knew what to make of it. Soon came an announcement that everybody had
to stay indoors until 2 [o’clock]. Everybody was wondering what that could
mean when two soldiers with pistols in their hands suddenly came in, totally
unexpectedly. The soldiers escorted out the men present in the flat: my cousin
and neighbour. They also turned everything upside down looking for weapons.
They then left. But back then, people still knew nothing. Only when they
looked out the front door did they see large groups of Jews, old and young,
with their hands up, being driven like cattle. Furious soldiers ran after them,
pushing them and hitting them with rifle butts. Near our gate, the men were
ordered to stand with their faces to a wall. They were told that they would
be executed in a moment. They were then escorted to town. People deluded
themselves that they would return before the evening, but the night passed
and none of them came back.
In the morning it turned out that a German had been killed. As was
apparent later, it was an intentional provocation. That homicide really took
place, with premeditation. Several better-known Polish citizens spent the
entire night tied to posts on the market square. They were then released. But
it was a real Day of Judgement¹²¹⁰ for the Jews. Few families had no members
taken away. My grandfather was taken as well. They even wanted to take my
great-grandfather, but my grandmother firmly opposed that. So they only
hit him on the head with a rifle butt and left. At the moment of my arrival,
news spread that they were all in the town hall courtyard. It was learnt later
that they were compelled to stand in one position all night long. They could
not even move their heads or make a step. Every two hours a different group
had to stand still with their faces pressed closely to the wall and with their
hands up.
In the meantime women began to weep in the street. Making matters
worse, it was impossible even to pass the men any food. The handful of women
who managed to do that said that the men were barely alive. My aunt was
lucky enough to pass a coat to my grandfather. Most women, however, ran
frantically in the streets in despair, unable to pass anything to their husbands,
brothers, or fathers. The situation did not change throughout Friday.
The worst thing was the uncertainty regarding the future fate of the detained.
Early Saturday morning brought news that they were gone. They had been
1210 Literally in Polish: a Day of Judgement, i.e. Yom Kippur.
