friend to help get her released, but that time the intervention of Mr “Bolek” proved unsuccessful. The detained woman was executed. “His connections never fail with regard to the prison on Daniłowiczowska Street,” explains Mrs G. “He can get any prisoner released like he has done so many times before. Things get more complicated, however, within the ghetto borders.”
The personal favours Mr “Bolek” does for his girlfriend are often of grave importance. For instance, on the Friday night of 16 May 1942 a manhunt was organized in the ghetto to capture young people and send them to a labour camp. Jewish policeman walked from home to home with a list of surnames. They also came for Mrs G.’s brother. Mrs G. turned to her friend with a request for help. Thanks to his intervention the next morning the Arbeitsamt director Mr C. issued an order to release the young man immediately. Nonetheless, Mrs G.’s brother had to immediately find some employment to be exempted from future deportation to a camp. The young man was engaged to work at Schulc’s fur workshop,417 also thanks to the help from agent “Bolek.” A week later Mrs G.’s brother went to the Arbeitsamt to [137] take care of the last formalities before beginning his work in the workshop. There was a long queue outside the director’s door so he gave up and decided to return the next day. There was a street “round-up” at 2 p.m. on Friday 23 May 1942 to [capture people and send them to] a labour camp. Mrs G.’s brother was unlucky and fell into the hands of the police. He was escorted to the police station on L. Street.418 Mrs G.’s friend had notified her about the upcoming “round-up.” She had immediately sent home a rickshaw man with a written warning, in which he advised her brother against going out. But the note had arrived too late. Their mother had gone out to look for him. She had followed information she had received by chance and found him in the rejon. Agent “Bolek” had left the ghetto by then and could not come over after Mrs G. had urged him to do so via telephone. He had been busy that day at an important official celebration connected with his duty. Consequently, Mrs G. and her mother had to use their own contacts. They asked a policeman they knew to get the young man released. Mrs G. spent several hundred zlotys, but to no avail. The young
