Chelmno - Death Camp for Total Extermination:

Other Two Last Testimonies Kept in Yad Vashem

The testimony of the forced workers who were murdered in chelmno in april 1943 was found after the war. The document was written in Yiddish and Polish and published: Yehudit Kleinman (editor) "letters from no where - letters of Jews from the Nazi occupied territories", Yad Vashem, Jerusalem 1988, pages 94-98.

The testimonies were also published in Hebrew in Ester Reiss book: "Chelmno" and in English, in the book: "Final letters, selected by Reuven Dafni & Yehudit Kleiman from the Yad Vashem Archive" Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London
ISBN 0 297 8II5I7

The two following testaments were written by Jewish prisoners in the Chelmno death camp and found there after the war. They were transmitted to Yad Vashem by the Polish 'General Commission for the Investigation of Nazi Crimes in Poland'.

These are the Jews who have worked in Kulmhof (Chelmno) between Kolo and Dabie in the death camp:

        1. Herszkowicz, Josef of Kutno
        2. Plocker, Mojsze of Kutno
        3. Plocker, Fajwel of Kutno
        4. Szlamowicz, Szyje of Grabow near Lodz
        5. Radkiewicz, Nojech-Wolf of Lodz
        6. Charach, Chaskel of Leczyca
        7. Wachtel, Symche of Leczyca
        8. Wachtel, Jisroel-Chaim of Leczyca
        9. Jastrzebski, Beniek of Leczyca
        10. Nusbojm, Aron of Sanniki
        11. Sztrasburg, Ojser of Lutomiersk
        12. Sztajer, Gecl of Turek

These are the last Jews who worked for the Gestapo in Chelmno, which is situated between Dabie and Kolo. These are the last days of our lives so we give a signal maybe there still will be relatives or acquaintances of these persons. So you shall know all Jews who were sent away from Litzmannstadt (Lodz) were killed in a very cruel manner. They were tortured and burnt goodbye if you survive you must take revenge.

 

 

 

2 April 1943

This note is written by people who will live for only a few more hours. The person who will read this note will hardly be able to believe that this is true. Still, this is the tragic truth, since in this place your brothers and sisters stayed, and they, too, died the same death! The name of this locality is Kolo. At a distance of 12 km from this town [Chelmno] there is a 'slaughterhouse' for human beings. We have worked here as craftsmen, because among them [the Jews who were brought here] there were tailors, leather-stitchers, cobblers. There are 17 craftsmen there; I can give you their names.

        1. Pinkus Grun of Wloclawek
        2. Jonas Lew of Brzeziny
        3. Szama Ika of Brzeziny
        4. Zemach Szumiraj of Wloclawek
        5. Jeszyp Majer of Kalisz
        6. Wachtel Symcha of Leczyca
        7. Wachtel Srulek of Leczyca
        8. Beniek Jastrzebski of Leczyca
        9. Nusbaum Aron of Skepa
        10. Ojser Strasburg of Lutomiersk
        11. Mosiek Plocker of Kutno
        12. Felek Plocker of Kutno
        13. Josef herszkowicz of Kutno
        14. Chaskel Zerach of Leczyca
        15. Wolf Judkiewicz of Lodz
        16. Swzyja Szlamowicz of Kalisz
        17. Gecel of Turek

These are, then, the persons' names which I give here. These are only a few people from among the hundreds of thousands who died here!

Return to Ada's home page