different products, such as rice, flour, coffee, tea, cocoa, herring, etc., from the following companies: Rice Pearling Mill, Józef Fetter joint stock company, Colonial
Ltd. (Fisch), Nordia-Have (Krakowski and Klein),¹³⁵⁴ J. Bankier and many others,
the committee distributed the products gradually to all people in need.
That state of affairs lasted until 14 September — the day the German
troops entered. At 5 a.m. they garrisoned the city and took control. At 7 a.m.,
patrols started to make rounds of the streets and commanded all men to leave
their homes; they were escorted to a huge square in front of the Government
Commissioner’s Office. Here, the inspection was carried out. Reichsdeutsche
and Volksdeutsche were released at once. Disabled people and those under the
age of 15 and over 60 were also told to go home. Others were arrested and taken
to different assembly points, such as churches, schools, cinemas, barracks,
gardens, etc., from where, having had their personal data verified and their
presence on the black list of Polish national activists and members of patriotic
organisations, etc. (printed book) checked, they were either gradually released,
a few thousand a day, or taken to prison. It lasted 6 days. If during that time
one had no luck in being allowed near a verifying desk (Jews were generally
not admitted), one remained in detention. A few thousand such people were
detained (among them about 150 Jews) and sent to a camp in Gdańsk; from
there they were directed to different forced labour details (in agriculture, road
works, etc.), from where none of the Jews came back, never to be heard of again.¹³⁵⁵ In those same cases, when the relatives turn to the Red Cross for information, they usually receive a standard answer that a given camp prisoner has died.
Even though the stay in churches, cinemas, etc., was far from pleasant,
as they had to sit day and night in a stuffy and reeking atmosphere and
in filth, there was no particular oppression. Sporadically, there were cases of
abuse and there was a single case of a boy, a pioneer from a Gordonia¹³⁵⁶ kibbutz,
being shot for no apparent reason or by accident. There was no food, but
the Polish Red Cross gave half a kilo of bread with butter and one egg to every
detainee. Moreover, relatives could bring food and tea.
1354 Emanuel Klein, co-owner of a “Nordia-Hawe” company which produced canned fish and smoked fish. It had its registered office in the Fishing Port in Gdynia.
1355 The arrested Jews were placed in a transit camp in Nowy Port, from there they were directed to Stutthof concentration camp. See Eksterminacja Żydów na Pomorzu Gdańskim, p. 83.
1356 Gordonia — pioneering youth movement connected with the Hitachdut Zionist Labour Party.
