We only saw the German military and gendarmes driving through. Once
a month a gendarme would come down from Rembertów to the Judenrat,
brought his orders, which always ended with money, and we [Jews] continued
to work and live in peace. Being a shoemaker by profession, I had a lot of
work, both from the town and from the neighbouring peasants. My 17-yearold
son, Mattes-Boruch, helped me; thus, I supported my family of 4 souls
(I also have a daughter of 15 years) and believed [that we would] survive
the bitter war.
The Jews of the entire town consisted of craftsmen and traders; a special
trade with meat was established. The ritual slaughterers and butchers
would slaughter in the kosher manner, and it would be smuggled by goyim
into the Warsaw ghetto.
[2] We had no ghetto. The only ghetto law consisted of not allowing any
Jew to live under one roof with a Christian, that is in one house, but the
houses, not only the few small streets, were intermingled, and we, as it happened,
lived peacefully with our Christian neighbours.
Suddenly, the neighbouring peasants began to spread rumours that we
were to be driven out of the town. The same rumours started to circulate
in Miłosna, which is located just 3 km from us. We enquired in Rembertów
(12 km from us). They knew nothing of this.
On Saturday, the 21 [March], 3 gendarmes arrived from Rembertów. But
out of great fear, it turned out that they were demanding a levy of 3,500 zlotys
from the Judenrat, and besides that, a washboard (to wash clothes), a grater,
and a grinder to grind coffee. We immediately supplied all of this and started
to calm down, and began to prepare for Passover, believing that the decree
was over. We tried to prepare even more than usual, in case, heaven forbid,
we should need to take in other Jews driven out of towns.
But on Tuesday and Wednesday, the persistent rumours that they would
be uprooting us once again grew stronger. The head of the village council
began to officially warn the Jews that they should prepare themselves
to leave in good time. On Wednesday, 25 March, there suddenly appeared
a larger group of police. We also found out that the gendarmes who had
been with us on Saturday, [3] had left on the same day for Miłosna. There,
they also demanded the same sum and the same things, as well as ordering
a Jewish shoemaker to make 2 pairs of shoes for them and to bring the
shoes before Tuesday to Rembertów, giving him a special permit. The Jews
