At first, everything was normal, according to the following pattern: robberies, pogroms, harassment, round-ups for labour, beatings, and so on. But the situation started to deteriorate when the Germans took over the civil administration in the city, and the former commandant of Łódź, Hingst,was appointed commandant in Vilna. Anti-Jewish regulations were issued in abundance: yellow patches on the chest and on the back, walking allowed on the street only, a special curfew, and so on. At the same time, the Judenrat was established, composed of neutral social activists, who undertook the mission to provide workers. After some time, however, the authorities unexpectedly began to capture male Jews from streets and houses. They were put into Łukiszki prison, and taken to Ponary in groups of several men – oncethere, all trace of them was lost. Over time, these round-ups become systematic and special units of “Lithuanian catchers” were delegated for thetask. [13] Since these raids happened both during the day and at night, the Jews of Vilna took to hiding in cellars, sheds, attics, and other hiding placesfor weeks. Everywhere, there were sentinels, watching constantly. The panicand fear were indescribable. Thus, several thousand people were roundedup even before the ghetto was established. Not only did none of them, nota single person, ever return, but no one even managed to leave any infor-mation about their fate. Trusted people were sent to scout in vain, and mem-bers of the Judenrat in vain appealed to the Committee for Jewish Affairs.492 They learned nothing. Among those captured were also victims of German–Lithuanian provocations, as a result of which whole streets became deserted. Over time, they started to catch even old men and twelve-year-old boys, andafter the provocation of 1 September, the largest of its kind, the entire Jewishquarter was surrounded and several thousand people were taken out of theirhomes and led directly to Ponary, regardless of their sex or age. Rumours thatthe captured people were shot, which had been circulating long before, wereconfirmed shortly before the ghetto was established. A woman who came to Vilna had been saved by chance, because a pile of dead bodies was thrown on top of her after the execution (her husband and son were among them). She managed to climb out from underneath them and reach the city in clothes ruined by disinfectant powder used to sprinkle the murdered. Such incidents occurred more and more often. The executions took place in Ponary,
