glanced at the examined individual and if he saw no disabilities at first sight,
he deemed the man able [to travel?]. Many men were released, while the rest
were locked in the bet hamidrash. For now there were only 70–80 of us, as
at first a lot of men had failed to report for the examination. I was among
the apprehended men, but I was released the very next day, as I was to hold
a managerial position in the future colony to be established by the resettled.
At that time it was possible for me to return to Łowicz, but I did not use that
opportunity, as I would have had to part with my family again.
The resettlement took place the day before Rosh Hashanah. At 9 p.m.,
New Market Square was surrounded by the police and the auxiliary forces,
such as the SA and the NSKK.⁸⁶³ The detained were then escorted out. Each
of them had a piece of paper the size of a notebook page hanging on a string
on his chest with [4] a number in sequence from 1 to 150. The Germans
called the numbers one by one and arranged the men in a row. The families
with their parcels and baggage could join the released men without
any obstruction. Everybody was obliged go through a check combined with
a search, though not particularly thorough. As a matter of fact, one could
take anything one wanted, but there were instances of requisition of objects
whose inclusion would have been too glaring a violation of the authorities’
ordinances. Somebody had a meat cutting board (!) taken away. Another person
lost a broom. A clothing tradesman had a whole package of ties taken away
from him. Everything proceeded with a very moderate accompaniment of
shouts, blows, and kicks, but their only purpose was to maintain order and not
to maltreat us.
That procedure lasted approximately 4 hours. At 1 a.m. we had to form
a column and we set out, constantly surrounded by the Germans. The parcels,
women, children, and the elderly travelled on carts in the column’s rearguard.
I was ordered to march at the head. We were walking very slowly, in driving
rain, which poured down all night long and throughout the next day. A few
dozen carts were rolling behind us. Having walked 13 km over 3½ hours, we
stopped by a forest for approximately 2 hours. As I learned later, the reason
was that the area had not been emptied for us, as Poles were only then being
deported from there.
863 (German) Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrkorps (National Socialist Motor Corps).
