51
5 May 1942, Warsaw ghetto. Oyneg Shabes bulletin on the situation of Jews
in various localities in the territory of the Republic of Poland in March and
April 1942.
[1] 5 May 1942
Lublin region
Wąwolnica – On Sunday 22 March, the shtetl was surrounded by gendarmes
armed from head to foot. The entire Jewish population was driven in a very
brutal manner into the marketplace and there the Germans divided the Jews
into two groups: Jews working for the Germans and Jews not working. The
first group of Jews were left there, while the second group was promptly driven
further, just as they were, to the nearest railway station. There the Jews were
locked into sealed carriages and taken away in “an unknown direction”. About
100 Jews remained in the shtetl; over 300 were deported. On the way to the
railway station, the gendarmes shot 52 Jews who had lagged behind for various
reasons. From the remaining Jews, the Germans appointed a new Judenrat
consisting of 3 men.
On Tuesday 24 March, the new Judenrat received a demand from the
authorities that, because the Germans had shot 52 Jews from Wąwolnica,
and each bullet had cost 55 groszes, the Judenrat had to pay the full amount
within 24 hours.
The money was paid . . .⁵⁶⁶
Rejowiec – In Rejowiec there were of late about 800 Jews. Their material situation
was satisfactory.
On Tuesday 7 April, on the eve of the last two days of Pesach, a large
number of German police arrived in the shtetl. The mood in the shtetl quickly
grew very anxious. People ran to the Judenrat, which reassured them that
nothing would happen. [2] However, a few hours later, the Jewish population
received an order from the Judenrat that all Jews without exception – men,
women, children, the elderly, the infirm – must assemble immediately at the
566 See Doc. 47.
