[. . .] his place was raided [. . .] The Old Man also [. . .] sent his police to carry out
a search. A huge stock of provisions was found there [. . .] enough for several
years. He too was taken away in the transport and deported with all the others.
Recently the schools were closed [. . .] when the German refugees arrived, they
occupied the school premises. Recently the question of schools became wholly
irrelevant because of current developments. Registration of all the unemployed
above 10 years of age. As a result of the deportations, everyone above 10 years
of age is now working [. . .] [2] [. . .] and endured various [. . .]. Great difficulties
[. . .] people [. . .] town [. . .] [3] he was there [. . .] 12 years. At the beginning
of April [. . .] in order to get provisions [. . .] led by Podlaski⁵²³ to intercede with
the Old Man [. . .] their rations would not be blocked. The Old Man retorted:
“Who told you to gobble everything up?” On 20 May prices reached 600 marks
for a two-kilo loaf of bread, 100 marks for a kilo of potatoes, 50 marks for turnips,
14 marks for potato peels. At the beginning of June they began distributing
food and the prices fell. [. . .] 150 marks [. . .] 30 marks for potato peels [. . .],
onions 400 marks [. . .] for 10 grams of honey, 10 grams of margarine and [. . .]
nothing was known yet about the promised [. . .] the school had six classes [. . .]
50–60 pupils. Lessons were from 8.00 [a.m.] to 1.00 [p.m.] and from 2.00 to
7.00 [p.m.]. The headmaster was [. . .]. The teaching staff consisted of: [Miss]
Falska, [Mrs] Ajzensztajn, [Mrs] Jakubowicz, [Mr] Berliner, [Miss] Szumlewicz,
[Miss] Kempfler, [Miss] Wajs, [Mr] Najfeld.⁵²⁴ In all schools the language of
instruction was Polish. Apart from that, they taught Polish, Yiddish, Hebrew,
German, religion, arithmetic, nature study, geography, gymnastics, and handicrafts.
History and anything relating to it was not taught. At school the children
received soup. Children with working parents [. . .] paid 15 pfennigs for
soup. Others, whose parents [. . .] received financial assistance of 5 pfennigs.
Nobody got soup for free. If a child had no money, the other children held
a collection, so that that child would get soup as well. The head of the school
system was Tabaksblat⁵²⁵ [. . .] of religion [. . .]. They taught Polish, German,
523 Józef Podlaski (1893–1944?), from July 1943 head (Oberleiter) of all the leather plants; highly respected by Rumkowski.
524 Concerning the teaching staff, see Helena Smoleńska, Szkolnictwo żydowskie w Łodzi w czasie okupacji niemieckiej w latach 1939–1945, Łódź 1945. See AŻIH, 347/2.
525 Eliasz Tabaksblat (1892–?), head of the Schools Department and Restructuring Commission of the Łódź Judenrat, survived the war, see his account in AŻIH, 301/2847.
