paralysed due to an insufficient workforce. Many factories could not operate at all, and the Verpflegungsamt474 did not have any porters. Thus, managers of those facilities, German officers, addressed the Lithuanian and German police with an official protest, accusing them of carrying out a sabotage operation, and saying that they should be punished for failing to honour certificates issued by the German authorities. They demanded the release of Jews who were needed for work, and as a result of their intervention approximately 500 Jews were let out of prison. The rest of the prisoners, 3,300 people, were taken to Ponary in groups. Regardless of that operation, the resettlement [34] to Ghetto II was continued on the following day. However, it proceeded with great difficulty, because rumours started circulating about a complete liquidation of Ghetto II. Soon, the rumours proved true: namely, approximately 4,000 Jews were taken out of the ghetto and executed.
After these horrors, life in Ghetto I slowly returned to normal. The Arbeitsamt operated as usual, sending workers to work details; the department of food supply opened people’s kitchens; food cards were issued and people received bread and other food products regularly. The Jews in the ghettoreceived food cards, which entitled them to 175 grams of bread per day, 75 dekagrams of groats, 100 dekagrams of flour, 50 dekagrams of salt, and 100 dek-agrams of vegetables per week, as well as 80 dekagrams of butter per month. Until 1 October, Jews employed in German institutions could take food intothe ghetto without limit. However, smuggling and profiteering were rampant,and finally drew the attention of the Gebietskomissar. He decided to put an endto smuggling and issued an order forbidding Jews to bring food into the ghettoaside from products [35] they received at work details. Since the Poles were afraid of the Lithuanians and did not smuggle food into the ghetto, the Jews were forced to continue bringing products into the ghetto illegally, despite the ban. This was extremely risky, because they were searched at the entrance to the ghetto and any food products found on them were then promptly seized. For this reason, there were also frequent incidents of beating and abuse of the Jews by the Germans and Lithuanians. Sometimes, the Gebietskomissar himself “honoured” such operations with his presence, accompanied by his staff officers and storm troopers. In such cases, the entrance to the ghetto appeared as follows: Jews returning from work passed the gate with their heads bare
