Murder Story of Stanisławów Jews at the Stanisławów Jewish Cemetery

[One day] in the fall of 1941, at 4 AM, policemen, military men, and Gestapo officers took all the Jews of Stanisławów out of their apartments and herded them, with blows, to the Jewish cemetery. There, they had to sit on the ground, which had been softened by rain, and ordered to hand over all their valuables, such as gold and silver. Then, the SS, police, and military men opened fire on the Jews. 8,000 people were shot on that day. Large mass graves had been dug there in advance….

…On October 12, 1941, the Gestapo, the Urban Police, and the Ukrainian Police carried out a large-scale liquidation operation against the Jews of Stanisławów. I lived then on 11 Moscicki Street, with my parents and brother. On that day, at about 8 AM, several armed urban policemen came and took us, together with all the others Jewish residents of the house, to the town hall. 10,000 Jews had already been gathered there, surrounded by a reinforced guard of urban policemen. I saw the urban policemen beating to death the elderly and sick individuals who could not run fast enough. The urban policemen kept forming the people in the square into columns and taking them off to the Jewish cemetery. I witnessed urban policemen drive elderly people and pregnant women into the vehicles, beating them savagely. Some pregnant women prematurely went into labor. The newborns, too, were thrown into the vehicles. When we arrived at the cemetery, thousands of Jews were already crowded there together, and we saw the mass graves already filled with bodies. At about 5 PM, my father and mother were taken to such a grave, and I saw urban policemen and Gestapo men ordering all the people to strip naked and jump into the pit. As soon as they had done so, the abovementioned [policemen], standing on the edge of the pit, would fire into it. At about 7 PM, after it had grown dark, the shooting was halted, and the surviving Jews were allowed to go home. My brother and I, too, were among them.…

…I remember that, on October 10 or 12, 1941, the abovementioned institutions [Gestapo, Urban Police, and Ukrainian Police] – with the involvement of the following individuals: Krieger [sic for Krueger], Maurer, Brandt, Schott, and Müller from the Gestapo; Streege and others from the Urban Police, whose names I do not recall – rounded up some 20,000 Jews in the Ring Square in Stanisławów. From there, they systematically transferred them, in the course of a day, to the Jewish cemetery, where some 12,000 Jews were shot and buried. Since it was already 7 PM, the remaining 7,000 Jews were allowed to go home. I was among the latter group.…

…On October 12, 1941, the first large-scale murder operation was carried out. Armed Ukrainian policemen, [German] urban policemen, and Gestapo officers went through the Jewish houses and ordered the Jews to bring along their choicest possessions, valuables, etc., since they were going to be taken to a labor camp. The murder operation lasted from 6 AM until 6 PM.… All of us were taken to the Jewish cemetery in Stanisławów. We had to walk in a tight cordon of guards, enduring terrible beatings and abuse. Mass graves had been dug at the cemetery in advance, and 12,000 Jews were shot or buried alive until 6 PM.... On February 23, 1943, Brandt liquidated the ghetto. All the Jews were shot dead at the cemetery….

…October 12, the Hoshana Raba holiday, had arrived. We did not work on that day. I got up at about 7 AM and saw through the window that the alley near Holder’s was swarming with guards. I went to the bathroom to take a bath, and then we heard a noise on the ground floor. Mother told us that the Germans were carrying out a search downstairs at Schleimer’s. Shortly thereafter, an insistent bell [rang]; the cry “Auf, auf!” [up, up] [was heard], and a German soldier (urban policeman) rushed in, shouting that all of us were to get up, gather our belongings, and go down. “Wertsachen nimmt Euch mit, weil Ihr das gebracuhen wirde” [You should bring your valuables along, you're going to need them]. It was about 8 AM. I thought to myself that the Jews were going to be expelled to a camp. We got ready to leave, as did the Lippmans and all the other tenants. We went down near the synagogue, and there I noticed that the Jews from Last’s house, and some others, were already sitting under guard on the ground in the garden in front of our shop, even though it was a rainy day…. We were taken to the town hall, where we rested on the stairs to the basement. There…, we learned that Jews from all over the city were being rounded up…. At about noon, we began to be taken away in trucks, and were cruelly beaten during the loading…, only by the Ukrainian policemen (the former janitors of the Jewish gymnasium). We were then driven in the open vehicle along Karpiński and Bathory Streets to the cemetery…. We entered the cemetery through the main gate, and I saw thousands of people sitting in rows on the ground. On the right side, the “Ukrainian boys” [from] the so-called “Baudienst” [forced labor organization] were finishing digging a huge grave – sixty meters long, twenty meters wide, and five meters deep. We were ordered to sit down on the ground and hand over, at gunpoint (there were already several bodies), all the gold, money, golden pens, etc. These objects were collected by Jews under the [Germans’] control…. The shooting began sometime after noon. Groups of people were ordered to removed their shirts, chased down to the edge of the grave, and forced to jump inside. Two-four Germans and two Ukrainians shot those lying in the grave with automatic rifles. Some people were lucky [sic] to be hit accurately [i.e., die at once], while others were merely wounded, and they suffocated to death. We were sitting on the ground on that cold day, motionless, petrified, and insensitive to the slightly sizzling wet snow. I was watching the proceedings, but on several occasions I had to use all of my willpower to understand whether this was real, or just some kind of nightmare. They were throwing people, pregnant women with babies at their breast, into the grave alive, and firing into the piles of bodies without respite. And all of them [the Jews] went like sheep [to the slaughter]: no groans were heard. Such resignation was unbelievable. The families stayed together. The closer the rows got to the cemetery wall, the heavier the congestion became. Night was falling, and everyone hoped that their turn would come as late as possible. There were some exceptions – e.g., the elderly Wiesner, who rushed to the grave of his own free will, so as not to witness this scene any longer. The congestion at the wall was so heavy that many people suffocated to death…. The shooters took turns, fortifying themselves with sandwiches during the "downtimes". At about 6 PM, the execution was halted, and the survivors were allowed to go home….

...On September 12, 1941, at about 6 AM, Gestapo men drove the Jews out of their apartments under the pretext of evacuation. The Jews were ordered to bring along their valuables, jewelry, gold, and other items. All the Jews were gathered in an open square near the town hall. There were about 20,000 Jews there. They were marched in columns to the Stanisławów cemetery, where pits had been dug in advance. The Gestapo men ordered [the Jews] to strip naked and jump into the pits. Throughout this time, Brandt, who was in charge of the operation, and his accomplices kept shooting [the people]. The shooting went on until 6 PM, and it claimed the lives of 12,000 Jews. After 6 PM, the remaining 8,000 Jews were sent back home….

…It was a Sunday. From 6 AM, SS men and Ukrainian policemen went through the houses and drove all the Jewish residents into the street, where they had to line up in five columns. Those trying to hide were shot on the spot. Afterward, the five columns of wretches were driven to the Jewish cemetery, being subjected to horrible physical and mental abuse. Mass graves had already been dug at the cemetery by the Polish “Baudienst” [forced labor organization]. The people were herded like cattle through the cemetery gates. In the meantime, my mother sent me out to close our shop. As soon as I had done so, the first German punitive squad arrived. I was the first to be taken away, without being asked any questions. Since I wished to at least bid farewell to my mother, I raked my brains for a way to do so without betraying her. However, when I saw all the other Jews being asked whether they were really Jewish, I approached an SD Oberscharfuherer, who seemed to me a little more human than the others. Looking him straight in the eye, I told him that I was a Pole. Although I spoke fluent Polish and did not look particularly Jewish, he decided to test me. He leveled a gun barrel at me and told me that, if I did not tell the truth at once, he would shoot me on the spot; if I told him the truth, he would set me free at once, even if I were Jewish. I insisted even more vigorously that I was a Pole. He lightly hit me twice on the back with a rubber truncheon, asking me after each blow if I still wished to be a Pole. Since I stuck to my claim, he hit me once more – on the face, with a little more force – and let me go with the words: “You ass, if you happen to cross my path again, you will not survive the encounter, I can promise you that…” I then ran back and warned my mother and the other Jewish occupants of the house that the Germans were already in our street. Then, they all dressed in their best clothes and packed everything they could carry. Shortly afterward, our house, too, was surrounded, and all its Jewish occupants were driven out under a hail of kicks and rifle-butt blows. There were already hundreds of women, children, and men of all ages standing there. Everyone had to join this column of the doomed and march, hand in hand, in rows of five. As I have already indicated, we were then herded, under a stream of terrible abuse by the Ukrainian policemen, toward the Jewish cemetery. Already about a kilometer from the cemetery, we saw the bodies of Jews who had been beaten or shot to death on their way [to the murder site]…. When we passed through the cemetery gates, we came across a pile of bodies that was at least four layers deep. There were ten men standing at each of the mass graves I have already mentioned, carrying out the execution by shooting their victims in the back of the head. The Ukrainian policemen were tasked with bringing the people from the city to the cemetery, and they also had to herd those already at the cemetery to the pits, since no one would go there of their own free will. The crowd of people at the cemetery were always surrounded by Ukrainian policemen – who, fortunately, carried only blank cartridges. Nevertheless, they were able to do a lot of damage by shooting directly into peoples’ faces at close range. Since the policemen always grabbed the people from the fringes of the crowd, everyone kept struggling to get inside [the crowd]. Those who were in the middle suffocated to death. I always remained close to my mother. I decided that, if I should die, at least I would die together with her. The people who had been selected for death had to strip naked, regardless of sex and age, and to hand over any valuables they carried with them. They were then formed into a line with kicks and blows, and left to wait for their deaths, saying their last prayers. My mother was in a terrible condition: When the crowding had reached indescribable levels, her leg was squeezed between the others' bodies. There was a real danger that her leg would be torn off in that press of people, while she was still alive. No one paid any mind to my pleas or to her heart-rending cries – which was understandable, given the circumstances. Then, almost mad with rage, hatred, misery, fear, and love for my mother…, I began to beat, push, kick, and bite, so that the people instinctively made room, and I managed to pull my mother safely out of this crowd. An so it went on until nightfall. Suddenly, the shooting ceased, and the hum of engines was heard, followed by a deathly silence, such as I had never experienced before, although there were still at least 10,000 people in the cemetery. This silence lasted for at least ten minutes. Then, a voice was heard: “Children of Israel, thank God… The Germans are gone, and [we] are free…” Then, a real madness gripped the cemetery. The people were beside themselves with joy. My mother and I got away safely and reached the residence of my aunt, who lived nearby….

…On October 12, 1941, at about 3 AM, the SS, the Ukrainian police, and the OD [Order Service; apparently, the Jewish police] began to drive the Jews out of their apartments to the Jewish cemetery. If there were sick individuals in the apartment, their relatives had to take them out. The torturers beat their victims bloody with axes, spades, and iron poles. The Ukrainians assisted them eagerly in this. The five columns marched toward the cemetery amid weeping, cries, groans, and lamentations. I was seized on my way to work. We did not know what lay in store for us. It was said that we would be resettled elsewhere. The people took along food for several days, and whatever else they could grab. The cemetery was surrounded by Ukrainian policemen, and machine guns were placed on its walls. When we arrived at the cemetery, a horrible sight greeted my eyes. The people were crammed into the narrow space, suffocating in the tight confines, but new masses of people kept being squeezed through the single entrance gate. I was standing squeezed in the midst of the crowd, barely able to breathe, thinking of nothing, but I saw the open graves in the distance and realized what they meant. With a powerful movement of my arms, I jerked and jumped up, grabbing the upper section of a tombstone. In this way, I avoided suffocation. Thus I stood, clinging to the tombstone, until 7 PM. Then, the Gestapo men, headed by Krueger and Brandt, arrived. The Ukrainian policemen and SS men made a path for them through the tight mass [of people], laying about them with spades [and] axes…. Chopped-off hairs and hands were flying in the air. A table and two chairs for the Gestapo dignitaries were placed in front of the first grave. The entire Jewish council, with Seibald at the head, stood next to them. Suddenly, Krueger got to his feet, and with a single cry of “Ruhe!” [Quiet!], he quieted thirty thousand people. In the incredible silence that followed, he selected several dozen young and strong people, including myself. Then, he ordered everyone to hand over their money, gold, and jewelry, saying that, if any such items were found during the search, the offender would be shot. We were told that, if we collected [these items] thoroughly, and if each of us brought back a full bag, we would stay alive. The collection started. It was difficult to push through the crowd. But the people were throwing money and jewelry into the bags from afar. In the first moments, I was robbed of the bag. It was a friend of mine who took it, since he, too, wanted to live. I wanted to snatch the case from him, but the crowd separated us. When the bags were already full of valuables, they were brought to Krueger’s table. At that moment, Krueger selected a man from the crowd, and the latter approached him with a brisk, military step. Krueger turned to the collectors: [“] If any of you have concealed any of the collected items, you will be shot,” and he turned to Tabak: “Links um!” [to the left]. At his command, Tabak turned, and Krueger finished: “und du gehst als Beispiel” [and you will serve as an example], and shot him on the spot. After the full bags had been taken from them, the collectors were ordered to strip to their underwear, and all of them were shot. The massacre began with the words of Krueger: “You are dying for your Roosevelt and Stalin.” The people were taken to the grave, ordered to strip to their underwear, placed on the lip of the pit, and shot. The Ukrainians were dragging their victims, hitting them with sticks on the head and smashing their heads with rocks. Thus, amid cries, lamentations, and weeping, mothers with their children in their arms, fathers, men, sons, and daughters were dying. When the first grave was filled, there was a pause. During this lull, Krueger and Brandt had breakfast. They were served sandwiches with ham and sausages and vodka. I stood there, watching it all with evil eyes, not believing this was real. The blood was spilling over the edges of the pit, which was already filled [with bodies], and these beasts in human form were eating their breakfast with a smile. At the same time, the Gestapo offices and Ukrainian policemen surrounded the second grave. After a while, the shooting resumed, and the grave was filled in a single hour. Krueger and Brandt shot the people with pistols, while eating sandwiches. The Ukrainians and Gestapo men were murdering people, while drinking vodka and hitting their victims on the head with the empty bottles. Fifty percent of the people were thrown into the grave alive, and suffocated to death there…. Dr. Tenenbaum, who was about thirty-four years old, was a refugee from Vienna. He was greatly respected by the Jews, and even by the Germans. He was a man of outstanding intelligence and knowledge, of extraordinary character. When he was brought to the grave, Krueger ordered the shooters to cease fire… and told Tenenbaum to return to his place. Tenenbaum remained standing there, motionless. Krueger asked him, with a smile on his lips: “Oh, Herr Doktor! Sie wollen nicht zurückgehen?” [Oh, Mr. Doctor! You do not want to go back?]. In response, Tenenbaum took off his gloves, tossed them in Krueger’s face, said aloud: “Du unverschemter [sic] Mörder, wenn meine Brueder und Schwestern gehen, gehe ich auch“ [You shameless murderer, when my brothers and sisters are going, I am going, too], and rushed to the grave. When the second grave was filled, they began to fill the third grave, and then the fourth one. The daughters were jumping into the grave after their mothers. They did not want to outlive them. The voices of mothers calling for their children issued out of the graves. The people in the graves begged their executioners to finish them off. Sometimes, [the executioners] finished off their victims not with bullets, but with stones, bricks, and fragments of the smashed monuments. At 6 PM, the shooting suddenly stopped. Krueger rose from his place and said: “Der Führer hat Euch begnädigt-lauft nach Hause“ [The Fuehrer has pardoned you – go home]. All of us applauded in amazement and bewilderment. We turned around and took off running home. The exit gate was very narrow. We fled over the walls of the cemetery. On the other side, policemen were standing and shooting at us. Again, there were many victims. 12,000 bodies were left in the cemetery. I survived by some miracle. When I returned home, I found my whole family there. By chance, the murderers had skipped our little street, where three Jewish families lived among the Aryans….

As early as June 1941, I was deported with my family for the first time.… My family and I… ended up in Stanisławów…. One day, the ghetto inmates were taken to a cemetery, where machine guns had been placed, and the Jews were simply mown down. On that day, no fewer than 15,000 Jews (Polish and Hungarian ones) were murdered at the Jewish cemetery of Stanisławów, including my mother, my sister, and two brothers of mine. When the mass graves became overfilled, the Jews who were still alive were taken away to be massacred elsewhere. During the evacuation from the cemetery, I began to run, and was able to get away and escape certain death.…

…Suddenly, Simchat Torah arrived. The rumors are spreading. The Germans are going from house to house, taking the people to the truck, to work at the concentration camp. My baby was eleven weeks old, and there were also two sisters. I, my sister, and my parents were left. They were going through the houses, and we were listening: there were cries. They were beating people, so they got out. You should understand, they came down from the second floor without an elevator. The people were carrying bags, since they thought that we were going to work. Thus, it was not easy. We heard our neighbors – cries, blows – it was terrible. We lived on the third floor, and, when they reached the second floor, there was only one German Jewish woman, who had been expelled from Germany several years previously, and another Jewish family across from her, living there. There were two apartments on each floor. I heard her talk, since I was listening. I was terrified, because I had a pram. How would I go down the steps with the pram without breaking my back? It would be very difficult. I placed a bag with diapers and everything else I would need for the baby on the pram. The baby was almost invisible…. Anyway, he asked the woman on the floor below who was living above her, and she lied, saying that a Ukrainian and a German family lived there. And the man went down, leaving us undiscovered. We were looking through the kitchen window into the courtyard, and there we saw… our Polish neighbor approach the Ukrainian and tell him: “You should go back, there is a goldsmith living on the third floor.” She was denouncing us. I am going back to this episode, because it was so painful. Her husband was an officer in the Polish army, and, after the fall of Poland, he had been left unemployed…. So, my father would give him 350 rubles every month…. You understand, this woman, who had been helped by my father, told the police to go back…. And the Ukrainian police[man] returned. I had already taken out my wristwatch and handed it to him. I told him: “Do not beat me, I have a baby. Do not beat me while I descend to the ground floor.” And he did not beat me. We went outside and began to walk with all the people to another street, where the trucks were waiting. They were supposed to take us to the concentration camp. When we had gotten inside, they pulled me up – together with the baby girl, the pram, and all the rest of it. We saw that they were turning into Bathory Street. Now, Bathory was a one-way street, with a cemetery at its end. We could not possibly be going there. We could not believe it…. Many people were walking on foot, since there was no room for them in the truck. They were transporting the children in the truck. I saw them approach and begin to throw their bags. There were bags everywhere. Everyone abandoned them, because we were going to the cemetery. INTERVIEWER: Who was in charge? Only the Ukrainians? JEANETTE NESTAL: No, both the Germans and the Ukrainians, but the Ukrainians did all the work – they rounded us up, beat us, and shot us. The Germans merely supervised the process…. Now, we were getting there. Fortunately, we did not live in the Jewish Quarter itself. In Poland, the poor people lived together, but the rest – Poles, Ukrainians, and Jews – lived in various places. For instance, there were Poles, Ukrainians, and Jews living in our house. So, they came to our quarter only in the late afternoon – around 2 PM, or thereabouts. I do not remember what time it was – but, several hours later, the sun began to set. So, we arrived late. They concentrated the people outside the cemetery gate, so it would be crowded, and all the people would kill each another. Suddenly, they opened the gate and began to rush the people inside with blows. Of course, there was no room, because of the tombstones, and the people who had come before us were sitting there. So, they trampled each other…. 12,000 were murdered in this massacre.… However, 3,000 people were suffocated, having fallen together in a huge pile, and so they died. In the end, I, too, entered, and I saw… naked people, all of them were naked. They came with loudspeakers… saying… “We, the Germans, told the Jews to donate gold, jewelry, etc., and we found out that you had not handed it over. So, if you give it now, we will spare your lives.” Then, everyone began to strip off their clothes. Some people had valuables – small diamond rings, watches, or other articles – sewn into their garments. It was illegal to keep them. They were going around with bags, and we had to throw whatever we had into them. Someone probably still had something – gold, paper money, or possibly candlesticks. The people had brought the Shabbat candles and other such articles. Then, they laughed diabolically and said: “Well, this is just as we thought. You are snakes, thieves, and liars, since you did not hand this over in time.” And they opened fire…. There were deep graves, and the people fell into them…. I wished to go. I could not stand it anymore. My father… grabbed me by the hair. He stretched his arm and grabbed my hair, saying: “You have time, before you die.” He was so severe. I pushed back, and there was somebody else standing before me. As I said, we arrived late, so there were many people in front of us. In the meantime, it had grown darker. So, they said: “All those who are left can go home.” Now, all of us were naked. I had stripped off my clothes, and did not know where they were now…. So, we took whatever we could find, blankets or something like it, and covered ourselves…. And we went home….

…In early April 1942, on a Sunday, another massacre against us was carried out in Stanisławów…. The arrested Jews were assembled at the Red Mill…. A group of Jews were taken out of the Red Mill and murdered in Stanisławów…, at the cemetery…. In late September [1942], the large “Neu Stoff Arbeit” [?] garment factory (outside the ghetto), where 800 Jews were working, was surrounded, and all 800 of them were shot at the cemetery….

…On October 12, 1941, when the Jewish neighborhood [ghetto] was about to be opened, the Germans carried out a large-scale murder of the people. It was organized like a spectacle. Beginning in the morning, the Ukrainians went through the apartments, squares, and streets, throwing the people out. Whoever was hiding would be pulled out and beaten. In this manner, they [the Jews] were rounded up in the square. When the square had been filled, Brandt and his henchmen arrived in a car. He ordered to summon all the Judenrat members. Already on the day before, the Judenrat had received an order that all the community officials were to stay at their posts in the community offices from the morning onward, without permission to leave. Thus, on Brandt's orders, they arrived in the square. Then, Brandt selected a small group of people and set them aside. Afterward, he stood up on the car’s steps and announced to all those gathered that, from that day on, he would divide the Jewish population of Stanisławów into two parts: “Die Gemeinde der Lebendigen mit dem Herrn Lam an der Spitze und die Gemeinde der Toten mit Herrn Seybald” [the community of the living, with Mr. Lam at their head – and the community of dead, with Mr. Seybald]. And all those [the latter] were driven to the cemetery [on foot], while some of the elderly were taken there by vehicle. The Ukrainians continued to go through the houses and round up the Jews, who were immediately driven to the cemetery. The cemetery became so congested with people that they began to suffocate, and were crushed by the crowd. Graves had been dug there in advance, and the Germans took the Jews to these graves and shot them. Krueger and Brandt were there, and they held a feast. They were sitting at a table laden with food and drink. They kept eating, drinking, and laughing while the massacre was going on. Several thousand Jews were murdered at that time. Our acquaintance, Dr. Roman Grauer, the spokesman of the general attorney’s office in Warsaw, was one of them. He survived the [initial] horrible slaughter, because it had begun to rain, and the Germans allowed the survivors to disperse. Dr. Grauer had a nervous breakdown. He approached Brandt and asked him to shoot him, adding “Damit werdet Ihr der Krieg nicht gewinnen” [You cannot win the war this way]. And thus Dr. Grauer perished with the others. My friend, who was standing beside him, heard this, and told me afterward.…

…I remember the first murder operation, when there was still no ghetto; this was before the establishment of the ghetto. It was early in the morning – 4 AM, I think. It was cold outside. They descended upon the Jewish houses like ants…. For the first time, [we heard:] “Heraus, Juden heraus!” [Out, Jews, out!], and there were blows, etc. [We had] to take with us… a blanket and something else – and “Heraus”. And so, they drove us into the street, [lining us] in five or six rows, [while] we had to keep our arms crossed. They lined us up and took us to the courtyard. It was known as the “Ratuś” – i.e., the town hall…. And they brought all the Jews there. I was a child back then, so it seemed like millions [to me] – beaten, wounded, and bloody. There were many Germans standing around, and they removed their helmets and went through the ranks, shouting “Gold, Geld, Valuten” [Gold, money, currency]. These valuables had to be deposited in the helmets. Of course, this was accompanied with blows. Everyone threw whatever they had – gold, rings, everything – into the helmets. There were trucks there, and [the Germans] emptied all the Jewish belongings from the helmets into the trucks. And [this was] the first encounter with death for the ten-year-old child. A doctor, a family friend whom we knew well, recalled that he still had a ring…. In the end, they asked once again if anyone had anything else to give. He… took out some banknote, I do not remember what it was, and said: “Yes, now I remember that I have [something else].” Then, they took him out of the line, put him up on some platform (I do not remember whether it was a table or something else), and then the German said: “[This should serve] as an example of what happens to those who fail to hand over [their valuables] in a timely fashion.” He pulled out his pistol and shot [the doctor]. And all the crowd, the whole mass [of people], were shocked. And we saw the doctor fall; he had been shot right there, in the side. This was my first encounter with death. We were marched from this courtyard on foot to the new cemetery, a distance of three-four kilometers.… We entered it through the main gate, having been beaten all along the way. The violence and the blood were indescribable. And I have told you that we all had to have our arms crossed. There were also mothers with children; they had no strength to hold the child, and it was forbidden to bend down and pick the small child. So, they were dragging the children along the ground, and the mothers would fall down. Many were killed on the way to the first murder operation. And so, we proceeded from the “Ratuś” to the cemetery. They opened the gate, and again there were both Ukrainians and Germans standing there. They were beating us with clubs, and the same procedure [took place] at the entrance: Whoever had any “Gold, Geld” was required to hand it over. We had nothing more to give, so they beat us savagely, and then we entered the cemetery. There, we saw Ukrainians in blue uniforms, who were digging a grave. I think it was fifty meters long and four-five meters wide. Then, they ordered everyone – women, children, elderly people – to strip naked and throw their clothes into a pile. They then began to shoot them, sending wave after wave of people straight into the graves; they were falling into the grave. After several such waves, they halted and sent several Jews to arrange the bodies, so that they would take up less space. I saw my maternal grandfather among them. I was a child, but I did not tell my mother that I had seen him. We were further away, but instinctively I pulled my mother [back]. We were together with a baby, my baby brother and my sister, [and] I kept pulling them [back]. The waves of people surged forward, and I pulled them backward. I do not know why I did it, but [I kept doing it], and I succeeded. Afterward, they put a stop to the waves…. It was already afternoon, [and] the gunpowder from the bullets, which looked like blue smoke, was choking us. They placed two machine guns on the sides and began to shove [the people]. The Ukrainians, standing on the sides, began to shoot us with the machine guns, sending us straight into the graves. When it became dark…, we heard some shouts in German. I did not understand what [was going on]. There [were some] military commands, and suddenly it grew quiet. We saw the Germans grab their weapons and begin to run toward the gates. Afterward, when we returned home and the Jews began to tell their stories, they told us that the Germans had been very scared of the dark, so they left… And we remained there at the cemetery, all of us. Suddenly, a panic [broke out], and everyone started fleeing…. We scattered in all directions…. We came back home and found our residence gutted, looted by Ukrainians and Poles….

On October 12, 1941, a murder operation took place, claiming the lives of 10,000 people. The bloody massacre lasted from 11 AM to 7:30 PM. The execution took place at the cemetery. Krueger, the Gestapo chief, ate sandwiches and shot the people. The assembled [members of the] Judenrat had to stand by and watch this.