in with a certain acquaintance of mine, who treated me splendidly. Until after
Sukkot, the Germans, not knowing in which world they found themselves,
behaved quite tolerably. We actually celebrated Sukkot in a sukkah. In due
course, a Judenrat was appointed. Jews used to escape to nearby Piaski, where
the Reds⁷⁶ were. People were still deluding themselves that Lublin would
be taken by the Reds. Shortly after Sukkot, the Germans tightened their hold
on the city. And immediately, there began systematic legal and random robbing
and looting of Jewish property. Beating on sight became widespread in Lublin.
Seizure for work, duly illustrated⁷⁷ by beatings, became a weekly occurrence.
The date 25 October (I believe) was set for the registration of all Jewish
men aged 16 to 60. Jews did not know whether to go or not. Some thought it
was not so straightforward, because why did everyone (around 20,000 people)
have to arrive and present themselves all on one day, if there was no system,
no plan? Others advised going. General plunder had been announced for
that day and the Germans did not want any witnesses. Thus it was not advisable
to remain at home.
It was a dreary, wet day, the first great Jewish mass calamity. Everyone’s
sleep and rest was disturbed. Crowds of people streamed to the square by
Lipowa Street. The assembled Jews arranged themselves according to their
occupations. At first, no officials were to be seen apart from soldiers. Not
until 12 o’clock were several Jewish community officials spotted. They began
to release certain occupational groups. Each released group had to leave the
square singing various Jewish songs.
About 8,000 men remained. They were not downhearted. People joked
and teased each other. Gradually the Germans showed their claws. Here
a beating, there a blow, a slap. But it was still bearable. Some SS men even
made supposedly sympathetic comments about the negligence of the Jewish
communal authorities. Many Jewish folksongs and religious songs were sung:
Mir veln zey iberlebn,⁷⁸ Ma na’im goralenu.⁷⁹ Many people clapped along.
76 Part of the Lublin area, including the small town of Piaski, was occupied by the Red Amy until 8 October 1939.
77 Thus in the original; probably should be: accompanied.
78 (Yiddish) We shall survive them; sung to the tune of the popular folksong Lomir zikh iberbetn (Let’s make up).
79 (Hebrew) How good is our lot.
