Murder story of Bolechow Jews in the Taniawa Forest (Berezino)

…It happened on October 28, [1941]. Huge Gestapo carts were concentrated near the town's magistrate [town hall]. The atmosphere was electrified, tense. The Jews had a premonition of some impending calamity. Panic broke out among them, and [some] tried to escape, hiding in the houses and gardens to the best of their ability. [The Ukrainian] militia [auxiliary police] and some Ukrainian volunteers assisted [the Germans] during the "operation". The Jewish Council was ordered to submit a list of some of the Jews of Bolechów. As many had gone into hiding, [the killers] were grabbing everyone they happened to see. The kidnapped persons were assembled in the D.K.A [Dom Krasnoi armii, Red Army House] building…. All through the night, men, women, and children were seized. Once the hall had been filled, the windows and doors were closed. Guards were posted around the house. The stoves were heated with coal, [and the Germans] sealed all the chimneys while the coal was still burning, filling the space with stench and sweltering heat. The victims were lying, their faces turned toward the floor. Young women and girls were ordered to undress, and then dance naked. Rabbi Mendele Landoy recited his confession to the tormented Jews, while the pianist Brockstein accompanied him, playing a march.… The drunken, villainous Gestapo men would periodically burst into the hall and trample the martyrs under their boots, with satanic cruelty.… Few among the martyrs died on the spot; the survivors were forcibly taken out and driven by the Gestapo to a grove near [the village of] Taniawa, where a big mass grave had been dug…. On the edge of the grave, "those about to die" stood in rows, [in groups of] ten. The evil Nazis pointed their rifles at them. Upon the orders of their commander, out of sheer miserliness, [the shooters] were required not to miss their marks, since only one bullet was allocated to each person. The German and Ukrainian undertakers were dragging the injured victims, who were still convulsing, to the grave, and burying them alive.…

... In the first murder operation, on October 28 and 29, 1941, the Jewish policemen were not touched. They were locked up in the Dom Katolicki [the Catholic House – i.e., the Red Army House], but later released.….

…During the first operation (October 28, 1941), some 1,200 Jews were assembled at the [former] "Catholic House." Rabbi Landau was ordered to dance after his eyes had been gouged out. After this dance, Rabbi Landau was led out and dragged into the lavatory and out of it several times in succession. I do not know where he died…. After the operation, the local peasants brought various items back to the town: watches, glasses, chains, handbags, etc. These items had either been confiscated from the Jews before the shooting, or thrown out on the way [to the shooting site]. As a result, after the first operation the Jewish population became convinced that the people were not being led out to work, as they had originally been told, but taken to their deaths.…

…On Tuesday, October 28, 1941 [sic], at 10 AM, two cars arrived from [the city of] Stanisławów. They drove up to the magistrate. There were Gestapo men in black shirts in one car. The second car brought Ukrainians in golden shirts and golden berets. They went straight to Taniawa, to dig one long grave. Within half an hour, the magistrate assigned one Ukrainian official to each Gestapo officer, and these pairs went through the Jewish residences, according to a list drawn up by the town magistrate. The list included the wealthier and more educated Jews. The Gestapo men were dressed in combat gear. The locals thought that this was about assembling the work brigades. The roundup of the people according to the list took two hours. The list included: Rabbi Landau and Rabbi Horowitz, Dr. Blumenthal, Isaak Landes, Ajzyk Feder, Markus Frydman, Dr. Leon Frydman, and the director Dogilewski (whose daughter, who was four months pregnant, jumped out of a moving car). There were 160 people in all. The notorious [Hans] Krüger, chief of the Gestapo, came over from Stanisławów. He spent half an hour at the magistrate office, and then drove off. The massacre was led by the Gestapo officer Schindler. The policemen also took part, and at 12 AM the people began to be picked up from their homes and in the streets. Crowds of Ukrainian men and women began to assemble near the residences being raided by the Gestapo, and, once the Jews had been led out, they would rush inside, hooting and hollering, to loot the Jews' property. The town was swarming with Gestapo officers, Ukrainian policemen, and countless young Ukrainian civilians, including ten-year-old boys. They pointed out the Jews and drove them to the Catholic House…, where everyone had to kneel and press their faces to the ground. The Jews, believing that they were going to be sent to work, brought their warm clothes, backpacks, and valuables with them. The Gestapo officer ordered them to hand over their money and valuables, under pain of death. Money was found on the body of Abe Zimmermann's wife, who, like everyone else in the room, had to undress. She was shot on the spot. There were many such cases. Ajzyk Feder was shot while trying to escape through the window. Dr. Isaak Szuster was at the town hall that morning. The town residents knew nothing [about the massacre]. The city commissar Köhler told him: "Shuster, [du] wirst heute szustern [sic for schustern]" ("Shuster, you will be a cobbler today.") 900 [sic] people were crowded in the hall. People lay on top of each other. Many of them suffocated to death. The bodies of those killed in the hall, either by bullets or by being clubbed to death with rifle butts, were left lying there. Isaak Landes' head was completely crushed, so that his son, Dr. David Landes, failed to recognize him when he inspected the twenty-nine bodies of those who had died at the D.K.A. [Dom Krasnoy Armii, Red Army House] as they were being taken to the [Jewish] cemetery. People were beaten for no reason. Thus, the Gestapo officer Schindler threw a chair in Cyla Blumenthal's face and smashed it, just for fun. Rabbis were beaten with exceptional brutality. The body of Rabbi Horowitz was literally chopped into bits. One of the Gestapo officers ordered the naked Rabbi Landau to stand on a chair and deliver a speech in honor of the Germans. When he said that the Germans were great, a Gestapo officer hit him on the head with a stick and shouted "bow down!" After that, he shouted: "Wo ist euer Gott?" [Where is your God?] In the crowd, Beni Halpern's wife began to give birth, and at the same time she became confused and started screaming. A Gestapo man shot her, but she was only wounded, and he finished her off with a second shot. Her body remained there until October 30. The pharmacist Kizmelman also died in the hall. Szancia Reiseler, the wife of Frydman's attorney, was stripped naked and forced to dance on the bodies of the assembled people. At noon, the rabbis were taken out into the hall, and vanished without a trace. They were said to have been thrown into the pit where horses were buried. These people were held there, without food or water, from October 28 until 4 PM on October 29. They were then taken in cars to the forests at Taniawa, 8-10 km from Bolechów. Some 800 people were shot there. [At the murder site,] a plank had been placed over the ditch, and the people were forced to step on it, whereupon they were shot, and fell from the plank into the grave. Some of them were already dead, while others were merely wounded. Ducio Schindler escaped from the pit, naked, in the evening. He climbed on a dogwood tree, and waited there throughout the massacre and the subsequent covering of the grave. He also recounted everything afterward. On the next day, October 30, 1941, Commissioner Kohler asked the Judenrat to take care of the D.K.A. rooms and transport twenty dead bodies to the cemetery. The Gestapo demanded payment for the spent cartridges. The Judenrat had to pay. Additionally, they were forced to give [the killers] 3 kg of coffee beans for their trouble. Some 900 people were assembled at the D.K.A. However, in the morning of October 20, Aldak, the "specialist for Jewish affairs," came over from Kaluza. He summoned all the tailors, cobblers, and other artisans, and sent them back to their homes. On Thursday, October 30, 1941, the Gestapo returned to Stanisławów. At noon on that day, Aldak came again, this time for the furniture, which had been collected as contributions (thirty full sets from [the Jews'] apartments), and which was being stored in synagogues and private warehouses. He also took the candlesticks, Torah scrolls, some books, and Talmuds for himself, taking advantage of this opportunity.… A total of about 900 people were killed in the first action....

... The first Aktion [murder operation] was carried out on October 28 and 29, 1941 by the Germans and the local Ukrainian policemen, with the help of reinforcements that had arrived from the Stanisławów city district. In the morning, a German wearing a uniform and a Ukrainian policeman entered my cousin Józik's house with a list in their hands. They ordered my uncle Herman, my father's brother, to put on his clothes and go with them. Józik's mother tried to explain that her husband was just recovering from a long illness and was not yet well. He was not fit to go to work. Her plea fell on deaf ears. He tried to bribe them, but that, too, was in vain. The Ukrainian policeman grew even more hostile, and he now insisted on taking both the bribe and my uncle. Uncle Hermann left, taking with him all his medical documents, believing that he would be able to explain that he was unfit for labor.… My father was not in the city while all this was going on. When our grandmother, Uncle Herman's mother, noticed that Herman did not return, she decided to go and see what had happened to her son, despite our begging her not to go. She wanted to explain to them that her son was still ill and unfit for work. No one could imagine that they were gathering Jews just to kill them.… The Jews were gathered in the building of the D.K.A [Dom Krasnoi Armii, the former Red Army House], where they were held for two days, suffering torture. Some of them were murdered. The Germans and the Ukrainians fired into the crowd. People were ordered to hand over all their valuables. Whoever didn’t comply was immediately shot on the stage, in front of all the others. The rabbis Josef Horowitz and Mendel Landau were forced to arrange a public prayer and to confess to their Jewish sins. Then, the Germans punished them. On the second day of the Aktion, a selection was carried out among those condemned to death. Vital workers from different factories were released, following an intervention by the managers of those factories. A thousand Jews were taken to the Taniava [Taniawa] oak forest, where they were shot, and fell into a common grave. At noon on the next day, when my father returned from his work-related trip, he already knew of the wild aktion that had taken place in the city. When he heard the news about his mother and brother, he ran to his German boss, who told him there was nothing he could do. He was not even certain that he had enough power to protect my father. It was already too late. All the people had already been murdered. Józik's father, Uncle Herman, was one of those killed in the D.K.A hall. We were told that the Germans had ordered the rabbis to dance on the stage with naked girls, while one of them played the piano. When one of the rabbis refused to look at the girls, the Germans gouged out his eyes. After that, the rabbis were thrown into the huge latrine pit in the D.K.A courtyard. When my father returned from the meeting with his German boss, he didn't speak for several hours. Later, he told us what he had learned. The Germans who had arrived from the district of Stanisławów were equipped with a list of the city's Jewish intelligentsia. When they found out that a sizeable number of those on the list had hidden away, they began to seize anyone who happened to be passing in the street. They also tried to flush them out of their hiding places with the help of the local Ukrainians and Poles. It was said that more than 1,100 Jews had been assembled in the D.K.A. building, which was usually equipped with 300 seats. The seats were taken out, and the Jews were ordered to lie down on the floor and keep their heads down. Whoever dared to raise his or her head would be beaten with a wooden club. The people lay down, one on top of the other. The stoves in the hall were lit. The heat of the stoves, mingled with the body heat of all those people, was unbearable. The Ukrainians, wielding wooden clubs, stood at the entrance to the hall and beat all those who were forced to enter. Anyone needing to go out to the toilet was also beaten on their way back in. People were afraid to go out, so they soiled themselves. The heat and the stench caused people to vomit; some of them suffocated. As a result of the heatstroke and suffocation, 120 [sic] people died in the hall. They were buried in a mass grave at the Jewish cemetery. The rest were taken, by foot or in trucks, into the forest and killed there. A man named [Ducio] Schindler escaped. He managed to climb a tree and saw what happened near the mass grave. Uncle Herman was murdered in the hall, but the bodies were so twisted, and their faces so mangled, that the members of Chevra Kaddisha were unable to identify the people whom they had known for many years…. Several days later, the Judenrat received a demand for payment for the cleanup of the D.K.A hall and for the bullets spent during this massacre.… Before this first Aktion, the attorney Raifaizen [Raifeisen, the head of the Judenrat] committed suicide. My friend Bumek Grinszlag found us and told us that the attorney Raifaizen had hanged himself from one of the trees in his garden.…

At dawn on Tuesday, October 28, 1941, several trucks arrived from Stanisławów. The passengers were a unit of undertakers, equipped with shovels. Some of them were Gestapo officers from Stanisławów, who wore SS uniforms. Presumably at the same time in the morning, reinforcements consisting of Ukrainian auxiliary policemen and German Schutzpolizei (urban police) officers from Stryj and the vicinity arrived in the town [of Bolechów]. They had detailed lists with the names and addresses of hundreds of the [town's] intelligentsia [members], merchants, rabbis, and others. The butchers began to arrest the victims at about 10 AM. Initially, the operation was carried out very silently, and the victims were taken completely by surprise. Until the afternoon, no women or children were arrested. The operation most probably began at the edge of town, and [the killers] gradually worked their way toward its center. The arrested persons were ordered to dress well, "since they had a long road ahead of them."… A few hours after the beginning of the operation, panic broke out among the Jews, and most of the persons who appeared on the lists had enough time to hide or run away. As a result, in the afternoon [the Germans] began to arrest anyone they could lay their hands on.… …At dawn on Wednesday [October 29], the search [for hidden Jews] was resumed, and the searchers worked vigorously until the afternoon. The arrests ceased at a certain hour, and all those who had been caught after this point were released. At that time, the 800-950 Jews who had been assembled in the hall of the former [building of] "Dom Krasnoy Armii" (DKA) – before the war, [this had been the building of] Dom Katolicki – were preparing to embark on their final journey, having been subjected to almost indescribable mental and physical abuse.… When we arrived in the rynek [market square], I saw many [of our] acquaintances being led, like myself, toward the "Great Bridge." Some were bleeding from the copious blows they had received. The mob had already begun to assemble, greeting us with shouts of contempt and ridicule. However, one could also see many people glancing at us with pity, and their eyes were brimming with tears. Around the D.K.A [building], one could see dozens of Jews being led toward the hall. The faces of many expressed pain and anguish. Some were indifferent, while others were smiling cheerfully. To enter the hall, I had to pass through a double gauntlet of young Ukrainians, who inflicted savage blows on each Jew entering [the hall]. Inside, I saw many people lying on the floor. I lay down among them, waiting for something to happen. Several hours later, the hall was filled to the brim. The windows were closed, and an iron stove was lit, until it was almost white-hot. The heat and suffocation were unbearable, but any attempt to take off the warm clothes resulted in horrible abuse by the SS men, who prohibited it, threatening [those who flouted this prohibition] with death. The Gestapo men sprinkled some powder in the hall, causing fits of coughing and intensifying the feeling of suffocation. The Germans trampled the prone people with their boots, beating and kicking them indiscriminately. We were forbidden to sit up, and everyone had to lie down. Occasionally, various orders were issued from the stage.… Many people fainted. Some of them never regained consciousness, and died. Germans stood on the balcony, and they periodically fired at the crowd. The number of dead and wounded was soaring. A pregnant woman suffered a miscarriage and died. An order was given: All the [Jews] were to hand over all their valuables and money at once. The vast majority complied with the order. Afterward, many [of the Jews] were thoroughly searched. Eleven people, who had refused to obey the order, were shot dead on the stage, with the other Jews assembled in the hall being forced to watch the execution. The bodies remained lying in the hall, among the hungry, thirsty, and suffocating people, who grew increasingly apathetic to their surroundings. The blind pianist Bruckstein was ordered to play the piano that had been placed in the hall, and the murderers were dancing with naked girls, to the sounds of a cheerful dance tune, among the dead and dying people. The rabbis – Mendale Landoy and Yosale Horowitz – were put on the stage. Two yellow candles were lit, and the elderly men were forced to preach to the audience in the following spirit: "We have sinned greatly, and now God has brought upon us this punishment, which we richly deserve." Afterward, the rioters [murderers] defiled the holy Torah scroll, making the sign of the cross over the rabbis. The unfortunate ones died, after having their eyes gouged out and [their bodies] tortured. Then, we heard the surprising announcement that supper would be served. Some of the Jews began to get up. They failed to understand the joke. We heard the rattle of a machine gun, accompanied with a satanic laugh and shouts of "this is your meal!" I was forced to leave [the hall] to relieve myself. While leaving and entering the hall, I had to once again pass through the double gauntlet [of Ukrainians], who were beating [the people] with clubs. Some of those trying to leave [the building] died as a result [of these blows]. By nightfall, the flow of victims increased, since a large number of [hidden] Jews had been handed over by the peasants living in the vicinity [of the town]. In many cases, the unfortunate ones were brought in carts, trussed up like animals. The Germans did not reward [the peasants] handsomely for this despicable job: For every Jew, [the peasants would receive] fifty cents (!) and a small jar of Miodoslod (a low-quality honey substitute that was very common at the time) or jam. In the evening, the representatives of [various German] factories came. They read the names of the essential workers from lists. As a result, hundreds of people were released. At that time, all the Judenrat members were released, as well. The remaining [Jews] spent a horrific night, which passed with excruciating slowness. In the illuminated hall, some people were dying, while others were in a state of complete or partial unconsciousness.… Additional shootings took place on the stage, in front of everyone. In the morning, the joke about "breakfast" was repeated, and shortly thereafter a flow of hundreds of new victims began to arrive. At noon, everyone was taken out of the hall into the courtyard. A roll call of sorts was carried out, and we were kept for hours in a state of fast, with bayonets and the muzzles of rifles pressed to our throats. Then, the trucks arrived. The people were loaded onto them in groups and driven to an unknown destination. The same trucks returned a while later, to take on another load. Finally, my turn came. I was loaded onto a covered truck, where dozens of people were huddled together. Most of them were apathetic and utterly broken. My seat happened to be at the rear opening of the vehicle. The rifles of two guards were pointed at our heads, and it was almost impossible to move, because of the overcrowding. From the malicious comments of the guards, I learned that we were headed to the execution site. My thoughts focused on my wife and children, whose fate was unknown to me, and suddenly I felt a tremendous desire to stay alive. I stole a peek upward, from the place where I was sitting, and saw fallen treetops against a grey sky. On the way [to the murder site,] the thought flashed across my mind: "Forest. Jump!" I jumped out of my place, pushed the German [guard] aside, and leaped out of the truck. I badly hurt my leg, but got up immediately and began to run among the trees. Behind me, I heard shouts and several shots. I ran toward the forest with all my strength. But shortly afterward, I fell down because of sheer exhaustion. I heard the faraway sound of the truck engine starting again, and I realized that they had stopped searching for me. I kept lying, and after a while I heard the echoes of machine-gun volleys and single rifle and pistol shots. At night, I arrived in Bolechów, where I met Jews who told me that the pogrom was over. I found my children and wife in our apartment, from which many items had been looted.… The number of Jews who were executed in the Taniawa Forest on October 29, 1941 has been estimated at 850-1,000. They were shot with six machine guns. Many non-Jews witnessed the mass murder, watching it from trees and other places in the forest. Some Jews tried to escape from the edge of the mass graves (which had been dug beforehand), but were shot and killed. The only one who managed to escape was D[ucio] Schindler, many God avenge his blood. He told us many details about the last minutes of the martyrs of the Taniawa [Forest]. The victims were shot in a specific order, which was partly determined by the Ukrainian policemen, who "punished" those crying and pleading for mercy by shooting them first. By contrast, some elderly merchants – who had been Communists, but were relatively decent persons – were granted the "mercy" of being among the last ones to die. Many victims were [merely] wounded and fully conscious as they fell into the mass graves. Some of them were shot a second time, while others were buried while [still] alive. Some Jews died proudly, cursing the murderers and reminding them of the punishment that awaited the German people. It seems that, after the murder operation, the murderers had a feast. The Judenrat received a bill for the number of bullets that had been used during the [murder] operation, and for other related "expenses". The Judenrat was also ordered to send some Jewish women to wash the victims' blood off the walls and floor of the D.K.A building. The bodies of the twenty-eight Jews who had died in the D.K.A building were buried according to Jewish Law, in a special plot at the [Jewish] cemetery.… Many people [in Bolechów] categorically refused to believe that many hundreds had been murdered.… Even after dozens of Jews had been sent to Taniawa to take care of the mass graves (for sanitary reasons), they clung to their illusions. There was talk that only some of them [the victims] had been killed, and so on.…