HISTORY OF THE JEWS OF CZORTKOW
MORDECHAI SILBERG
TOPOGRAPHY OF THE TOWN
The town lies on the right bank of the
river Seret, in a deep valley surrounded by mountains some of them
covered with forests, the others greening with herbs in summer and
snowcapped in winter. The river flows from north to south, and falls
into the Dniester. Two of the bends of the river cross the town at two
different points and largely add to its charming beauty. From the top
of the mountains roundabout, an exquisite scenery is visible which one
can feast his eyes on for hours.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN
The name Czortkow was mentioned for the
first time in 1427 in a document of sub,mission to the King Wladyslaw
Jagiello, signed, among other nobles, by the possessor of the village
Czortkowicy. The name was mentioned again in 1522, when King Zygmunt
the First granted the landowner Czortkowski, a charter to build a
town, according to the German regulalions.The town was to be named
Czortkow.
The town experienced various adventures. From the beginning of its
establishment it was frequently attacked by the Tartars who destroyed
it and took captive its inhabitants. Especially during the revolt of
the Cossacks the town fell several times into the hands of the united
host of tile Tartars and the Turks.
In l678 the Turks conquored Czortkow as well as the other Podolian
towns, and in 1700 Czortkow was raised to the status of the Seat of
the Vice-Pusha. Their rule lasted until 1683 when they were expelled
by Andrej Potocki.
At the Peace of Carlovitz in 1699, the Poles took over the whole
region of Podolia, and Czortkow returned to the Potocki family. In
1772, after the first partition of Poland, Galicia was ceded to
Austria.
In 1800 the province of Tarnopol, including Czortkow, was annexed to
Russia and remained under its control until 1915 when Austria renewed
its rule which lasted up to the outbreak of World War I.
In the first weeks of World War I the Russians occupied the town and
controlled it for three years, when they were forced out by the
returning Austrian-German armies. After the disintegration of the
Austro-Hungarian monarchy, as a result of the defeat in the war, the
town entered upon an era of instability, after a continuous rule by
Austria for nearly a century.
As soon as the war was over, the Ukrainians seized the reins of power
and ruled in the town for nearly a year, until they were defeated and
forced out by the Poles who had gradually conquered the whole of
Eastern Galicia and annexed it to the independent Polish State.
In 1920 when the Bolsheviks invaded Poland, Czortkow too came under
their rule for about three months; then they were driven out by the
Poles beyond the border. Since then Czortkow had been under Polish
rule up to the Soviet conquest of the town a few days after the
outbreak of World War II in 1939. The town remained under Soviet rule
up to the German occupation, a few days after the German onslaught on
the Soviet Union on the 22nd of June 1941.
JEWISH SETTLEMENT
The year 1616 -- the earliest date to
prove the existence of a Jewish population at that time -- was found
to be engraved in a tombstone in the old cemetery of the town.
However, there was no doubt that the Jews had settled there before the
above mentioned date.
In an ancient Registry of the Jewish community in Czortkow which was
discovered before World War I (the contents in Hebrew is given in an
abridged form at the beginning of this book) there is a supplementary
note about the destruction of the community at the time of Bogdan
Khmelnitzky (1648). It is further told there about the martyrdom of
Jews who fell victims of libel spread by the Poles, who apparently had
suspected the Jews of having come to an agreement with Cossacks, which
consequently led to a massacre of Jews by the Poles. At any rate, from
this note it is evident that, 32 years after the mentioned date
(1616), an organized Jewish community already existed in Czortkow.
In the registry there is a record of events stretching over a period
of more than one hundred years. So is there a list of the Rabbis who
had served in the town, some of them became famous as geniuses.
There are also detailed lists of the yearly budgets of the community,
of income and expenditure. It becomes clear that in most cases
expenditure exceeded income, and the community was compelled to borrow
money from the rulers and priests at a high rate of interest, or even
at an exorbitant one. A vicious circle was thus created : a large part
of the annual budget had always to be reserved for settlement of
former debts (sometimes up to two-thirds of the budget), and the
remainder hardly sufficed to pay the salaries of the employees of the
community, like the rabbi, the cantor, the attendants an<l so on.
From a study of the Registry as well as from other sources, one can
learn that the situation of the Jews of Czortkow was very hard at that
time, both politically anti economically.
The governments in this region were unstable and, relatively, changed
very often. The common factor of all those governments was that the
Jews were victims of all of them: they were deprived of civil rights
but, however, were the first to carry the Burden of general taxes, in
addition to specific taxes imposed on Jews only. No ray of hope was to
be seen on the horizon, of any possibility for them to get out of the
terrible distress they were in. The "real" hope was their strong
belief in the coming of tile Messiah...
A TURNING POINT
In the second half of the 19th century, after the
revolutions which had broken out in 1848 in Western Europe, a marked
improvement occurred in the situation of the Jews, both politically
and economically. First of all, the special taxes imposed on Jews were
abolished, and gradually they received equality of rights similar to
those of the other inhabitants, Jews could get jobs in government
offices and in law courts. In the seventies of the 19th century Jews
engaged in export-import trade, and some even became landowners. High
schools were opened to Jews, and they made use of this privilege and
entered liberal professions, became physicians, lawyers, and the like.
However, the improvement in the economic situation touched only a
relative small part of the Jewish population, while the majority of
them lived in poverty and distress, and had to struggle hard in order
to earn a poor and scanty livelihood. There were entire quarters in
the town where there were neither paved roads nor sidewalks. In the
dilapidated clay-houses there were neither electricity nor water
supply, nor bath-tubs, nor sinks nor canalization, nor W.C.
The majorily of the Jews of Czortkow lived on trade, while a
substantial minority consisted of artisans, teachers, clerks,
butchers, religious ministrants, and so forth.
In the political sphere, the Jews were ground between the millstones
of the Poles and the Ukrainians in their struggle for power. however,
in the course of time, the Poles and the Ukrainians, despite the
hostile relations of one to another, joined against the Jews, in order
to evict them from their economic positions in dealing with the
peasantry in agricultural produce, by imposing a boycott on the Jews,
by the opening of cooperatives, and so on. Nevertheless, despite all
this hardship, by contrast with what happened later, this bygone epoch
can be seen as calm and quiescent. The most important mitigating
factor was, that the world was still open to immigrants, and whoever
could not succeed in finding a livelihood in his native community was
able to seek his fortune in overseas or in other lands.
The Russian invasion of the town in World War I, brought about an end
to this epoch which lasted for more than half a century.
1914-1939
Fortunately, unlike many other towns in
Galicia, Czortkow was not destroyed when the Russians invaded and
occupied the town in World War I. The Jewish inhabitants adapted
themselves to the new rulers and continued their life as before.
During the period of the Russian rule which lasted for three years,
some major events are noteworthy: 1) The expulsion of the Jews of
Sniatyn into Czortkow in 1915. 2) In the same year epidemics broke out
in the town; the most formidable was the cholera plague, to which many
hundreds of people succumbed. 3) The Jews of Czortkow witnessed the
revolution which broke out February 1917, known as the Kerenskv
Revolution.
WORLD WAR I AND ITS AFTERMATH
When the war was over, the town changed
hands several times: the Ukrainians, the Poles, the Bolsheviks and
again the Poles took possession. The period of Polish rule in Czortkow
lasted for nearly 20 years, and came to an end with the Soviet
conquest of the town in the first days after the outbreak of World War
II.
From the beginning of the establishment of the independent Polish
State, the Poles conducted a struggle against the Jews, in order to
drive them out of tile sources of living and take their places, and to
evict them from the economic positions they had held before. The main
object of the Poles was to compell the Jews to emigrate, in accordance
with the well known slogan: "Poland for the Poles" They wanted to
achieve this end by hook or by crook: by the press of taxes; by not
employing Jews in government offices, in industry; by various kinds of
economic pressure, and so on.
From the beginning of the establishment of the independent Polish
State, the Poles conducted a struggle against the Jews, in order to
drive them out of tile sources of living and take their places, and to
evict them from the economic positions they had held before. The main
object of the Poles was to compell the Jews to emigrate, in accordance
with the well known slogan: "Poland for the Poles" They wanted to
achieve this end by hook or by crook: by the press of taxes; by not
employing Jews in government offices, in industry; by various kinds of
economic pressure, and so on.
In the twenties of the 20th century, some countries were still open
to immigrants, and many Jews of Poland seized this opportunity.
However, the gates of immigration were gradually shut, and in Poland
the sources of living were closed. The economic impoverishment of the
Jews increased and reached its climax in the thirties on the treshhold
of World War II, which brought about -- in addition to the economic
poverty -- the Nazi holocaust, which put an end to the physical
existence of the Jewish population in Czortkow.
THE SPIRITUAL IMAGE OF THE TOWN
Czortkow was always bubbling and full of
life. As long as religion was in supremacy, the town was renowned with
its genius Rabbis, learned and erudite men. However, in the 18th
century, the "Haskalah" (enlightenment) began to penetrate, at first
secretly and hidden; however, it was like a thin rain which falls
slowly but penetrates deep and waters well the earth. Indeed, within
some tens of years, ever since the gates of the secondary schools and
universities had been opened to Jews, a large class of intelligensia
sprang up in the town which played un important role in various fields
of life, in education, economy, and in social, political and communal
activities.
The Jews of Czortkow took an active part in all the social movements
which have arisen in the last two centuries: Hassidism, Mitnaggedim,
Haskalah, Zionism of all the colours of the rainbow, Assimilation,
Socialism, Communism, and so on.
Czortkov was among the first towns in Galicia where a modern Hebrew
School was founded with Hebrew as the language of instruction. In the
last years before World War II, a Hebrew gymnasium was established and
the "Talmud Torah" was also turned into a modern school.
There were various institutions in the town: Talmut Torah", Gmiluth
Hessed (lowns without interest) an orphanage, a home for the aged,
libraries, clubs, choirs, dramatic groups, sports teams, and others.
The political parties were very active: in the first place, however,
were the Zionist and Hechalutz youth movements.
A number of Halutzim from Chortkow immigrated to Eretz-Israel before
World War I. Groups of Halutzim immigrated to Eretz-Israel one after
another. However, the stream of immigration stopped because of a lack
of certificates, and many, many Halutzim who prepared themselves to go
to Eretz-Israel were victims of the Nazi holocaust.
Of the personalities active at various times in some fields of life in
Czortkow, we want to mention here only two, active in the second half
of the 19th century. Their influence reached far beyond the boundaries
of the town.
One of them was Rabbi David Moses Friedman,. the founder of the Ruzhin
dinasty of rabbis in Czortkow. He was a modest God fearing man, who
kept away form world affairs, who mostly was engaged in the study of
the Torah and in religious subjects: the whole of his being said
sprituality. In an atmosphere of luxury and abundance - as was
customary in the courts of this dynasty - he lived a life of suffering
and torment. As if forbidden by vow, the pleasures of life he denited
himself.
His infuence lay in the strong belief of thousands of his disciples in
their Rabbi, whom they admired, listened to for his advice , and whose
commands they obeyed.
Thanks to him the town became famous all over the world. The great
stream of people from without, which used to come into the town
throughout the year, especially on the eve of festivals, and the High
Holy days was of great importance, both from the social aspect and
from the economic one. The people who used to come from far and near,
relieved the town from dreariness, and breathed life into it.
The second personality, Rabbi Yeshayahu Meier Shapira, a contmeporary
of Rabbi D.M. Friedman, attained his goal by his activities for the
enlightenment of the masse: artisan, small merchants , etc. They were
no disciples of Rabbi Friedman.,but rather opponents (Mitnaggedim).
Although their is no doubt that Rabbi Shapira was a very pious man,
nevertheless Hassidim maintained that Epicureanism smelled from his
activites. Ribbi Shapira was not a conserative man, and did not follow
in the footsteps of the other. contemporary rabbis.
He saw himself designated to encourage and aggrandize the depressed
and humiliated masses, not only spiritually but also materially. 'To
this end he foundeda bank on a cooperative basis, in order to help the
needy by granting them loans at a low rate of interest.
He organized an Artisans Associalion, "Yad Harutzim", which was a
"revolutionary" act according to the conceptions of those days. In his
spare time he used to invite groups of artisans and teach them a "Parsha-Chumash"
(poriion of the Pentateuch) with "Rashi" commentary: a chapter of
Psalms or "Ein Yaaqov". He was among the first to circulate the ideas
of Enlightenment and had preached orally and in writing the idea of
"Return to Zion" long before the appearance of Dr. Th. Herzl.
Thanks to the activities of Rabbi Shapira, Czortkow had turned into an
important centre of the Haskala movement, and later on also of the
Zionist movement. Nearly all the first Zionist leaders camc from among
Rabbi Shalpira's pupils and admirers.
A synagogue bearing the name of Rabbi Shapira was built in Czortkow,
so was founded by the Y.M Shapira Society in New York.
We mentioned these two personalities, because their names were
renowned all over the world, however, besides them, there were in
Czortkow tens and hundreds of personalities descrving individual
appreciation, since they dedicated very much of their time and of
their power to social movements, public institutions, the education of
the people and so on. However, we regret that we can not afford to
appreciate every one of there individually.
When the Nazis invaded Czortkow one of their first acts was, as in
other pIaces. to start cutting the "Tree of Life" from the top. On
demand of the Gestapo, the Judenrat provided list which included
hundreds of those in the liberal professions, lawyers, teachers,
engineers, and the like. All of them were brutally murdered in the
"black forest" near the town.
May these lines be a tombstone in memory. of these estcemed men, and a
designation of the dreadful disgrace of their murderers !
THE DESTRUCTION OF CZORTKow
Translated by
M. Silberg
On the 17th of September, 1939, the Red Army entered Czortkow. The
Jewish population ,breathed freely, because they were saved from Nazi
occupation. The Jewish community, Which numbered about ten thousand,
continued to live in relative quietness up to the outbreak of the
German-Soviet war on the 22nd of June, 1911.
On the 6th of July, 1911 the Germans invaded Czortkow. Although the
Soviet authorities had made it possible for anyone to leave town, and
join the retreating Red Army, only ,a few hundred Jews, mostly young
men, seized the opportunity and escaped to Soviet Russia
The effect of the virulent campaign conducted for
years by the Nazis against the Jews and the Soviets, by means of
Ukrainian agents and
spies, gave its signs already in the first days of the occupation. The
Nazis reaped the fruit of the hate they had sown, as even before they
had set foot in the Ukrainian village the peasants broke into the
houses of their Jewish neighbors, murdering them together with their
wives and children, and looted their property.
An atmosphere of an eve-of-pogrom panic was felt in the town. The
Ukrainians circulated all kinds of fantastic accusations against the
Jews, and after exciting feelings for several days, they attacked the
Jewish inhabitants and took them to forced labor, where several
hundred People Perished as a result of brutal treatment and lust for
murder.
It was the Ukrainian Police which perpetrated the most terrible
attacks, brutalities and mass murder of the Jews of Czortkow and its
environment.
The first edict issued by the Nazis ordered every Jew to wear on his
arm the mark of disgrace the "Star of David" on it. In addition, the
Jews were ordered to provide daily several hundred workers for forced
Labor, and to fulfill all the demands of the local Nazi authorities.
After a brief period of time, several persons joined to set up the "Judenrat"
of Czortkow. The Judenrat numbered 12 people among whom were advocate
Dr. Kruh. Israel Langerman, Bertsie Steiger, Feivish Lebhard and
Israel Mordechai Treiner.
Among the first demands of the Nazis from the Judenrat was a list of
those in the liberal professions. according to which all the teachers
as well as lawyers were arrested, among whom were also members of the
Judenrat, together about two hundred people. They were brought to the
"black forest" about five km from Czortkow, where all of them were
shot and buried in prepared graves.
On the 20th of August 1941 a "flying machine arrived in Czortkow and
at once started snatching Jews in the streets, who were also brought
to the "black forest" and murdered their.
After the liquidation of the Judenrat in the first composition, the
Nazis appointed a new one, headed by Dr. Ebner. Among other members of
this Judenrat were Hertz Buchsbaum, Yankel Kohn, Leib Winter, David
Stoecker, Dr. Goldstein, Dr. Kimmelman and Dr. Feldman.
There is no doubt that the Judenrat was not established in order to
protect the Jews. Its single task was to serve as an agent of
communication between the Germans and the Jewish population. Since no
Jew was allowed to enter a German office in order to arrange
something, the only official procedure left open to the Jews was the
Judenrat.
On the other hand, the Judenrat served also as the executive agency of
the Nazi authorities, being forced meticulously to carry out their
orders. This in itself was a sufficient cause for the lack of
confidence on the part of the Jewish population which turned later
into hostility towards the institute and its "personages".
The Judenrat emptied the Jewish population of their property, in order
to fulfill the demands of the Nazis.The Judenrat never tried to make
use of the large sums and means at its disposal, to do something in
order to ease the terrible situation of the Jews in Czortkow. One
must, however, bear in mind that the Judenrat was in a precarious
position. Its members were unable to meet all the demands of the
Nazis. Once and again strict measures were taken by the Judenrat
against the Jewish population by means of the Jewish Police.
As is known, a Jewish Police Force existed which was at the disposal
of the Judenrat.The Jewish Police Force, "Ordnungs-Dienst"
(Order-Service) in German, consisted of 20 men headed by the Officer
Hungar of the municipality. These Order-Service received orders from
the Judenrat, and carried out with loyalty and strictness all the
requirements, like collection of taxes, the confiscation of valuables,
furniture; utensils and so on, in order to complete the imposed
quotas.
The job of the members of the "Order-Service" was vile and not easy.,
However, despite the fact that in some cases one policeman or another
extended help in time of distress, or showed a kind attitude,
nevertheless, generally, the members of the "Order-Service" fulfilled
their terrible duty obediently.
Both the Judenrat and the Order Servicemen never shrank back from
helping in snatching Jew's to be sent to labor camps, which were in
fact death camps. More than once bitter dispute broke out between
members of the Order-Service and the rest of the Jewish population.
It was imposed on the town daily to provide hundred or two hundred
workers. The work was hard,and while working the workers were cruelly
beaten, and many were shot dead. however, on the next day the same
number of Jews were sent to work as if nothing happened.
Despite the incessant demands of the Nazi authorities. from the
Judenrat for the supply of valuables as well as large sums of money,
it never happened that the Jedenrat did not meet a demand, to the last
penny. The order-servicemen forcibly confiscated m the Jewish houses
whatever they could, and delivered the quota m full punctually.
More serious was the problem of providing the quotas of workers, ever
since it became clear that the so-called labor camps near Kamionka,
Tarnopol and Lwow were death camps. The Nazis based their continual
demand for new workers on the ground that they had to release the
former ones. The fad, however, was that not a single man of those sent
to a "labor camp" ever returned to the ghetto.
Most of the men in the camps starved either of hunger or of cold, or
were killed by the Ukrainian police which helped the Gestapo in the
extermination of the Jews. In a short period of time, more than two
thousand Jews perished in the camps.
All the Jedenrat faultlessly fulfilled their assignment, however, the
Judenrat of Czortkov exceeded all others, especially in its chairman,
Dr. Ebner. This man managed his treacherous activities mercilessly,
with disgusting German punctuality, and the Jewish population was full
of powerless anger against the chairman of the Judenrat who served
with so much brutality his Nazi masters.
I emphatically declare that some of the neighbors of the Judenrat
became rich and benefited from special privileges granted to them at
the expense of the Jewish population which was doomed to
extermination. No Jew of the town ever contacted them, and the Jewish
masses were keeping distant from them as if they were lepers. However,
the members of the Judenrat themselves did everything possible to keep
away from the Jewish community , trusting to succeed in this way to
set up a barrier between those who were doomed to die, and between
those who might be lucky to save their lives, as well as those of
their families. However, they deceived themselves, as none of the
Judenrat people was saved, and their fate was like that of the other
Jews, with the only one difference, that their names will remain for
ever under a dreadful disgrace. At the last "Action" of extermination
of the Ghetto, the fate of the Jewish police was the same as that of
all other Jews. The Gestapo had brought the Jewish police together
with other people into the railway carriages and dispatched them to
the death-camps at Belzec.
As far as the Germans are concerned. they gave us to understand that
we were to doomed to destruction and that it was only a matter of the
time, which was to be fixed by the authorities in Berlin. They used to
hint to dates, which were delayed and changed again and again, so that
our existence turned into, an infinite wait for death.
I shall try to describe the conditions we lived in. If it is at all
proper to to be called life.
Early in April 1942 the Germans began to carry into effect their
satanic plan for a systematic extermination of the Jews in the
surroundings of Czortkow. At the same time the Nazis established a
ghetto, in Czortkow. which included the streets Rzeznicka., Skladowa,
Targowa, Lazienna, Podolska and Szkolna.
All the Jewish houses were marked with a large "Star of David".
Leaving the ghetto without permit involved capital punishment.
Snatching and shooting as well as surprise-"Actions" in the ghetto
area occurred often.
>From time to time large contributions of money were imposed, which
were to be delivered in a few hours time. Time and again the Nazis
used to take away from the Jews silver-cutlery, clothes, books and
money. From time to time they used to send large numbers of men to
camps and women to work in the neighboring estates.
The first "Action" took place in the days of 26-27 of August, 1942.
About a thousand Nazis and Ukrainian police attacked the ghetto at
night and took out of the houses about two thousand Jews and sent them
away, by train, into the gas chambers at Belzec. About five hundred
sick and aged Jews as well as children were murdered on the spot.
The detained were divided in groups and to each of them a member of
the Judenrat and two Jewish policemen were appointed to be responsible
for the respective group. Although both the Judenrat and the Jewish
police were personally spared in the first "Action", nevertheless,
some of their relatives were among those sent to the death-camp. At
the "registration area" near the Bazaar the Germans made a selection
and exempted about two hundred Jews who were needed to carry out their
indispensable work.
After the first "Action" the ghetto was reduced. Szkolna and Podolska
Streets were excluded. and the ghetto comprised only the streets near
the river Seret like Skladowa and Rzeznicka.
On the 5th of October 1942 the Gestapo ordered the Judenrat to provide
500 Jews. Both the Judenrat and the Jewish police tried to carry out
the order and started snatching Jews and bring them to the
"registration area". However, they failed to fill the quota imposed on
them. The Gestapo broke into the ghetto and took away by force 500
Jews and brought them to the train. With this group the Gestapo pushed
into the carriage 12 Jewish policemen, who succeeded, however, to save
themselves by breaking a wall of the carriage and deserting.
It is worth mentioning that in the first "Action" two girls jumped out
of the window of the train and thus escaped death. These were the
daughters of Mr. Palik (the pharmacist) and Mr. Bercowicz.
The "Action" on larger or smaller scales, continued all the time.
However, we got wind of the German decision to liquidate all the
Jewish population by January, 1943. The liquidation did not, however,
take place at the mentioned date.
In the course of time a large part of the population voluntarily moved
to the labor camps which had been established in the big farms at
Swidowa, Jagielnica, and Tluste. About a thousand Jews arranged
themselves in relatively favorable conditions. they had a
self-management : the work was very hard: they settled in more or less
good huts and were able to acquire foodstuffs as desired. There were
whole families who settled on those farms.
The Nazis organized a special camp for artisans as well as a camp
called Store-Camp. At both places about a thousand Jews, both men and
women, worked.
By June 1943, the Nazis decided finally to liquidate Galician Jewry.
The snatching of Jews did not stop even for one day, and all of them
were brought to death camps. Many were shot on the spot.
By August 1943, Czortkow was declared as "Judenrein". When the Nazis
came across a Jew he was instantly murdered. A small number of Jews
succeeded to find a hiding place at their Christian friends and were
saved. However, many others were unlucky, since many of the Christian
"friends" who had agreed to hide their Jewish friends betrayed them
and delivered them to the Gestapo, who liquidated them.
In the surroundings of Czortkow only one camp remained, the farm of
Lizowce near Tluste. Out of several thousand Jews in all the farms, we
remained only three to four hundred people. The German manager of the
farm maltreated us, and anyone who so desired was allowed to attack
us, by day or by night. In such conditions we lived in this farm for
several months! We used to sleep at various places, mostly in the
forest, sometimes in the open field, for fear of assailants and
murderers. For weeks and for months we did not dare to undress. The
most of us fell sick of typhus and other diseases. The number of
people dwindled day by day. Some fell down while walking and died of
hunger of illness or of exhaustion. Many perished by the hands of
their neighboring peasants who used to attack groups of Jews,
murdering them and looting the rest of their belongings. Many fell by
the bloodthirsty Ukrainian police who used from time to time to attack
the camps murder the Jews and shoot at the flying ones like hunters at
wild beasts.
Such a horrible life continued up to March 1944. At that time we
noticed that the Germans were retreating. In the last days before the
final retreat they attacked our camp every night and killed many of
us.
The few of us who were saved and remained alive fled to Tluste, and on
the end of March 1944 we were freed by the Red Army.
The task of exterminating the Jews in our region had been imposed on
special groups of the Gestapo. We also suffered very much from our
neighbors, the Poles and the Ukrainians. If the relations of the
non-Jewish population were better, far more Jews could have been saved
remain alive.
Out of nearly ten thousand Jews which Czortkow numbered before World
War II. only about one hundred remained alive.
DEATH CAMPS IN THE REGION OF
CZORTKOW
It is Well-known that the Germans had planned the final extermination
of the Jewish population The perpetrators adapted the plan to the
conditions of the political situation. The Germans used all sorts of
lies, cunning and fraud, and in this way succeeded to mislead the
Jews, who in most cases placed confidence in their promises. It did
not cross anybody's mind that there was a German tendency to
annihilate the Jewish people. It became clear, however, that many of
the commanders, Gestapo people, S.S. and policemen had studied in
specially arranged courses, before entering upon the "task". However,
form the moment they started in these "activities", they willingly,
even devotedly perpetrated the killing and murder of the Jewish
inhabitants..
The majority of the Jewish population perished in the camps. Some of
these were "labor-camps", where many died of exhausting labor, inhuman
conditions, diseases and cruelties of the guards and the policemen.
However, these camps had not been planned, theoretically, if
practically, to be death camps. Labor-camps of this kind were the
farms of the Polish nobles, as well as the artisans-camps of Thomanek.
Death-camps were set up at Kamionka, Hloboczek near Skalat, in
Tarnopol and in Lemberg. More than two thousand Jews of Czortkow
perished in the gas chambers of Belzec.
"Office" which contained a Jewish Department managed by three
officials: Dr. Bloch, Lazar Katz, and Dudik Sternberg. They drew up
lists of Jews able to work, who received identity cards for Jews, with
photos and numbers. This card emphasized that the bearer of it was
registered at the Labour-Office and was at its disposal at any time.
At the end of the card was a remark: "Snatching in the street of the
bearer of this card - prohibited". However, this remark was only to
lead the bearer astray and to stupefy his vigilance to sense danger.
The snatching in the streets continued incessantly, and more and more
cruelly. After an announcement by the Germans that every Jew must have
his identity card, which gave him the right to work, stamped by the
Gestapo, all those who presented themselves were detained and sent to
a death camp. Only a small number of Jews obtained the so much hoped
for stamp of the Gestapo. However, in cases of snatching of Jews for a
transport into a death camp, no difference was made - every Jew was
condemned to death.
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