Pinkas Hakehillot Polin: Kowale Panskie

“Kowale Pańskie” - Encyclopedia of Jewish
Communities in Poland, Volume I
(Poland)
51°56' / 18°33'

Translation of “Kowale Pańskie” chapter
from Pinkas Hakehillot Polin

Published in Jerusalem

Acknowledgments
Project Coordinator

Ada Holtzman z”l

Our sincere appreciation to Yad Vashem for permission
to put this material on the JewishGen web site.

This is a translation from: Pinkas Hakehillot: Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities, Poland,
Volume I, page 221, published by Yad Vashem, Jerusalem

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(Page 221)

Kowale Pańskie
(The District of Turek)

Translated by Ada Holtzman

In the rural district of Kowale Pańskie only a few Jewish families lived before September 1939. During the Nazi occupation, on 20/10/1941, about 4,000 Jews from the district of Turek were deported to 16 villages around Kowale Pańskie. This Ghetto was also known as ghetto Czachulec, named after one of the villages around the area. The deportees were of the following communities in the neighborhood: Turek, Dobra, Uniejów, Władysławów, Pęczniew, Tuliszków and Brudzew. The Jews who were transported there, were scattered among the farmers, part of them lived in barns and other shattered buildings. Many of them remained a long period without any shelter in the field. They were employed in agricultural works and pavements of roads in the region.

A Judenrat for all the communities was founded, headed by Herszel Zymanowoda. The Judenrat took care of problems which arose from the relations with the local peasants. On November 4^th, 1941, the Judenrat was ordered by the Germans to prepare a list of Jews who were incapable for work, and include also children under 12 and elders over 65 years old in the list of the “disabled for work”. The chairman of the Judenrat did not want to take responsibility on such a list and asked the opinion of Rabbis who were among the deportees in the region of Kowale Pańskie. In the consultations that followed the following Rabbis participated: R' Dow Ber Issachar from Dobra; R' Pinchas Weiss from Turek; Rabbi Lewental from Uniejów and the Rabbi of Władysławów. After stressful discussions that lasted 2 days, the rabbis determined that the Judenrat chairman would submit the ordered list to the Germans. In order to save as much people as possible, the children age was increased and the age of the elders decreased. Part of the Jews who appeared on the list managed to escape to places in the Kalisz region where there were still Jews.

On November 8^th, 1941, all the Jews from ghetto Kowale Pańskie were gathered in the village of Bielawki and there a selection was conducted. The Germans did not rely on the lists prepared by the Judenrat and they decided by themselves who will stay and will be deported. It was said that the commander of the Jewish police, Mordechai Strikowski helped to save children during the selection.

About 1,100 people who were declared as “incapable for work” were transported to the small town of Dobra and held for a few days in the local church overcrowded, under terrible conditions, without food or water. Many died in the church itself. Few tens of Jews managed to escape from the church in Dobra. The others were deported on 13-14.11.1941 to the death camp of Chełmno.

Among the Jews who remained in Kowale Pańskie, a group of men was transported to forced labor near Poznań on Shavuoth (Pentecost) 1942. On June 20^th, 1942, also some women were deported there. On June 23^rd, 1942, 10 Jewish policemen were hung in a public execution. On July 20^th, 1942, the liquidation of who ever remained in the ghetto of Kowale Pańskie started. The sick were murdered near one of the hill, some distance from the gathering place. The bandager Z. Stein did not wish to leave his sick patients so was shot with them. During the last aktzia (Action) other 12 Jewish policemen were murdered. All the rest were deported to the extermination camp Chełmno.

Sources:

Yad Vashem Archive, documents: M-1/E 887/758, M-1/E 887/759, M-1/E 2171/1946
Sh. Gilboa – Di Din Torah, in “fon letzten hurban” 1947, heft 6
Y. Waldman, di Chelmner tragedie, in “fon letzten hurban” 1946, heft 1.

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