[Columns 523-524]

On September 1, 1939, at the outbreak of the war between Germany and Poland, many Jews began drifting eastward – towards Russia. Some moved towards Romania. The Russian army quickly took our town, Ludmir, and Jews from other towns in Poland began streaming in. At this time, there were already 28,000 Jews in the town. As we were close to the German border, we had already heard about the barbaric acts of the Nazis.We all knew about the ghettos and the torturing of Jews.

At 3:00 a.m. on June 21, 1941, German cannon shells starting flying over Ludmir, especially on the Jewish neighborhood, its location reported by spies. There were soon victims. The Jewish neighborhood quickly caught fire. Desperate Jewish orphans were already running around the streets, screaming, Oy, my mother, oy, my father!

The next day, following strong resistance by the Russians, the Germans sent their Luftwaffe over Ludmir.^[1] The main street (Farna) and its neighborhood were soon consumed by flames. All the houses of study, as well as two large cellars (belonging to Naftali Bukser and Dr. Rapczewski) in which 550 Jews were hiding, were soon burned to death. Among them were my parents, and the Bikhler, Boym, Bukser, Krishtal, Birman, Kalb families as well as many others.

At 1:00 p.m. on June 22, 1941, the Russians retreated, and the Germans marched in with heavy tanks and motorized units. The great battle then began.

The Germans scurried around, looking for young people. They pulled out the families of Shmukler, Rotnshteyn (the timber–merchant) and many others. These were stood up against a wall and shot immediately, accused of shooting Germans.

Afterwards, a Nazi commander came into town and a Jewish council was set up, to maintain order among the Jews. They put Stars of David on us, and started sending Jews to work on the trains, in the barracks, and on the roads. Men and women alike were sent to forced labor. A Jewish Council was set up, as it were, to supervise the slave army together with the police.^[2] But the Germans carried out the task on their own.^[3] The workers were heavily beaten, stripped naked, and mocked. The Germans stood and laughed at the Jews being tortured. They were amused, and yelled, “Damned nation.” Jews who did not stand up straight were shot, and five minutes later other Jews had to cover them up with earth. When people came back from work, household members would come out to greet the workers, and the wails from the families of those shot split the heavens.

Three months passed in this way. The Gestapo had already seized a thousand Jews on the street and shot them. A new great wave of extermination soon took place, and hundreds of Jews disappeared. The Gestapo announced that they had been sent to work somewhere else. Friday evenings were sad in every Jewish home. The Shabbes candles were covered with blood and tears. In the cellars, people prayed, wept, and lamented the masses of new martyrs and orphans. The remaining young people were in deep despair.

Yom Kippur arrived. With the aid of the Ukrainian police, all the Jews were arrested and put in jail, near the hill. They stood the Jews up facing the wall and beat their heads with iron weapons. Anyone who fell down was shot on the spot. The screams split the heavens. Jewish blood splattered the prison walls. There were cries, and screams of Sh'ma Yisro'el.^[4] The Jews hiding in cellars prayed Kol Nidrei.^[5] I will never forget the image of the Jews wrapped in their prayer shawls. Shots rang out again. New Jewish martyrs fell. The Jews in the cellars interrupted the regular service and said Kaddish.^[6] That day in the prison, all the arrested Jews who did not have a profession or a craft were shot. 180 men were shot by 10:00 p.m. That was the first Yom Kippur.

Anyone who could, hid once again. The Jewish Council was ordered to supply new Jews for work.

[Columns 525-526]

Guarded by Germans, they are taken to work, forced to sing while they march. The Nazis mock them, and when the song grows weaker, the order “Louder! Louder!” rings out. The Jewish streets are empty. The song ordered by the Germans is heard in the distance: Far mir bistu sheyn – the voices of beaten, broken, hopeless people.^[7]

So the year 1941 passed. Immediately after Passover 1942, the order came down that all Jews had to wear another yellow patch, one on the front left side and the other in the middle of the back, eight centimeters long. Then an order from the High Commissar Westerheide was published, creating a ghetto. It was established alongside the prison, and had two police–controlled gates. All Jews had to enter the ghetto on May 1, 1942, except for Jewish physicians and members of the Jewish Council, who remained outside. The Nazi commander of the ghetto carried everything out very methodically. Two ghettos were set up, one for Jews with a craft or a profession, the other for Jews with neither. Diseases quickly spread through the ghetto. The food supply was strictly controlled.

Word came of a mass pogrom in Rovno, in which 22 thousand Jews were murdered. Similar news came from Kovel and other towns in the vicinity. It was hard to believe that so many Jews could be shot. The Jews went to work again. The Nazi commander of the ghetto extorted more and more money from the Jews. People handed over all their possessions, hoping to be saved.

On September 1, 1942, the ghetto was surrounded by German and Ukrainian police. At 6 a.m. the policemen came in holding weapons and ordered everyone to leave their houses. They broke down doors, roofs, and shutters, searching for anyone hiding. Everyone was ordered to climb into trucks and sit, heads down. They were driven seven kilometers out of town, to Piatydny, where a huge grave pit 30 meters long, 15 meters wide, and 4 meters deep had been prepared. The site was encircled by German policemen. Two more large pits were ready nearby. The Jews had to strip naked and, holding hands, were ordered to jump into the pit and lie face down. Each person was shot in the ear by a German. Not everyone died on the spot. The pits were filled by thousands of martyrs. 18,000 Jews were shot in this way in the space of 15 days. Those who went to their deaths cried out, “Jews, remember, anyone left alive must take revenge on our blood!” Children wailed, “Mama, take me to you, I want to be killed together with you!” The rabbi went to his death holding the hand of a small child, telling him, “My child, don't be afraid, we're going to a nicer world, by God's decree.” Several thousands of Jews stayed in their hiding places. Lack of food and water drove them out into the street. The sight they saw was horrendous: ripped–up holy books littered the pavement. Homes had been plundered.

Soon afterwards, the Chief Commissar told the Jewish supervisors that there were too many Jews. It was decided to remove craftspeople (250), whereas those without a craft as well as widows and orphans would stay. On November 13, 1942, those in the latter category were taken to Piatydny, where they were shot in the pits. The Jews in the “craftsmens' ghetto” heard the screams of their brethren being murdered, but could not help. There were cases of resistance, but not one of those survived.

The handful of craftsmen drew out their existence until December 13, 1943. When the Russians marched into Zhitomir, the Germans wanted to liquidate the last remaining Jews. The tiny group of Jews in the Ludmir ghetto was surrounded by the Gestapo and taken to jail, where they were undressed. They were loaded onto trucks and taken to Khvalimits, four kilometers from town on the road to Lutsk, where they were shot.^[8] Their bodies were drenched with gasoline and burned, to remove every trace.

Thus Jewish Ludmir was erased.

Below is a list of the survivors from Ludmir, who ended up in many countries.

Rokhtshe Roytnshteyn and her daughter; Dr. Bebtsiyuk and his daughter; Basya Shulman; Motke Roytnshteyn and his wife; Hershl Roytnshteyn and a four–year–old child; Shmuel Shatz; Hershl Bik; Motke Sanders and his wife; Menashe Katz; Khone Lishner and his wife; Fayvl Broder and his daughter; Yehudis Goldshteyn; Genye Hoyzman; Freyde Migdal; Dr. Yitzkhok Grinberg; lawyer Grishe Grinberg; Shrage Efroyim and his wife and daughter; Dovid Bubes; Tel Hokhman; Yankev Zavedovich; Notke Shtern; Lipe Mendelson; Yoysef Shafir; Yulek and Fireh Bardakh; Shmuel Zelonik; Yekutiel Goldberg and his wife; Eliezer Gitklig and his wife.

[Columns 527-528]

Ludmir 1941, June 20^th.

Saturday night. Russian patrols walk through the streets. All the soldiers on the streets were sent to their barracks. All the officers and soldiers were called out of the cinemas. Trucks fly by packed with soldiers.

The civilian population watches in fear; however, no one knows what is going on.

Sunday, July 21^st, 5 o'clock in the morning we hear the first artillery fire., and they carry away the first victim, a young man, Leybush Katz.

Jews from the Christian streets run into town. They gather ten families together as one. The Christians feel good. They wander in the streets; they go to Church cheerful as always.

[Column 529]

The shooting becomes more frequent. They bomb the barracks. The Russians carry out all they are able to do. They inform every household that no one may leave town and should wait for orders. Anyone who leaves town without permission will be shot.

At 3 o'clock in the morning they began to give orders through messengers that all those capable of service must obey all clauses of the orders. People said goodbye to their wives, children and parents. The mobilization points were filled with people.

Airplanes dropped bombs. There were desperate cries from the wounded. The roads were filled with corpses.

Eight o'clock Monday July 22^nd. German murderers on motorcycles can be seen. They immediately begin to sift among the dead. The Shmuklers were pulled from the bunker on Kovler Street, as well as Meylekh Roytnshteyn, and they were shot by the Germans. The Christians on the street robbed the shops. Dead bodies lay on the street among scattered objects.

Wednesday, the 24^th a few Jews wee shot in the street, Moishe Trak, Monish Kordiner and others.

They began to drag people from their houses to work, and many who were dragged out were shot. This continued for a few days until the Judenrat (Jewish Council) was created.

The Judenrat was comprised of Dr. Katz, Dr. Bubes, Birman, Simkha Bargman and others.

This is how the horrible, dark life of the Jews of Ludmir began, in the claws of the horrible animal.

The Judenrat began its work according to orders from the regional commissar and his aids. Jews were forced to do work usually done by horses and tractors.

Dozens of Jews were shot every day at work. Many were brought back from work wrapped in bloody sheets. Taxes were imposed on the Jews and they grew higher every day.

The intermediary between the regional commissioner and the Jews was Simkha Bergman. Everyone watched his facial expression and every unclear expression would cause great fear.

They began to take gold away from the Jews as well as diamonds and fine furs. From time to time the Gestapo would arrive from Rovno and with the help of the Ukrainian police, carry out kidnappings. These took place three times until they confined us to the ghetto. Each kidnapping took place intentionally on a Friday in order to disturb the Sabbath.

[Column 530]

Bloody Wednesday

I do not remember the exact date. I only remember it was a Wednesday. That day, the Gestapo and the Ukrainian police surrounded all the places where Jews worked and took all the Jews to prison. The women soon learned of this tragedy and ran toward the men yelling and screaming. The Gestapo and the Ukrainian police hit them on their heads with their guns. Dozens fell bleeding. Small children ran after their mothers and grabbed their fathers. There were heart -rending cries while the murderers beat people left and right. Many fell dead or wounded. The town was covered in blood. At the entrance to the prison stood Ukrainians and Germans with death weapons in their hands. When our loved ones got close to the gate of the prison there was a command: Beat them! They were beaten with iron crowbars, whips and chains. The Jews entered the prison half dead. They had to take the dead along with them.

On that bloody Wednesday between five and six hundred Ludmir Jews were killed.

Thursday morning, they took all those who survived from prison and sent them back o work.

Among the half dead who returned to work was Dovid Bokser. When they arrived at the Kovler barracks for work, he was extremely weak. The murderer who ran this work commanded him to dig a pit. He worked with every last bit of his strength until he fainted. The German commanded he be thrown into the pit and covered with sand. When the first shovels of sand fell on his face, he resumed consciousness and tried with all his might to crawl out. The Jews stopped throwing earth on him but the murderer shouted: “continue damn Jews!” And while being beaten with iron rods the Jews buried Dovid Bokser alive.

A Friday in October 1941. The Ukrainians put together a list of only intellectuals, and took them out of town. There were approximately 120 people. Among them was Mrs. Guz from Gnoyner Street, Berkner the engineer and others.

The murderers spread the news that they were taken away to work. Non -Jews said they saw them taken away

[Column 531]

in trucks driving toward Lutzk. The Judenrat tried with all its power to calm the mood.

At that time, I worked as a painter. Yitzkhok Rayber, the brigadier of the painters made me a painter.

December 1941, we painted in the prison. Friday, at 8 o'clock the commander of the Ukrainian police arrived, (a sergeant in the Polish army Kvasnatzky), and told us, all the painters, to go home and return to work on Monday.

We left the prison and felt something was not right. Everyone ran home as quickly as possible. I went to the Green Market to buy something. I was standing in line for tomatoes. Then there was a stampede: they were capturing Jews. The Christians in line joked about my bill and said soon tomato soup would drip from me.

I saw Avrom Katz run from the shooting, the printer who worked in Vasser's printing shop. Two Ukrainians with rifles in their hands ran after him shouting: Catch him! A Christian jumped out of my line and blocked his way. At that moment two policemen caught him. He tore away and fell. He got up and flew into a sentry box. He barely caught his breath. His eyes peeked out through the holes. The murderers hit him on his hands and head with their rifles. He searched with his eyes. He found my glance. He pointed out the prison with his eyes. I was left paralyzed by his look. I wanted to run and shout but I could not. I was stuck to the ground.

They threw him to the ground again. At that moment a Gestapo man ran out of the prison with a revolver in his hand, like a wild a crazy man. He kicked him in the head with his spurs. Then he shot him in the head. He escaped a few steps, ran back and shot again like a wild animal. He shouted to the policemen to drag him into the prison by his feet.

I understood everything. His glance told me what was going on in the prison.

I began to walk like a drunkard, with my identity card in my hand. They stopped me then let me go. When I came back to myself I was at Yitzkhok Rayber's house. His wife Soreh Shtern was a cousin of Avrom Katz. I told them everything according to my understanding: they were shooting the captured Jews in the prison. Everything they say about taking them out to work is a lie. Rayber promised that on Monday we must discover the truth, when we arrive to work at the prison.

On Saturday, once again people were saying how they saw those Jews who were captured being taken out to work. I however, already know the truth.

[Column 532]

I look at the wives and children who are standing at the Judenrat and pleading they tell them where they took their husbands and fathers. I knew for certain where they took them, Avrom Katz told me the entire truth with his terrifying glance.

Monday, at 7 o'clock in the morning we arrived at work. Rayber immediately placed everyone at their work station. He had me mixing the mortar and watching to see you was coming.

Yitzkhok Rayber left to go far into the prison. On his way he saw two fresh pits. He returned pale and told me he saw two fresh pits. We decided to tell everything to our rabbi, Rabbi Morgenshtern.

At noon we went to see the rabbi. Naftali Grosman and Yoske Shraga were sitting there. Rayber told the rabbi that a week earlier there were no pits in the courtyard and now there are two fresh pits, and the walls of the cupboard were marked with blood.

The rabbi exchanged glances with the Jews and said: “But without a commotion. We must establish the whole truth. We must bring proof”.

We returned to work. When the work resumed Yitzkhok Rayber called me out. We took an empty pail and went to the cupboard. I opened the cupboard and saw a lot of clothes. I noticed a man's jacket. I put the jacket on quickly and ran pout. On the walls of the cupboard, I saw pieces of dried bone marrow covered in blood. We returned to our work place. Rayber looked at the jacket and said: “That jacket belongs to the young Ring, the young painter from Gnoyne Street. Rayber told me he removed hankies containing blood-soaked bread from the pockets of the clothing.

At 6 o'clock we were at the rabbi again. The same Jews were sitting there and looked at us in silence. I put down the jacket and Rayber unwrapped the hanky removing the blood-stained bread. He told them where we found the proof. The Jews lowered their heads.

The rabbi cried and said: “Jews, no one has to know. Do not take away the faith of the poor wives and children, let them hope their beloved will still return. We must remain silent”.

We left the rabbi and actually remained silent.

What did we have to say? - - -

February 1942. A group of Jews are working at the trains loading heavy cargo. The overseer, a sixteen-year-old beast,

[Column 533]

was beating people with an iron bar. He got ten Jews to dig a pit, and when the pit was ready, he shot them and buried them alive.

At the beginning of March, the Judenrat received permission to bury the murdered Jews in the Jewish cemetery. They were all frozen solid, still dressed in their work clothes. The burial lasted a few days since the clothes were frozen on the corpses.

The tragic, heart – rending scene of the wives of children was indescribable. They lay with the dead on the ground and wailed. The murderers and the Christians watched and laughed.

New groups of Jews would arrive to see the devastation.

I will never forget the wailing of the wives and children at the burial of those killed.

Passover 1942 we were already confined in the ghetto, which took over a few streets. At first, one could see Jews standing at the wires and looking at the free streets where Christians were walking and laughing. There, Jews would stand, cry and swallow their tears. However, they realized Christians were making fun of them. From then on, no one stood by the wires.

They began to adjust. Every day they heard of new tragedies: murders in Rovno, a pogrom in Lutsk. Some Jews arrived from Kovel where there had been a pogrom.

Everyone knew, and everyone was saying that soon our turn will come. The Judenrat tried to comfort: “We're doing everything. This is what they claimed. However, we knew they could not help. Every time we paid a bribe of gold or butter to avoid a tragedy, we asked ourselves, how long can this help?

There were two ghettos. The worker's ghetto and the ghetto of professionals. The ghetto of the simple worker was called “The Dead Ghetto”; the ghetto of the professionals was called “The Live Ghetto”. The youth looked for means of salvation. Groups of friends would get together and discuss this. The Judenrat did not want to hear of this and warned them not to talk about it. A group of 30 men gathered in Isar Tzaylingold's cellar. We recruited a few members of the Judenrat in order to gain accurate information as to when the ghetto will be threatened.

[Column 534]

We had some very good friends there including Mikhl Roytnshteyn, Baybik Barnholtz, Yosef Yisroel Grosman and others.

We decided to begin looking for weapons outside the ghetto. For this purpose, we needed gold in order to buy weapons from the Christians. One day, Mikhl Roytnshteyn shared with us a conversation he overheard with the leader of the Judenrat, the lawyer Pas. An officer from the Wehrmacht who supervised all Russian prisoners came to him. From the conversation which Mikhl overheard between the Wehrmacht officer and the lawyer Pas, he learned they were planning a pogrom in the ghetto. The Wehrmacht officer said he could place a truck rifles and bullets and when the pogrom begins, the Jews could fight back. And then, the Wehrmacht officer would release his prisoners who could help in the fight. Mr. Pas thanked him profusely and said that he cannot make such a big decision alone and promised an answer within a short time. We decided to put pressure on the Judenrat. We sent three people to speak to the lawyer Pas: Lazar Gayfler, Mietek Barnholtz and Mikhl Binshtok. They returned with nothing. Pas explained and confirmed this was a provocation on the part of the Germans.

Shortly after, they gathered all the men and sent them to Piatidin to build an airfield under the leadership of the engineer Roklh Shvartzbart's husband.

The work consisted of three large pits. The pits could have been dug without and engineer. However, in order to make them crazy, they measured the length and width.

We spent one month digging the pits in Piatidin. We slept in the landowner's barn for a whole month. Special cooks brought us food. We were detached from town and separated from our friends.

All the while they carried out negotiations. The Gestapo demanded a consignment of a few thousand people. The Judenrat wanted to bribe them with gold, but this did not help. The Judenrat finally replied: “Take as many as you want, we will not give a consignment”.

And that is what happened. At the end of the month, they took us all from work to the ghettos, and immediately doubled the guards at the wire fence.

[Column 535]

Considering everyone knew there was going to be a pogrom they nevertheless thought: Perhaps a miracle will occur.

Leaving Piatidin I attempted to escape from the line, but the regional commissar and his assistants rode beside us on horseback and watched us closely.

When they brought us into the ghetto, they took away our shovels and closed the gate.

In the ghetto, people were standing in small groups wildly frightened. Night fell. I went to Lazar Gayfler's house. His wife Mundl Kanat was sitting and wailing. She had just returned from outside the ghetto where she had been for months. Lazar told me that Dr. Katz came to see him that evening and requested a certain powder used to make pictures. This is a type of poison he said to me.

We must escape from the ghetto tonight. We will take a few friends with us. It is already dark. With utmost caution we crawl on all fours to the river. But suddenly: they begin to shoot. We crawl back. There is no exit from the ghetto. The ghetto is surrounded all around. A Ukrainian is standing at every second post with a rifle ready to shoot. We are helpless. No salvation! Everyone crawls back to his hiding place.

The night passes quickly. I wanted keep it night with all my strength. I wanted it to last forever.

We said goodbye to our sisters, brothers, mothers. We kissed them and cried. No one can sleep. Each one looked for a way to bury himself deeper.

Five o'clock in the morning we heard the Ukrainian police marching and singing songs. Soon after, we heard shots and screams from the worker's ghetto. Our hearts remained like stone. Our blood curdled. All hope was gone! No longer any miracles!…

At 12 o'clock, the beasts entered the “Live Ghetto” like wild, drunk animals.

Many Jews sat and waited to be taken away. Some entire families took poison. Happy people! Strong characters!

Officially the pogrom lasted fifteen days, unofficially, more than a month.

Me and three others hid under a large pyre of wood. I stood there for an entire day. I heard everything. I heard them drag my mother, my sisters and brothers, how they tortured and beat them with rifles when they asked for some water.

[Column 536]

The small children cried bitterly. Mothers quietened them: “Don't' cry children, soon everything will be good!”

My mother knew I was hiding in the stall. She said: “Nokhem, remember to say Kaddish” (Mourner's prayer). I stood there and did not move, Such selfishness! Hard to understand!

They took them to Piatidin.

After six days of standing, a crept out like a cat at night to look for food. I crawled into houses. Suddenly I noticed police. I climbed up into an attic and remained there a whole day. I looked out through the slats and saw a Jew sneaking among the houses, tattered and barefoot. He crept up to the well in Borukh Guz's courtyard. I was jealous: Soon he will drink water. He was already at the well. He grabbed the kettle with both hands and drew it to his mouth. Suddenly I saw a Ukrainian. I wanted to shout. However, suddenly there was a shot and the Jew fell dead. I was jealous. The murderer searched him, happily smiled.

I could not erase that scene from my head for a long time: it bothered me until I wrote a song called “The Last Sad Sunday”. The song was sung in the ghetto.

Trucks of murderers continued to arrive in the ghetto. They dragged away women and children. They threw the dead and living together in the trucks. Thousands of Jews sat on the ground. They were waiting for their turn. Four policemen presided over a group of sixty – seventy Jews. They all had to remain kneeling with their heads down.

On the road a couple of friends were talking: “Let's jump. Whatever will be, will be”.

At the forest, five friends suddenly got up and jumped. They shot. They remained in the forest until nightfall.

A large field. A stream snakes through which comes from the Lug and falls into the Bug, surrounded by green fields. In the middle: three large pits which we dug with our own hands.

The first trucks filled with Jews arrived at this place. The cries tear up to the sky. The Christians closed their shutters and doors. It began…

On a table, covered with bottles of whisky, a record was playing. The regional commissar Vesterahyde was sitting at the with his secretary Anna Altfater and giving orders to take children away. Beside them, the blood thirsty Keller was sitting. He's the one who undertook to shoot someone in the head for twenty marks and a month's furlough.

[Columns 537-538]

A fragment of the death pit in Piatidin

The memorial monument at the communal grave in Piatidin

[Column 539]

He stood there giving orders to strip naked and to enter the pit by twos, arm in arm.

An old Jew was sitting wrapped in a prayer shawl, looking in a book and mumbling quietly. The regional commissar told him to strip and dance with a young girl. He shouted: “Dance”. The girl stood in front of him. The old man cried: “Don't worry my daughter, their end will come sooner then they think!” Because of this, the old man had to sit by the pit for along time and watch them shoot his children and grandchildren.

Couples went into the pit arm in arm. They had to lay down straight. You heard two bangs…and they continued…

Groups of Germans and Ukrainian stood around the field with machine guns. Women fainted. Children with frightened eyes clung to their parents. Helpless fathers looked around. Many went mad. They cried. They laughed. Mundik Shtern hit the pit. He could not wait any longer, he wanted to enter the pit as soon as possible.

Like this – fifteen days - -

Every evening they brought Christians from the region to cover the pit.

Three full pits. Sixteen thousand Jews - - -

The murderers chose the most beautiful area for the extermination of the Jews of Ludmir. The forest, the stream which surrounded the place - - were the only remaining silent witnesses who watched the horrific murder.

This is how the first pogrom ended. They began to prepare for the second.

Ludmir, 11/12 1942.

Thursday. The leaders Kudish, Sheynkestl and Regal are already at the work -office. Everyone studied their faces. They wanted to be able to tell from their facial expressions what was going on. Kudish announced, that today, Thursday, by 8 o'clock in the evening, everyone with professional identity cards must move to Zaritze, where there was an empty ghetto. Every remained frozen. People looked at one another; they did not envy those who will remain, they understood what this means. With bent heads the Jews left the line. All thoughts revolved around one thing: where can one hide? How can one save himself? People walk around feverish, with bulging eyes and sunken cheeks.

[Column 540]

Everyone knew what would occur that day. They hung around the barbed wire like animals in cages. Before leaving the ghetto, they will shoot. If you remain, maybe, maybe God will help.

When night fell it becomes dark in the ghetto: no lamps were lit. Shadows slunk under the walls. Small groups hung around the barbed wire and whispered. The town was dead silent, like before a big storm. From time to time you can hear hurried boot steps: that was the guard. They returned under the walls. It became silent. People crawled through the wires and disappeared in the darkness. Happy.

Night passed quickly with a quick tempo. Shadows crawled through the darkness of night. People dug holes to hide in.

Darkness disappeared by 5 o'clock in the morning. Marching boots and terrifying Ukrainian songs tore through night's silence.

The ghetto was surrounded by blood thirsty murderers under the leadership of the Germans.

News raced through the ghetto like lightning. No one could sleep. A panic ensued. Big and small, young and old, all ran. Everyone wanted to remain alive. A group of young people with two revolvers decided to tear through the wires and fall with pride: many followed them. When they approached the wires, the automatic weapons of the murderers began to whistle. They fell like stalks during the harvest, not using their revolvers. They lay in rivers of blood, no salvation, no miracles.

The trucks began to arrive and the slaughter began.

Men, women and children went crazy, they kissed and had spasms. They got hit over the head with rifle butts and women and children fell like flies, blood gushing everywhere. They sent packed trucks with dead and alive on the blood-stained road from Ludmir to Piatidn.

The murderers shouted. They dragged people out of the cellars. The deepest hiding places were torn apart by grenades.

This is what went on every day from morning until night. At night, those not yet found by the murderers lay hidden in holes. They felt hunger and thirst. They have felt nothing for three days. Only their sense of hearing worked. And now, at night, when it was quiet in the ghetto, a person felt his body was alive and needed food and drink.

Many people said it was better to die than be caught by a Ukrainian. Others tried to crawl out. It was terrible, no one knew where the enemy was: they did not know where the next shot would come from.

[Column 531]

Lying in a bunker a few meters under ground one feels they will pass out. Legs tremble and every movement can unmask you and give you up.

This bunker was a very good one, it seemed safe. At the stove where they cook, they cut out the tin plate which protected the floor from the coals. A four cornered small cellar was dug up and all four walls covered with wooden boards. One wall could be moved and while lying down a canal was dug, two meters long and two meters deep, until it was as big as a small room. This is where they placed buckets and prepared bread. The wall which led to the street was boarded up. A small box was hung in the shape of a toilet. The box was lifted and a meter long canal was dug. Then we dug into the street. The width and length were measured exactly. The entire time during the first, second and third pogrom, the entire ghetto, at night, lay underground and dug. 5-6 men, in four days, completed a bunker which was 4 meters long and 2 meters wide. The also made a ceiling through which they would carry out the garbage. The most important issue in every bunker was air.

At the end of our bunker there was a tree. One branch fell off since it was an old tree and left a hole. A small path was dug from the bunker to the tree until it reached the trunk. A six-year-old boy sat in the hole in the tree. They worked from the bottom until they made a hole to reach the child. Through the opening the were able to receive a minimal amount of air in the bunker.

However, all the bunkers, unfortunately, could not help save all the Jews from the murderers who would destroy one bunker after the other.

This time, they did not move those with professional identity papers.

Every day they took us to work to clean the houses of the people they killed before our eyes. Risking our lives, we brought back water and food for those who were hiding.

Every day we brought dozens of people covered in rags in trucks to our ghetto.

I remember cases which made our bold curdle. It was the third day that Yoineh Goldberg knew where his mother Rivkele was hiding with a few other women: She was well disguised at Makhle's in a cellar…we worked together.

[Column 532]

He told me and cried. He was in the bunker. Everyone was dying of hunger. When we brought food, we risked the lives of those hiding as well as those who wanted to help. We decided every day to bring food and water. It was difficult because Germans and Ukrainians hung around like hungry wolves looking for victims.

I stood on guard and Yoineh brought the food. This lasted four days. I stood and watched to see if Yoineh came out of the cellar and suddenly I saw Ukrainians and Germans. I gave a signal. Yoineh managed to jump out and we disappeared. However, they noticed where we came out of. They searched for a few hours and finally found the bunker. We cleaned the second apartment. We choked on our tears and were afraid to cry. They dragged out the women by their feet. Yoineh's mother fell at the German's feet. He kicked her with his boot and shouted wildly: “tell us who brought you food and you will remain alive. If not, we'll shoot you!” Five old women lay on the road and the Germans and Ukrainians beat them with the butts of their rifles. One woman said: “it's her son” and pointed to Rivke. She cried and screamed that this was a lie. “Tell us his name”, shouted the German and kicked her head with his boot.

We took two bags of things and went over to the other side. While walking we heard two shots. Yoineh turned his head and saw the last dying moment of his beloved mother. We walked away in silence. We remained silent for a long time.

There were dead in all the streets. Special groups carried the dead away. We carried the dead to the prison and thought: tomorrow they will be carrying us. There were two open pits at the prison. One pit with children. Not far from the pit was a large stone, perhaps 50 kilos. There was children's hair covering the stone. This was the work of the female murderer Anna Altfater, who took the small children by the feet and banged them against the stone, smashed their heads and threw them into the pit. Children's hair remained on the stone, all colours. More than one father recognized his child's hair, biting his lips and swallowing his tears, His only comfort was tomorrow, they would be together. e

People walked around like shadows. Barely dragging their feet from anguish and hunger. Every day brought bitter news.

I learned they discovered a group hiding in a bunker in the forest. They were all shot. Koyke Kovalsky and Yosef Piltz were there. Fifteen boys and girls with a few guns.

[Column 533]

One day they did a bit of laundry and hung it to dry in the forest. A Christian noticed it and immediately informed the Gestapo. The Ukrainians and Gestapo came right away and surrounded the place. The group noticed and defended themselves until their last bullet. They did not take anyone alive. The murderers threw grenades at the bunker from a distance. After a few hours of fighting, with three guns and few bullets, it became quiet in the bunker. The grenades ended the lives of these proud boys and girls. Two of them miraculously were saved: Yosef Piltz and a Russian Jew, Piete Gutman who lives in America today.

The next day we found a dead Yosef Piltz, covered in rags near the prison.

This is what transpired for days and weeks. We, together with the professionals worked cleaning out houses and bringing all the items to one place, the red school on Zaritze Street. Everyday, they brought out hundreds and shot them. We had to watch.

Each house we cleaned told of its own tragedy. Ever y item we carried spoke, talked about a life which no longer existed. The torn belongings told the history of grandfathers, grandmothers, and small children whose laughter rang out in the distance, and were now silent. Small shoes, socks, prayer shawls, phylacteries. Torn books of Talmud.

After a few weeks the second pogrom officially ended. The houses were empty. All belongings were at one place. The items were sorted. The good ones were sent to Germany. The ordinary was distributed among every German, non-Jewish woman, and all the Christians walked around wearing your mother's and brother's things. You felt like ripping it off them, but you understood, this is not your world.

We brought together 15 friends in the professional ghetto in a room 4 meters long and 3 meters wide. We wanted to be together to think things over.

It was the beginning of 1943. Kudish and Regal were the eldest. Kudish's wife, Rivke Krendis would say: “We don't have to ask for a new kingdom”.

I lived in one room with Mietek Barenoltz, Yitzkhok Tutel Eisen, and Yitzkhok Rayber and his children.

When the second pogrom ended there were officially 1,500 Jews left in the ghetto, but in fact there were another 500 hiding in the fields and with Christians.

From the newly arrived from over the Bug and from the vicinity there were 22,000 Jews in the ghetto.

[Column 534]

Sixteen thousand were killed in the first pogrom and 4,000 in the second. We, the remaining 2,000 were waiting for our turn. We were familiar with the murderers and their shtick. The majority of Jews were looked after by Christians for huge sums of money.

However, we were unable to lie in the pits at the time when the ghetto existed: the Christians said we did not want to be in the ghetto because we did not want to work.

The ghetto was comprised of 17 buildings: there were shoemakers, tailors, hat makers, painters, carpenters, millers, photographers (only for the Germans), a bakery, a whisky factory, a laundry, brush factory, watchcase maker, sign painter, shoelace factory. All these workshops as well as all the residents were situated in these 17 buildings. Moreover, everyone dug 3-4 bunkers under their building. One room did not know about the other. We installed a radio in one such room. This was one of the most dangerous things to do but thanks to Mietek Barenoltz who worked for the German radio, he managed to smuggle in parts. It took time before we were able to assemble the radio.

Later, we began to collect money for weapons. A revolver cost 16 pieces of gold to 5 rubles. Finding money was not too difficult since there were people in the ghetto who had 300 fivers. However, buying the weapons outside the ghetto and bringing them in was extremely dangerous. We also looked for a way to enter the forest. This was very difficult because every Pole and Ukrainian killed Jews.

At that time, mid 1943, the Ukrainian police ran away from the Germans to the forest with weapons. They were led by commandant Kvasnitsky from the Polish army. In their place, the Germans mobilized Poles into the police force and sent them to look for the Ukrainians. A fight began between Poles and Ukrainians. In the villages where more Ukrainians lived, they killed Poles, and in villages where more Poles lived, they killed Ukrainians. They created two separate regions. All the villages near Kovel were taken by the Poles, with the centre in Bielin. The Ukrainians occupied Ustil and Zaritza. At this time the Polish police ran away with weapons.

This is when we began to look for contacts outside the ghetto. Meanwhile, anyone who met a Jew, killed him, the Poles and Ukrainians.

[Column 535]

We learnt of the situation at the front through the radio. Since we wanted to be as far away from the ghetto as possible, we put out a request to join the partisans.

By chance, I had the opportunity to connect with a courier from headquarters. It was a Sunday. I was at the home of a Christian where my wife had already been for a while. We stayed over night. At 9 o'clock there was a knock on the door. My Christian hid us under the cupboard and opened the door. A young Christian man entered, said hello, and brought our Christian into the room where we were hidden because there were other Christians sitting in the kitchen. He told my Christian he has some important things to tell him and asked if he could talk. The host had no choice but to say yes. The young man told him he just came from headquarters. Since my host knew how to repair weapons there was an order from headquarters for him to accept this task: they will bring him pieces of weapons and he must put them back together. A Christian woman will come and he must give her all the repaired weapons to bring to Bielin using a password. From that day on my Christian was no longer called Vilek, he was now called Tigres.

The young man said goodbye and left.

Our host called us out from under the cupboard and said: “You heard everything. I ask you not to tell anyone about this”.

I promised and asked him to enable a meeting for me with this person. A few days later he informed me he set up a meeting for me. I arrived at the arranged time. The Christian introduced me, said he was responsible for me and they could talk to me. I suggested to the liaison to bring good young men and women and that we can bring gold for weapons. We spoke for a while and he told me to explain everything to their headquarters in Rovno.

A week later we had another meeting. He arrived on time but told me unfortunately the majority at headquarters rejected our proposal, motivated by the following two points as to why they could not bring us into the conspiracy: firstly, we Jews disarmed Polish officers when the Russians arrived in Ludmir. Secondly, and this was the most important: One Jew will give up another to the murderers. They knew of such cases in the ghetto. They could not take such people into their conspiracy. I cried. This was our last hope. I told him I was crying for our 200 young men. My Christian cried with me and comforted me. ”I did everything” said the liaison and said goodbye. When my friends saw me after my conversation with him,

[Column 536]

they did not ask me anything, the understood on their own. I shared the conversation with them. They bit their lips and remained silent.

We made more efforts to join the partisans. They placed many conditions, demanded large sums of money, and said the group that would join must include the surgeon Dr. Podlifsky, a doctor from Warsaw who had been in hiding the entire time because the murderers were searching for him. In Warsaw he was called “Golden Hands”. We discussed this but we soon understood their intentions.

At the same time, they began to kill Russians and Jews wherever they met them.

We made more attempts but we were not successful. Every Pole only wanted to see our blood.

In one of the final months of 1943, they captured Poles in town and sent them to work in Germany. The regional commissar gave us, the Jews orders, to capture the Poles. One S.S man and two Jews captured Poles for work. The regional commissar Vesterhayde achieved his goal. Poles began to betray the Jews and take them out of the bunkers.

On December 13^th, 1943, at 7 o'clock in the morning, as usual, we reported to our work stations. They surrounded the ghetto on all sides and began to shoot at us. Panic ensued. People were falling dead on top of one another. Men who wanted to run through the river were shot on the other side. This time Russians took part in the pogrom, not lesser murderers than the others.

It burned on all sides. Cries and calls tore through hearts. Wives looked for their husbands, small children awoken from sleep ran around naked searching for their mothers. Mothers wounded from gunshots grabbed their children and ran into the fire. People hid in holes. Suddenly all became quiet, empty. Dozens of naked corpses. The wounded wallowed and moaned.

The murderers marched in singing, victorious. They loaded the trucks with those who hid and those who did not manage to hide. Kudish and his wife Krendis were also on the truck, sitting with everyone else. An S.S. man said eto Kudish: “Everything is gone, everything is dying, after every December May comes again”.

This time the trucks traveled in another direction: Ludmir – Khvalimitz, that is where they burned Jews, no time to dig pits.

[Column 537]

I lay in a bunker for 15 days. There was space for 8 people. We were eighteen. There was no air. One lay on top of the other. Women fainted. The prepared food lasted for 2 days. We heard through the cracks how they are taking away large groups. People are crying, begging. Curse words and smacks with rifles was their response.

On the fourth day, at 9 o'clock in the morning they discovered the vents of our bunker. Because of the heat coming from the bunker, the snow around the vents melted. However, they dug in the opposite direction and immediately damaged the vents. We remained without air. They were sure they would exhume us, or we will exit on our own. We decide it would be better to suffocate than leave the bunker. We felt faint. Hours felt like years. With all my strength I pulled myself up to the opening which went out to the sewer and from the sewer to the house. I opened the opening to the sewer. A corpse was lying at the entrance of the house. A little air came in. we lay like that until 8 o'clock that night. d

When all became quiet in the ghetto, we decided to leave the bunker. With difficulty, we moved the corpse from the doorway. Me and my wife and Yoineh Goldberg and his fiancée were the first to get out of the house. There was destruction everywhere. Through the window we saw the guards and heard their steps. The guards were sitting at the adjacent house. The guard on duty walked back and forth in front of the house: he was afraid to be far from his friends. Cats jumped like demons. With every creak, the guard stood ready to shoot.

Giseh Babukh (Yoineh Goldberg's fiancée) know the way to the bunker where her parents, sister and brother were. We approached the first little door. It was nailed shut; they must have taken them away. We crawled down in the sewer. Giseh crawled up to the small door and began to call out “Mother! Father!”

We held out breath. Suddenly we heard the small door begin to move. The are alive! We crawled into the bunker. We kissed. A small lamp was burning. I counted 22 people. We did not think about bringing the others from our bunker. We were already 40. We did not consider the size of the bunker. It was already crowded but there was enough air. There was a provisional double wall at the roof which was open a let in a lot of air.

Yitzkhok Eisen and I, with our wives decided on the 6th day to try our luck and leave the ghetto thorough the trenches which were dug throughout the town. When it got dark, we said goodbye and slowly, through the window, to make sure there were no sign of footprints near the bunker, we slid into the trenches. Jumping into the trenches we suspected two other people were there.

[Column 538]

Our hearts froze. I recognized Shmulik Berglson and his wife, from Zamoscz. We all stood frozen for a moment. We calmed down and scrutinized the area. All was quiet. We did not notice anything. The trenches reached the wells near the wires. We pulled down the wires and through Biale Bzegis we were able to leave and be saved.

Meanwhile we moved slowly. After each step we looked around. The snow blinded our eyes. We were already at the wires.

Suddenly a bullet launcher began to whistle. We jumped into the trenches and on all fours crawled back under the hill. We scattered in twos. We must not run into the bunker; we can betray them. However, two hours later we returned to the bunker. They already mourned us; they heard the shooting.

Every day we saw death before our eyes. When night fell, we breathed a little easier. One of us went outside and looked around. We could see the guards and the light in their window. Every night we saw newly demolished buildings. They removed the Jews or buried them alive. We knew our tomorrows were numbered. At night we cast lots who will go out to fill two pails with snow. There was still a bit of saccharine; there was no water. I took the pails, said goodbye. I can be caught.

Yitzkhok Tutul went with me. “Come, don't tremble” he said to me. “We must go far from the house not to leave footprints”. Yitzkhok then said softly in my ear: “don't be afraid, when I'll be dead, that' when I'll let someone come near me. Lie confidently, fill the pails”. I lay on the ground, gathered snow and stuffed it into the small pots. I heard the guard's footsteps. To instill fear, he shot from time to time. One pail was full. I took the second. Nearby, a Jew slunk by barefoot. He did not see me. We returned to the bunker. We gave everyone a glass of snow with a bit of saccharine.

It was the fourteenth day of lying in the bunker. When evening arrived Yitzkhok said to me: “Come out, let's observe a bit”.

We crawled out, searched in all the rooms and found a beet. We nibbled at it, stood under the wall and looked around. The guard was not there. It was dark in the house. What could this mean? It was quiet all around. We did not hear any steps or shooting. We thought, what happened today? Suddenly we heard the singing of Christmas carols coming from town.

[Column 539]

“Nokhem” Yitzkhok said to me, “tonight's the night we can save ourselves. There is no one around the ghetto. Now is the best time”.

At 7:30 we go into the bunker and tell them everything. If we don't try tonight, it may be never.

I go first with my wife. Yoineh and his fiancée said to me: “We're going first”.

Yoineh and his fiancée go. I have to go 15 minutes after. We go in the same direction: Yoineh walked on Hurutzslski Street and I walked on Shpitolne. Yoineh said to me quietly: “Nokhem, as soon as things get bad, I will shout. You will not go. I will not betray you, even if they cut me into pieces.”

Yoineh and Giseh leave through the window. I heard their steps creak in the snow. Fifteen minutes later I went. Be well Yitzkhok Tutil, you were a good friend in these difficult times!

We went down the hill to a field which led to Siatetskes. We walked step by step; our legs were trembling from lying in the bunker. We felt the frost on our heads. I carried my wife. I heard people speaking Russian: they were the Vlasovytzes. We went over to a wall of a house. They went by way of the stairs down to the footbridge on Ustil Street. We were sliding everywhere: our legs were trembling, we heard the laughter of drunkards, they were laughing at us. We crossed over to the other side of the street; I whistled the Christmas carol and my wife spoke in Polish. We cut through the street. My wife in a pink nightshirt and a short coat and boots; that's how we got out of bed in the bunker.

It appeared that we were coming from a ball. Up near the white high school a watchman on duty turned around. He banged his feet and said to me “It's cold”, in Polish. We laughed and walked quickly. He was obviously envious of us. Up on the Biasko we arrived at the Jewish cemetery. Everything was chopped up and broken.

We cut through. We had energy, we walk quickly, we are already at Dubnitzka. A glance left, then right, crossed the highway through the fair, and saw the house of our Christian. The dog was struggling, barking, we stood glued to the door. I heard footsteps. My Christian asked, who's there. We fell into the corridor. The Christian woman kissed my wife. The Christian looked down the street, closed the door and brought us into the room. They began to cry, they thought we were dead. They waited for us every night. I felt I was losing all my strength. We told them we are lousy. They immediately heated up some water. We washed and changed our clothes.

[Column 550]

The night passed answering questions and telling stories. From a small bedroom built as an addition to the house, 8 Jews looked at us impatiently. They were being hidden by our Christian's mother. The daughter wanted us to stay with her in the same house, in another room. She didn't want the other 8 Jews to know about us. Who knew what may arise? There were three from Zamoscz, one woman from Bilgoray, one from Lublin, and Pesel Shaynkestl, Soreh Kesel, my present wife.

When day broke, they took us to a prepared bunker at their daughter's, where there were old, broken weapons.

On the second day of the non-Jewish holiday Christians arrived from the street. They spoke about everything and about Jews. One made a toast, threw his hat in the air and shouted: “Hurray! There will be a Poland without Jews!”. At night, when they let us out for a bit of air, they justified it for us: You must crow like a raven and dance like an ox.

My Christian talked it over with the Christian woman who received the weapons, and she agreed to take me and my wife with her. The sleigh stood ready. I pulled up a hooded cape. They also took a pretty young Christian girl as a good feature. I was the driver.

My heart was pounding, I felt light headed. It was March 9^th 1944. It was already the third month in which Ludmir was clean of Jews. The closer I got to the guard, the stronger my heart beat. I could see the two murderers from a distance. The Christian woman noticed my nervousness. She said: “Don't be scared. I have a bottle of whisky and two kilograms of bacon; everything will be ok; this is not my first time”.

Soon we heard a voice: “Identity papers!”. The young Christian woman danced down from the sleigh, the bottle of vodka in hand and some bacon. They talked to her. “You can go”, he shouted to me. I drove the horses, it seemed to me, the horses just stood there, they did not move. After a half hour we were out of German danger and were now in Polish danger.

I could already see Polish soldiers with weapons. Officers were riding on horseback. At 7 o'clock in the evening we arrived at the Christian woman. There I met a Jewish woman who gave me good news. By the 24^th of March all Jews must leave the area of the partisans because “Jews are giving away secrets to the Germans”. On the evening of March 19^th, they shot Yoineh Goldberg and his finacee Giseh Bobikh, and they shot Yoineh's friend from the Column K.S. (Polish Transport Company).

[Column 551]

I thought I was going to pass out. The world was closed, there was no place for us. The Christian woman noticed our despair. She said everything will be alright. The next morning, I read the poster.it was written that by March 24^th, all Jews who will be found in the partisan territory of Bielin and Votzin after the deadline, will be shot.

Vortzin was a village abandoned by the Poles, bordering a Ukrainian village. After an attack by the Ukrainians, only two houses have remained. This is where they placed 120 remaining Jews who were saved from the Germans. I feared this ghetto more than any other. I did not go. We gave our wedding rings to the Christian woman and she hid us in a barn under the straw.

At midnight on March 24^th 1944, they began the murderous game according to the Polish system. They surrounded the houses which were suspicious of having Jews and began to search.

At exactly one o'clock they surrounded our Christian woman and a neighbour. There they found Yakov Royter's daughter with her child and husband, Bornshteyn. He managed to escape in his nightshirt and barefoot, and in the cold escaped to Ludmir.

We heard everything from the attic. They took them and shot them not far from us. Sonia pleaded: “Leave the child”. Their answer was: “You all murdered our officers”. The child asked: “Me?” The reply was a slap in the face.

For us the inspection was easier. They respected our Christian woman, because she brought weapons from town, and when she said there were no Jews at her place, everything was ok.

Recently, the Germans began a new form of politics. They did not get involved in the events that took place between the Poles and Ukrainians.

On April 15^th 1944, the Russians were near Kovel. Here they came out with a wedge, as if they were waiting until they would straighten the front from Ludmir until the Bug. They knew from the partisan movement that our district, which numbered 10,000 soldiers, had not long before taken over the program from A.K.A.

It was sad for the Russians to just sit around with nothing to do. They cut through a German weak point,

[Column 552]

came to the partisans, stopped a meeting at headquarters and decided to jointly capture the city of Ludmir.

A celebration, a commotion, they headed for the city. Meanwhile, the Russians took the best horses from the Poles. They cursed and trembled. The Russians said the Katyushas were coming from behind and would arrive today or tomorrow. The headquarters was moved to my Christian woman. I saw the Russians with their narrow wagons, but my Christian woman did not allow them to approach. She did not want the Poles to know she is hiding Jews. My wife was sick with twisted bowel. It was bad, I could not bring a doctor. The courtyard was full.

In the Piatidin forest there was a position under the Kovel barracks. They sent spies into town. They returned with the news that there were barely 200 Germans in town. The Russians were shooting at the city. The Russian colonel took over the command. The Poles were arguing: “We must take the city”. The colonel said: “Slowly, we will take the town when there are thousands, we have time”. Every minute riders arrive at headquarters on horseback. They announced the Germans wee putting up a weak resistance and the Russians were not allowed in town.

In the evening a liaison arrived and announced that hey learned that a large echelon form across the Bug was coming to Ludmir, in this echelon – many wagons with soldiers and ammunition, all for the Germans. The Poles wanted to blow up the train tracks, but the Russian would not permit this. The Germans set up a strong front and there were many dead and injured. A new liaison announced that the Russians were retreating. A panic ensued. Everyone left their places with wagons and horses and escaped into the forest.

On April 16^th at 9 o'clock in the morning, 10 airplanes arrived and struck the forest all day. At night, the wounded came crawling asking for food and told us everything belonging to the partisans was blown up, the Russians left their positions and all the Jews left with them. When those who escaped the Polish partisans wanted to tear through the front and cross the Pripyet to the Russians, this is where they paid for our suffering. The Pripyet was red. Caps with Polish insignias floated on the river.

This is where the A.K.A from Bielin ended its career.

At 6 o'clock in the morning, I saw, through the thatched roof, Germans arriving from all directions. My dying wife and I were again in the hands of the murderers.

[Column 553]

On the 17^th of April, 1944 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, my wife died in my arms. Rovno, Lutsk and Kovel were already liberated. It was a beautiful summer day. The trees under the barn shook off their snow on that day. Birds sat on the trees and sang. My wife requested: “hold me up so I can see the birds that are singing so beautifully”. I tore some straw from the roof and lifted her toward the street and the birds. “Summer is here” she said. A tear fell from her eye. She straightened out. I lay her down on the straw. “Do you know”, she said as her tongue dangled from her mouth, “This month I will finish my 23^rd year”. And she was gone.

At 10 o'clock that night, with the help of the Christian woman, I buried her.

Shayndl Vaysman (Laks) was born in 1920 and died on April 17^th 1944. She is buried in Vadzinek in a field between two cherry trees. From two families of 50-60 people, I am just one.

I spent 8 more days in the attic. I decided to leave the village and go to the city, ignoring what the Christian woman told me.

[Column 554]

I knew death awaited me at every step.

She provided me with Polish documents. I practiced the first name, last name, street and issues of the year and left.

The guards examined my documents and let me go. I passed the dogs and arrived at my Christian woman. I found 6 Jews there. They all cried for me and my devastation. It was a dangerous time. Every day the Christian woman brought news saying they caught Jews and shot them together with their Christians.

They decide to go to the Bug. We remained as if on a turbulent sea.

We learned, that in the last ghetto, where all the houses were destroyed, lived a Soviet woman, a Jewess with two children, living as Christians. She was hiding Naymark. On the last day a few of us left at a decided time and met together at the Soviet woman's house. This is where we remained for the worst but short time, until July 27, 1944 when Ludmir was liberated. From the entire Jewish population of Ludmir, only 30-40 Jews survived.

[Columns 527-528]

August 12, 1943 Today it is very cheerful in the ghetto Kudish is celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary. The functionaries of religious life All his lions are calm. He is the master, he is the king For all who fear him. He has little interest in everyone in the ghetto. They just shot three Jews And buried them in the toilet. They eat and drink from the nicest, the best, Wearing everything new, who knows from whom. Listen, they laugh, they sing And they are not ashamed. Jews are hungry, diluted, dried out Hearts are cut up in tattered pieces. Fists are pressed, Tears flow. The laughter, the singing, Sting like bees. Rivke his wife sits at the head of the table, Like Krendis once did she distributes the fish, Eat children, drink, make a toast, We must not switch to a new kingdom! Millions of brothers burned and roasted And Kudish celebrates 25 years under the wires.

A ghetto surrounded by wires Guarded by murderers all around Here we languish Death and suffering swim around.

[Column 555]

Every day new pogroms, Every day harvests death, Small children crumble, cry And die for a piece of bread. Refrain! Because I am a Jew and he is a German For that reason, his whip falls on me. Because he is a German and I am a Jew I am weary from wandering in exile. The mice, that sit here with me, I am jealous of the dogs in the street. We both sit in the bunker pit But it is better for them than for me. The shadows spin around From the remaining generation, There are no fathers, no mothers, The world is closed, where shall I go? Refrain. After a pogrom you remain alive. You had great luck. Your eyes cannot believe. No friends and no house. I run like crazy through the street, I drag my body and swallow my tears. I search for my brother, sister, mother. I will never see them again. Refrain! I want to end my life. I'm tired of this murderous world. I hear sounds from the pits! You must remain, you are a Jew! You must take revenge on them, And recite the memorial prayer for us! Because he must be exterminated The murderous – nation, the German plague. Refrain: Because you are a Jew and he is a German etc.… (This song is sung to the melody of the Hebrew song “I am White and he is Black”). Yosef Sakuler

Ludmir 1943 Night. As usual the sky is covered with stars. It is quiet in the streets Of my town. Quiet, You do not hear any steps On the streets of my home You do not see any light, Who is in the town, No one? No one. No one? Put your ear to the ground! Lie down. Do you hear a cry? Listen, listen! - - -

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