people were seized and thrown into especially prepared cars. That what happened was indescribable. During the Russian rule, the Jews of Słonim had heard that the Germans were seizing Jews for work, but they had not imagined that this would be [done with] such cruel beatings. Worst of all, everyoneunderstood that it was not only for work. If it had been just for work, it would not have been so frightening. There had already been rumours that many young Jews from nearby towns had been seized in the same manner and sent away in an unknown direction. No one knew where they had gone. Every Jew in Słonim was somehow [13] afraid to voice his dark suspicion regarding the seizure, even though everyone knew in his heart that [the truth] was terrible and the young people would never see the light of day again. The young people from Słonim were thrown into special trucks and taken away in an unknown direction. Mothers and fathers, sisters, brothers, and relatives cried bitterly over the horrible devastation that had just taken place. 1,400 young people were carried off. Nothing was known of their whereabouts, and such frightful rumours were circulating on all sides. Słonim mourned its first victims. All the Jews of Słonim were in dreadful despair. Everyone understood and felt that the same fate awaited him at any moment: to be crushed by a heavyhand and annihilated.
At the same time, it became known that the German civil authorities were arriving in Słonim. That was two months after the [14] German army had marched in. The Jews of Słonim were convinced that the real tortures would now begin. Sadly, their feelings did not deceive them. The worst had now begun. A couple of days before the arrival of the German civil authorities, two anti-Jewish decrees were issued. Jews were prohibited from walkingon the pavement but had to walk in the road, and all Jews had to replace the yellow patches with yellow Stars of David.
On the day the civil authorities arrived, a banquet was held for them. The Judenrat had to provide everything. The town commandant was a young Nazi called Hick,227 specially trained in the party school. The Nazi Hick wasnow in charge of the unfortunate Jews of Słonim. The civil authorities, ledby Hick, began systematic persecution of the Jews of Słonim. [15] The firstthing Hick did was to impose a levy of 2 million roubles on the Jewish popu-lation. Simultaneously he ordered the Jews to hand over all the gold and silver
