occupiers first and foremost began their systematic task of creating an artificial
wall between Jews and Poles and paralysing all national and political
life of the Polish and Jewish population, and as a result of the war calamity,
the economic collapse occurred anyway. The metallurgical factories passed
into German hands. Smuggling and war trade completely altered the economic
face of the town.
In Jewish life, a Judenrat was established in place [2] of the former kehillah.
At its head were Messrs Diamant as chairman, Attorney Avrom Salbe,⁴⁶⁷
and Dr Szenderowicz. At the head of the Jewish police were such individuals
as Gajger, Wajner and Wajchendler.
Attorney Salbe came here from Warsaw, where he had been a member
of the Warsaw Judenrat shortly after the invasion of the Germans. He also
was one of the 12 Councellors (Jews and Poles), whom the German authorities
made responsible for every political action during the occupation of Warsaw,
and spent time with all the others under house arrest in the building of
the Warsaw town hall. His conduct in the Judenrat is appropriate. Initially
he attempted to make life easier [3] for the Jewish community and received no
honorarium for his efforts. In the end, when the kehillah apparatus expanded
and laid down new agendas, people in various circles started to murmur about
his person. Relying on the information of the narrator, it is difficult to establish
how much basis this has.
Chairman Diamant is a former travelling salesman of haberdashery
goods, a simple ignoramus without any personal merits, a great coward, he
receives 800 zlotys in salary monthly, performs the function of an “advisor
to the head of the Radom District...” A man of such a low cultural level, as
the importance and personal merits already outlined, give a sufficient guarantee
of carrying out his social mission...
[4] Dr. Szenderowicz, known in town as a dermatologist before the war, is
definitely unpopular. In the time of the war, on the contrary, he became popular,
and here is the reason: First of all, he is the chief doctor and the head of
the “Health Office” in the Judenrat. He understood how to organise the office
in such a way that would yield him and his associates the biggest profits. He is
467 Avrom Salbe (?–1942), attorney from Warsaw, industrialist, social activist, chairman of Gemilat Khesed in Radom, member of the Radom Judenrat and chairman of the KOM. See AŻIH, ŻSS, 211/124, p. 36; 211/853, p. 4; AJDC, 210/581, p. 10.
