German propaganda has already taken notice of it. This is one of the worst disgraces of the ghetto. Wastefulness, extravagance, luxury, flashy clothes, revelries, drinking sprees, gluttony, and prostitution—these are ulcers on the already deformed, degenerated, and disease-ridden organism, the very thought of which makes every decent citizen blush with shame. I can only discuss here what can be plainly seen on the street. Most of these phenomena, however, are discreetly hidden away in luxurious restaurant rooms, private flats, or cabaret dancing, etc. But let us stop for just a moment in the halls of popular joints such as Szulc,99 A la Fourchette, Hirszfeld,100 Adaś,101 etc. What you see in the [café] windows is just a part of their dinner menu. A swarm of paupers stands by the doors to these Eldorados, licking their lips, pressing onto the window panes, waiting for the nouveau riche to leave after dinner, cursing and swearing, begging and imposing. Fully content, tipsy, and amused nouveau riche enjoy their lives to the fullest; that is, [they consume] goose, steaks, omelettes, fish, wine, salads, cognac, layer cakes, and fruit. One such dinner costs more than the monthly upkeep [. . .] of the beggars who plead for 5 groszes, but to no avail. Women from high society are dressed up, made up, and decorated as if [. . .] perfumes, jewellery, makeup, clothes—everything follows the latest [. . .] fashion, because [. . .].
[. . .] cabbage, tiniest pieces of bread [. . .] peelings, crumbs, rags, etc.—all these should be collected and utilized instead of ending up in a dumpster, or in an incinerator. There is rubbish in every courtyard and beggars feed off it. Should they not be given the leftovers before they get tainted? Before they get mixed up with other rubbish? [. . .] no social institution has taken care of this yet [. . .] some social good. [18] Here I should briefly mention religiosity, which, as we know, plays a significant role in the life of a Jew. There are different views on the role of religion, but it is certain that it could and often did regulate moral life. Before the war. But not anymore. Rabbis have no authority or influence whatsoever, but we do not complain about it. [The real problem is] that what kept the religious people in line, that is, the belief in reward and punishment in the afterlife, has ceased to hold anybody back. Nobody cares about the salvation of the soul. The street and the masses have forgotten
