Object numberM2010/001:008
DescriptionThree-page typed testimony of Jehoszua (Joshua) Bernard from Jasieniowka, Bialystok, recorded in the Refugee House in Bucharest on 8 May 1945 by Jadwiga Sapera. The eyewitness describes a pogrom which lasted for two days in 1941 in Jasienowska, a Polish man Grodzki who murdered around 100 Jews "by his hands", the wearing of compulsory white bands with Star of David at the beginning of 1942, which became excellent targets for Grodzki "when he was craving for victims". He then describes forced contributions to the Judenrat for the Commissar - money, gold, fur and clothing; he describes his deportation to Czestochow camp in February 1943, assigned to work darning and mending German uniforms, his escape and hiding with Polish peasants in the village of Mikiczyn and then his liberation by the Red Army in August 1944.
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, pogroms, survival, eyewitness accounts, deportation, escape
Object nametestimonies
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 210.00 mm
height: 300.00 mm
Language
- Polish Testimony 8
This record of testimony was accepted in the “Refugee House” in Bucharest
in Calea Mosilor 128, on the day the 8/V/1945 with the aim of submitting the testimony presents himself:
BERNARD JOSHUA born in 1921 in Jasieniowka in the County of Bialystok,
And gives the following account:
Jasieniowska before the war had around 2000 Jews who were occupied in trade (commerce) related to artisan work such as furriers and tanners. The population of our small town consisted of, apart from Jews, mainly of Poles. Before the war things were good for us, generally we did not feel any antisemitism. When, however, the Germans came to us in 1941and started a pogrom there were very many among the Poles who were willing to rob and burn down Jewish houses. The Germans came to us at the beginning of July in 1941 killing right away at the beginning 74 persons among those were Jews. The pogrom lasted for 2 days. The town was in flames, the Jewish residents were hiding. After 2 days we returned home. However there was no peace. On the third day we had to hide again. Robbery and the pulling out of young people for execution (by shooting) had again been repeated. My family was made up of my father, my mother, 4 sisters and three brothers (including me). The Poles killed my father on the first day of the pogrom. I hid in the camp, and the remaining members later also hid.
When we returned home we only found the bare walls. My father was a tailor. I didn’t know how to sew. Before the war I was employed in a factory as a tanner worker. Now I had a new problem. As the eldest of all the brothers I had to seek (obtain) food for the family. I found my father’s sewing machine that was stolen by a Pole and I began to sew. At the beginning I was sewing awkwardly but soon I became experienced and passed myself off as a tailor. A Pole named Popowski helped me in this profession, a decent man who provided me with work and advertised me.
The administration of the City was carried out by a Pole whose surname was Grodzki, a nationalist. There is a lot to say about Grodzki; unfortunately many incidents I forgot. What is stuck in my memory was when at the beginning when he had complete power in his hands he frequently went around from house to house pulling only young boys out of their houses pretending that they were going to go to work but instead they were led into the forest and he with his own hands shot them dead.. He also repeatedly came into our house. We boys never stayed at home. We hid at places of Poles who were our acquaintances. During every visit to our house he was searching for me and my brothers but he never found us so he would beat my mother and at times my sister till they lost consciousness. By his hands around 100 Jews perished, all young people.
Compulsory work was introduced. Everyday we worked clearing ruins and on constructions. Boys and equally girls worked. Grodzki personally supervised us. He stood over us with a whip, beating us, and after work he stood us up in rows, and ordered us to undress until we were naked, including the girls. We had to sing and dance. A mob stood around us and they were laughing. This lasted 4 – 5 months. Later arrived the administration commissioner – a German who was bribed but he carried out with precision the German decrees.
Food was not permitted into Jewish homes; it was completely not permissible to buy food from the peasants, but we could only live from allotted cards (coupons) which we received significantly fewer than the Aryans.
At the beginning of 1942 compulsory wearing of white bands with the Star of David was introduced and after two months this was changed to a yellow patch worn on the chest and on the back and these became excellent targets to aim at for Grodzki for his shooting when he was craving for victims. After the bands were introduced a Judenrat was set up picked only by Jews. The president was Lifszyc Mojshe, a decent man. After 2 months he was replaced by Szuster Shloma, the owner of the tannery.
We did not have Jewish police to carry out orders. The Judenrat used runners. From the period that the Judenrat was set up Grodzki’s antics had quietened down because supervision over work was carried out by the Judenrat, but negotiations were carried out with a German commissar. It often happened that a UGA German gendarme from Kinyszyn would arrive to the Judenrat and he terrorized the people terribly by beating them until they were bleeding, particularly when his orders could not be immediately carried out.
We had to frequently make contributions. Judenrat was receiving frequent directives to submit a certain amount of money, gold, fur and clothing and at an allotted time the Judenrat had to submit it to the Commissar.
Our life was totally without peace. We went to work, we were beaten, we were not permitted to earn money at home to support ourselves; at night our window panes were being broken and it continued. We got used to the ongoing harassment, and it appeared to us that this is how it had to be and we even became used to this thought. We were not treated like human beings. No one tried to oppose (defy) our enemies.
Finally time for an action arrived. Actions occurred throughout entire Poland. We were aware about these actions from people who have escaped from other cities during the action and also from trains, and they hid in our city. One time and this was in the month of July 1942 arrived 3 vehicles with Gestapo from Bialystok. We knew what this meant. Who was still alive escaped from the city into the forest and fields. Gestapo realised that everyone escaped and there were no Jews in the city so they drove off back. One month later the same thing repeated itself. Gestapo again drove off, not hurting anyone or causing damage, as we always used to escape as an effective defence.
Finally, however, they surprised us. The winter was sharp and it was the month of Szwat (could be Shevat?). The Gestapo arrived in the evening, when people were asleep in their homes and surrounded out city. At dawn they began to pull people out of their houses. Again we tried to escape. We did not succeed as all around us were German guards. Those that were running away were shot at. My brother and I ran out of the house into the direction of the forest. Next to us in the field (whilst still in the city) fell from several bullets several of our friends, and seeing that we will not be able to get out of the city we returned to our house in which our family was not there anymore. The Germans found us again and chased us out. Both of us tried again to run away and hide in the neighbourhood but the landlord later kicked us out. We had no other choice. The city was small; nowhere could we find a hiding place so we eventually went on to the hill, a rendezvous place for all Jews where my mother, my sisters as well as the youngest brother were already there.
On the same day we were loaded onto a freight train in terrible tightness and we were transported out. We were permitted to take with us whatever anyone wanted. We travelled for 3 days without any food and water and with no means of satisfying our physical needs; In fact we were more still when we travelled. At the end we arrived to Bialystok. Here we were held in a place surrounded by barbed wire under the bare sky, and eventually we travelled further like before.
The journey lasted for 4 weeks in the same conditions with interruptions. There were several incidents of choking from the terrible squeeze. From time to time were thrown into the train wagon several loaves of bread. We eventually arrived to the destination place – to Czestochow camp. It was already February 1943.
The camp was made up of wooden barracks, surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by the Germans on the inside and outside. Immediately following our arrival we were registered and women and children were separated from the men after which we were taken to the baths. I remained with my middle brother, and my mother with my youngest brother and sisters were taken to different barracks. I never saw them again. I don’t know what happened to them.
After a week we were assigned to work. I was sewing. This was sewing work related to German uniforms which had to be remade, darned or mended. During the first days of our arrival we were not beaten. It was only when we started working that they unleashed the whips into action. Others worked on the railroads, on building construction sites and carried out other type or work outside the barracks. Sustenance (food) was terrible. Twice a day we received coffee and in the afternoon we received soup and 200 grams of bread daily.
A hopeless life began for us the end of which for us was clear. Every one of us knew that at the end death was waiting for us. We were thinking of escape, and we were waiting for an appropriate moment. It was spring 1943 when during a particular dark night we sneaked out through a small window of the barrack. I used my father’s large scissors which I always had with me and using them I cut through the barbed wires which surrounded the camp, then quietly we walked out of the camp carefully bypassing the guards.
We walked only during the night and during the day we hid in the forests and fields. We passed off as Polish peasants returning from Germany and this were therefore taken care of and fed by Polish peasants. We walked towards the direction of our city for around 5 to 6 weeks.
We were not able to return to our city, but each of us had a familiar peasant with whom we could stay, and those who didn’t have one, or didn’t want to stay with one went to the forest to join the partisans. I located myself in the village Mikiczyn where I had several friendly peasants. They hid me without me having any documents and they fed and took care of me not asking for anything in return. I strove to assist them in their lives. Kotuk Jan, Kotuk Mateush, Szypulski Jan, Dec Antoni, Dec Szymek – these peasants who hid me and were so good to me that I mention them with emotion and I believe that I will never forget them. The Red Army freed us in August 1944. I tried to repay my hosts (peasants) whatever way I could. I looked into (visited) my small town but there was nothing left, not my family, not any belongings and not our house which was completely burnt. I decided to depart for Palestine which is my place.
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Mrs Jadwiga Sapera