residence after having been issued a passport with clause 11, he lodged an appeal and on that basis obtained temporary work, meaning that in practice he remained at his same post.
Clause 11, however, was the bane of people’s lives. Because of clause 11, St. Aau. was separated from his wife, who was in Lvov, having been issued (by chance) a normal passport. He himself had no possibility of studying. He also had to work harder in order to send his wife money for her upkeep. For a certain time he worked nights as a night watchman in addition to his daytime job. [10a] If they had a choice, it was very hard for refugees to decide whether to remain where they were or to return home. In the early spring of 1940 such possibilities arose in connection with the work of the GermanSoviet Exchange Commission. At first there was no precise information about it. It appeared that all registered persons without distinction would be able to be exchanged. There was a great rush on the part of the refugees. The strongest motive was nostalgia. People longed for home and family. Some people were also disillusioned and the middle classes were likewise discontented. Long queues formed outside the headquarters of the Commission in Lvov. The Germans tried to admit everybody, but that proved impossible, so they decided that one person should come in on behalf of a group. They divided the people into groups of 10, with one person representing each group. It subsequently turned out, above all, that only a limited number were selected for exchange and that almost no Jews were included in that contingent.
St. Aau. did not know what to do. He had not wanted to return and had not registered. He lived in uncertainty as to whether it was better to register or not.
[11] Those who had registered, meanwhile, had both the right to work and opportunities to do so. There were no demonstrations in front of the Commission while it carried out its work. No one even dared dream of demonstrating. The Germans behaved correctly. Initially, deportations only involved suspect Polish elements. They were carried out in a very harsh manner. The population did not react, but nevertheless felt threatened.
Later those who had registered to be sent home began to be deported. As has been said, this was the fault of the Germans, who had formed a contingent with limited numbers and had not informed anyone that Jews were excluded. The deportation of those who had registered did not arouse much
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