Transport from Laszczow, Tomaszow Lubelski, Lublin, Poland to Belzec, Extermination Camp, Poland on 22/05/1942

Łaszczów is a small town and the seat of a gmina (municipality) in southeastern Poland, 50 kilometers southeast of Zamość. In 1921, its population was overwhelmingly Jewish – 1,041 of the 1,141 residents were  Jews.^[1] The townlet was occupied by the Germans in September 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War II. It was then briefly taken over by the Soviets, but when the partition of Poland between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany was finalized, Łaszczów reverted to German control until the end of the war.

Like other towns and villages in the area, Łaszczów was heavily bombed; many Jews lost their homes and attempted to cross over into Soviet- controlled territory.^[2] A major assembly point for refugees was the nearby border town of Rava-Ruska, from where they were transferred into the Soviet Union.^[3]

In 1940, a 12-member Jewish council (Judenrat) was established in Łaszczów.  Jews over the age of 12 were forced to wear a white armband with a blue Star of David in the middle and were routinely conscripted to do forced labor.^[4]  In August 1940, the Germans rounded up Jews for the Belzec forced labor camp system, though they all returned home in October, coinciding with the week-long Sukkot festival (which began on October 15).^[5] At the end of October 1940, the Zamość County census showed that 349 Jews remained in Łaszczów.^[6]...