Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 18, 1963)
rtcuroHD mail tbiduwe, medfohd, OREGON THURSDAY, APRIL 1. 1(63 g 3 Jew Tells of Final Nazi Liquidation Warsaw Ghetto (Editors nott: Twenty years ago, on April 19, 1943, Ihe Naris began iheir "final liquidation" of ihe Warsaw ghetto. Three months earlier they had set about wiping it out but had been delayed by the first organized resistance on the part of the desperately op pressed Jews. Few Jews who fought that last de spairing battle lived to tell of it. This is the story of one who did.) By BERGMAN BORG As Told To United Press International Warsaw-WPII-At first there were about 500,000 of us pack ed inside those Rhetto walls. None could leave without the risk of being shot. At the end there were perhaps 60,000, and with few exceptions they died, too, in gas chambers. Twenty years later it is not in me to bring it all back. But I will tell you the facts. In the beginning, the Nazis divided the area into two sec tions, the ghetto proper and an industrial section. German firms ran the work programs. I worked as a tailor making uniforms for the German army. The work was compul sory and brought no privil eges. It was work, when or dered, or be shot. The official food ration for each Jew was about three loaves of bread, some pota toes, turnips and jam each TOPS IN QUALITY! LOW IN PRICE month. As time went on peo ple died by the hundreds of lunger and disease. One day a public notice ap peared saying we would all be leaving the ghetto. The no tice promised us we would be moved to some better place. Many Volunteer At first some people believ ed it and many volunteered to be the first to move. Those who showed reluctance were caught by police on the streets and forced into trucks that rumbled out of the ghetto. About 10,000 persons were forced each day from their families-husbands from their wives and mothers from their children. A few weeks after the first truck left, we learned where they went - to the gas cham bers of the extermination camp in the forest of Tre blinka. Go on Trucks I have reason to remember where they went. My wife, my son and my father died there. On Aug. 20, 1942, I came home from my work and they were not there. They had gone on the trucks. I never saw them again. SS Chief Heinrich Himmler paid a personal visit to the ghetto early in January, 1943. and reprimanded his local lieutenant. SS Brigade Fueh rer Juergen Slroop, for foot- dragging in the extermination program. About 70,000 Jews still remained in the ghetto and Himmler wanted them "resettled'' at once. Stroop, according to captured docu ments, told Himmler that the German army, reeling from the loss of Stalingrad, had monopolized most means of transportation. But he prom ised "special action." Enters Ghetto Such was the situation when a Jew named Josaphat Lewartowski appeared in the ghetto. He brought word that the Polish Workers' party (Communist) had been found ed and that he was its central committee's emissary. I had been a Communist before the war and after Lewartowski's coming I helped begin organ izing groups of four or five to fight by means of sabotage. We organized political in struction and military train ing. Lewartowski's role came to an end when one day he was pushed onto one of the Treblinka-bounn trucks, bui there were others to take his place. The Communists were not I the only secret resistance group in the ghetto. There were many others, and we decided we had to unify in order to fight. We set up the "Jewish Fighting Organiza tion" under the command of Mortheim Anielewicz. Store Arms We began storing arms and ammunition. We bought some from Poles outside the ghetto, including Polish policemen. And some from German sol diers. We also got arms from the Polish Workers party. We ambushed Nazi SS patrols for their arms. We made bombs out of tin boxes and bottles. We dug bunkers, and honey combed the ghetto with tun nets from one house to an other. On Jan. 18, 1943. a large group of SS men entered the ghetto to finish the job of liquidation. For the first time they faced organized resist ance and for three days fight ing went on. The Germans finally retreated because of heavy losses. But many of us had been killed or wounded, too. Come Back We knew they would come back - and better prepared next time. We organized into larger units stationed in va cant ghetto houses. We in creased patrols. We watched and waited. Stroop, the brigade fuehrer, sent 2,000 of his crack SS forces into the ghetto. They The Family Council Editor's not: The Family Council conilsti ot a Judge, a phyi'hUtrlft, three clergymen, three editors and a women's editor. Each article u a summary of a family disagreement presented to the Council. The Council deals with problems, major and minor, encountered by guidance counselors and social workrrs. Edited by Mrs. Alma Denny. (Copyright by General Features Corp.) Marie W. - She should let him come to New York alone. Elaine A.-I wouldn't dream of letting him travel alone. Mam W.-My brother lives in Florida and I live in New York with our parents. We'd counted on a visit from him and his family at Eastertime because their 12-year-old son whom we haven't seen for two years had a 10-day vacation. His parents make several trips nnrth a war nn hn;inpc: Well, we were sadly disap pointed because Chippy went on a Scout encampment in stead. We've as-ked him up for 2 weeks when school lets out. He can travel alone. Lots of kids do. Elaine A.-I don't care what other kids do. I know my son, and I'm not putting him on a bus, as Marie suggests, to go to New York alone. And we can't make another trip to bring him so soon after this one. It's hard to make our plans coincide with his vaca tions. Chippy loves New York and really wants to accept his grandparents' standing invita tion. But he'd have to be at least 16 before we'd consider letting him travel alone. He'd lose his money or his way. a The Council: Let's hope the Scout toughening program can win out with Chippy over his mother's swaddling closeness. She's far behind in her duty of preparing her son to take full responsibility for his so cial behavior, by age 16 when a htpful of new rights and privileges descends upon him. A child psychiatrist. Dr. Jer ome L. Schulman, claims that a normal time-table would have a boy of 9 making 50 per cent of all decisions affecting his daily life - such as how much milk to drink, what to wear, how to handle his al lowance, when to do home work. If Elaine had been set ting the proper groundwork for self-sufficiency. Chippy might now - even at 12 - be ready to try a solo trip with enough poise and self-possession not to get lost or even flustered. We don't approve of pushing a child. But neither can we condone "ploughing under" what's ready to grow. How many would-be oaks are metamorphosed by over-protective parents Into hothouse plants? had tank;;, artillery and flame- throwers. Stroop confidently ' advised Himmler the job would be done in three days. we saw the tanks come rumbling in, They came for our final liquidation. I knew it. We all knew it. I was in t the resistance fighting group commanded by Hcnryk Kawe. We had '2'A such units number ing altogether a few thousand. Our general staff under Mortheim Anielewiez'i com mand operated from a bunker in MUa street. My group work ed from a hou.se at 74 Leszno street. Open Fire ' We attacked first. We open ed heavy fire on SS troops marching toward the center of the ghetto. We inflicted big losses but finally had to retreat back to the house in Leszno street. Meanwhile fighting broke out in other streets. Before it was over everyone fought, induding women and small children. Those who had no guns or bombs were throwing stones. From buildings wom en poured boiling water on charging Nazi soldiers. Three days went by and Himmler became furious at Stroop's delay in finishing the action. Stroop reported how Jewish women were firing pistols with both hands and hiding grenades in their bloomers. On the fifih day Himmler ordered "the great est severity'' and Stroop de cided to burn down the whole ghetto. The SS troops began burn ing the ghetto houses one by one, using flamethrowers. We fought on, but we could not stop the flames. Houses Burn It became difficult to es- Members of the CO-ORDINATED MILK SALES Urge you not to miss the exciting Pear Blossom Festival and the 6th Annual Crater Lions PARADE SATURDAY The big parade will begin at the Shopping Center parking area promptly at 2:30 p. m. Saturday . , , will proceed south on Haw thorne to East Main, then west on Main to Medford's Library Park opposite the Courthouse. Be sure to bring the youngsters . . . they won't want to miss this colorful and exciting parade either! A Full Weekend of Fun and Frolic Friday - Saturday - Sunday At the Medford Armory A wonderful BENEFIT FAIR you won't want to mist! Hobby and home exhibits - sporting event - faahion shows - stte entertainment carnival fun games art exhibits - square dancing - rides - science exhibits! . . . and, Remember-- Parades, Fairs and excitement takes energyl So, bo sure you and your family have plonty of milk on hind to give you that extra "lift" during these exciting events You never outgrow your need for MILK. DRINK AT LEAST 3 GLASSIS OF MILK IVHY DAYI CO-ORDINATED MILK SALES cape from the burning houses The pavement got so hot it burned the feet and set our clothes afire. Countless peo pie jumped to death from upper floors of their build ings, choosing such a death In preference to being burned alive. In his reports, Nazi Briga dier Stroop reported on the jumpers. "With their bones broken, they still tried to crawl across the street into buildings which had not yet been set on fire. The Jews and bandits often preferred to return into the flames than risk being caught by us . . ," The survivors of my unit withdrew to the bunker in Leszno street. Several days 14 of us stayed there feeling the heat of the burning house over our heads. But we still managed to keep up some fir ing from the rubble. Stroop reported to Himm ler "More blocks of buildings were burned down. This is the only and final method which forces this trash and subhumanity to the surface." Try Drowning The enemy saw us shooting from the Leszno street bunk er. They had tried fire. Now they used water, trying to drown us. They pumped wa ter into our cellar bunker for three days. Luckily we had good drain age. Somehow it still was working. It saved our lives. On May 8 Anielewicz and his command post in Mlla street was wiped out. We knew that meant the end. Those of us in Leszno street waited some time and then took an underground passage under the wall. But as soon as we emerged, waiting Ger mans seized us. We were tak en back to the ghetto and i Glieilo Is No More." He waa . Instead of being gassed, I then sent on trucks to Tre- j hanged after the war on the was picked among a very few blinka. site of the ghetto. Borg, now from the ghetto for a work Final resistance ended about j 56. ended the war at the ex- gang. I was still strong enough a week later. Stroop titled termination camp, from which to work, and that Is why I his final report "The Warsaw I he was liberated. am alive. FINEST QUALITY SEAFOODS! Fresh Caught HALIBUT 79 lb. Fresh STEAM CLAMS 3 ibs. 99 Rainbow TROUT 20c , 2 for 39 BABY LOBSTER TAILS Cooked Ready to Eat. 6-oz. pkg. 59 c Try this delicious recipe: Prepare 2 cups of medium white Sauce. Stir In the ready. cooked lob ster tails. Serve bet en tea at er biscuits. Serves four. SEASIDE RAZOR CLAMS $ 1 59 lb. Icelandia FISH STIX FITTS 131 West Main 2b$1 59 SEAF000 & POULTRY Phone 773-8497 PRESERVED SALMON EGGS For The Fish a r man 89ib. SILVERSIDE SALMON By The Half . . lb. 89 if Sf eTr.a '" -Jlw kB11M1111---' k J Wu TWICE AS NICEH! Another first for MD Tissue. Two-ply softness' at a price you ordinarily pay for ordinary single-ply tissue. New MD is softer, stronger. As gentle as its colors, too. Pastel pink, aqua, yellow, lilac, and white. More than ever, MD is the West's best value. Buy new MD two-ply tissue today at your favorite store. It's twice as nice - at the same low price. titiuui for the Weil by Pocilit Coon Pop.r Milk Bullion ol PBt Sound hip 4 linear Co. lalllnghaja. A 1 I
