vo.rs~v; ghetto &n:1 .occupying 45'7 housE:s. •· contna:t·;,,~th tb£·quter. world is c. Uowcd only .by means of a pcrmi t of thB S~S'. ,t'olicc'. ;: During the month of rotob.::r, food. tp a vulu~ of' 2,941,'c;r"n Z11t1.>>as brought to the ghc tto; d,uring the month of :t:-rovembGr thc·,ve.luc. Jit:.s 2,~29,cu· zld>ti. · · ·' · During th: month of .-ctobcr 89 Jews v.icrc porm1 ttcd'to· :i.~a~6< the ghetto c::nd 2,6?1 Ar~;;nds r1crc permitted to enter.it.' _ ·.... ' '· .: ' ·. . . ~- -- . ' .. : There ~re 3?21 b c) b!£.llidati£m of -~P2.J£!1.!'. ot Koloinyj'd~ An art iolc in thE; "Koelnisc ho Zcj.tung11 reports· th"t Kolomyja 1a· 1nhab1 tea only by Poles end Ukrilinia_n~~ · 7'liis coi\flrms the report of tre destruction of the Jews 1n-tl1e.t tqmi. · There ar.e now ao0c. Poles and 70N! Ukrainians tber? •. Before the war cthifrc W€l'e 45,ccc residents :in ICcilomyja, the; majority,p~i~ Jews. · -',:, ,. f) The Nazi journal 11 nanziger VO.rpos:ten11 atiltoEI thf:.t'j(;Uj,~h and Polish partiaa-ns. cstablislr;d epGcial units in ord~r to o&rry· out acts of scbotoge against the GC:rmnn.s 1 :~s .w1,>ll qs tci._!ltt;:,o.k ~'azi · ofi'ioi::ils• in tm Gcnerol Government. Tho paper etatqi th~tt. dU+-iil.s tht.. month of June. thE:. Jewish portis~ns att.;io_ked .~nd .killcQ.. 58 ·. ._ .· ·. Germans in Wc:.rsaw, Cr13cor1, :.odz, czenstoobovo. cnd'othcr t6~ms ·in Pol!lnd. The sam~ pa.per re-ports. th;:it the "P<•rtis'ln milrd.crr,r:r ·Harry . Blwnonfru9ht, i:. Jew cg€d 21, hnd been o;:iught while attacking G€rnians in Bend in together with his Polis'h assooiates. · · . g) LiquidatJ.Q!LClLJ_cm~rt~FP)J2.!1_ g~i~ ·j.p._jlle ·L~lin· D1(~1ot •. ·: The 11 Biuletyn Inf.orrnaoyny11 bf Hovenber·lc;)th, l ...... -- h-) ·:fews tlie·-~i~W\-,- _____ ,:~~~>--~ -:.,· --~"... :~ , ·-· --~~-: On ill.Y ec-:2nd~ 9.43;~-·t i=L'! e o sgesetzblatt" 'PUbHsnetr--. -----;-- ---~ ci:J:'der No.13 aooordillg to w~ioh · J"ews .vvi3:l ·po lq~~r" }):~ ju\j_g~-~ ~rt;~!te_ 1- authorised ·lirl?;al ooqrts :t:or l'olea, :l:n1t;·,l)y.,the,-1'9lioe ·{§i'J;''.'.'1::"'1n:~~':'. '.-./- · ·l . t::o~~~~~ i~.::~o'ir~-~r··~ ;·w;~~ ioo~~~·-,·~~y~~r";!'~~~W·~fu;'t . , Ji I. J"ews stiU in sosnowtee.. ·-~--. . .. -.·-~:.;: . .. _'J: : >"'{ .r: ·:;,, . , A letter .has arrived in a-c-neutral ;coiint'ry. t;I'om $osnowho~; : · ... J;' It was posted on N.ovember the ·1st t ·i94:3 tiy l;1ias -~·'{'..~\.a::l3wE?~~~ :'/flie · '!. letter reports that Miss.s. is still· living_~n-,h13rJqr_~f:\+,'"ll~~e~rand ··t .- .tY ,.i.~_Q9"!".~9.E!!!,i!'!! :..th:a,J~_tit~"il: ews . of Sosnovieo oan be •s · ed f'rom the ·1 ·• <$ .6 .. whose perlods of offioe there ..Jlad:been·13.l1tJ0.ii~wj_~i;_,p6~'r ThQ Croatian paper, ·"Nova ·Horovnok:i", published an artio1~·-on' -··.the activities of the Jew; Moshe Peiad.e1 the partisan·l~ader., an~ ···~~ . j • . .. -:-._ . ~: ~:.- Et~:::~;f:~Ei~h!f :!:t4~;~~~r~~~;t:·i~~~i~~~Rl~~~~!~~i '" ,; VI.. R o u: m n n:t a:.·. · ·-· ·· · .· ·.· ;. ' ,/~~ ..., <)·/·:t.. ··· · ;: 0 mat ion°ii~;e~a;~o~! ::g~~~;ho~~!ft,~':~~~I.li~~~~~:~~!f ~gftkY;~~~~7.····· .• •·•··· ''' to have come about witli··refereneeL~o the posJtioti of tJie .;rews in/~he army. According to this, the, ¥0,ung. •J~~" 9f'.; th~ l.a'3~-· ~i:J.fS.· e>t;~Q:~>~_$_();"1.:P~- ~ tion have been taken dj,rect to the ·a~y. an(l not: to·:·for{led l~boi,ir~:n · le stated that· they ere sent. to· A~kerman.;:~wh~t.i:\ tq6y;~r~::.ti'aj,~_d;.~q .·· \ .··· use the most up-to-date weo:ppn~ ACcording. tp"t;lll~:J~p~tto~tJJ-ewiSl;l ~ officers ere about to be regarded to their fornier r8fi:ks.~_):t}''Pli.ears ' · that tftis information oomes-·from Roumanian oiroles·within>Roumartia , •· its elf J. who are interested i.· n--th~ publi VII, B u l .SJ r -~~·· . :_,:,:~,":c:•c:~~f-~::;~~f$~{'.'.'~~)'!;'0';: , -The Bulgarian pres!'! 'r~port~ th~ dec1arati~h md~:,by Christoff, the Minister, of the In~erior; to, journalists at Sofia,. when he explained that. the .18;test instructi:ons of'the authori.ties .·.. . the Jews might give rise to misappreb:ensions:. It,illight · .. ·with regard to 1 be supposed from the permissJon)~o sell goods, .eto .. , out o:f' th~ ·.· · Petori, :eto,, Jhat the_Jiaws, dwelling of Jews expelled from Sofia, f -~- were to be treated more gently. ,qnriato.ff p~_omis9d that .there-"had:: ... not reall:y been: any change in the attitude of the authorities:toward the Jews, am that all ailti""J"ewish legisrrlti on ,wotild· be carried out Oto the letter. · .. . · _ ·.. · - :."_ --"- -. ·- · - .:' · ' ' Before the war there v/ere •Eiboµt 60, ooO Jews in. Bulg~ri~. '· l''l.. ·? Thia number has non been reduced by many thousands/· · · · In spring · , . nt. i.f;i· a:•11i1: r. . ! : ~... _ '.' ~ . ---·~- -:.~'; ,_-_-:)-.,:i :" ___:.~-~-~·:/,'.~ ---:-.! .: - :-._}:-~_--.,__~"- i- -- _:-_, ~:,:__~-: .---~.;. :_ ,· - - 0 -> ___ ,_. __ ;-~---~-!·, .. --~:r·· ~- .. .. ·. _-,-_, -~ ·:-1 ~ewish .1~s1at.ton was tirj;r~~d, · ~nif _11{·.A~;s1i .. l~~~~~ll~ .~6#~~-- .•• ~ : ;_ •. ·.~i wet-e"expe.J.1..ed froni ,Sof'1~.,Ab.ou~ •22,090 B'1fg~~.~n._ Jewi;sh•(q1tiz.E1n~ ,W,ere · ···i sent to ira~ious · sinall· to?ms "8.iid vlll1tges w)i~~~L:thsy ·uv.e· µnp.er.hajod .· c ' ; oonditions,--.trequent1r in .s:inagog'\les.~·· pu'b11A~b\,j,Up!rigif, •• e1;c;; A.bout_ ,:o 1 14,000 Jews,. who did not possess Bµ:J.gari?-n, o-:t-\~~eilSj:if-~-;al.~*9ugh)3c()~11,. ... ·. ! in Bulgaria, were _sent to Poland. and their :fat~> iE!;~@pWn.~·:~.. 'rhe-r:e .. are-> · i npW,. abou~ _40,QOO Jews. left i.n l3ul.gl!!-ria, whp, i:t~;-WE):1:1;ll!6i~ol:'. .Ml_p. ';· Th.e"Do~auzei tupg" of the, ~9th of, lfove~r, 194'3-·; ·. rep<;>rt.eu,thaJ; iA>El:,. debate between the_ O-Oilllilissa~ :ror :.rewi.'Sh 'Affairs .att,d ~}).e Slav;onfo >O, · or.thodox priesthood,' the lat~er prove:cl .. Y..i~t()r1Qu~,>ltii'4 .. or lflte' t,l'ii:>s.e·' Je\Ys who were converted bet'ore Janu:~y~'23t 1·9(1,,·or w~o.,.ni'i11.'r:M~d'.B"4-~ . gerian men or· women b.ef ore .September l t. 1940, .·and: oh~d~i?n .~b();-p..';Of such marriages 1 ~re not require~ ·t.~r.· l~·,· 1913, ·bringing thei~ papers with tilem. Those not complying wou+~f'be ~~~t -·on _1;~~ spot, The order , alsio reoognis13d the Jewish Religi:o.µa·: Oomt!i'g,na~,-Council-as the aµthodsed Jewish institution in Greece. A 1100.. unoil. /S'f''Eld.era"... waa to .b.a estab~ lis~ed by it, and would receive ~~struot~Q~E! .direotly)'rom the autho ... :r:i'f;ies. A curfew from 5 p.m. till.~;; a.m. W.Eis proclaimed for J.ews,,; ..... - Greeks who might help Jews to esc~pe· or, )lide would· be sent 'to~~·c.oncen• tration oamps with the exception 'o:f o~seEf where the law provid:Sd. .a · graver punishment. The Gre-ell: polio& were ordered' to ar,rest -all t~ose who QQntravened the order, wheth~r. 'JeW,s or''n·on"'.'J'e'lts• ihe te'I'lll 11non Jew11 was applied to all the offspring)'~ of three gens~ations. of noh•· Jews. J\fter publication of this order by '!!}lei,-Oerma11s. many Jews· hid. with their Greek acquaintances. Itshoul,'be :~marked:that. the ,inhabi--' tents of Athens adopted a human attitude 'towat~'if the unfdirttiriates.· . The residents of Salonika also helped t~e -~ew~~:~In view:l)i'. thE> help , 01' ·the Christians there is re~~OJ\ tQ hope ~e~ J, ~ J;"g:a ~umber o;f''. Jews have been saved from the N. a~is~;The,· · .. · ·.'.:.·'I;.·~-.:· ·or.:g~.".··1a.·atit'.?n:-()hose. a numb6'1' of English speakit;tg Jews and s~nt th~::to the; _ffl.gh Command. - · Q..thers, chiefly youngsters, went,;t!) th.a: M:p.s inJ>d.er .. t.o jbili the, ":h_ee Greece" mo-vement-. L~aflets: were d1~1l:rtbut13d among the inhnb1r · tant#f of. Athens, · reqUG sting them ,tp: assi91!; ~'1.' hide· 'the ,J'ews, In ol'l!er to in:t'orm the Greeks where· ·3'ewi~h l".~fµ"g'~es .were. found,. ship_ owners took only Jews on .. tl\air ships, ·:i:n ~-~18 viay 'it was ,easy for ·the Greek '-nhebitanta to find J'ewish retQSeesf to help them .an~· to .· · . transport them to places whe:re they wouJ.Cl, ·b·e M!>l'll l!eoure, . . ' . . In the oourae ~i' the t'lve 'da'.ys .following tb~; p_ub~tQ~tion :of . the Order ~Y the Germans, on~y 50 to eo :i:ews were regl~,te~.d .:14~~~.~ , · being p~opl~ who had· not found !lllY ll1ding":"place: or-:w·ere:;·,11t;;~.a.t~t.~..,~~:.·~c''"':. · · · make ·use 01! .. Greek aid.: For this r.eason the Gel'll).ans purposely : : ·.. e.Ji;ended tlle period of. registratioia~ IOl!le p. ec)p,l'e.. l"OsS;a·H'l,'ad, 0VEJri, ·- after the olose of the extended per1ocl ~nd we.re "ppt puniS116d. The Germans gave a white card, to tl).oa.e registered, -~ont1r1.ning. ai~ 4-nta n:t'feoting them. In on~ onse a slok :ew,wa$ given ~ period of foqr days· S.n whioh to· reg'fstel', Jewish pe,rtned In ntixed. marriages were ~tve3 brown on:rds~ At first it was thought that in vi0W of the enilll eity of the Greek population the Germa~s would not t1se severe iueas ~s tor -those hiding among tile t'lhrht1Eins:• Until Vl,adnesde.y, October 20th,. not ·n single Jewish shop was loQ.t6~ except those .of.. .. ~, the ttrm "Aha.def", whose. stores tll\4 warehpwfea ~!Sre.)~obbed iniinE?_q.1-ate ly attar the entry ~f the Italian 'troops; · and al so the :f'.irm of· the · .-, ...~ ,._~·':o·~-:<:·:-~:- ~/·~·-~ .:-_.:. ___•- __o ?-o -----~-:~-/- --- -:___ :_·:~;~t?- c;_~-:'-/~~;~· :~?~,~_;::I• · .:.:,·· .. ,~.·}._ -·· ·",.:_· ·:T\•.. ·· .. . , ····,·,,··<<':-j .:.' - -- ;_· .;--.;~ ·.._;- '. -- • -_ - .--. • :: ~~?_-~'-~ ( -::-~ ~-;·-_-;\" ._:·~ ;" - ">'- -~<-~~ _.:;_::~;-~--~-~:}~--><- :h-·-·-- >.::-: -- --~--~~~:t ~ ',. ·.;_9'~ .. /' •. '.' --. c. • ' .:._ -. -- • '~ - , . ~.. • ••••• - , - - _<-~ . '· . _) ,; ..- ... ~! ~-;~ _---,~-l .. :~; -~·->t i~ -:;-·1 -' ~ . "i 1943 an·arca ·runounting to lQ5~ci0o yuoiicicri'Vifig frorir''tl11rr'~'du:if6~!-:,· · !.1 had M1rn _hondql_ ove'.r to SlO:"lak:J13.ns 1 while the, re.~'!i;~Y/{l.$,~ s.tiJ:l,: :idi,t: > .~. ·:::;f .:'.b:::~:~·~z~~;'W;~~;ih~tJ~~~iii~~~~~:i~£,'.t .... tact _bc:twcen Thoresi0ns~adt &nd .Swi:tzerlartd•': 'l'he _lifoias'\p:fes.s'io:x~'/( ' prcsse..s its nlarm regarding :tho fe,te of 'thOse ino.iircierated !fo>tlifa' ghetto; in the light of .the ant1"'.';reiwish0 deciiaF.nt:l.-'ori;/;bt·~Dr~·-'.s'rind.er,;.c mann, Gocbcbel's e.ssistnnt. · -· · · · ··'·'''··><1~·-.·,;·u'.•'··-' x. E' r D. n 0 'e ., t.bss urrf.sts qre oont·iriufng::1ri:~hri~'ruriti'h~1J\1~{ ... including. the members of· tlw rte lief. 0oll1Dl1t.te'.e.· .~h~(p#i!lbl:\crs:)ilr¢\k. ..· expelled 'to. labour ounips. 'l'here iB·'no l:ongor any';·aJr:i;efeh9i3-;:ti·ct.ti!f:fon ·•. former Fro.i+?.h oogupied ter.r:i tory_ artd: t:orm.er Frcriah un9:(.l~ii'#eci•t:~:i"---. · rLtory, and the idcntioul anti'":Jc.wish·att'ittidc··tsfoUtidAn~::bC>thi. Trn.velling oomm.i ttees of the 'ata·tapo tc:ir· kidnuppfogi:'ife.ws::)i~o':·\';(:: c.ctive in. the provincial· tq\'m,s. In Upper Savoy.whol"e _JcTiish fruni·:- Uc s flee to. :the mountains• The Jevis who :'.l;ii;ted 1t1 ~he6%'e.a~:··*h:\;0,~:-_· were fQrlil_crly oooupied; by. the;,Italian;:ff.J.ed":l;'J:'9Ili ~here~ JlP9,n~tl}?;(;~:·_ · · withdrawal of thc .. Italian army• ()n the way·the-GermaU's::tukq t.he1_1i:-· out· of· the :rail\'l_uy cai'r.itige,s ,. ~ar:tioU,liirly, _q't· ~.b'.e'..~yi~~C>fi ::rap.~ft-!l/ stati'on. They seek Alsotinn J'owe_ V{ith'p&rtioular: sn~agery,«;'X}ie :;; J'c;,ws of Franoe arc mp;king· cvcry.:possible bffort ,tc{~so:ve ;dt\1Ei~S,11t,: their ohlldre.n. . '' ' '' '•' •... · .. .,_·. ', . : ' <: \':: . ~~ii.~•~them h~s h~yfj:t .~~·~~been ·round ~.~~~~~; • .il.ooordirig'to·tJ;tc'loto's1;;·fe'poritsj'tli ·~ . - .. - ~-.-~-:~-.:-- - -. , • • - -_: _-:- ':··; ,, "<~ - • -~·· ·. ·;"; ·;·\~'.---!-~.-/~-i-i-; ,· ~-...!_: o'~-~.~.:-):~--_,~ -' >'.-_;_;;_--,- / 10.. . . ·.· J . . <~ .: • • • • /-: ,f';- -_. '>~;_"';';_-_-. -._-:-- - - - :,:_~<~~_-:{-_~:, -· >- - .. ·1 :··-: ;~m:~~::~:~:r:!~~~~~!~!~~~e~~z~~~!!~i~~~~~~'i?:· ,;·•· ··: Jews .hidden :i.11 vai".ious piaoe.s'-:ih.-Hollahd4.·Man·y o;C':them':have:::HS'eif:. , ~!:~:·:!.~~.~·t~:: ~~~~·i~~~f}~~1~~~%~i~~~~~~·~~~z~ .. , ·.· .•• , No.t so long· agC?_.the;·JeW1~J1 Cguii9:ll, ,og_t,tsi ~~eqt t>f'•'J.:'lCfriµ,~~.r:s. ~ ~h~ l:JC?~fH of: ;I:ta;L_1ans, wp.o ar,o ~u1'foz:1ri8;;f~-a_ndt)J~,~~!J>;t!f!i~rous . bombings of the Uni tcq Niation_s,. ·.. · ·· ··. ·. · ·,_ -:; : ; '.';;::,1;--;,\~,/.· .- · XIII. A. u B t r .i. a. ~ Aocordipg t~ report~ :f'rorn:HU.n~·~x::v::,;tb.o~---al-e still abput 2,ocio jews in Vion'na, part ~t' .'9M~ ·a1•0,, ?i;>~ia~(:r'c~gEef.~1~) ' '- : ' ·.-?·-, .. _.-. -~ -·::·~:-:·:_~_·-/~:"'',·':·.;,-::~ -· .. _:.-, <;<>:; '.·:_-. XIV~. Jcwieh refugees in .Cuba •. T~e Gel'.m~n_ J>;ress :r:'~~et~ ;th~)'Cl.o:t·. . . that aoqordi-ng to the lo.test populati,on .oonsus in Cuba i.t)1ppQ.El1'!:1 ... . that aboµ·t 15, ooo Jews have arriv. ed. ,there ~M:noe t1ie'.wa:r. :'l'l1e; c~tix-o pQpulil tion of Ctiba ruµourrts to 5, OOC", ooo 'pcopli: • I.t :inaY bo~J);flE!l.llllf:ld ,· .·. tWl. t olmof!t: nll' the .r~ws -w119 ·1mvo: .n:rrWea in :Cul)n'Auri~ :,tl:Kl;ifa~; .... ore refugees frOlii ooi.mtr 1e's whioh.. were -in: danger o:t:;Qerm® ;i!J.vt\sio~~' · ·rr. .ldnss . siaugh~or. ·.The .J?-0ush,·u~c1·2;gro~tld.j~u)iiu~I;~~¥~·~i~r.6~11~-, .·.. - Qt ~pril :30, 1~43, , r'oports that .the :GerinQn>gcf}daJ,'!llO:i;'ic, h;'.lS oq(_)pq:ro.:. te_d with local robbers in mtirdcrlng·~u·,the :?ovi'$ ot·Wcpgrow.::On;, ..' · J"une 5, 19,43~ _(),-000 .rev1s· we~c murc}erqQ.'~n: 1ih"e'"V:1lna'':~ifftd:iit•'c~~ ·.. Un < ' ' ' I ' : • •, ~ ; • ; ---• - • • • \ - '•; . .- •' •. ' ' ' '. • • . ·Early in August 1943, 15 trains c.ontnining_ nbot;i.t .15·~ MO. Jews arrived at Osw1cno1m 1,'rom l3cndzin o.rid.S'?snQVl!q_o._ -Th9:.~~~.i1..,""·~~-0-- sot qp three new orema.t9'.'-'itittls. in t~c vi].l,ngo o,f::a;l,z¢~1.~f~A~./1~:;:;:~~<'>'.· • Oawtonoim. On '?ne do.y tho )fozis· bU_J?ned 39,opo,Jews ·Poles,:.·Oze9~s.nnd. and gypsies thore·. ·.~ PolJ~h sourQ~;,.repcr. ts toot oq,';OC!:to~o~1 27';·., . . _.1943, 13 women nnd ohildren wore cxoou tad in tho PO.\vinli. pi'ia'(jn .1n Wn:renw onsueploion otbc.ing ot Jewish origin. 1. (Not ~or Pubiion~fon). ·, : , < • : ,._, ·- _-. ' r . ---_ ~-.<·-::co·-~<_.-~.-.-_-.:.~--· 0 ·; r, ___ . -:_ ·;_- ..::-.·:-:i-;->··. Abetroot from M1nut.cs of 6. 'oonva,..snt1con llQld. _dur11tg·Noveinbor 1943 in '6 ~neutral, oourit_ry.1risido Europo wit.n tho _geriOOn·:munngtir of . a faotory in Poland. · , •· .-,,._. ·-- - ;._'."· ; < '.~'~ ~;_;-"2. - -r~{ - .. ~ ·~ _::·~.~- _- -·;·.·::- , --- _.,-..-~·:.-,'.-: -:--·~-~- ~---~ '-· -_;.- .. 1 hesi ta i16h :~a~i~~eo~b:~~!- !~ih7~h~!!: ~i!r~k~!Jv:?~~~-:~~!~t~;b~%i~~tn_~ -----·-·~~r~r: - soaie of' the tragedy-, ,sp'eak:ing of' ':!,t openl-y:an "'How many Jews ·a.re st1u; ·anv'~ i11 ,Pt)~~~di'~, __ -- : :)_}<" !: - ; ~ ·. - ' . ::----- '> ··:_._:'-< . -.:,. ,_-.,,--- "''Thero are still about 17 oamp's. l3etween ~26;-ooo·~and , :; 250,000 Jews may still be alive in- the.\ll-• .These ~r~ legalo-11.Plll't .. from them, there arc abqut the same ~ber 9f g;i;~g9,tA1}9B-}1fri~~:il8. _-- - in oaves, or with Aryans;· or with f'a_lso.Aryon P!l.I>l':l;t',s.-,-,~11v.ing,-,ot1 : - holf'-Jews or ns porti sans~ r '':'.'.":. :;- :;<~ : . --- : -- _-_ "'Ploosc be good enough to oxplnirl to ria1 wds;;ii g~l1.crai-~·,_ order given for the extcrmirn:.t1on of all the ·Jews Pf'-Poldnd? tr-' so, why have half a mill ion or so been left .e.iivo?, l:f !\9t, ·;w~y ':' huve millions been killed?' .,- - -- · '"I believe' ,he replied, 'that a general.order was ·issu~d. I have the feeling that_ ut tijis order wi t_h the oruel ty to whioh they wero already ao(Ju~!lled t:di}> •• home. These S.S. leaders arc coarse people viith- tlio instino~s 'of' brutos. _Many of them had pro\7tously served in oon~_exitr~tfori ~oanips at Daohau ·and olsm?he:re .. '. -- · ·.- :: .. ;,, __; . - -, /;· We interrupted him. 'In that case, was 1 U agoncr~l~ins't:r:uot'- - ion or not? It is dii'f'ioul t to assilmc _that 1,ow;:.rank:ing offiOcra(:c would take tho responsibility for._sMh ,mur4E:rous_ ao-ts ,unli:i.SB.' :.t~;Y Vlere protootod from abovq.• ' ------":_. -- '"Naturally there was someone. up- above wb.1{o:raer~d 'the ' _'. . extermination; but I do no:t believe--that they re1;11ly aj,ined·;at any general extermlnation. 1 "'ThenwP,at do you belie:ve? Are there.Emyprospeot.s i_;b,Elt . the res~ will remain ~live until·_the ~nd .or tho war? Vlill t~ey 'be. able to keep alive duHng the ohaoa- that :must 1'ol;i.ow?'. _.. ;" -.· ''l.U'·· x. replied with unexpected assurmoe .. fros, I.am oer~ain that they will romain al_ivo~ A_. few weeks ago_ Himmler _is:s~ed an _: order to. 'tha·t cd.'feot. The purpose is.quite ofoar. Thoy)~~sh~,Olll'e ... : _ ~~vl1 tter~~~~ 1 g~,;~~~~g~ ~~~~U~t~dD~Mn§e·:~?;:m~i~:g~fo,}~1l~''!t~'''-:-_- v1ho are capable, of _working are now_ all- oonocrntratr:d in, tho. 1:~dus~r .. ial oontros. t . · . . . "'Is this ordor being obeyed?' ' ' . . . . -·- ' ' 11 'Almost ontirelyt;ovine the honest answer. ~You mu~'!; µnao:r ..:. stand that these s.s~ leatJers fiqd it llElJ'd to drop the' linb.it ot sho'oti~ a few dozon or _a few hundred· .Tow a o. do.y~-But tno ,position of the _:Jews who are work:l,.ng-in:wo.r enterprise_siS 'd.1tferpnt.'~i'cm that of the Jews oorioontro.t~c1- in the,; ghetto th Tho_ f'qrmor· o.ro_ - : . ' . . .._ . ' ··~..:... . ~...... ,, - -- -.:.-.. -· -.,:.. ·: ~ ., -.. ~ .. ·- .. - .•• -•. o-- -_:.- -~: -:·_,-- ,_.,_ - largely under.-tbe_ proteotion of,th~;ill:Li{¥arY:_;ifi~I>E!~t~t~r/t#~;~c~ >-; . > < ._,: factories; aild tlie. anny·has not :identij,'1e~-1ti:i!'l;Lf.~w1i;h·,s_.,s;,cmE! .f >> >" m·•H:;:;~.$.!!Pi~!;~~i:~i!i~~l~~f~i~U~~n~t~~.'; ·'(~. ·They said that'prisoners 9f war ·:we;:~ Pl'i~Qnerf!,··,of ::Will:':- :1f::t,e):' .m~oP. : . effort the s.s.dsµoaeedtedthin arrT_han.g~ing t.hia.t.d1i.hthe:J.ewidshi,~~it.. hsoners >..... ·<·· should be hande. , over . o. . C'm... ey~.Ei)xam .ne .. , .• eD1 a.n :.J· c Py, were< . · ... ~ :, oiroumoised, ·they. shot ·them. ·:The· sE$e- th~ilg-fiP.P'.lipd ,1;o':thc:: oiv~l1ari ,, .. resid.onts of the ooou;piCd areas ·in .t~e .. ~~st.L •. ·;f,:~•:3 y.;':/: ::: :., ;·/.: "'How many Jews, b_y your estinyl te; fuiv.e.:(betjp.·in,~:i;-c;l~rcd'.~sitiP.c): · .... ~.. the OUtbrc.ak ·Of the war?' ...... _, ':' ' "~--.,~ .. _}\·~ -. n.trt is hard to give any figure', ~~~4:-.;~(,j';~·;c.9$.ri ()°n~£{,~@tik· of the :t'1gl.trcs gi'vcn by tho s.s. leaders. •. They 1:1peak. of 'fou:r .toX. ·•··•.· .. four and a half millions. But I reokon 'thlit ·:11na1:: nUn'lber·fs exag~er,;.; o.tod. '1'h€y pride themsqlvos pn suohnumber:s. Ono .of th_ctil 61aµn.s· •·. ·· that during o. single o.fter·noon he dopriveq '18.;POO ;rcwif of, thE:ir liv-0s. TM seoond has to go further and oleJ.ms a still hi'gh'Qr 'num- · her. It is hard to mnke anywhere near an approxfoirito o~i'iniatci'( 1 " Are -there stn1 ohildren in Poland?' ".'Children? Very few. They have been virtua;{ty: e:x:t~rni:l:n'8.t~a. I. believe that 9Cl/a or the -ohildren up to the ag~ of .14 were shot · or gassed. Children have only remained alive by· aooident~ Sl:if . . weeks ago there were still two childrens' ~amps. Some .. hacfth~i~ 11- ves spared as a result of s}Xloial interoe,ssion, a'rtd 1ri adcU't;i~11.:. there were the ohildrcn of the J"owish Security Polioo •.Iknow 1 ,for instance, that a J'ew who was reoommcnded by< an: eoo:n_rimiq insp-~f:itor got his two children out of one of these oamps by. claiming th~'t · they were the children of a polioeman. Tho only ohildreri in 'le ·-. wish oamps arc tho children· of the Jewish polio.e.o ·The_, old folk · ·have suft'ered the same fate. Uot a single person .over the age. ~1' . · · 50 has remained alive. Those un:f9 r~una,t~ i'e ]low·13 di ----. ''"'.'- .. • : __ . ,- \ -~-~~-: -:.· .-~-- .. ·~- ·•.. -:__-c_-_-_-\-.:- -, -- -:.:·· ,'_- ~;;~;_· -_-::~- ·;~-~~0- ,: ;; _· .·.·.:-:·~~--·--:;~~- - -i~~; (~;-;: _:_}.-_::· ?,~ -> . ·+·,it . :!-~j~~?~~io~-!;e-~id~l1~rir 1~:~-~--b_~~~a~~~:t~~~+fi~~,~~~:ic~~~~~f~~,f,i:~ -j4. thou.t··any wuest:Lo!)..s- and with~ut·_~tvtn~·any·i'~oej,pts.&;?at;:L&f Ah<. !~=~!~!::·::~:~::~;s7~:1:"~~!~:i~~~~,~~~1~1~"(. 11 sa ti on ~!s h~=~~o~i:~!~;~;~~~~h!;•_t~~l~i;g~~:!~.iif§~~-~f1~~~::~~}:_ .,, otf . the. rails 1 built themse_lv.e·s· .Ci~ves: ,EU1d)lu_goµ tEi\ -\bi:iµg_!l:t; ariu ;' f'rOOi German and Italf~ ·soldiers,· arid J,.fqui_date" .:revrs:~~l;l,oJ!f:.tt\ei;-· - suspeotcd might betray them. 'l'l:J.ere _w~~ :.a_:tgr abog t_-l:;lO,_O®',;~o-:·- 150, o,OO- Jcws in th~. Wars_aw_. ghetto W:t en,-~_lil,;f'i~t~_llg: stal."tO.~h-J;t - lasted from tw~-to three weeks,. o.n1l ~1E11:1 tl:J.(l_ hero_io pb,Q.pte.~;or--~I). - lieh :rewry. In their dcspa_ir_·thoy ·vit ·siled fo·.save· .:tl1P;-:honour:··9J';.:"' - Piili:sh- Jewry after· evecytlfing' eise was lost. ;.·,• ... ~· Summary· of u report .by the .Polish Underground Movement 011 1;hE1. state of the Jews in Poinn.Q. · . . .· - . · · -.· ·. >: · · • ;.. .: ;; · < A Pole who fle~ from Poland in· 1943 'br~ug~~-th1f':r6i10~·~-~: - report from the Polish unqerground on. the si tuatiori of the ·iews ·:ui Poland: . . ' _ .. .. . · . _:·;'"'' .. ' · .. ' ''While I was in Poland I visi-ted the Viarsaw rgMtto---twi~Et_ _- : . The first time was ill October 1942, and the 'seco~d wfjs i,n J8rlµ~. 1943 .. I also_ had opportunities ·of seeing ·the'. aen~·entra't1otj.· oailip_ •· for Jews 12 miles beyond Belzeo,_ i~ tbe .v_f'oinit!:~of' .. ~'bl:t.:n. _'. _,, · · "The Germans planned_ a part1oular,ly orue{'m~'thod'·:M deli'tl?Y• ing both Jews and ..t'oles alike o . This was the methqd of' teJ,",rorism and starvation. The principle of: ce>ll,eotive respons{bility:~.as, ;. applied to every case in which Gennaria werc'_killed''·an~ tp,e,)i .Q~ out of 50 or ,100 Jews or~_Poles .would>~ executed' f?.:t.. ~alidopr,;·:i:~: _1942, 200 Jev~s were. kill pd in revenge: for a s:l;hgle'. Germ&.ll.o ·· ,· - - .' , ' ~·, • - . • • ' ' ' •. • -· . •• • -. -~ • - ... ,_ =, ._ -·: .- : '. : ·• 11 Tlie 'food ratio£ for Pol,e~ w~~; 250-.gr.a.mn1es -~f.proacl.~ver:v. other day 1 150 gpamme~ ~f ja,m _(.iils,de of pe~s or oarr<>t.s) o·noq· in - 10 days, ~O klgsi of potatpes m, d 5Q kilos of coal ·per.- ycrGri In . 1942 no ooal. v~as .J;n'O'.Vided at all. Thc;ciretioaUy tiie ·;r~yis shot\~<1. . . have reoei ved the· same ration. · ~n: aQtual fa.ct 1 · however•. they_ '.~-~ ::-- · oeived only 150 grammes-. of· bread· every other.·d83".• ;'lfl.e .:·r~.o.ae;;_ ..- ... ~:,:,_. tor the ghetto 1n.habi tants_.exist -t;>nly tlieoretf&811Y:',:-:n%'1'Jf~¥e-aU. ttil In 80% to 90% of the oases the· Jews ha:d. to aoosiSt' by d·i.nt of -~e1r own effort~, and_ by manufacturing-- substitute~ for"rooas. Je\ls ~bi.. ployed in labour.- oamps reoe1ve the·· minimul'ltof. food neo~~sary tO: enable .them. to _continu~ if6rJcipg~ Unaer ~o~'oiro\lms.tanoes the · · Jews in .. the ·labo1,1r "oamps a:f-0 doo_mea ·to die of star:vation or:.. of · · norvous s.tz:ain· in 4 to 5 months. · · t . - . . ' ' . "The Germa~s 'guard~d :tho entra;oo tb' the ghetto: in order.to prevent.• t,ho smuggling_ ot·toodi; whfoli ·:'. "Himmler•s visit to Warsaw s~rved as a signal for the m~s eaoz:e~ ._ there', Between ~otober 191:2 and .ranuary 1943 more than 300,QOO Jews were killed. In February there. were only 35'1 0oo;;rewa lott in the ghe-tto. I saw some clreadf'ul scenes· With' my .Own .eyes, I saw the bodies of. J"ews lying in the streets.covered with-news.:.. paper, In most oases the relations. left the .bodies in the .street& iri order t9 save the.insl?l-voa· the heavy payment wnioh .the Oommun1 tr Council demanded fol' burial. The passprs-by oould sea' Jews lying senseless on the pavement or. the roadside :an,d qying. · 'l'horo"Was .a· stato of dread:t'Ul starvation in the ghetto. sucked the :rn many.:"oa~Q.s~~~:·-'.,.;-":'""'·' . sap of ::leaves and _grass~ . - :•'~-~<~· •':c'·~:~"';'::;',:'7e~'-'·'>',,."-"" • · "The expulsion of the ··Je.ws from :Warsa'1 was. oarried out 1.n:. the following tasl}icms V/1 th their o~raotertst1o oruelty· the Ger mans fixed a da~e foi ---·~· : .- r---::·.~ - ~------' ··-' _.,. ,--.. -; .';" .;._.·;::.:~' "• - -~ • __:; .:c·;-..'."-·-:- ::_·.o. - ···-·'.·.. ·_,· / l. . ;~ ~. ~'.:.: :, ' :. ·, -.. -:~ ·:. -. "The J"ewish Communal Gouncil wgs opmpell!;)c1 to:,.oa.r;ry./;ut_ these orders beoause its manbers were fn Ganger· or· .d$a:t.1l 1,f ,th~!y./ refused• The communal OoU,ncill · wai, re~qu'i!-e'd, to,:iJ'ro'.flqe;, quQtas·,-:0,:t.·. all· 01as·ses in the:. ghetto. Many J:eviS.,were aaugh·t:·vihiJ,e~:·.trying.'.diti: esca:pc from the ghettos· ard clil)lb!pg ov~r tb.i:, }lfJ,llso' ~he $.tP1il.-;i:77·c; s1·6n was oarried on t with German preCis ion and thOl'otigl:lness~~ ,,., ·· Those expelles were compelled to me.rah :J.n 11.ne like 'soidio~slThb· sligqtcst disor.dcr'. in the lib.cs led to tl:le 'sliooting ot.~ll those' marching;· The ·;fews h.'.ld :'to marqh to the.· railway· stat~on•;: wh,er6;;~:";· , they were place(? in oo.ttlc trucks and sent to_ 'j;hri deqth :oainp~~( ' . •j -· :; •• . -'- ;.·. ·,' ~ • "I was a v;i tncsa of_ the t'.<;>J:lqYlipg horrj,fy.1~;:.S: tions, friends or strangers took awa,y .tlie c:lotpes of· :•tne ,.oP:r:Pf!~EI•. £_"·i~- ' Women V(ent out ~1': tpeir min9sreind watk,ed aboti,t ;t~ariµg•. t~e;l_r:· ·c,. ·· , hair,. I saw an old· Jew sitting naked' in petr:ii'ied si;L'erio~.>::~obo<;lr paid any attention to him~ · ·. . .. '.,. · :: .· :, ., , ·. r 1 I •' , . ' - . . , : ' • - -~-:_-- ·c':~_i::~~~f·~}~~';'~~~~~-4~~~~~it·rqff:;~1~t~~( ~~ 1 -"After a days had passed the ;rews \1ere ~en.t··t'o~a"'cfoi;'i.ldor(· · bu+1t .of wood. a_ncl. 1;1urrounqed by a.· 1J~rbed wire fe~()e• ofthe the"loading" truoica· wereab·o'"t.300:. covered·.'J'.ews with vie. r.· unslaked~:.·a.ho. t.·.o;i.-. liiiie.:mtJ,rd_ .. Parul..r· e.· ..d~.<'1' .ohloriae4...he· .... •· ;'.;s.~~.1.... 0··.o··.·r When:·=.. •.s .. •..•-.•·.... . · · the ·masses' o:f' .1ewa; .Vlho ~W,ti"t~: ol,'o\Vded into t hC . oal'l'.).Eig6i:·a'tt~b:ae4;: tc( their phySioal iequlre~Jits•there'.) a~ob.emioa'.lireaoti,o~:~_~:i's(pfo;..:,';/ ·•·" .. duoea in the lime and ol.ilor:l.:de·,. anq the gasfis tnat ro:sq:::t;rom the. .. flc;>ors poisoned the passengers,. 4n, this. V/at ,th~ _Qctjlall8 t!)l~quiqfi;.. tea" about 6000 Jews who were broµght. f'raii; ~ile W~r,saw, gh¢t·!r6•::.•t-:~:~ When the truoks began to move of'f, terrify1ng''o:rrio8 w·ero.ll.Car~Y'':> · · trcm them4 All this lasted about 13hourei.;T):¢.:i;rU()Jts·VlcrE):~ent to ·,··. some point "north", but. I do ·not know where~~ t.~f~er,.~'.A'6'v;:datS:~:tr·a·~·.> · vel the truoks were . a.topped somewhere :in the -:o'pen: ne111,a;.n_a,;c;1:t;®/:, ....•. "oonsignment" .was liquidated. I 11£:\ve heard that ~l:.lE!' eerm:·ans: ~d~ · · · use of these bodies for manuf'aoturing artificial.: :t'ertUfaer9,· · .: . - . -.. -~ -,. . - . ~ - :·-::: ·--__ .. - . . . . _- ...: - "l,eOO,ooo Jews w'ere killed in Polahd th.ro~gh: tli~:N~i:Ls~. · · · 1,500,000 were murdered and 3001 000 di~d by starv_a);io!t ~·~~- disel3:se. "In Russia there are about 5001 ooo- Jews from ~hiahd• A. ii.um"': bar of them suooeedetl in esoaping abroad. More th,an half' _a'. mil..-· lion Jews were. expelled tQ Poland from other oountries. in E\lropo• In February 1943.' thorc were 2,000,000.J'ews- in Poland, .w_ho were·-., imprieonc~ in 55 towns and small towns. . · . "The Pole$ arc beginning to fear thii t they wil.i".. "s\i'1°ter :tlie ; same fate as thE: d'cws. ~ut it should lJc pointed out. th'at•.~th:O 091".!f. man·s do not nu.trdcr the ~oJ.,os on suoh ~ soalo as tlie. O:cws.> '. · 11 Tho armed Nazi youth may.enter tho ghctto(J ·at any,mom~ri.t ·!" .. ana murocr as me.ny J'ovis ·us they· like Vii. th unpara:Llclla~ oruc1t}' and without any need to render a.Ii aocoUl)t to anyQ09.Y• Drul}kcn· Gestapo men fl!lluso themsqlvcs 1il tho ghot.'!iQ by ijhtjot_irig~f'or sport. at the windows of' Jewish houses, as a .ro~;J.t _of'·w~i&}l'mo,ny pcopic are also k_illed. · · ·· · ~. · · ·· · ·... · ·' ·· · "During tM seoond half of August, ~tter the 'maas slaughter began in W~rsaw / t.he Nazis began ~o liquidate the.i'ewisbi oentres. in the surroundlng small towns. The first ~ictims .were·~the Jews of Otwook, 'Falenioa, Swider, th.en Rembertovt Kobylk~ >e.to•''.l.'he • prooesa in these tcmns resembies. the mass slaughter !n 'the Warsaw· ghetto, In Fe.lenioa many people. were murdered i.n· tho main square\ and the: rest.vwere sent .to an unknown destination. Those who were in the square were oompellc<'i· to stand for ten. hours under: the burning sun w1 thc;iut :f'ood ~r water. Only a fow J'ews fro.DJ.. Rembertc>v osoapoo' ·. towards Otwoo_k a~d many fc;Ll on the way 11 Nazis. riqing motor b1oyo':" les urged the lews on and, E!hot thos'o who foll b •0 1t '1~\·cported. ~hat,the. liqU:idtl.t:i.on of tho ghettos i~-Ra-. dom .,and ·Lwow .assumed an exoeedingly brutal form. Hundred~ ot vie.... time fell on the. spo.t,· Thl!l · Gcr,D!Jlns :and.. Ukrn1n1tins ·se_iz.~rd~~the''pro ... porty of those expo llo(l • . ·. . , ·~ .·· · c ~.: .• · ~< "," · · ·" . ·. "On August 24th~ l942 1 the. Nazi~ oouid-bcc ~ecnihoiting the Polish youth to loot tho ~ropcrty c£. the expelled Zows. It should • -~~-'.,_/' ---~-._.._.,;:~~. ~::-- - •• ,_~ _•; , ·- ~ o ._•• - --:;~-:o~ '; ·.. ~ ~:_ )~---- -.. :.';:..___" ~-_.:/::/ .:-.:.:~.::t-. --~- ":- ·~·:J:~--- -- ~-.:~:/.'~ ·: . .• : ~ ) ?;:~ .•. i .· >· cc. J <'': --:: -~--, ;'·:c:L~~:\" ~:~~--~ ···"· -·--=:·. :be mentioned' that· in ttio~.e oase the'. g~aJ;ds; .w~o ~;;-e"·oo~p~sel~o:f.'. · ~.·-~~ Let ts; ·did n.Ot ihoot: tbe. ·.youngsters ap,proS:oliing : the· ·bar'bed .:w:i; ·re .. '· !~ri{·~ ti·~~~.!l1;~~~~~!ti!11 !~od~~~~.~~;~.~·~t~ p:6·t~~t~k~j;1~!~~~gi£;_·'·?<······· breaking.· 1nto the ·houses ·of the 'Je'wa smasliirtg windows· :eto~, It ... is said'that the l~azis·preparcd a :rdm base)d oncondit'(pr:is'._iI). the:/) ·:;~f ~~a~f:!tti~u:~~7 1.~~f~~ ·-~6~~6 ~~:. !~~~~i~ii~}(.:'.t~'.~e~ ·~~~Y~-~~'.'fft~- :{~ ... "Among tho Polish.population. thc~·o. viore al~o .. ~foiks.'du~fug. the massacres of the· Jews•· A ni:unbcr ot Cbr'isU'ai:is 'lri -Warsaw ·wore . shot while trying to prov. .tdc too·d for. the'.gl1ctto~'·,i.ri'.Cfi:i';'wbrS'~a1so aooidental v:ict.ims. Du1~ing th~ 'street'lf~iltsj-jn4tii:11.~8P}.o:cv,e;i:-cf: :· oaught·\1ith leg·u1· documents, .o.na mruiy ~oles·~~ri(thcP;;s·trcots;):i.p'tir/ · .. tho ghetto were k::l.llcd by· shrapnel while· tho': hbuse.s ·af'j :.tlio ghcftto were be irig bombtirdod i Tho Pol cs Who eh tered-: 'f;li£ gqet:iic) ·:w6Jie '.Q\),Q~ < jcotod to a rigorous pcrsoil:ol ·sc14roh ·anc1 Vieri:H~laciXtr,Eiq\i.cnt1y·:>· ,:~· ...· maltreated. For this reason the .t'o1es, even th::Jap ·vihb ha~ log'nl'. ·.. ·. · documimts, refr.uined from cntoring tho ghetto u,a ;fr.'qn .t.~!) ;1log:t.n-· . ning of August. · · . · ' · .• , . 11 It is impossible; to close this brief ske1;ch ui thnut stres.:.: sing· the soale of the massacres which have· taken p,laoe/ainong the quarter c>f a mill ion J"ews of the Warsaw ghetto froni 'the. ;t';i:rs,t .of September until now. 'l'he facts given here are only exainple~ , ·and have n')t been selected of set purpose. 'l'hey are n_citqer gep.eral . nor individual in character. They arc n,o t isol~t.~ci. in~'.t(itl.~~.~ f :· .. ·.. . because oases such as these oocur every day ·i.11 'doz:cn~·:~arid~ b,U.ndre ~. Li!J.i.lidation of f oiiah J"ewry. T~~ ''Billletyn Informacyny" of February 23 1 1943, repor.tsa 11 • • • t_ogether Vii th the dreadful news. O·f. the, Cl"Uel ty Of t}le conqueror towards the .;Tewish population who are. gradually being l:l:quidated, reports are. received 01' regular oases-ot self•defenoe. During the· first half or January, 1943 the ghetto in Lwow waei liquidated, About e, 000 ;Jewa wero expchca as ro~al1a tion for I.I I ! : :~ ------:·\,-~----;-.; -- : --t::. ~'~-~---/~-;!-~ :-;::-.-'· .-._._:,o· ,' _- •; -,; __:·.;_:~ ."':-f_o --- • . .. under similo:r conditions• All the ·young .:rews.who'liUQ· ..be9f(incl.udEli" .. -;~l; -:~gn~idr:~~-~iih~~~f:~I~~f:fS!t~~~~~-~~~~iq:·rtiri/61J~~~~:'_~~./~~~'-'·~.'.''.······--·· Rooen·ti:r the _n9.uiqQt iol1 ·0.:r··thq in :~2~e-~ ild~ bd~k,d~a"J,rci~~Wdq. .. the Znglembie-Domborovskio distriat.t; 'l1Jo '!uoHl).n 11 sh~µlq .als0; have included Sosno<11oo 1 : Knzo.nov, ti.nd 9ther. i:>laoe~.• ·So f'ar_- no news has been rc~civ.cd ·from thcss towns,; · . . ... , -_ :. , . . .. _.. : ,. In tho· Wnrsow ghetto tho· N~~-is ~d,:;6U.ti·to. liq~1dat6).thc'.: •. '· ·.· "shops" 1 i.e., the W'.'.lrkshops iq which J'ovis wcl'Ei cm:P~oy0.!l~\~µb,Nq: zis cndcnvoured to pcrsWldo· tho. ff ewish work_e~s ;t;');; v:.Iuri~_cgr'. "Gestapo men tor'tured with ·up.beiiey~bi~''c~G.efti: ~ aged levies~: 18 named A.H., who.was_SUSl,)e,cted·of'bel,on.g1.ng,to;tJie under·~---·· ground movement. The Nazis kept her in jail. 'gail_e her no.foocl for. a long time, beE!-t her me;r:pil1,7ssiy and _fin,al.lY(aftc:r four Say~ 9f. cross;..quee tioning, took of)f her' ol.othe,a ,· tle \: -.... ~ .;..- . - -, _- ... -.-·- -._:·. ;-,_. - .-.-;~;·~- --. ·- .. ,::.. -.----· _-. ,__ ',·~~::-~ -- : ':-~i '-- - ·,_. '-;:· '-·~ ' ·_-- .:·--.-f~'_;--_: so~ , . · ,, /_;;: ·-" e:~~.r~-tih~f:~f!~~~·~i~~l~~:r:[,~C, ·· s.s •.. nien~-.A _._1arge-grpup ;pf ~.·fighteri:i; .. o~~' to;t;he;_1;1.i The paper ·1Nasz.e Ziem:i:.6 "T.schodnie!'. (01.U' '.Ea.St."3rn:-{/ll:'.ea~} Qf February 1943 gives the following infonnation: '.,.· · · ,'. : ; ; ;· \ "The expulsion of ·the -Jeylish population f.l'e>m,; tlw· i>ro'vliices .. is oontinuigg: The· pooter a-lass.es ar_e mostly-tr!J..n~fl:~rroe~: .. t9. the\oamp at K.i e:J. ba E>itLn~.r-9dn.c;t,~-and_:t:o_the_b_ar.raoks...:of.~the~ten:tb.,..:.ea~alr:y::..,...... :_··~- ~-'---'~----'-- regiment sent to an un'.lffiown des:tinntion. The rich Jews :;Bp'Ve',•.theiliSi;;t:ves with·the aid of he~vy brf:t>ety, In :Sia,ly~t?~._:t,ar, ex~pl,~, they:c~n- '·.· tributed large quantitief:! of warm und'e:r;'Wear ::t;o:.tl;ls.~~'J...: ... · _>· .:. · - The paper"11Zieriiie .Wsc~odni6 R~e~z.ypo~poii~e;~,.·_;{;&~,Westexi/' .•... Anea of the Republic) of February 1943 give_~ t~e f91iow1~_$.·~nf0~:1?ion: . , ,;dewish camp~ •. In the area of Gr~a1; ~6i~nd ,th~l';.,a~~~~rly .. ·> small. oanips of Jews engaged in agriotiltur13.l wor*• .At the.~()ment:it ·h. impossibie to ascertaih,'their exact ntimber. In l94Lther~-were still:~ •. about 15·1 000 Jews.. in },[~i:Sq Posen, '!'her,e_ are)1Ql¥:9~~w6en :4,000;·aJl,d. e,ooo left, of wh'om 2,~00.are,s~ck., In Pqznan,theTe'was ~:lso t1.•oamp· for Jewish women, •whiohwas l'iqU,tdnted after 1;li,e deatl(qf three:- · quarters of those i~p.risoned th'ere'1 · . · .:· . , : . ·.. 1. :, · . . ~~ ~~!~~~~n oi~~tn~ 0~~~r~~~. ~~r~~e 1~!~~0a{~~~1!~f ·tti~!~wt~g: Radomsko and Ujaz-d ,have already been liquidated and .the Nazi~ :mµr.d.eied" all the Jewish inhabita,nts. In add1tion the Sobol,ew ghetto·~near · . · : Garwolin in the Lublin district has been liquidated and on January,· .... 21 all the Jews who were .stH~- _alive in Radzym,in..we:r::e ,sla~'t;,~iq.i ...o'.Jll}e ·. slaughter is oont-inuing". _ . · . · - .0c0 ~'""'~,,~:;:;.,~..g~,,"'~'-".. \~;;r'( ':;;, · Tho Hewspaper ''Yl·~~m,h,, Qf April 1·6, _194~, reports: . . . 11 The Nazis began the me.'ss ·slaughter of Warsaw Jewry et-r:t Ma-r!)h· 21, when a.bout 1400 Jaws .. were.'i.'nurdered on t'1e spot fl:nd.a~~ut- ,4,000 were expelled to Ska'w,ina, where they wer,e shot. In ~ddit,i'<;>_n, large numbers of Jews were forced ·into 48 lo:bri_es and trf\J;~J?o.rte.tl: _to. ·: " . . . . Oswienoim. The other Jews w~re plaoed in o. oamp of.··liv.ts .in-tho Jewiish cemetery. During the two days '·fqllowing; · 235 peopla:·wer6'.f!:n>fid· :ln . · cellars and attics and w~re '.all shot,, On ~Tiaroh 2.9~ H a,ll 'tll.e J.ews· .. · with American citizansh~p were: eummone.d _t_o_t;he Qes'tal>o o:f'fi,O"es:iri... " .. · ~ the Pomorska, Strqet't· FroJn t_he Gestapo offi'oes they.were trnnsfo_m.•ed .. 1 to the Jewish oemetery, whe:re'they were all murdered• · ...... ·~ . -·~---.~' . ·,o: __·- -- • ·--=-·~<-~-c- < -~t:-~ -:---. :_". -·. . ,, __ .. ·- ·..._~~ .··, -_ - .: 1.·~-~ -~·~-~~>-- ---~~;.-: . _~_;; - ~c~~l~~~~~!~~~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.~~~:~.~;~~~~~~~,~D~i-I~;~~~~~~~~~.11~~-.-·-·~0-· men fo motor cars ·start.ed c:ut:·in~'&h):'.ee diri{c\;i_oris i'rr:>Ill«the.Nal~w~k/ " ·· . i .·~:~~t~:!~i!~~;:~::::::~~~~::~~~!?~~:~J~f j1~t~~l~~jf ti:~~ri'J Street and .:the S,S •. men ,began 1;cr c·ollec:fj. ;J"py{s: f9i'/tb,'EL;f.irstj;pfins])O.l;'t• , ..· ! Shots and the explosions of hand:-grel].adss-:wers E!l1q.c1€ln:LY)J:6,a:fd,.··~lll3:~h<; · t Jewish fighting organisation began. to: d6.f'enc} '.~M Cgh!3t.t6:?'.'])lfl.i vJduai·:. ··r acts of defence were rapidly transf'o'riiled,,iri:to:: col:l·e,cti-ve d6f'ence an(i assumed the form of organised action. A street l:!a{j;l.e ·cievelopeil anti.>.".· l ·reached its peak "In· Monday night, .. In the 'fi ~ht doze:ns oi\Ge;tmaris {were .... i killed, particularJ,.y s.-s. men, ·and· many Nazis' ~er(>.·:wo:und~ci~ BpiJJ:i.f:iidsa used .automatic waapons.s rifles, gre11a~e.s ap.q ;~~~i~~:c:>+~-~- ·/:~'rl\f?.~:~:~~ytf3 -.~Q~~P·~-~~· .. f cu1!kse3reruJ.lattaiHrn>;;ashat;:lJesuJ'.t of' wll,icl;i a number '.1';$.ll: outside :the.·: < . walls of the ghetto: At the crossing of "the'. ~Bo~if'r.a:te#skEJ. arid'. Koii:Vik,.;.;•, tnrska Streets the Jews ldlled a German patrol.. cort:;i~sting. of :::t:iye'.,, -,. policemen. · ·· · ·· . ·~ ,·_,': ,;~,:,,:... ·;- ~ :: r; -~·. _.. Fighting continued cbn Tuesday, ~'ledriesday; a'nd ~h'1rs.day ~.}l'he Germans began working far more "Carefully . and brqugh1; a i'.ew tanks',, ' ·..· . field guns and anti-tank guns, also making Use• of. a6riaLr6corinai_ssano6 .. ; The German police aiined at splitting the Jewish fightrtis . into. smail.;. . isolated groups at s catte-red de-fence points, They closed the pipes .. conduct.ing water to the ghetto. The Jews -began to· set.f-ire' to,stovkS ··· of raw. materials and goods, factories arid, tfl,ru:ieries ~.They. set -9p>ftre a vas:P amount of ·oerman property, which was in the.ghetto, 'i'he•ffam~s -and--sihoke---nourd-·9~s13en-at-:a:-'great-::di"Ert'e:nc6 ! The • gli6 . b .s· R, l::. , ;- 1 -:... burning. On the night of 22nd April groups of'.· .Yew~':trf9d ,to ,escape>: . through the Wolnosc Street. They were prevented'fr6indoing,BO by,'., .. · . machine-gun fire. During the battle on. the 23rd a nufub9r of·Gernian tanks were .destroye'd, accor.ding t11 as yet unve~ifie<;l _r.epor;ts •. T.1:16 ,nUl)lbe:t\:/ of Nazi slain and wounded has increased considerably, Iri t):16; eve:p,:lhg: a bomb was thrown into a German car in Freta St:reet, ,A number of ms. men and three ci vil~_ans were ki.lled. • " ·. . . · · , · On Saturday, April 23, the Gf3rman~ gatned :Contr'ol of the ·, '··. . situation, Isolated group1:1 are.st}-lldefendillg,them$elves in. the ghetto"r: The Germans have began 'Go colle()t the'Jews.in th() sqU.are prior:,·to··;· · expulsion. · · - · · · '., · · The S()und 9f shooting gradually .dimi~iFJhed on 'the 25th,. 26th and .. 27th,. while. the fir~s have :betm growing stronger. The defence· of the. ghetto has weakened''. · · ... The underground paper "Szanieci1 , of -May 3 rep_or'lls( .· . , ';'·.. . "The fires in ·th.fl Vfarsa'!l ghetto~ are continui.ng, althougl:J., the· · · Jews are no longer fig"hting an organised defence, .~ere and the.re tsolat- ·. ed individuaHI 1:1.re still resisting. T~e .Germa.ney(.~ar.e.:;.b;.ij~~g~~f}:t::j:owt:ng ' up the buildings;, They are· flooding tbe cellars a:M af6°usirig t.ear gas . in order to .Qompel th_e a·ews to leave their hiding~p_laqes, Every· da,y · transports .of Jews ,are lenving theoapital .fo:r an unknoW_l):dest-:l.;na:t;ion. Cases or· Jewish_ fligh~! from the ghetto are becoming. more ~are, and.. eve ry night shots can be her,;_rd at the exit from the ghetto,· It seems that . the gk1!it:k11t Germans propose to bµrn the whole of the gnetto, The hou_ses. set en fi:i;'e :l:nolude thqsf3 kept fqr the Polish, p6li'ce, for German · · institutions, etc. _The fire brigade ho.ye ~eoeived exclusive ord.erf;l :p.ot to put out \;.he flames. They· are only lz\19.:rding m~litary points withip " the ghetto!,' · 11!· }' -- .. : -· .- ··o.,-·- The 'paper -"Rzeczposp_oiita .Porslfai; _:;'/i~t "At the '~-~:~~~r~{~ .. ·. •· <> .( , time o:l;"·wri.ting these· lines,: .1;ihe. J.ewif:!J:l, de_:f~qe·\ ,,... · > · · ·.. · · of' the ghetto is continuing: Its f16a;t:? has :dE>or·eased:,l:>~t:no~~it,~j-< obstinacy. . ( ' ResiStailQe is b.eing Ill!l~nta111ed i_n ~so:t;a;t:Ef ,-' -.-~··. ~. relate/~h~g;a~!d\V~~e~eirvr!r~t~n~~YN~;::~~~f.'.~~~.{t~~it;f~;b~~~~i.(!~··-~- "In Slovakia there are still-, as' far- as T.knqw; fib<:>ti.:t ·2q,-.090: - ., Jews who are classified in . thte:ei; categories :'/a:}Jews w}io are·"; .' '~';>;~'. "necessaryir eoonomlcaj.ly to the St(lte -( 6zjie:rts·,:·phy13icians; ;_e_t1,h b .: _ :: : l'hese have speioial p~pars which .exempt them frpl,il e:X:ptUsj_on;. p)Jews. · concentrated in the labour camps; c_)illegal-.Jevvs who ].;ive E!it4Eff:,:~- t: hidden or else with fals.e papers. Na":turally"Jews pf claas:a):rli_iiY:'·tte, transferred at any time to class b) if they.ar.e;p.if ;J..onge:r- rega~d.6:c;'I. > ; as necessary, In suoh cases the ·.peop:j.e are nioi:i.tly ,tr~n:stefrea,·-to·~t.h,e · labour-camps (class b). ·. · - ·. · •· · /c ·- · ·~ : ·_. :' · < :'~\'.>> · Jews of class a) must wear a small yellow Shield'' of :!Ja~t~:~~he. . ~:" members ef their family wear a large yellow Shi-elq ·()t l)E!'li:iq. ·;i:ew~-Who : converted to Cl;lristianity before March the 12th; 1939.r:oi• Jews with Aryan wives, are not liable.·to expulsion·,,· . ' .· : , -- ··:· .-·· ·'. . Jewish refugees from Poland still pass through;\ .•... ,~.· .on ., their way to Budapest.--There are many in Hungacy at present~ Thea$ eefuge.es state that 40, ooo Jews are 1iving in Warsaw 'now :with, · · Catholic papers, 6, Summary ·of a. r sport on the Jewish §l i tuat ion in F.rartce. "•· .. 21st •f August, 1943. The situation in··France has. become' much worse. The previous a:l,m of destroying all J'eWish relief .insi;~o.; - tutions has now become an objective to, which energetia and. practical.,. measures are de.voted, EXpulsions from·-Paris .do not, cease• The J;'Oli.o.6 al'-e .ses.rching-1'-E>I'-chH dren-everywherre,--and--a±m-at~olt'e-cttng:::th..;..:~-,~4/~. -.~-- maximum possible number. The parents- are in a .state of wild. ·alatm~' .. _.·· .· They are prepared to give up their children if :the. latte'.!;' dan_m>1;1elibly escape, The camp at Draney is a he,11. An ordBl' ha:s been publisli_ed' __ ·.. · acoording to which the number of those. impriSoried at :the camp Diu~t · ,· be ke,pt at· a defini-te level. The nti.mbers missing on account.of: .. · expulsion, release, escape or death are always made good. The pqii~e seize persons wearing the yellow patch in tlJ.e streets 1 Jn.housesfi'!l the underground, ;railwa·y 8:nd anywhere _else; and f!etid them tp:Dr~oy, On August 23rd all the French Prefe~t~~s ·;eceiv~d·\i1~grap610 instructions to· arrest all French,' ma].e Jewish cubjects bqrn between· January 1912 and 31st Ducember,1922, .also-F:oreigft.. Jewish-males-born between 1st January 1893 and 31st December, 1_924 and ~t~ transpor~~ them in groups to r&.rseilles under police guard ln order to give-~hem· work in the Todt Organisation, No exoept1.ons were permitted ev~n· O,l\ account of heal th; and social standing was also disregarded, In the. areas· under Italian ocdupation··the·authorities took steps·in_orde_r to interfere with the arrest ·of the Jews, In 'llertain distriots . .. occupied by the Germans the instruct.ions, were carried· out in a very ..'. .. ferocious fashion and even people ,who were in peril.. were>arrested;: such were Jews from Alsace -Lorraine, prisqners 8.t"'~~p.·~w&2.;!~~~cap~d,,.:•. fr:>m wrisons-of-war camps i eto• , . --~, .,·_.-.... ,_,.-,"~'"-'• -•.-->, .. ~ - .-· ' The latest news f-rom France all stresses the tra:gio situatio'n;. It.is necessary tq _revert ~o the most murky periods of the Middle.Ages in order to unde,rsta.nc'!. the methods of ,persecution and eXi>tilsion. The crusade of exierriJt~~~~~P~"~r{Efin'.!3t th_e :F'.-rE!~oh ·Jews is beo·oming worse. The eases ot a~~~~~S,;Qf>t>e'rsons: s.u~pected to be Jews are .\leooming - . steadily m<0r.e·:i':l'.6.q~_$ll'j;i\$JJ,Oh·P~:rftQrie-,are kept in prison: for many weeks until the au*odt~ea'.:'f3\iotie1?d• in .determinating the. 11purity". of their origin. ·. ·, · :_ ·:" '.; .; ;;c;_ - ·.· .. · ·. -- · .; . . ,. ·, c·" -:,,-.~ /"\~-~:_: .: :/>"\::--:~_:-~= _._-_.------. _ .. _... ______. • :·;._,;_ .::._~:::....~__~_-"-'_~--", _::,_:c.~~~~--.2.-.-~-.c:_·c.c .. 0 ~.:s~-~--~.+,.7.,_~_H e4~.- : · · ·_.·_·.-~ _, <,·=:· ..• ·Mass &nosts-ar~ o0nt!nu1n~--:1.;~·;p_~ri~~r.-%6\ili·~~a'~,}>~--"~o;i'ei~: ~ ·_ · ·3t- . -are 1 wai t-ihg under cll'i.iadftiliy '·oyercrl'.'owded. c·ondftj_qns:·:I.ti:·ttAe'':'~Lavit;ithii?J: '. ~: ·3 shops until :the transport to ])r~nc.y.·is_ a:rranged~for:~th0i»!;OdlJ.<,l-1;1;Joil's :.' ·.,·. ·- , I are used here for whipping purposes. '!'he s.s~men slap womei:f·in the'• faoe for no reason, throw stones at them and sometimes_'eiyep.~tJJ.B.rnP.l..'.e them underfoot. · · "' ·,: ·.··. -- .....- .... ,_ Every day trains full· of pr_isoncirs _ieav13 :th~;c()no~ilti'atioli ~ oamp. Most of them go East, but those oontlaining·:the ''hµsbands·:of';':' . Christian wives gp West, Of late about 300 men .of this '.o~te'go~y have. been sent to Cherbourg, .Brest and Bordeaux·. A special'Po.J,_iO·e ·has'>··-... been organised to search for .the families of prisoners 'd.ri 1;hEi ocotlpied, area. These prisoners wait to be rejoined bytheirl'rirtrl.lies;~t~;Drancy, - . ·,-·;";; From 29th July little children,. who had prev:iQµsly r.e¢elvecl: food in the siok han, were compelled. to go to the g~neral_ ha:J,1, /: where cooking is entirely prohibned, and tc live .together with the adults. Brauner and his companions have made .every.ef;C6rt .to:Capture the families of prisoners in the Southern area and· in the '·Italian districts as·well. Despite the limited opposition o'.t"·the Viohy:Gpyern- ment the differences between Jews in the fo'rnier-oociipied and un"" ··: ·. oooupied areas,_ as well as in the Italian areas, are being, graaua:tly li · qui .~1>-~"~~'·''.°t~+':,.," .. two months with "mod el"· preois ion, _have proved highly,··profi-teXfrii~lf&--'-·:"~ > · the Germans, giving them loot to a value of over .20 million F:r:ancs •. The Nazis' celebrated this event. They. compel·J:ed the Jews to pray.and to sing the Jewish Friday hynin.Lecha dodi and afterwards beat the)ll savagely with phylactery 1 straps. On August the. 6th:1 _Bru~er and Brueckner entered ·the office of· .the Childrens '.-Department 'of the Jewish :eepresentation and wnited there· for-several ·hours until the. mothE1rs oame with their children. As ·the number of persons· who • ., ' .. turned up. was too small they arrested 20 whole frunilies aM 45 o+e·r.rrn.( All of them without exception were sent to Dranoy __ While illyihg · ...~· -:- squ,ads of German Po1ice were conducting s~arches !n villages and cotm'bD -. oountry towns, the German.i army entered the former Itnlian occupied :-.:~-- :;.:~·-. r~;..:-· - -:_. =~~- ' - --:;:~'--.:o~ ·~:, , -~·-·;: ..~.~· •. ·-- '. ____..._ ___~~--"-----'~-~~~- ---'"c----- _- •. -_, ·- ~- :· CC.c.;··c_ . >· ··--•--,~c.c,~·";'.-'c-'·~·:-'7• """'-.""::J1~~~=------.:..L.c'....c _ -25~ --~ . ~,~~- :. ___ -=-~-~~~{L?-~~~_-/'~:~--<~-,1=:-- : _· __ -__ :-· :.-.-_:' -- ·:_::, : .··,·:~~-~- - '.::·; '":: -< ~ • ~ .~. :·._:- L area, took over t_he most important strategic' voi!lts,-:aftd '.:tminedi~te1-·· .. - · --~ ly changed the ent:l,i'e. atmosphere-. S~uads, of·-(}6rTilfrl1 P.e>lict3 weB-1; :<:::> ._.. ; through every train, pompeHing j;he- pas_se]lgers,to,,:leay_e ;t}1w .~o.aches~, . f . Every-passenger had to appear pefors_two·s.s,commisf!if;ts.;whS;st:iidi:_~~-- · ; their faces very throughly. Since the Se)llit1.c.t·yPe,is faii'lS( cornl!19n . A among the residents of the· Mediterra,n~an coast', :rai~J:way.cp~E3f!e~~er~( c_-. _j~_- had to bring aU. their fa.niily.. archiyes wi tl). _tp.ep, n-=;or!'l,~g·/· to:;·J.jrot~> their origin. Any :rews who wer_e found·-.were s~mt 'to"DraP:QY<'/'-':'- <:~.<: ·''1 -- _· : ' . - ' _'._- " :~; : ~: :_ ·__ ,_-;:'.·.;- _:---~~~----~::~:~ --~:;:p~-:('.<:-:·.\_.-),: <: <~ >.'·d·:~~>~ . -. -- Jews and non.,-Jews live in .a state of alarm in' thi>' ±taifan di.'st..;. . l riot. The Jews flee to the mountains. Vihcile 'fa:rililieg, t~ke:t'o the''.-:. : f forest_s' townsfolk run avmy to tb_e villages' . and..'villagers•sri,d~avo\ir ~ . r to find refuge in the to'wns. · · · -- . .· : •· < ., ; · :·: ' 1 .~J- The families of those imprisoned at Draney afe int;d,anger 6i' -. :J arrest at any moment. The. Ge1.1llB.n Police make ufJe.of·thr:;;:f'amily J;etters; , of the prisoners and it often happens that the Gei.ftapo tranl')f&rma . · a family letter into an order of arrest. · - ·· · · -. -<:.Y· · 7. summary of a report on the liquidation of Lwovh? D.VI. testifies: -· - ·. , · 1· " ••• The .start of the war between Germany and. Russia £1t t~vo a~rri• . ,· on Jwie ·22nd -s-truck ths Soviet officers l.llce a thiinde_r)l6lt.-.:-~NO. pior.e: i1. than about 2,000 Jews left the tovm together with 'the)3qvipf ,tr9_ups, 1 because most of them believed that the situation might still iin.prove. - :; The first Gemans i'~aohelld- t)le town on i'.londe,y June. the :2381+« .I. P,id ) myself at the tine with my father-"in-law. At. 4 a.m;; tl:lei .~li~is came· 1ri accordance with somE. instructions to my Jev1isb neighbo~r, -·~4 too_k l11In eway togeth§r Vl_ith tv1()noj;he).'n_p__e9ple. We c1.~d :not see 1ihl3I!i .again.. . , The Jews did not realise the situation and walked... about in the streets.-· In my house I heard that the Jewl') were being gathel','ed foge;th6r; .nea'P ... the .Kuniciicali ty in order to be sent to work, and that;ColllJllunists <· were shot tegether with members of the Komsoaol. Bl).t.we did: I10t .. -· believe this, nor that the Germans spat and.·blev;. th,e. muqus .from ,their noses and ordered the Jewish worn.en to rripe this Up with th_e{r 'mouths •. The Ukrainians looked on and clapped. · - · · The first officiel pogrom took place on July ~h~ i~t." Th~ je~~ men, wooen, children end old folk without exception were ;eje'cted from their houses by Ukrainians 1?,nd were -led tp t_heL barfacks;,' : ·- In front of- these buildings on either side stood ]_)eople·J'rom' .the _. underworld, armed w:l:-th iron bars and -al-1.:.._·ki-n-ds-of--:::ob-jects':-'tliat-::ctilild be used for beating, and trashed the Jews savagHy• In. the -barracks· · there were Germans who cursed the Jews 1 tortured them-end even· · killed them, They shou:ted, "vengeanc,e 1s s-v1\';iet~ blood,blpod!"~ · . They ordered tl:_le Jews to bury dead bodi_es; ,_which. they olaim_ed V{ei-e. victtms of the Russians, A;Ll my family wer.e at the bo:r'racks; tneri•. - After three or four hours a_ German: officer ciune ·and shouted.:: ·"haft, enough l ". Many of us were already dead. About 1 1 000 people were ,. . lying in the courtyard n.nd we did not know whethe;t> they.were dead: or only wounded. The officer orderen that ~he·w<>$.§h·~ho~A.~t:'['~}'t_'.>':'-,·· first find the_ men should follow •.The Ukrainimis were· wil.itillg:for us outside. Peo'l)lo were being brought to the barrncks olk:the time. , Doctor Ezekiel Lovin,. tp."e C~ief Robb{ of Lwbw, was. murdered at that time. Vle went to the Archibishop in order to beg hirn. to. take · st~ps ·agninst the pogrom. On ·the vmy .ho was caught by the· NRds and taken to the prison, where he was shot after haying b.eei:i browbeateh and tortured. It is not known whether the 'Rnbbf was rnui'dGred 0 befor6 or after the interview ''11th the Archbishop. · · · ·~ - · ·..... ~ ~ f .... . -: -. -~ .-,:-,.:··- , -·-l' -- ~ ·,--.-; - - ~-- :; .- ,·_· -:-· -:~--~;-_ - ·). -·~.-~·~_:i:·-~·~·~:~- <·.•-'. .> ·_ --:::_.-- .. :::::) 'rhe- victims were- shot br~n;~~G;rn1~1is}be~*J:sj3-:::tfi~-;:£ci-~_i!l;;t~i' ~-_-; - population did not have arms~ :several thoiJ;sanil:}J'.ews.,;;f'.§}:l·;d}l~i?lg;, -~~!:. pogro~, which iasted'. .:or,~.e;Tie.S~~-'~Ei~•: F:i~n'.B;1ff~~)1~~-'l!;f~~;:'fpf: _- :;i From the first day afte;_ the Ger~n - _erit:ptTn;t.~:>:;-~wow_~'!].:tie'. .Jewf1:' ' were included in the Arbeitsdiens·t ,.- On ·: · c1>rta1n days women-were . . ·. i also taken for wotlc, but as;a. ruie the :Cf.uty. vjas.:ihjpos~a;qn,J:Y,'efi:+. - ; i men, who had to do the most degrading an_d hardest. W()~lc.- There y.rere • ;; I some who returned· from the work [?). At that tiJlis· "!;lie _Ci:mce~tratfon •1 '! Camp was established _at Sokol.niki near ~w_ow;: ~.hic.ll~ ~~~aJ!l~.:~~;}~E3Jn~!iery·_. \ ·.for myriads of Jews. _ ''.,~ · -:;,{1,'~_ii,·:.':i/(;/,,-,f . ;-> ' on the 15th of July an order was publish~ The provision of Jews for forced -labour was Ofr.ioi!u.ly arranged by the Jewish Council, but unofficially the ;\Jk1?ainiari militia also · · kidnapped other Jews for work, Men ·u.p t-o the age ·~ - /-, ' .. '·.-.:.,.·,.... -. '. 27. . . ;_-/ -:;:-..·· -: .- --. ..::.. __ - ~ - -:.· UntiJ. Ilarch,-l942,. the Ghetto was 1'6h1tiv'eii qufet:~:tnhugh.!rleri:? ~ The great ·•acti:on" bfigan in V1ov1 in Au~ust the 10th,· Those working for the Community, -who together vri th their ramifies numbered 20, 000 uersons all told, were particularly· afraid of th:ls "a.ction", and did their best to hide thenselves, ·The ·actiOn le.sted for about -- T • three weeks, and1 about 50, 000 Jews were expelled, Jncluding.,,J~w~;,,. '.. . whose parers had previously b~en stamped, Some forg@Xtfi€-2-:S,t!'fnps:~.;an:d='"'':>" seals, Many hid th ems elves. I hid· myself, for instaho.e,: .in ri .c~llar with 30 other p-eople, The 50 1 000 J:ews included several tp:Ousnnd· strong young men who went to labour camps• Soraetimes old. men ·auccee~ ... ·ed in this as well.. 'rhe romainrier was sent in cattle trucks to".Belzeo. Before tha people wera put in the trucks their shoes 'wer9_ taken off · and their ooats taken viway, '1;1omo time later· we learnt that at Belzeq the Jews wore;; either burnt in crematoria or else their hodies·were used for making soap, .. -_ ...... - --_;: -~ -_.., -.- ·~~:-.:~ --.-~;· :- ~·:1;~~~-:·-· --,-: ___ ,_. ->~// .. 28 •. -----. __ - :=·- - makin/!n~h~~J~~fn;~ f~'- L~~~~-. ;iT~~:ri~~~~~~rp~~~~is.,.~~~I~i~t;t4V~i• . . ...·. ..TL went tc work in or~er that _they. should. st8.l!lp his l'Jl.l>6.l'.§:•:-;Psf3pi 't;e ,XV, ;j the fact that those employed. Jn mµnicipal worki:ih;;pf!;·,wsi:~; :thi'rfJ.r~t\, • · ·< ·• j -Qo have their papers stamped they were ?-1.so ,e.:iepe.:LfJlP,j p'ly·;~r!'l-~4~1<'.. );_'_;~:. ··,' . j fqther_ amen~ th?m; and only a. .few_ hu..'ldred,·were le:f'-~o:;~Y, g_'('!:J.;rJ,.~O:fil'!~fi •;.< q my unc.1.e 1 h;.:s vafe, and almo.st all my, fllID.l:Jr"¥ :w~re. ~xpeJ}ed<:FP::·/.Ci:".d .·· . Belze:. My father an~ my 24 ~ea~s old brother '\yere.·a~~~;.i;i:'.- ~\:~C.~P\:~ · •. . 1 in the. Yanovska street; my sixt.esn year-old brothe.r wgs·:sep.t);_qrzb.orow. : · .. 1, where he died two months later, ·· ...'.• .:,.. ·· . i:•{\h~: '··"__ ·-~-!. -.<:.<_'.· ·:--'.:7~::.'.-~.~?:·:·).;.:.~·:·: After the.action notices we're published tha:t'. a;.Qi0$",9.:d·,qh~tt¢,.~. ·.··. 1 • , would be established beyond the bridge and that all 'the'::J(;Ws •ha4 ;'. ·to transfer to this Ghetto by-September ·7th. Fol*oWip.g'the:ap'l;fon.. . on the 27th-or 28th of August 9 a provisional Kehil].ah i' ,. On September 1st impo:iltant Gestapo off°icials came to the , Community, headed by the Comrnisioners Elgens and Wobkec. They $t.ate The first"action" in the new Ghetto was carried out on . . November 19th. Jews who did not wear the letter w or R were· expell'ed, apart from those who succeeded in hiding themselves, It was at ·that · time that they -began tq build ''bunkers" in the Ghettbes', For example, cellars were dug underground, covered with boa:rds .and the entranoej!I' was hidden. Double walls were also made al:).d pwople hid inside· them, · Thus my wife and family and I myself spent two days in:suoh a oorri.dor between two walls. My father, who ho.d meanwhile been released from- · the 08.l!lp, refused to hide and was expelled together with my mother; and ~~my last remaining brother. One of the rilen who sue ceeded ·in Jtllllping . from a.death truck and who returned to the town told me that my pa- rents were taken to Belzeo. · 29• .. - ; :: --,~ -:-- .--;:. -_, -. •I ~ .:.- The "action" -c.ontinued for. two day~. aI)-d. aho:ut·YofQ00)}eop1:e.· .-_ •.. -- ,, were expelled. some:W-e_el{~:'1Eit13r tlie.:a:~9a •. of-1;11.i:i::GhEi~to·~~f!~r-a:ga;t~>Y; reduced >-'> --· and a further. "action:" took 'pla,oe on 5i;h,: J~ue;r,'Yr~:L94~~1;'.['J:i:t~·; / ~-: was . the' cruellest aC:ti!'.m .of- all~ an ~ Early in February I was sent to the labour camp iri-theYaii0vska'. Street. It consisted of lli5 or 16 wooden huts in each 6f which liv'ecf froni two to three hundred men, The workers had to get up ~i:. 5·,a.m,,: and before leaving the camp to work received black cof1'ee-'an:a, _a ,-tiriy piece of bread. For dinner they received only a th,in spup, a·nd_)Jlao~ coffee once again for supper. We slept _on boards in the' _fiuts, :Viatcb': W'ls kept by Russian prisoners ef War ·who had· go be over :to. th-e Hermans : and were called the "Askaris"; by the Jewish auxil'iery police and a few. Germans. Every morning a Jewish band played music, to· wnioli th~ w0r·kers had to mqrch to their work, During the march the s.s~men c'all'ed •· . people whom "they did not like•i ')Ut of the ranks, ·and ·ordered. them to go. to a little square surrounded by barbed -wire, A'.H those Ei&illl'. who went there were shot. ,This._ happe_ned every morning,, 'llhirty. people being shot on the "best day" and two hundred- on. the "wo·rst day", There was a special sect'ion for women at -the.·o~p.· 'A::fd'e~i:i:t'ttfi~i(~;;:J:v'.f::~---'· was established known as the D,fL, w. (Deutsohes Ausrilst)l!lgs Werk':statte· .;., . German Armaments Workshop), in which the v.omen worked, ltt that· time· - · the situation in thE;> c_am:p was not as bad as· it had been1 for e:icai:nple, in Summer or 09tobGr 1942, ·· · " · On March 16th, the Gerrnans again entered the Glie;tto, The e:l{'.ouse was that an s.s.man ht?-d been murdered. On March 1 ?th the;re was ~ ·. -·.·.· very dreadful "action" while ~he men were going. to_ work. At f:!,y~ a.m. the Gestapo squads reached the Ghetto gate and took people outj of the ranks. Many of them weru shot on the spot, and many were· 11 Q:x:pe1led 11 •• from the town, where they were murdered, on. ,(l.prn-:-atlf there was -~-----~-- ---~- ~"-'·---.~·-··-_._.!...___- -~--~-"'-·· - - __ - ~ ',;- --- ··~·:...... -~ - . - :. o·--- -- _._-~-.i. ,_-- - ·---::------>--":~- :-· --.:.-> :· -- --~- ·-~-:':. 30•.. - -_- ~- - . ;. __ . -_- ·:: :-_- :~~- -~. -. __ : mi:::~:Ht·::~~~:~~~:i~;!~:~~~~i~N~~~~~~i~t~*~t.1\;;i':' ·· ·· ·.· thiS frGm some :S:WllK wh.o succa~dE:!l ~n,oes:eapin,g. lr,o.m ti},~ de;atfi.::i;tU9H;~;:tL~< · At the ti.me I was hid·ing with my .. fr,i.en~,. but El'[SJ:'Y tl1i:E1e;.wE1eks)I°;·'/ <' went to vJsit my wife, who was YfOJ?l.d,ng, anCi. .. m~fe.Ui10,r~J;l~ ]!aJ:':tY:}il\.t /· May the ;'lrea •f the Ghetto wai;;i :again r~a:ucedr.B.ncl:C:AD.;1f~t~ri·2f31}\l ,ther~ _r •· W!?-S a large scale "action" ~n 'tlhe· camp. Abqut 3~0QO men were 8l:lo~ .; in the camp er yf expelled from it, At that· t-ime they' also .. l'-quidat~d · · the 200 Jews who made up the' oam:P auxiliary'p0l_ice~ Only ;tl1 In Cracow there is a camp containing from 8-;10. 1 000 Jews,: and there . are another 2-3, 000 in -Radom.According to my est-imate there .are ... still officially 30-40,000 Jews alive in Poland, and possibly even I\, less. Apart from this about 30, 000 are 1ivi~g wi i;£:~/:l:'Y.f!ll;"':P~~~~!"J.7,-,,... t''='"~'' . Five er six people ·leave Cracow for :f!ungary every·day,~·bUt' onl'y--a·~ ' ' small part of them reach their destination. . · • ~ ! • In Octeber, 1942, a fresh transport reached the. camp f'~om Belgium and Holland, These were finally serit to Berzec. As they crossed Galicia on tr!hins they talked to the local Jews and toJ.d them that they were .going to B~l~eo in order to improve the local. , industry, which ad been destroyed by the 'Russians. That was what the Germans had told them. The Germans pursued the policy. of J:ti.ci ting. ene Jew against another. T~ere were many ;fews who denounced others •. ----·-~·;:--.-· There was a German polio eman who was an· expert.· at· shooting in the back. His name was RokffAr• If he asljed a Jew whether he V/13.S> · · sick or :tired he usually reoe ved a negative reply,· beqa\ise .tliey:a}:l. · knew that a positive reply meant death •.Despite the Iiega:t?ive re)]fy; however, the policeman would shoot the Je~ in the bac:i,k, · · There is no historical· parallel fo the. ba;barity-\Yit~«~liia·h the Nazis have exterminated Polish Jewr -· The-Je . ·__ . . · -• _ -- -"------Yhe-e - me ro o s. ese ·imprisoned in the· camps lriioy( ·c· · - that they Will not leave them alive I and ~hey therefore pray for a • sudden and easy death. · · · . ·_ ~ . J l f began to cross the frontier illegal],y:- into Sw.itzE)rl~s.'- Thi.s , /i refugee stream· increased so mucp tha.t. at the. end of S9ptember · /; the Swiss authorities began to ta.ks s.t;eps agains;t · fr,ont~er".".<· P crossing. But until the· end of. December lt was still pol'!sib:J..e /' to enter Swit21erland. ' , :, ·/_ ....· . . ··. How did the French behave to:wards the i~w~~ at th.is tiriie?_ In general it may be said that never in his'l;ory·:were'tlJ.Ei;r!ews so bitterly surprised as on this occasion. It isinpossiblp to declar~ that the behaviour was absolutely an'l;i-.Senii:tic; but_ it was not proper ntti tude if'. the trodi tions of the French people are taken into considerations, French Jews were te.ated in the - srune way as Frenchnen.· But this did not apply. to. foreign Je:ws,,- not evsit_ to thos_e who- have fought for. France, ll()'.f to ciSh()le.t'.$; artists,. etc. The French officials hsh,f\ved, in a ;;v:9ry bru~a+\· way towards .such people. · · · .. _,_ ;,;