Monday, 25 December. A frosty day. It’s very quiet. The soldiers are
throwing snow at each other. The day passes uneventfully.
Tuesday, 26 December. The same as yesterday.
Wednesday, 27 December. We hear rumours that people fleeing from
Zgierz and Aleksandrów are coming and, true enough, at 2 p.m. Gitl arrives
with the children from Zgierz. Gershen also arrives from Aleksandrów with
his father’s family. Night is falling. Hundreds of people are arriving. People
are lying on the floors, and an incident occurs. When Gershen lay down in
my bed to sleep, his sister-in-law Miriam also lay down in her overcoat. When
I lay down in bed next to Gershen, Miriam got undressed and also lay down in
the bed. And when all the women started to laugh at her, she took no notice,
but we couldn’t sleep the whole night because of her… At 4 a.m. I had to get up.
[32a] Thursday, 28 December. I had to find lodgings for Miriam with
Dovidshe’s wife and she settled in there. There was a lot of bustle in town.
Large numbers are leaving for Warsaw and many for Piotrków. Night falls.
The house is full of people. Gershen and Rivtshe have left for Warsaw. His
father Pinkhes sleeps with me in my bed.
Friday, 29 December. Rivtshe’s father Henekh Cohen leaves with his wife
and son. It’s not long before refugees arrive from Stryków. It’s bitterly cold.
People are spending the night on the bare ground, because there are many
refugees from Zgierz, Aleksandrów, Łódź, and Stryków. By chance, there is
cheap fish, and all the people staying at my place buy fish and meat and organize
a good Sabbath. The Sabbath night falls.
Saturday, 30 December. The streets are animated with refugees. The
muni cipality is refusing to register them. Many refugees leave, but there are
still many left.
Sunday, 31 December. It’s a fine winter day. People stroll around the
streets till nightfall.
Monday, 1 January 1940. The same as yesterday with nothing of
importance.
Tuesday, 2 January 1940. It’s market day. The refugees buy a lot of poultry
and butter quite cheaply. Kosowski arrives with his horse and cart. Gertler
brings 300 litres of kerosene and starts selling it, but it doesn’t sell so easily.
Only 100 litres sells and the rest is left.
Wednesday, 3 January. The municipality announces that the refugees
have to leave town, and many do leave.
