Object numberM2010/001:001
DescriptionTestimony, or "Protokol" of 21 year old Mundek Kramer from Kalush recorded by Jadwiga Sapera on 20 May 1945. The two paged typed testimony in Polish documents what happened to the 6,000 Jews who lived in Kalusz from the beginning of July 1941 when the Germans entered the city. It describes pulling out beards of the Jews on the streets, the “Actions” in Kalush and Stanislawow, the introduction of the wearing of blue and white Star of David armbands on the right arm, the actions of the sadistic heads of the Gestapo, Brandt and Muller, and the deportation and murder of the Jews, including his own parents and sister who ended up in Belzec.
Jadwiga Sapera was born Hermina Silberfeld, to Polish Jews Nathan Silberfeld and Anna (nee Hollander) on 27 November 1914 in Miskolc, Hungary. In 1918, the family returned to their home in Stary Sacz, Poland. Hermina attended a convent, which gave her a knowledge of German and Catholicism that was helpful for her survival. In 1942, Hermina attained false identification papers of a Polish-Catholic woman, Jadwiga Eleonora Jarzemiszewska. As Jadwiga she was able to find new accommodation and work, and at the end of 1942, moved to Krakow to better safeguard her secret. In 1943 she moved to Warsaw and then to Budapest, until liberation. After the war she kept the name Jadwiga and got work in Bucharest typing the testimonies of concentration camp survivors for the Association of Polish Jewish Refugees. She found out her father had died of hunger and disease, but her mother and brother survived. She was reunited with them in Poland. She lived in Katowice with her husband Jan Sapera who she met and married in 1946. They immigrated to Australia in 1958 with their three children. In the last decade of her life she re-adopted her Jewish name Hermina.
Jadwiga Sapera was born Hermina Silberfeld, to Polish Jews Nathan Silberfeld and Anna (nee Hollander) on 27 November 1914 in Miskolc, Hungary. In 1918, the family returned to their home in Stary Sacz, Poland. Hermina attended a convent, which gave her a knowledge of German and Catholicism that was helpful for her survival. In 1942, Hermina attained false identification papers of a Polish-Catholic woman, Jadwiga Eleonora Jarzemiszewska. As Jadwiga she was able to find new accommodation and work, and at the end of 1942, moved to Krakow to better safeguard her secret. In 1943 she moved to Warsaw and then to Budapest, until liberation. After the war she kept the name Jadwiga and got work in Bucharest typing the testimonies of concentration camp survivors for the Association of Polish Jewish Refugees. She found out her father had died of hunger and disease, but her mother and brother survived. She was reunited with them in Poland. She lived in Katowice with her husband Jan Sapera who she met and married in 1946. They immigrated to Australia in 1958 with their three children. In the last decade of her life she re-adopted her Jewish name Hermina.
Production date 1945
Subjecttestimonies, survivors, survivors, survival, eyewitness accounts
Object nametestimonies
Language
- Polish This record (testimony) was taken in the “Refugee House” in Bucharest Calea Mosilor 128, dated 20/5/1945.
The following evidence is given by the witness:
Mundek KRAMER who lived in Kalush but was born in KATOWICE, Poland, in 1924 gives the following account:
The Germans entered KALUSZ at the beginning of July1941. At that time there were 6,000 Jews living in this city. During the first two weeks there were Hungarian armies who did not behave like our enemies. The Germans and the Ukrainians right from the beginning started the pogroms, they were pulling out beards of Jews on the Streets and in the surrounding villages and they were murdering Jews. Jews from the surrounding villages came to KALUSH to hide. In a short period of time Jews from KALUSH and from STANISLAWOW had to pay monetary contributions. In August 1941 we found out that in Stanislawow the first action occurred; they took away all the Jewish inteligencia (they let go to freedom only a few doctors) and after several days they also took away the Polish intelligencia. They were taken to Pawoliza 15 kilometres from Stanislawow and there they were executed.
A week after this action commenced the first action in KALUSZ. 300 Jews were caught without any criteria, and were executed. In the meantime blue and white Star of David arm bands were introduced which had to be worn on the right arm. Things became quiet in Kalush afterwards but we were getting bad news (tidings) from Stanislawow. All the Jews were taken to the cemetery. They were surrounded with machine guns, at 4 in the morning they took away from everyone their valuables; they had to take up a kneeling position or in a sitting position. The action was personally carried out by KRUGER then head of the Gestapo in Stanislawow, head of Gestapo bandits (I recall two surnames, BRANDT and MULLER).
They were standing next to a table abundantly covered with food and alcohol, and in the left hand they were holding a buttered roll with ham and with the right hand they were shooting - aiming in turn (taking turns in aiming) - at the unfortunate ones. During the entire time several Jews had to collect and bury the dead. In this way until the evening around 12,000 persons were shot dead. In the meantime “distractions” were put on, for example KRUGER who distinguished himself particularly as a sadist, chose from the crowd the most attractive girl, ordered her to undress till she was naked and photographed her in various positions (afterwards he allowed the girl and her father to go free). In the evening a Gestapo officer arrived and he signalled that the action had ended. On that signal the crowd of people started to run away, trampling each other. After this action, a period of peace (calm) settled both in Stanislawow and in Kalusz in spite of sporadic arrests or harassments.
The Stanislaw ghetto began to be organised at the beginning of 1942 and had to take in half of the city’s Jewish population, around 40,000 Jews. In March 1942 people began to be registered for ARBEITSANC. According to their work abilities they were placed into categories either A, B or C. Those placed into the C category were immediately liquidated. In the ghetto there was what was called “island B” where all those in category B (those whose work skills were less useful) were found. This island was liquidated during the night lit up by several burning houses, hunted by dogs, shot on the spot or hung. The ghetto was significantly reduced. From that time onwards there was no peace. Actions (liquidation actions) occurred one after the other until the entire Stanislawow ghetto was liquidated by the end of March 1943
In the meantime Gestapo from Stanislawow arrived at Kalusz. They began to arrest people, harass them and confiscate their belongings. The president of the Judenrat at that time in Lulus was Professor FRIEDLENDER, who within a short period of time with the entire Judenrat was sent away (deported). At the beginning of 1942 the Jewish police began to take away groups of 30 – 40 people, the weakest, and the sick, those swelled up from hunger, the elderly, women and children. They were executed in the Kripowcy cemetery – Polish and Ukrainian groups grew day by day. Within a short period of time they began to take away younger and healthy people. At that time I worked in a firm called ROHSTOFFVERFASSUNG, where my father was the manager (the head). We (my father and I ) were authorised and had the right to free movement of the entire region (voivodeship) with regard to buying cloth.
Around 15th September 1943 on the day that the first big action (liquidation) occurred in the nearby town, Gestapo from Stanislaw arrived to Kalusz and also here the action (liquidation) began. My father knowing what was going on gave false certificates to every worker families so that they could be able to travel to the provinces to purchase cloth. I, with my brother travelled to the village. My father had to attend to some business and thus had to stay back with my mother and sister. The action (liquidation) lasted for three days. The Ghetto was liquidated. My father, my mother and sister ended up in Belzec where they perished.
All that time me and my brother with the family of another cloth buyer were being hidden by peasants in a village. This was in September 1942. I aimed, through fields and forests to get to Stanislawow where there was the headquarters (main office) of cloth dealers. On the way we found out from the peasants that it has become peaceful in Kalusz, so we returned to Kalusz. We found our house sealed after the Germans took away our good belongings. We continued to carry on working in the firm. There were continued occurrences of roundups of the very few remaining Jews who managed to hide in hiding places.
In July 1942 furnished with the firm’s identity card, my brother and I returned on foot to Stanislawow where we lived in the ghetto with our grandfathers. At the entrance gate to the ghetto there were always guards and from among them one distinguished himself for his bestiality. His name was Kühn the sergeant of the gendarmerie whose dog would attack all the passing Jews.
In December 1942 my brother left to join my uncle in STRYJ where at the beginning he was hiding using Aryan documents in a bunker belonging to a professional thief whose behaviour towards them was very proper because my uncle had promised him that after the war he will give him one of his houses that he has in Stanislawow. A search began right at the beginning and they were forced to move to a different bunker, where my aunt and sister-in-law were.
My brother started working in the old ROHSTOFFIE, he was given an R stamp and continued his contact with that bunker. I stayed in Stanislawow sleeping in the firm which at that time was managed by Jakob Mandl an outstanding person who saved very many Jews. (Unfortunately he fell victim of a massacre).
On the 26/2/1943 began an action (massacre) to liquidate the ghetto in Stanislawow; the action ended on 31 March 1943. Stanislawow became judenfrei (free of Jews); there remained 300-400 Jews. In April 1943 my uncle had sent me Aryan papers. I returned to STRYJ and after three weeks I got to Hungary.
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Mrs Jadwiga Sapera