It was explained to the Wachtmeister that the kehillah was directly subordinate
to the Gestapo, to which its every action had to be reported immediately.
This matter, too, would have to be reported. The Wachtmeister declared that
he did not care and that he had to have the money. Rumkowski asked him
to put his demand in writing, which he did. Next, Rumkowski asked him for
a receipt, which he gave. Rumkowski gave him a bank cheque. As soon as the
Wachtmeister went out, Rumkowski telephoned the Gestapo and the bank
cheque was cancelled.
The kehillah sent a delegation to inspect the bakeries. Rumkowski, the
Eldest of the Jews, was a member of the delegation, as was [2] Mr Kenig,²⁵⁹
the kehillah bookkeeper. When the inspection was finished, Mr Kenig took
a droshky and set off home. On the way he was stopped by the SS Totenkopf.
They ordered him to get off the droshky and dismissed it. Mr Kenig produced
the best possible proof of identity: documents from the komendantura,²⁶⁰
from the Gestapo, where he was permitted to [. . .] at that time, and from
a number of other institutions. The SS took all his papers and tore them up.
He was then taken to the SS Totenkopf post on Zgierska Street. It was the day
when the arrests in the Astoria [. . .] took place.²⁶¹ The kehillah held an emergency
meeting and the next morning Rumkowski went to the SS post to get
Kenig out. Naturally, he took all his papers with him. He went straight to the
SS post and entered the hall where those arrested in the Astoria were being
held. The SS officer asked him, Wer bist Du?²⁶² Rumkowski replied, Der Ältester
der Juden, and produced his papers. The officer immediately slapped him
twice, breaking his glasses and bruising his face. Then they proceeded to beat
him savagely. Mr Rumkowski, who suffered from angina pectoris,²⁶³ passed
out, barely managing to point to the pouch with the drops that he always had
with him. When he came round, he was ordered to join the group and perform
gymnastic exercises with them. He stood there in a terrible state and with his
last remaining strength did everything he was ordered to do. Meanwhile, the
kehillah held a meeting, and a delegation consisting of Dr Schlosser, attorney
259 Michał Kenig.
260 (Polish) commander’s headquarters.
261 See Docs. 2 and 10.
262 (German) Who are you?
263 (Latin) angina, chest pain.
