falling into the bloody clutches of the Jewish wartime police, who were under the German boot.
[41] The destruction of Jewish communities in the newly occupied Soviet territories
Volume II
Notebook II
[42] Białystok and surrounding area
[43] On 13 November 1939, I left Warsaw alone for Małkinia near the Soviet border. When I entered the shtetl, I was stopped by German gendarmes who took me away to their headquarters, where they placed me under arrest. There were already a large number of Jews being held there, and a smaller number of Poles.
I had been held under arrest for a while when the door opened and several officers entered. They released the Poles but began to subject the Jews to stringent searches. They searched every Jew thoroughly, inspected all their clothing, shook out their pockets, and tore off collars, soles of shoes, and lining of clothes. They took everything away from the Jews: money, personal belongings and food, leaving them only 10 zlotys each. Then they removed the Jews’ overcoats, shoes and boots and even their trousers, leaving them in their underwear.
Several Poles arrived to help [43a] with the searches. Outside the detention building stood dozens of Polish men and girls. After the body-searches, the officers handed out some of the personal belongings to the girls, who accepted them with loud shrieks and laughter.
The gendarmes continued to bring in large groups of Jews whom they had arrested. The number reached several thousand. They were all searched and everything they had was taken from them. Afterwards, all the Jews were taken away to the railway station and locked up in closed freight wagons. They were packed together like herring in a barrel, and there they remained from dusk until 7 in the morning.
On 14 November at 7 in the morning, the Jews were released and told togo. They set off in groups for the Soviet border.
On the road from Małkinia to the Soviet border we were stopped by German military patrols. They [44] searched us once more and took the 10-zloty notes that the Małkinia gendarmes had left us.
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