All men driven into the church and the cinema [. . .] hours nobody and nothing
was allowed in — toilet — 21 September [. . .] to Włocławek — on the
way Włocławek inhabitants did not behave decently. On that day arrived… —
Tragedy begins. 22 September — beginning of roundups and persecution.
Shots fired to incite fear. Synagogues closed. Delegation from the Jewish
Community — privately, he advised against praying. Minyanim were organised
— Piekarska Street — in talesim and kittels — to the Długosz high school
at Łęgska Street 79¹⁰⁷¹ — prayers too, they stormed in, whips, butts, 4 were shot
dead in the courtyard, others dug a pit, burial — 1 man was still alive, he was
begging to be taken out, his hand stuck out [. . .] it twitched once — (torture,
threats, hands in the air — several hours [. . .] shots fired next to [them?], they
took off their shoes). 23 and 24 September — horrible atmosphere, Germans
on the roof of the main synagogue — the old synagogue burnt down, and so
did the new one on Królewiecka Street — [. . .] — in the evening they said that
they had arrested 18 Jews and accused them of setting the synagogue ablaze,
brutal torture. That evening after 8 o’clock 3 Germans walked in to take the
men — me among them — they drove us to 3 Maja Street — we ran. The entire
street (curfew was at 7 o’clock) was profusely lit — 1,000 people — Jews, whips
cracked across the face — driven into prison — the people collapsed — beating
and torture, streets strewn with hats, the elderly had to run too — several
were beaten to death — 876 people aside from the Yom Kippur ones. They
let [them?] in in groups — you’ll be with Jehovah¹⁰⁷² tomorrow. Tomorrow
we are going to be executed. Cell 3 x 4 m2 — 30 people, 10 [. . .] — lights were
switched off — 1 with a broken leg — Without drink, toilet — [. . .] hands in
the air, stand up, beating — 14 hours — officers’ assistance — the same thing
again [. . .] at 5 o’clock they began releasing people. Everything was requisitioned
— the Poles refused their help, approx. 100,000 zlotys, every 10th man
executed. 25 to [. . .] Jews are forbidden to walk on the pavements, triangular
patches, shot dead — an incident with a man shot dead — he breathed his
last. 600 men quartered [. . .] 100,000. Several days later again [. . .] dictated,
heraus¹⁰⁷³ [. . .] another 200,000, several days, even the pastor could not
1071 See Docs. 76, 77 and 78.
1072 The 11th or 12th century Christian reading of the Tetragrammaton, the name of God, not pronounced by Orthodox Jews.
1073 (German) Get out.
