20 Jewish victims. On Wednesday morning, the news started spreading that
the Germans were approaching the town. A big part of the population, the
majority of the young, fled in the direction of Warsaw.
[2] On Saturday, 9 September, the town was badly shelled by the German
artillery and an entire side of 11 Listopada Street burnt down. On the same
day, the Polish army blew up the new concrete bridge on the Bzura River. Soon
afterwards, the German army entered the town.
As soon as they entered, they summoned all Jewish men to the New
Market Square. After several hours of standing there, the Jews were led into
the synagogue. Many refugees from Łódź were among the assembled, as
well as many rabbis from the Łódź area.⁸²⁷ The Jews sat in the synagogue for
48 hours until Monday evening; they were not allowed any food. They were
also not allowed to go out to the courtyard. Many Jews collapsed from hunger
and suffering, and there was nothing with which to save them. Outside
the windows, a terrible shooting broke out; everyone was sure that they were
shooting at the Jews inside the synagogue. Everyone threw themselves onto
the floor crying Shema Yisroel.
Scenes like this took place several times every day. The picture looked
even worse at night when the fire of the shots illuminated the dark night.
On this particular night, the Jews were chased out of the synagogue and back
inside tens of times, while many Jews were brutally beaten and wounded.
On Sunday evening, it was permitted to bring in some food. [3] The most
depressed mood was on Monday morning, when people saw German soldiers
pulling back through the Łódzka Street through the windows of the synagogue,
and a rumour spread that, before they withdraw from town, they would set the synagogue on fire and burn the Jews assembled inside.
The despair and anguish of the people was great. Some tried to escape,
but they were shot at. Two Jews went crazy. One Christian who was also in the
synagogue also lost his mind. He threw himself upon a German soldier who
immediately shot him and buried him in the courtyard. On Monday afternoon,
everyone was released from the synagogue.
On Monday evening, the German army left Łowicz and on Tuesday, the
Polish army returned. The ovation, which the Jews gave the returning Polish
827 Łódź was captured by German troops on 8 September 1939.
