[Page XI]
Slutzk: its glory and its destruction
By Nissan Waxman
The city of Slutzk in White Russia was one
of the foremost Jewish centers in
Eastern Europe. Though not large in size and population, it occupied at many
important moments in the history of Russian Jewry a more prominent place, and
was better known, than the state capital city of Minsk. The Jews of Slutzk were
noted for their excessive pride in their city, for which they were often
taunted. Considering, in retrospect the history of the community and its
merits, they seem to have had full justification for their attitude, and even a
cursory perusal of this volume will engender a similar pride within the hearts
of all those whose lives were once touched by Slutzk.
Over four hundred years ago there was
already in Slutzk a fully organized
Jewish community, distinguished in its conduct and unique in its mores. The
echo of her love for scholarship and her pursuance of charity and kindness
resounded in
distant lands and attracted many outstanding families to come and settle there.
Despite the general poverty that prevailed
in White Russia due to its lack of
natural resources, and more so in Slutzk because of its distance from a
railroad connection (until 1914), the Jewish population was quite well
established and contented in Slutzk. For their lack of material riches they
were compensated by their spiritual opulence, and they exerted a great
influence among their brethren throughout Russia. The Rabbis of Slutzk had also
always been renowned for their scholarship and were acclaimed as the spiritual
leaders of their generation. Their opinions were highly esteemed in the Torah
world and their services were often sought by many large Jewish communities.
Throughout the years Slutzk retained an enviable reputation as a center of
Torah and true Jewish wisdom unequalled by many larger Jewish communities.
Slutzk Jewry was always in the forefront of
Jewish life and action in Russia,
and all other communities looked to her for guidance and leadership. Whatever
ideologies and movements appeared on the Jewish horizon, their propagators
endeavored to obtain a foothold in Slutzk, whence the doctrines would spread
far and wide. The Jews of Slutzk, however, steeped in their traditional culture
and possessing a natural skepticism, were extremely cautious towards untested
ideologies and viewed new movements with grave suspicion. They were highly
reluctant to accept them and at times fought vigorously against them.
During the seventeenth century, when the
cult of the false messiah, Sabbatai
Zevi (1626-1676) was rampant throughout the Jewish world and many great leaders
fell prey to it, Slutzk Jewry was not swayed whatsoever, despite the special
emissaries that were sent to influence the population there.
In the eighteenth century, when the
movement of Hassidism was on the march and
its leaders attempted strenuously to
make inroads in Slutzk, the people remained steadfast to their tradition and
all efforts of persuasion did not produce any recruits for that movement (see
Lubavicher Rabbi's Memories, Volume 11, pp. 143-153 and 164-165, New York 1960).
By its strong resistance Slutzk became
synonymous with opposition to Hassidism
and was so labeled in the Jewish lore. A "cold Mithnagged of Slutzk"
is a well-known appellation in the Jewish vernacular. This was later expanded
to the wider term of "a cold Litvak", in contrast to "a hot
Hassid". In the courtyard of the Slutzk central synagogue there was a
gigantic flintstone upon which, according to a legend, Rabbi Israel of Mezbizh,
known as the "Besht" (1700-1760) had been put for a spanking when he
appeared there to preach his ideas. As a result of this offensive act, Rabbi
Israel is said to have uttered in anger that no Hassidic congregation shall
ever arise in Slutzk. This imprecation was obviously fulfilled and the Jewish
population there was rather amused and proud of it.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century
East European Jewry was overwhelmed
by the Haskalah, the so-called "enlightenment" movement. For the
first time in many generations Slutzk, too, was greatly influenced and
affected. The spirit of the new trend shook the very foundation of this ancient
citadel and produced there a host of leaders who distinguished themselves in
various modern intellectual activities throughout the Jewish world. At the same
time, however, it maintained its former tradition as a reservoir of Torah
through its great Yeshivah, headed by the renowned Gaon R. Issar Zalman
Meltzer, to which students flocked from everywhere. Though the general spirit
of the city was by then greatly changed, the Yeshivah preserved somewhat the
pristine reputation and fame of the community.
In addition to the city of Slutzk, its
Province consisted of about 15 smaller
Jewish municipalities. They were: Hlusk, Hresk, Hrozova, Kapulie, Liuban,
Pohost, Romanove, Starobin, Timkovitz, Uretche, Verkhutin, Vizne and others.
Each one of these was a fully organized community, possessing a wealth of
traditional Jewish culture and contributing greatly in its own way to the
general spiritual panorama of the vicinity.
All this came to an end with the October
Revolution in 1917. The Bolshevik
Government suppressed every vestige of religious, national and spiritual life
there. The historic and beautiful synagogues of Slutzk were confiscated and,
one by one, their leaders were forced to flee the city to avoid deportation to
Siberia where they would perish by famine and torture in the labor camps. Rabbi
Meltzer attempted to remain in Slutzk with his Yeshivah, enduring great
hardship, deprivation and oppression by the local government and party
officials. In 1923 he succeeded in escaping and found refuge outside of the
Russian borders. The Jewish community of Slutzk thus lingered on in the last
two decades of its existence impoverished in spirit and despoiled of its former
glory.
A description of the physical annihilation
of Slutzk Jewry by the Hitler
battalions in 1941 is given in the following report of the Nazi district
commissioner to his superior in Minsk. This secret document was presented at
the Nuremberg Inter- national Military Trial and is included in the United
States Government report of those proceedings published under the name of Nazi
Conspiracy and Aggression Volume 111, page 785 (United States Government
Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 1946). Parts of this document also appear in
the book GESTAPO by Edward Crankshaw (Viking Press, 1956 and Pyramid Books,
1959).
DOCUMENT 1104-PS
Copy/T of the copy
The commissioner of the Territory of Slutsk
Slutsk, 30 October 1941
SECRET
To the Commissioner General Minsk
SUBJECT: Action against Jews
Referring to the report made by phone on 27
October 1941 I now beg to inform
you in writing of the following
On 27 October in the morning at about 8
o'clock a first lieutenant of the
police battalion No. 11 from Kauen (Lithuania) appeared and introduced himself
as the adjutant of the battalion commander of the security police. The first
lieutenant explained that the police battalion had received the assignment to
effect the liquidation of all Jews here in the town of Slutzk, within two days.
The battalion commander with his battalion in strength of four companies, two
of which were made up of Lithuanian partisans, was on the march here and the
action would have to begin instantly. I replied to the first lieutenant that I
had to discuss the action in any case first with the commander. About half an
hour later the police battalion arrived in Slutzk. Immediately after the
arrival the conference with the battalion commander took place according to my
request. I first explained to the commander that it would not very well be
possible to effect the action without previous preparation, because everybody
had been sent to work and that it would lead to terrible confusion. At least it
would have been his duty to inform me a day ahead of time. Then I requested him
to postpone the action one day. However, he rejected this with the remark that
he had to carry out this action everywhere and in all towns and that only two
days were allotted for Slutzk. Within these two days, the town of Slutzk had to
be cleared of Jews by all means. I immediately protested violently against it,
pointing out that a liquidation of Jews must not be allowed to take place in an
arbitrary manner. I explained that a large part of the Jews still living in the
towns were tradesmen and families of tradesmen respectively. But these Jewish
tradesmen were not simply expendable because they were indispensable for
maintaining the economic life. Furthermore, I pointed out that White Ruthenian
tradesmen are so to say non-existent, that therefore all vital plants had to be
shut down all at once, if all Jews would be liquidated. At the end of our
conference, I mentioned that all tradesmen and specialists, inasmuch as they
were indispensable, had papers of identification and that these should not be
pulled out of the factories. Furthermore, it was agreed that all Jews still
living in the town should first be brought into the ghetto in order to
segregate them, especially with regard to the families of tradesmen which I did
not want to have liquidated either. Two of my officials should be assigned to
segregate them. The commander did not in any way contradict my idea and I had
therefore the firm belief that the action would be carried out accordingly.
However, a few hours after the beginning of the action the greatest
difficulties already developed. I noticed that the commander had not at all
abided by our agreement. All Jews without exception were taken out of the
factories and shops and deported in spite of our agreement. It is true that
part of the Jews was moved by way of the ghetto where many of them were
processed and still segregated by me, but a large part was loaded directly on
trucks and liquidated without further delay outside of the town. Shortly after
noon complaints came already from all sides that the factories could not
function any more because all Jewish tradesmen had been removed. As the
commander had proceeded on his way to Baranowitschi I got in touch with the
deputy commander, a captain, after searching a long time, and demanded to stop
the action immediately because my instructions had been disregarded and the
damage done so far with respect to the economic life could not be repaired
anymore. The captain was greatly surprised at my idea and stated that he had
received orders from the commander to clear the whole town of Jews without
exception in the same manner as they had done in other towns. This mopping up
had to be executed on political considerations and economic reasons had never
played a role anywhere. However, due to my energetic intervention, he finally
halted the action toward evening.
For the rest, as regards the execution of
the action, I must point out to my
deepest regret that the latter bordered already on sadism. The town itself
offered a picture of horror during the action. With indescribable brutality on
the part of both the German police officers and particularly the Lithuanian
partisans, the Jewish people, but also among them White Ruthenians, were taken
out of their dwellings and herded together. Everywhere in the town shots were
to be heard and in different streets the corpses of shot Jews accumulated. The
White Ruthenians were in greatest distress to free themselves from the
encirclement. Regardless of the fact that the Jewish people, among whom were
also tradesmen, were mistreated in a terribly barbarous way in the face of the
White Ruthenian people, the White Ruthenians themselves were also worked over
with rubber clubs and rifle butts. There was no question of an action against
the Jews any more. It rather looked like a revolution. I myself with all my
officials have been in it
without interruption all day long in order to save what could yet be saved. In
several instances I literally had to expel with drawn pistol the German police
officials as well as the Lithuanian partisans from the shops. My own police was
employed for the same mission but had often to leave the streets on account of
the wild shooting in order to avoid being shot themselves. The whole picture
was generally more than ghastly. In the afternoon a great number of abandoned
Panje carriages with horses were standing in the streets so that I had to
instruct the municipal administration to take care of the vehicles immediately.
Afterwards it was ascertained that they were Jewish vehicles ordered by the
armed forces to move ammunition. The drivers had simply been taken off the
carriages and led away, and nobody had worried in the least about the vehicles.
I was not present at the shooting before
the town. Therefore I cannot make a
statement on its brutality. But it should suffice, if I point out that persons
shot have worked themselves out of their graves some time after they had been
covered. Regarding the economic damage I want to state that the tanner has been
affected worst of all. 26 experts worked there. Of them, fifteen of the best
specialists alone have been shot. Four more jumped from the truck during the
transport and escaped, while seven others were not apprehended after they fled.
The plant barely continues to operate today. Five wheelwrights worked in the
wheelwright shop. Four of them have been shot and the shop has to keep going
now with one wheelwright. Additional tradesmen such as carpenters, blacksmiths,
etc. are still missing. Up till now it was impossible for me to obtain an exact
survey. I have mentioned already in the beginning, that the families of
tradesmen should be spared too. But now it seems that almost in all families
some persons are missing. Reports come in from all over, making it clear that
in one family the tradesman himself, in another family the wife and in the next
one again the children are missing. In that way, almost all families have been
broken up. It seems to be very doubtful whether under these circumstances the
remaining tradesmen will show any interest in their work and produce
accordingly, particularly as even today they are running around with bloody and
bruised faces due to the brutality. The White Ruthenian people who had full
confidence in us, are dumbfounded. Though they are intimidated and don't dare
to utter their free opinion, one has already heard that they take the viewpoint
that this day does not add to the glory of Germany and that it will not be
forgotten. I am of the opinion that much has been destroyed through this action
which we have achieved during the last months and that it will take a long time
until we shall regain the confidence of the population which we have lost.
In conclusion I find myself obliged to
point out that the police battalion has
looted in an unheard of manner during the action, and that not only in Jewish
houses but just the same in those of the White Ruthenians. Anything of use such
as boots, leather, cloth, gold and other valuables, has been taken away. On the
basis of statements of members of the armed forces, watches were torn off the
arms of Jews in public, on the street, and rings were pulled off the fingers in
the most brutal manner. A major of the finance department reported that a
Jewish girl was asked by the police to obtain immediately 5,000 rubles to have
her father released. This girl is said to have actually gone everywhere in
order to obtain the money.
Also within the ghetto, the different
barracks which had been nailed up by the
civil administration and were furnished with Jewish furniture, have been broken
open and robbed. Even from the barracks in which the unit was quartered, window
frames and doors have been forcibly removed and used for campfires. Although I
had a discussion with the adjutant of the commander on Tuesday morning
concerning the looting and he promised in the course of the discussion that
none of the policemen would enter the town anymore. yet I was forced several
hours later to arrest two fully armed Lithuanian partisans because they were
apprehended looting. During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday the battalion
left the town in the direction of Baranowitschi. Evidently, the people were
only too glad when this report circulated in the town.
So far the report. I shall come to Minsk in
the immediate future in order to
discuss the affair personally once again. At the present time, I am not in a
position to continue with the action against the Jews. First, order has to
be established again. I hope that I shall be able to restore order as soon as
possible and also to revive the economic life despite the difficulties. Only, I
beg you to grant me one request: "In the future, keep this police
battalion away from me by all means."
signed: Carl
Upon receiving this descriptive report of
the truculent and atrocious action
committed in Slutzk, the Commissioner General, himself a trained and hardened
Nazi, was so moved that he immediately dispatched this report to his superior
in occupied Riga, Latvia with his own following comments.
***
Minsk, November 1, 1941
SECRET
To the Reich Commissioner for Eastern
territories, Gauleiter Hinrich Lohse, Riga.
Enclosed, I submit a report of the
commissioner for the territory of Slutzk,
Party member Carl, with the request not to let this matter rest.
For about the last three weeks I have
discussed the Slutzk action against the
Jews with the responsible SS Brigadier General Zenner, member of the Reichstag.
I request to grant my motion to prosecute the entire
staff of officers of the police battalion 11.
I am submitting this report in duplicate so
that one copy may be submitted to
the Reich Minister. Peace and order cannot be maintained in White Ruthenia with
methods of that sort. To have buried alive seriously wounded people, who then
worked their way out of their graves again, is such extreme beastliness that
this incident as such must be reported to the Fuehrer and the Reich Marshal.
Commissioner General for White Ruthenia
signed: Wilhelm Kube |
***
The office in Riga followed up the matter
and transmitted these reports
directly to the Minister in Berlin with the following note:
Riga, November 11, 1941
To the Reich Minister for occupied Eastern
Territories, Berlin:
Original with two enclosures with the
request for consideration. It is deemed necessary that higher authority take
immediate steps.
By order of the Reich Commissioner
for the Eastern Territories
Signed: Wichman |
The noted British historian and commentator of the London Observer, Edward Crankshaw, after quoting some excerpts from the above in his book "Gestapo" remarks: "This was the impression made on a German
official, who had already in the nature of his job seen many dreadful things,
who has prepared to see the Jews of Slutzk completely liquidated provided be
had a day's warning to organize the affairs in an orderly manner, but who,
nevertheless, was so shocked and affronted by the reality that, after brooding
about it for three days, he still could not overcome his indignation and,
taking courage in both hands, laid bare his heart to his Fuehrer, via Goering.
He was an innocent, of course. The Fuehrer had ordered that these people should
be killed, and did not care how."
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