Номер объектаM2010/001:003
ОписаниеThis testimony provides a first hand account of the destruction of Jews in Rabki. In addition to the Vernichtungkommand who systematically executed Jews in prepared graves in a forest near Tereska, mention is also made of atrocities committed by the Gestapo Krieger and Rosenbaum. Escape to Hungary is documented.
Two paged typed testimony in Polish submitted by Maksymilian Fried and Amalia Fried from Krakow, recorded by Jadwiga Sapera on 29 May 1945 in the "Refugee House" in Bucharest. It records the systematic destruction of the Jews of Rabki when the Germans arrived, forced registration in the Tereski building, Rosenbaum who beat Jews mercilessly, and the Judenrat who had the responsibility of collecting Jews according to the list. The witnesses describe their escape from Tereski to Iwanowicz and after two weeks to Kroan then to Jasla, returning to Wieliczki where they were still searching for Jews. They also mention the disappearance of their son who was in Debrecen.
Excerpts:
"Beatings at work were the most terrible. Rosenbaum was beating mercilessly. People's faces were black and swelled up. The work lasted from 6 in the morning to 9 in the evening."
When a son found out abut the death of his mother who was shot dead earlier because she was found possessing fur, he turned himself in because he did not want to live without his mother. "Death is not denied to those who volunteer to die."
Key words:
Rosenbaum (perpetrator)
Scherer (Judenrat)
Sperling (Judenrat)
Tereska (forest where people were shot)
Wigliczki (Aktion)
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.
Two paged typed testimony in Polish submitted by Maksymilian Fried and Amalia Fried from Krakow, recorded by Jadwiga Sapera on 29 May 1945 in the "Refugee House" in Bucharest. It records the systematic destruction of the Jews of Rabki when the Germans arrived, forced registration in the Tereski building, Rosenbaum who beat Jews mercilessly, and the Judenrat who had the responsibility of collecting Jews according to the list. The witnesses describe their escape from Tereski to Iwanowicz and after two weeks to Kroan then to Jasla, returning to Wieliczki where they were still searching for Jews. They also mention the disappearance of their son who was in Debrecen.
Excerpts:
"Beatings at work were the most terrible. Rosenbaum was beating mercilessly. People's faces were black and swelled up. The work lasted from 6 in the morning to 9 in the evening."
When a son found out abut the death of his mother who was shot dead earlier because she was found possessing fur, he turned himself in because he did not want to live without his mother. "Death is not denied to those who volunteer to die."
Key words:
Rosenbaum (perpetrator)
Scherer (Judenrat)
Sperling (Judenrat)
Tereska (forest where people were shot)
Wigliczki (Aktion)
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.
Дата 1945-05-29 - 1945-05-29
Наименованиеtestimonies
Материалpaper
Язык
- Polish This record (testimony) was taken in the “Refugee House” in Bucharest, Calea Mosilor 128, dated 29/5/1945
With the aim of submitting this testimony presented themselves:
FRIED MAKSYMILJAN - born 28/12/1882 in KRAKOW
And FRIED AMALJA - born 26/12/1891 in KRAKOW
And state the following:
Until 1941 we lived in Krakow as foreigners, we had Hungarian citizenship. Until the time of setting up the ghetto in Krakow we lived in the main safely, especially since we were foreigners we were free from wearing the band (arm band). When the ghetto was set up we left Krakow and headed to RABKI where we lived quietly until the Gestapo had arrived.
In Rabki already 880 Jews lived there who came from Krakow and other surroundings, not counting the local Jewish population and later those pulled in from outside Rabki to work camps.
Around a month after we had arrived, arrived from STANISLAWOW to Rabki the Gestapo KRIEGER well-known for his anti-Jewish deeds, he set up a Gestapo school in a building next to TERESKI (a big edifice in which later Jews worked), he gave the management of this school to ROSENBAUM and he himself left. He frequently visited RABKI which often ended up bloody due to the deeds of the Gestapo which they carried out for kicks.
The destruction of Jews in RABKI occurred systematically in a planned manner. Registration in the TERESKI building was mandated (imposed). Everyone had to report themselves without any regard to age, health; the sick had to be brought in on stretchers. We as foreigners did not report. The next day Judenrat received a directive to also provide all the foreigners. People were relating (saying) that registrations were taking place in the following manner; next to some surnames crosses were marked, and next to other surnames a circle was marked. We didn’t know what the crosses signified but yet we felt that this was something bad. We were very distraught but we went. My young son like many other young people were told to remain working but the older people were dismissed.
The boys were working on the hardest (heaviest) jobs. They plough the land, they carried clay for building garages, but the Germans had supervised the work. ROSENBAUM visited the work areas daily and his appearance meant beatings. He set in motions his whip, and who ever he didn’t fancy he let them be but destined them to be shot. The victim had to dig their own pit.
Beatings at work were the most terrible. ROSENBAUM was beating mercilessly. People’s faces were black and swelled up. The work lasted from 6 in the morning to 9 in the evening. Local Jewish workers went home every day but those from out of area like from the Old SACZA (STAREGO SACZA), New SACZA (NOWEGO SACZA) TARNOWA, LIMANOWEJ, JORDANOWA and other areas returned to a separate house which was guarded by the Germans. They were fed by the Judenrat. The president of the Judenrat was SCHERER from KRAKOW and his deputy SPERLING was also from KRAKOW.
After the setting up of the registry it was mandated that the Jewish population of RABKI had to pay a monetary contribution of 1 million zloty. Only 250,000 were lodged apart from other costs. These contributions had to protect the Jewish population from being transported away.
Two weeks later arrived the “VERNICHTUNGSKOMMAND” (Annihilation Commando) from ZAKOPANE. Forty-two persons mainly the elderly and the sick were taken away according to a list taken from the drawn up registration list. It wasn’t known for what purpose the people were taken, but in any case people were afraid to go. There were people who when being registered had crosses marked next to their surnames. The people were gathered in the morning, kept all day in a garage without food, and in the evening were shot dead in the forest past TERESKA, in a prepared grave. The number of shots heard was 42.
From that time onward when the VERNICHTUNGKOMMANDO arrived we know what this meant. It was enough to see two grey cars for people to run away. There were also several incidents of suicides.
The Judenrat had the responsibility of calling up Jews according to the list. There were people who did not report, particularly after the second time, when it became known why people were being called up. When the Judenrat could not collect the required contingent VERNICHTUNGSKOMMANDO of its own accord completed the contingent of Jewish victims they came across whilst walking, pulling others from their houses.
Frequently workers going to their work were shot at. To collect people from their homes they sent young boys. There was such an incident that if the boy finally brought his victim but one person was still short to make up the required contingent this boy would be included in the contingent to be executed. It also happened that in spite of the collected contingent that came to the garage (the rendezvous place) a wife of a doomed person managed to get entry to her husband. When she was told that her husband will not leave, she said that she wants to perish together with him. Or also when a son found out about the death of his mother who was shot dead earlier because she was found possessing fur, he turned himself into the garage because he did not want to live without his mother. Death is not denied to those who volunteer to die.
All foreigners in RABKI had to wear armbands and were subject to all the regulations relating to Jews. I during the second action (campaign) was also taken to TERESKI. I was however released on the basis of a Certificate of Work (service) in TERESKI, as well as because I paid off a Gestapo. In confidence I was advised to disappear together with my family from RABKI.
We escaped to IWANOWICZ, after two weeks to KROAN, then to JASLA. Nowhere were we permitted to register as foreigners and we returned to RABKI. At that time in RABKI occurred the third action (campaign) again arrived the AUSROTTUNGSGRUPPE and being told quite early of this by the host of the house we escaped into the forest where we stayed for 7 days living on dry potatoes provided on the quiet by the host of our house. When the action (campaign) more or less quietened down we left the hiding place and we left RABKI again. We again wandered from one place to another place. We were at ? in SWOSZOWICE but because we were not successful in checking in we arrived in WIELICZKI. Here we were signed in (registered in). We didn’t anymore have to wear an arm band. This was a time of actions (campaigns against Jews) throughout entire Poland and WIGLICZKI an action commenced after 8 days of our staying there.
We took refuge in KRAKOW but just in time we were advised of upcoming incidents about to occur. After the action (campaign) we returned to WIELICZKI. We still nonetheless from the start had unpleasantness because they were searching for Jews from under dwellings. We ourselves had to hide our daughter-in-law for around 2 and half months. She arrived to us from STANISLAWOW where during one of the actions (campaigns) her husband was taken away (our eldest son).
In WIELICZKI we stayed around 9 months, finally we saw that it was getting worse for foreigners. We then decided to travel to Hungary. We attempted to find a contact and towards the end of October 1943 we crossed the border at KOSZYCE.
Our crossing into Hungary also wasn’t a happy event. After the entry of the Germans into Hungary, they took away our son who was in DEBRECEN and till to-day don’t know where he is. We received, admittedly, in a round about way news that in December he wrote to acquaintances in KRAKOW from ORANIANBURG (near Berlin).
In BUDAPEST we met many acquaintances, and among them were:
SEIDLOWA with her child from KRAKOW
PAJCZAROWA with her son from KRAKOW
LOBLOWICZ with wife, son and daughter from KRAKOW.
Кредитная линияSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Mrs Jadwiga Sapera