humiliation, he hardly ever showed himself on the street. At all events, it should
be put on record that the soldier Milke was very well disposed towards Jews.
Jews were forbidden to walk on the pavement and required to wear a yellow
patch on their backs. Some people stopped going out at all, but the Jews
soon got used to it. Two weeks later, Jews were required to wear a yellow Star
of David in front, on their lapels, as well as on their backs.
In the course of searches for weapons and currency, even pots of fat and
a few decagrams of tea were seized, and many Jews were beaten savagely.
They knocked on the door of a certain woman at 1 a.m. and ordered everyone
to leave the house except for the daughter, Gołda Krenig, a girl of 18, who
was ordered to remain. They ordered her to strip naked and intended to rape
her, but her loud shouts and screams finally drove them away. [9] However,
it was said that such an act was in fact committed in the home of a certain
Anshl Blank.
On 15 January 1940, approximately 40 Volksdeutsche arrived and requisitioned
Jewish furniture, linen and bedclothes from 80 per cent of the Jews.
Even expensive pieces of furniture were taken to be used as firewood.
Polish strażacy⁹⁵⁹ also helped with the requisitions. They extracted
money, denounced [those in possession of it] and then pocketed it for themselves.
A Polish sergeant who had returned from the Polish army also took
part. The main ringleader was a town hall official. A few weeks later, he was
driven from the town naked and barefoot, along with his family, to the great
satisfaction of the Jews. There was no shortage of Jewish informers; they were
even present in large numbers. Nevertheless, life went on normally, and Jews
traded and went about their business.
On 12 February 1940, a certain Mr Leyzer Lewin was deported along
with some Christian members of the intelligentsia, and his whereabouts are
unknown to this day.
[9a] Many youngsters got married and crossed over to the Russian side.
So life went on normally. But only till 15 June 1940, when the dreadful,
cruel decree was issued that Jews were to leave town and be sent to the
Konstancja camp, a former sugar factory located a kilometre out of town.
Human language is inadequate to describe the dreadful, sorrowful events of
the three days of chaos, insanity, storms and cloudbursts which the Jews went
959 (Polish) firemen.
