Their fine clothing led to some curious occurrences, as a result of which
they were forced to decorate their uniforms with a distinguishing mark. This
happened because of the Lithuanian Totenkopf ¹¹² men (a Lithuanian military
unit) who arrived in Lublin. On seeing such well-dressed “soldiers”, the
Lithuanians saluted. This led the Germans to issue an order that the yentses
must wear a star on their lapel.
Until a short while ago, the commander of the yentses’ camp was Fiszer,
a Jew from Stanisławów. He was recently shot. People say he was caught swindling, and 30,000 zlotys was supposedly found on him.¹¹³
Among the yentses an epidemic of typhus broke out recently and some
600 of them fell ill. The sick were installed in the Mahar[sh]al’s synagogue,¹¹⁴
where a Seuchenspital¹¹⁵ [10] was set up for them.
For the Jews of Lublin, the Übersiedlung¹¹⁶ (known in Polish as the
przesiedlenie), which took place in March 1941, was a tragic experience.
Totally unexpectedly, some 10,000 Jews were evicted from their homes within
30 minutes.
At the same time as the order was given to leave their homes and take
only hand luggage, dozens of wagons arrived from various towns and villages.
These carts were sent at the expense of the kehillahs to which the Jews
were to be transferred.
Those kehillahs are: Lubartów, Parczew, Bełżyce, Chodel, Siedliszcze near
Chełm, Trawniki, Izbica, and others.¹¹⁷
112 (German) death’s head; an emblem used by SS and Waffen SS units; insignia worn on their caps.
113 A reference to Roman Fiszer (1909 – ?). In fact, he escaped from the camp in March 1943 and survived the war, hiding in Warsaw outside the ghetto. AŻIH, Holocaust testimonies, testimony of Roman Fiszer, 301/2808.
114 The 16th century synagogue on Jateczna Street. In 1940–1942, it housed a refugee centre and a soup kitchen. During the Aktion in March 1942, it was a centre for persons designated for deportation to a death camp. The synagogue was blown up in 1943. The hospital for POWs was set up in the Talmud Torah building near the synagogue. See T. Radzik, Lubelska dzielnica zamknięta, p. 138.
115 (German) infectious diseases hospital.
116 (German) resettlement.
117 From 10 to 14 March 1941, 9,200 Jews from Lublin were resettled in the following small towns: Bełżyce, Bychawa, Brzeziny, Kazimierzówka, Lubartów, Wysokie (Lublin County), Chodel, Michów (Puławy County), Żółkiewka (Krasnystaw County), Siedliszcze, Rejowiec,
