(owned by Dr L. Levy), was awarded a medal by Kaiser Wilhelm in person,
and built up great wealth. His son increased their wealth, was one of the richest
people in Poland overall and the richest Jew in particular. The urząd skarbowy⁷⁹
¹ estimated his wealth at 250 million. Paid [. . .] millions in podatki,⁷⁹² at
least 35,000 annually, a good Polish citizen. Had great understanding of the
Jewish gmina, which he chaired until his death. On more than one occasion
gave a Jewish girl from Congress Poland 1,000 zlotys for her wedding, and
so on, but public causes (except those of the local gmina) were alien to him.
Once he replied to me: Das Vermögen gehört ja schon meinen Erben und diese
sind wie Sie wissen getauft⁷⁹³ (referring to his nephew⁷⁹⁴). His death was characteristic: holder of a military rank (königlich bayerischer Major⁷⁹⁵) awarded
by Kaiser Wilhelm II, he was arrested in his palace by a Feldwebel⁷⁹⁶ and
some gendarmes. He told him: Sie haben kein Recht mich zu verhaften, ich bin
königlich bayerischer Major. Mich hat Recht zu verhaften nur ein Stabsoffizier.⁷⁹⁷
The other responded: Jude, schweig, du wirst erschossen.⁷⁹⁸ L[evy]: Sie haben
mich kein Recht zu erschiessen, das kann ich alleine machen.⁷⁹⁹ The other: “Give
him the revolver. Come on, do it.” L[evy]: a bullet in the head. In life he said
he would not leave his community, and he stayed.⁸⁰⁰
[5] The expulsion.
There is heavy fighting all around. Jews flee, especially newcomers. The first
troops behave very well. Jews return. Gestapo arrives with Volksdeutsche.
industrial company which erected the limestone plant in Wapienno in 1860, contributed to the discovery of rock salt deposits.
791 (Polish) tax office.
792 (Polish) taxes.
793 (German) My property already belongs to my heirs, and they are baptised, as you know.
794 Leopold Levy’s heir was to be Walter Arndt, a grandson of Maria Heimann, who was Leopold’s sister.
795 Having graduated in Berlin, Levy served in the Bavarian Army, because as a Jew he could not become an officer of the Prussian one.
796 (German) sergeant.
797 (German) You have no right to arrest me. Only a staff officer has the right to arrest me.
798 (German) Silence, Jew, or you’ll be shot!
799 (German) You have no right to shoot me, I can do it myself.
800 According to another testimony, Levy was executed on 15 September 1939 on Solankowa Street, near the synagogue he founded.
