Immediately, driving quickly in his car, he began to look for another
place for the Jews. Searching in great haste, he stopped and gave an order that
here, in this place, would be the Jewish ghetto. The deadline for relocating –
until 30 December at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Christians and Jews who do
not move by this hour will be shot. On the same day and at the same hour,
he himself and the gendarmerie will come and check whether his order had
been precisely carried out.
Among the Jews, a Yom Kippur and Tisha b’Av⁶⁴⁹ mood ensued. Among
the Christians there immediately arose the incitement of a pogrom. The reason
for the difficult situation that had been created, was: a) the short deadline
for relocation; b) the leader of the Endeks declared to the Polish populace
that the Jews do not want to depart from here, but rather wish to live together
with the Christians; and moreover, they bribed the county governor, so that
he should ostensibly give them only the place he had designated for them.
In this way, antagonism was created at lightning speed.
[4] The kernel of hatred fell upon fruitful ground. In order to understand
this, one must explain the following: the Garbatka Jews, numbering approximately
500, have already been living here for several generations, and more
or less reside in one concentrated place. Only those Jews who settled a few
years ago, on account of insufficient space, lived a bit further away, separated
from the rest of the Jews. In total, that was 17 families. These 17 families
must move to the ghetto, to join the rest of the Jews, who must remain living
in the places where they have lived up until now. In contrast, the number of
Christian families who must leave the living area designated for the Jews is 70.
These are the wealthiest peasants, who have the wealthiest properties on this
piece of soil. So, firstly, they do not have where to move, because the houses of
the 17 families would have sufficed only for a small portion of the peasants;
and secondly, the Jewish houses are not suited to their needs, because they
are lacking the necessary buildings, such as: barns and stables for the livestock
and “dead” stock. Moreover, they all shouted in a single voice: “For no
price.” Even if there should be victims, they will not retreat from their land
and their property. And they will seek revenge on the Jews, who apparently
chose this place and no other.
649 (Hebrew) ninth day of the month of Av; day devoted to mourning and fasting in commemoration of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. and 70 C.E.
