The Judenrat
At first and during the war, the Jewish Community was led by the former
Council¹¹⁷⁷ composed of 8 members. During the first weeks, it delivered labourers
to various work details. Aside from that, Jews were seized on the streets
[and ordered] to clean, wash cars, and serve the soldiers; at that time there
were up to several thousand of them; 50−100 people were delivered every day.
The wealthier Jews sent replacements. The Wiskitki Council had its permanent
delegate office in the Żyrardów Arbeitsamt’s Nebenstelle.¹¹⁷⁸ That was where
they set the number of labourers to be delivered to perform forced labour, also
on the roads. Women had to perform forced labour, too. Aside from labourers
who did farm work, none of them received remuneration for their work despite
frequent promises. 40 labourers worked permanently in Guzów.¹¹⁷⁹
In August 1940, 50 people were sent to a labour camp in the Lublin district.
After several weeks of torture, cash was gathered to release them.
The Judenrat paid the Żyrardów Labour Office to relieve the labourers’ lot.
It even stayed in contact with the main representative of the Labour Office in
Sochaczew by the agency of the infamous middlemen and future chairmen
of the Sochaczew Council: Gelbsztajn and Libert.¹¹⁸⁰ [3] A large portion of the
Wiskitki Council budget was transferred there for various bribes, which went
mostly into the pockets of the said “bosses.”
The Wiskitki Council did not change as a result of the Kreishauptmann’s
ordinance on the establishment of Judenräte. It was only enlarged by four
members for a total of 12.
Monthly fees in the amount of 5−50 zlotys were introduced. The Jewish
citizens brought the fees to the Council’s cash-desk themselves. Those unwilling
to pay were forced, supposedly by the agency of the Inland Revenue.
A sequestrator and his assistant hired by the Council collected the fees, for
which they received remuneration.
The Inland Revenue also requested that the Council collect due taxes in the
amount of 32,000 zlotys from the citizens. Requests to pay the due taxes were
1177 That is, the pre-war Jewish Community board. Members of the Judenrat in Wiskitki were among others: Moyshe Beker, Chaim Wiślicki, and Israel Itzek Zand. See AŻIH, AJDC, 210/720, p. 19.
1178 (German) branch office.
1179 Guzów (Sochaczew-Błonie County).
1180 Itche Gelbstein and Shmuel Libert. See Doc. 138.
