WORLD COMMITTEE IRGUN YOTZEY PLOTZK

for the BE-ISRAEL

PLOTZK MEMORIAL BOOK (Plotzker Association in Israel)

PLOTZK

(PŁOCK)

A HISTORY OF AN ANCIENT JEWISH COMMUNITY IN POLAND

Editor:

ELIYAHU EISENBERG

Vice-Chairman, Plotzker Association in Israel

"HAMENORA"

Publishing House

Tel-Aviv, 1967

The Yizkor Book in MS Word File Format

The Yizkor Book in MS Acrobat Format

Notes

The English part is not a complete translation of the Yizkor book of Płock but rather a synopsis, summary, and should be treated as such. there are 684 pages in Hebrew and Yiddish but only 96 pages in English.

I have translated and added the titles and page numbers of articles which do not appear in the English summary. I added the code "H" if article is in Hebrew, or "Y" if in Yiddish.

I have added also the sub-chapters to the various articles, which are not included in the original Table of Contents. On many occasions I have added from the Hebrew and Yiddish parts of the book also names of people mentioned in the articles, when that was possible, mainly in the Holocaust chapters.

I have also added the names of people who appear in the photographs to the captions in English which did not include these names, see pages

I wish to thank the Płock Landsmanschaft who encouraged me and gave me and JewishGen the permission to post the Płock Yizkor book in the Internet.

It is my hope that this book will serve as commemoration to the Jewish ancient grand and holy community of Płock, exterminated by the Germans during the Holocaust.

Ada Holtzman April 18th, 2004 – Yom Hashoah , 27 Nissan, 5764

THE HOLOCAUST PERIOD (1939-1945)
The Jews of Plotzk under the Nazi regime Until the deportation Plotzk refugees in exile Acts of resistance Plotzk after the Holocaust	Dr. J. Kermish	70
Jews of Plotzk in Exile		76
Letters of Płocker Jews from the towns of deportation		H-506
Pages in the diary	Itzhak Tynski	Y-526
Jews of Plotzk under the Nazi terror	D. Dąbrowska	76
Testimonies Lea Moszkowicz Dina Inowroclawska Regina Kalman Felicja (Fela) Ravitzka Unnamed person Dr. Hersz Russak R. Lichtman Simcha Mintz		77
The tortures in the Forced Labor Camp Amsee (near Poznan). All prisoners of this camp were murdered. They worked there for the German Company O. Quast.	Leib Geliebter	H-539
Płock in the chronicle of Ludwik Landau (1909-1944) a Jewish famous economist from Tomaszow Mazowiecki		H-542
A Reminder ("Regards")	H. Elboim-Dorembus	78
Between Warsaw and Plotzk	Michael Zylberberg	78
I left the Ghetto	H. Mairanc-Meiri	79
I was a "Submarine" in a Nazi-Camp	M. Koenigsberg	79
A Revolt in Hell, Testimony The horrors and heroism in the camp of Treblinka Treblinka, historical review In Płock and with the family With the slavery labor battalions in Treblinka The day of the revolt and revenge and its planning Accumulation of arms and last preparations The signal is given Rudek Lubraniecki the hero of Treblinka The escape from all parts of the camp In hiding and in action The trial of Treblinka perpetrator, the German Kurt Franc	Marian Platkiewicz	79 H-544
I was a mouth of hundreds of thousands murdered victims – (Sobibor trial)	Moshe Bahir (Szklarek)	H-553
The testimony of Moshe Bahir (Szklarek) in the Eichman trial State archive "The Government Counselor against Adolf Eichman. Testimonies B', pages 1045-1050		H-555
Nothing Remain... (a poem)	Katriel (Kurt) Hazan	H-558
To the Jews of Poland (a poem translated from Polish to Hebrew by Zvi Yashiv)	Wladyslaw Broniewski	H-559
Warszawa year 5601 (1941)	Itzhak Bernsztein	H-560
Our Płocker landsleit in Ghetto Warsaw The first refugees The period until the erection of the ghetto The period of the ghetto The contact with the deportees in the various towns Days of the deportations After the Holocaust	Michael Zylberberg	H-570
Escaped from the claws of death (Josef-Jorzek Fiszman – Makowski)	Prof. Artur Ber	H-573
Yizkor – the Martyrs Names (necrology)		H-575

THE HOLOCAUST PERIOD 1939-1945

THE JEWS OF PLOTZK UNDER THE NAZI REGIME

By Dr. Joseph Kermish

Director of Yad Vashem Archive, Jerusalem

Pages 70-75

UNTIL THE DEPORTATION

pages 70-73

The first bombs fell in Plotzk on September 1st, 1939, at 6 AM. People first thought that these were air force exercises but very soon realized that the war had begun. Shops were closed down and peasants who had come to the market, rushed home.

On the second and third days several wealthy Jewish inhabitants fled town and escaped to Warsaw. On the fourth day began the evacuation by order of the authorities. People fled in three directions to Warsaw (by motor-boats), to Gombin and Gostynin.

Plotzk was captured by the German army on September 8th, 1939. During the initial 2-3 weeks the town was under military rule and no anti-Jewish measures were taken by the military forces. German soldiers even did their shopping in Jewish stores. In some cases, German soldiers warned Jews against danger from the Gestapo. Plotzk refugees, who had gone to nearby Gombin, being under the impression that the Germans meant no harm, even returned to town.

In the last days of September it seemed that life in town became normal. But on October 7th, 1939, when according to Hitler's decree, Plotzk was annexed to West Prussia (Gau West-Preussen), and the rule over those territories was handed over to Nazi party-organs (especially the Gestapo), the persecution began: confiscations of Jewish shops, kidnappings of Jews for forced labor, sadistic treatment of religious Jews, etc.

On October 15th, 1939, 10 Jewish notables were summoned to the Judendrat, and notified that a collective fine of 1 million zlotys had been imposed on the Jewish population as a penalty for its disloyalty towards the German authorities. They were ordered to collect this amount within a few hours, while three of them were retained in custody as hostages, where they were maltreated and beaten. After negotiations the Germans agreed to accept half a million only and the hostages were released.

At that time Jews began to leave the mixed residential quarters. Individual Germans started to loot Jewish homes, taking away pieces of furniture, house utensils, etc. Jews were forced to greet uniformed Germans by taking off their hats and forbidden to use the side-walks. Many Jews disappeared after having been arrested at night. The constant looting by Gestapo-men made daily life unbearable.

The Rabbi of town was forced to leave Plotzk, after having been taken several times to do forced labor and having suffered greatly. The Great Synagogue was converted into a garage, the Little Synagogue was demolished, and the Beit Hamidrash at Szeroka Street was turned into a concentration place for workers and a guard-room of the "Jewish police". Many German offices used Scrolls of the Law for stair coverings. Kidnapping of Jews and forced shaving of beards and side-locks became a daily occurrence. Religious Jews in prayer-shawls and Tefillin were forced to dance in the streets to the amusement of Germans who took snapshots of these scenes.

In the last days of October 1939 all industrial and commercial undertakings were officially closed and confiscated. Yellow notices were affixed to them: "Jewish-Closed". The Mayor published a decree forbidding Jews to engage in commerce and industry as of October 31st, and specifying in 7 paragraphs the ways and means by which Jewish enterprises were to be taken over by Germans. All Jewish property was thus confiscated "according to Law". The Germans set fire to the Jewish mill and accused its owners of having caused the conflagration themselves.

At the end of November 1939 the Jews were forced to wear yellow "Magen David" badges, and to sign their identity cards with their finger-prints. Many Jews escaped from town to Warsaw and other places.

At the end of 1939, after liquidating the Kehila Committee, the German authorities nominated a "Judenrat" consisting of a few known personalities, and of some new people, who until then had not taken any active part in public affairs. One of the first steps of the "Judenrat" was to set up the "Jewish Police". The "Judenrat" became responsible for carrying out German orders, supplying manpower for the German military and other authorities and regulating the life of the Jewish population.

The "Judenrat" managed to keep some shops open for the Jewish population, which was deprived the right to buy from non-Jewish shops-owners.

A Jewish pharmacy, clinic and post office branch were also opened. The Jewish Ghetto was established by order of the Nazis in September 1940, and enclosed Synagogalna, Szeroka, and part of Bielska Street. Jews were forbidden to leave this area without special permits (Strassenschein), all contacts with the outside world were cut off, daily routine centering around the "Judenrat", which opened a bakery and some shops for food and fuel distribution.

7600 Plotzk Jews and 3000 refugees from Dobrzyn, Rypin, Sierpc, Raciaz etc. lived in the ghetto in December 1940. The terrible congestion, hunger, epidemic diseases, lack of medicines, made life unbearable. Ghetto residents used doors and window-frames as fuel to heat their homes.

At that period the Nazis began to persecute the Polish intelligentsia. Some of the Polish lawyers, doctors and teachers were being sent to concentration camps or killed, and the churches were closed.

Inside the Ghetto the "Judenrat" tried with all means at its disposal to prevent the deportation Jews from Plotzk by bribing the Germans with money, drinks and presents. Nevertheless the "Judenrat slowly turned into an instrument of the Germans by which their discrimination orders were carried out. The poorer segments of the Jewish population suffered more than the people who had some means left.

The ghetto was shocked one Saturday in September 1940 when the Germans brutally expelled all the inmates of the Home of Aged, which had existed for many decades, and killed all of them in nearby Działdowo, but for 12 who managed to escape. Later the "Judenrat" was ordered to compile a list of incurables, sick and crippled people. All of them disappeared. A fortnight later the "Judenrat" was told to draw up a list of Zionist leaders. Instead a list of dead personalities and of those who escaped to Russia was handed in. The authorities then arrested five Jews, who were picked up at random on the street and sent them to a camp.

The day of general deportation from the ghetto approached. A few days before February 20, 1941, 25 men were arrested and killed. This was the first mass-murder of Jews in Plotzk. The verdict said that the executed had planned an attempt on the Gestapo. The "Judenrat" members had to be present during the execution as hostages "in order to prevent re-occurrence of such acts". The names of the victims were identified according to the documents found in their mass grave after the war. The last victim, Samek Szatan escaped but perished later. The victims of that execution were: Grynszpan Mosze age 38, Sadzowka Mosze age 55, Bogacz Reuwen age 25, Płocker Hersz age 38, Przachedzki Dawid and his son Abraham 17 years old, Flaks Abraham age 55 and his son Pinchas age 23, Rotblat Simcha Lajb age 32, Szwarc Moniek age 30, Porzka Jakob age 38, Bursztyn Abram age 32, Bursztyn Israel age 25, Kredit Mark age 27, Zilberberg Hersz Reuwen, Fajka Efraim, Papierczyk Fiszel, Korstein Mosze, Szmit Aharon Lajzer, Goldberg, Graubard Efraim, Rifenholc Icchak, Kamzel, Herszkowicz Cadok, Zgal Alter. (Source note 43 in the Hebrew version, page 459).

After that the general feeling of Plotzk Jews was that the day of calamity was approaching. People slept at nights with their packed bags, and were ready for everything. In order not to be taken away by surprise they organized a guards system every night from 7 PM. onward.

On February 20, 1941 the news about the impending general deportation of the Jews from the ghetto was spread. On that day the "Jewish Policemen" were summoned to Gestapo Headquarters, where they were beaten with whips which the "Judenrat" was commanded to supply earlier. In the evening rumors were circulated in the ghetto that the deportation had been postponed and that money had been raised to bribe Commissar Burg. But on the morrow the deportation began. At 4 o'clock in the morning the patients of the Jewish hospital were taken out, and about half of them were beaten to death on the spot. At that time, S.S. men in four lorries arrived at the corner of Szeroka and Bielska Streets, shouting "Juden heraus!".

All the Jews were driven from their homes and concentrated on Szeroka Street. There they remained from early in the morning until noon. Packages, handbags, etc. were taken away. They were told to enter trucks, while those who were unable to do so, such as elderly and sick people, were shot. About 200 people were loaded on each truck. 4000 Jews were expelled to Działdowo camp during this 21st of February 1941. The remaining Jews, including "Judenrat" members who were held responsible for the presence of the deportees at the concentration point, were ordered to return home.

The second and last deportation took place on March 1st, 1941. A day before, all the "Judenrat" members were arrested. The second deportation followed the pattern of the first one. The expelled reached Działdowo in 4 hours time, making their way through villages and townships, where gentiles threw bread and sausages into their trucks.

About 7000 Jews arrived at Działdowo, where they were accommodated in dirty huts, which had been emptied of their former prisoners. The Germans continued looting clothes, shoes and personal belongings. Every day a transport of 1,000 people was sent from the camp, arriving at the railway station barefoot and half-naked.

Plotzk became "Judenrein".

The author quotes the Historian Dr. Ringelblum, who had written in connection with the deportation of Jews from ancient communities like Kalish and Plotzk:

"There was no period in their 800-year history, when Jews were not living there".

*

Jews mentioned in this chapter (partial list, translated from the Hebrew part):

· Karasz First victim. (page 449)

· Killed in Gombin during the attack of 39: Tilman family, Gombinski family, Warszawiak family, Bursztyn family, Goldberg family, Manczyk family, Toibenfligel family, Ben-Cjon Parwa, Marisia Sziber. (page 449)

· 10 hostages among the notables of Płock: Alfred Blei, Natan Graubart, Lewek Kilbert, Chanoch Szilit, Mosze Sochacower, Adv. Flag, Klinkubstein, Globus, Flaks. (page 450)

· Among the first Victim: the baker Rozenstein. (page 450)

· Elderly Jews tortured: Sender Chmiel, Meir Kohen. (page 451

· Abused by the Nazis: the son of Yosef Finkelstein. (page 451)

· Cohen from Tomska Street – his property confiscated. (page 451)

· Płockers refugees in Warsaw: Kiper the watchman, the dentist Kanarek, Mosze Bodnik, Mosze Sochacower, Izak Hazenszprung who was active in the Judenrat of Ghetto Warsaw and helped his brethren, Eng. Szajnwicz, Eng. Cybolski, Koenigsberg, Jagoda and others. (page 452)

· Refugees fled to Russia via Bialystok: Simcha Minc and his wife, Pianknagura, Becalel Okolica and others. (page 452)

· Refugees arrived to Wilna: Pianknagura, Majranc, young Krutenberg, Wajngram and others. (page 452)

· Members of the first Judenrat in Płock: Chairman Dr. Bromberger, Samek Szatan, Szperling, Y. Zeligman, Szachtman, Szajnwicz Guzik and more. (page 452)

· Kidnapped to work for the Gestapo on May 1st, 1940 and badly abused: L. Geleibter and the brother of Pinchas Buchman, Muszkat, Segal, Kredit, Berman and others. (page 453)

· Dr. Bresler and Mrs. Firstenberg tried to keep sanitary conditions in the ghetto. (page 454)

· Szatan, chairman of the Judenrat (page 454)

· Szymon Kriszek, a popular activist in the Płock Ghetto. (page 454)

· Jehoszua Hoichman, a Gestapo attack on his house led to expelling all its tenants to prison and execution later. (page 454).

· Document: letter of the Red Cross to Chaim Ber Rubin from Mojzesz Leib Rubin in Palestina. Returned with German stamp: "no more in Płock 20.2.41." (page 456)

· Mother of B. Okolica bitten to death during the first deportation 20.2.41. (page 456)

· Hersz Natan Asz arrived dead to Działdowo in the second and last deportation. (page 457)

· Among the deportees: the blind man Grabowski, the father of Mordechai Florek. (page 458)

· Among the refugees who escaped to Russia were also: Gitl Grossman, Dawid Gold, Plocer and others. (page 458)

· Mosze Tinski tried to assist the old people from the old men hospital but was kidnapped as well. (page 459).

· Testimony by the deportee Abraham Mosze. (page 458)

Home

PLOTZK REFUGEES IN EXILE

pages 73-74

The majority of the expelled Plotzk Jews was sent to Bodzentyn, in the Kielce region. Another transport arrived on March 11th at Tomaszow Mazowiecki wherefrom the refugees were sent to nearby townships; a third transport was directed to Kielce and from there to three other localities.

About 1500 Plotzk Jews, mostly of the poorer classes were concentrated at Bodzentyn, where they arrived without clothes, shoes or money. The local Kehila organized a kitchen for them which prepared every day about 1500 meals and distributed bread rations of 150-200 gram per person, free of charge.

A committee of Plotzk refugees was organized in Bodzentyn and an appeal was sent to Warsaw, asking for help. A letter of May 5th describes the position of the refugees. Epidemic diseases had caused many deaths. "We had to bury 100 of our brethren" communicated another letter. Mortality was high. People wore rags, were hungry and were covered with wounds. About 800 refugees arrived by train at Chmielnik. The Jews of that township, who were still unmolested, could not believe the horror stories they heard from the refugees. Some of them found hard work there as wood-cutters. Their committee received small sums of money from Plotzk refugees in Warsaw and used them for constructive help. In April 1941 a ghetto was instituted in Chmielnik, from which the people were later on, in October 1942, sent to Treblinka.

Another group numbering 700, was sent to Suchedniow, where they remained under similar conditions until September 22, 1942, when they were deported to Treblinka.

Smaller transports of Jews from Plotzk arrived at Wierzbnik (about 300 refugees), at Starachowice, Daleszyce, Zarki, Drzewica and other places. Everywhere conditions were unbearable. Lack of food, lack of sanitation, hopelessness. Many died of epidemic diseases since it was impossible to obtain medical aid. Initially efforts were made to organize some food supplies or to raise funds but later on all efforts proved futile as the majority of Plotzk refugees were sent from all these places to Treblinka and the rest of them to other death camps. A few escaped during deportation but were killed later on. At the final conclusion of the war only a handful survived.

Jews mentioned in this chapter (partial list, translated from the Hebrew part):

· Josef Diamant – in charge of mutual aid activities in Radom, sent the messenger Y. Winer to check the situation of Płock refugees in the Tomaszow Mazowiecki region. (page 460, 461)

· Committee of Płock Jews in Bodzentyn: Dr. Jakob Blumen Chairman, Hersz Cytrin secretary. (page 461)

· The new Committee in Bodzentyn was: H. Cytrin, A. Groyer, Horowicz, Eng. Rubin, Y. Ajzik and L. Granat. (page 466)

· Families who died in Bodzentyn due hunger, typhus and unbearable conditions: Szperling family, Alberg family and others. (page 461)

· Among the refugees to Chmielnik were: Goldkind family, Zeligman family, the dentists Fuks, Brigrad, old Rotman with his daughter Marila Kolska, the brothers Najman, Mosze Florek and his family, the Cytrinblum family, the Bomzon family, the Barkenfeld family and others. (page 466)

· The Committee in Chmielnik consisted of: Jakob Zeligman chairman, Zelda Parwa, Azriel Najdzwidz, Nachman Szyk, Jechiel Fliderblum, Abraham Cytrynblum and Icchak Kronenberg.

· Murdered during the deportation to Treblinka from Chmielnik on October 5th, 1942, the old man Globus, Dr. Ugenfisz killed himself. (page 462)

· Escaped from deportation to Treblinka from Chmielnik: Gerszon Mendelson and Motek Glowinski. (page 462)

· In Czestochowa the refugee, Szperling, a Zionist activist died only after one week since he lamented a Płocker friend in his funeral. (page 463)

· Dawid Mendelson tried to escape the Aktion in Czestochowa (22 September – 5 October 1942) but was shot. (page 463).

· Refugees who remained in Czestochowa after the akcja: Rywka Glanc, the brothers Lichtman and others. (page 463)

· Temporary Committee of the Płocker refugees in Wierzbnik consisted of: Jakob Lewin, Mordechai Glowinski, Nisan Wajnstok, Gerszon Bergson and Dawid Buch. (page 463)

· Among the refugees in Starachowice: Icchak Asz, Kurstein and Firstenberg. They were killed and buried in the local Jewish cemetery. (page 463)

· During the deportation from Starachowice, Nunik Kurstein hid in a bunker but was found and he and his friends were all killed by the Germans. (page 464)

· Refugees Committee in Zarki consisted of: H. Stern, D. Rubinstein, Y. Strach. (page 464)

· In Drzewica the Płocker Committee consisted of Burstein and Szibek. (page 464).

· In Bialaczow Szlomo Puterman served as the leader of the Płocker refugees.

· In Gelniow managed the public kitchen Dr. Widawski. (page 465)

· The Kalman family arrived to Skarzysko. The parents and the young sister were deported to death. Regina Kalman survived. (page 465, 466)

· In Skarzysko worked Tynski, Najdorf, Muksel, Szapira, Fajka, Adolf Kohen, the sisters Fierstein, Berman, two boys 14 years old: the son of Kohen who repaired sewing machines and the grandson of Chaim Gutman. (page 466)

· In Hassag Forced labor camp in Czestochowa worked Tynski, Kleinman, Szapira, Jagoda the milkman, Jagoda the municipality clerk, Lichtenstein, Zilberberg. (page 466)

· Among the elders survived only Dr. Bresler. (page 466)

· In Majdanek death camp were Y. Tinski, Motel Grobman, Dawid Szlomo Zajdman, Winogron, the optometrist Szajnwicz, the agronomist Minc, Kriszek, Gunszar. (page 466)

· In Buchenwald were the 4 brothers Lichtman, among them Reuwen, the general secretary of "Poalei Zion" in Płock. One brother died of hunger. (page 466)

· In a camp near Landsberg, among some Płockers was Mana who perished. (page 466)

· In Bergen-Belsen was Chanka Grosman.