Transport from Aleksandrow, Lodz, Lodz, Poland to Glowno, Brzeziny, Lodz, Poland on 27/12/1939

In 1939, the town of Aleksandrów Łódzki (German: Alexandrow) had 4,000 Jews, comprising one third of the population. Many of these Jews belonged to a fervent hassidic sect under the leadership of Rabbi Icchak Danzinger, whose resided in the town. Immediately following the occupation of the city on September 7, 1939, the Germans began to mistreat and murder the Jews. They destroyed the synagogue, abducted Jews for forced labor, and subjected them to physical abuse, killing over thirty people. The Germans appointed a Judenrat (Jewish council), imposed a daily curfew, and, from November 1, 1939, forced the Jews to identify themselves with a yellow badge. On November 11, 1939, many Poles and Jews were arrested and sent to the Radogoszcz prison near Łódź. ^[1]

Rumors reached the chairman of the Jewish council about a plan to deport all Jews from Aleksandrów Łódzki on December 22, 1939. The chairman of the council, Henoch Alter, together with other Jewish leaders—including Mosze Przetycki and Menasze Freiman—tried to convince two German manufacturers, Knappe and Schulz, to intervene and plead their case to the mayor of the town, Mr. P. Engel; they were refused.^[2] Hearing the rumors, a number of Jews decided to escape in advance of the planned deportations.^[3] Some were assisted by their friends, Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans) who were living in the area.^[4] The deportation took place on December 27, 1939.^[5]

According to historian Shmuel Krakowski, for a few days preceding the deportation the Germans erected blockades in order to prevent the Jews from fleeing.^[6] In anticipation of the deportation, some Jews gave or sold their property to their non-Jewish acquaintances or neighbors. The response of the local non-Jewish population varied; some showed empathy and tried to assist, while others took advantage of the Jews’ vulnerability.^[7] On the day prior to the deportation, many devout Jews in Aleksandrów elected to bury the Torah scrolls in order to prevent their desecration. On the day of the deportation, the Germans ordered the Jewish council to announce to the community that Jews were to report to the market square at 8:00 A.M. The community was warned that anyone who did not report and was found would be shot. At the market square, the Jews were forced to hand over their house keys with a note giving the homeowner’s name and address.^[8] Furthermore, they were ordered to deliver their valuables and money;^[9] some deportees succeeded in hiding these by sewing them into their clothes.^[10]...