a baton from a Polish policeman,⁵⁷ heat came over me. But, well, I’d rather
get the baton than die. Several times the gendarmes⁵⁸ put barrels to my head,
blood rushed to my head. I came home hungry and tired after such adventures,
but I could not eat.
I saved myself, although I went through such things, my brother, aged
17, died of hunger in February 1941, then my sister died of dysentery in March
1942. My eldest sister, aged 21, is still at the Point, where she suffers from
hunger. I’m sorry I stopped smuggling at the day-care, because I’d still be
helping my sister.
3) Unpleasant experience. I’ll remember the Point all my life, there was
hunger, days passed and we didn’t eat anything.
4) Most pleasant experience. During holidays at home, summer walks
in the fields.
5) What is war? No work – that’s war. There’s hunger.
6) What plans? None. I guess as long as I live, it’ll be like this.
[3] Zanwel Krigsman, born 30 June 1929 in Piaseczno, son of Szlama and
Hudessa Fagol, father – a hairdresser (owner of the establishment). They lived
in one room. Siblings: two brothers and a sister. Father died of tuberculosis
in September 1939.
We were expelled from Piaseczno in February 1941.⁵⁹ On Tuesday evening
the policemen came to the house, handed us the cards and ordered us to report
with luggage in front of the municipality [building] the following day at 8 a.m.
The following day at 8 a.m. they put us on a bus and took us to Warsaw
to the Point at Bagno Street 1. My mother was helpless, she died of starvation
57 Polish Police, commonly known as the “blue” police – see Glossary of General Terms and Organisations.
58 Guarding the gates of the ghetto were the German Schutzpolizei (Schupo, Prevention Police) – municipal formation of the German Order Police (Ordnungspolizei, Orpo), the so-called gendarmerie; near the ghetto walls – a guard and convoy unit of the blue police; on the inside – the ghetto Order Service, commonly called the Jewish police. See M. Getter, “Organizacja policji niemieckiej”, Rocznik Warszawski 1967, vol. VI.
59 Piaseczno (Grójec County). The Jews from there were resettled to the Warsaw ghetto on 22–27 January 1941. See Brustin-Berenstein, “Deportacje i zagłada skupisk żydowskich w dystrykcie warszawskim”, Table IIa, p. 106.
