Chapter 9 – In the Forest and Hallows of the Earth

In the Forest and Hallows of the Earth

“And they shall come into the caves of the rocks and into the hallows of the earth.”

Isaiah 2:19

As we wandered, many thoughts raced through our heads during the endless walking. One thought that never left us was where to sleep at night.

We felt lonely and exposed in the open air, walking for an entire day with short breaks to rest and stretch our limbs. Apparently we were in a hostile area under German control, deep in unfamiliar Russian territory and far from population centers. Ita said we were going towards the forests, where, according to rumor, many Jews were hiding.

Evening descended and darkness began to reign. The forest, our destination for that day, seemed very far away, literally on the horizon.

As usual, we walked on side paths rather than on the main road. Whenever a vehicle appeared on the road, we were careful to hide in order to avoid being discovered. Now, under the cover of darkness it was easier to make progress.

“We should rest a bit and then continue walking. We’ve avoided being detected by the Germans until now, and we must not be caught by them. If we continue we can still get to the forest tonight,” said Ita, spreading a blanket on the ground. We all fell on it, exhausted and drained. I fell asleep instantly.

Read More

Chapter 08 – Minsk – Parting from Father

Minsk – Parting from Father

“Take me under your wing and be unto me mother and sister.”

H.N. Bialik

None of us knew that the attack on June 22, 1941 was the result of a plan meticulously prepared by the Germans in utmost secrecy and the start of the Nazis’ Operation Barbarossa. The German attack took the Red Army and the Soviet authorities by surprise, almost totally obliterating the Russian air force in a lightning strike. Many planes were destroyed on the ground. Entire corps of the Red Army were surrounded and wiped out, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers fell into German captivity. Many Jews who had managed to escape eastward at the beginning of the war, and had found haven under the protection of the Red Army, were trapped in the line of German tanks rolling toward the east. As a result, they found themselves under German occupation again.

About three million Wehrmacht (German armed forces from 1935-1945) soldiers and their allies took part in this battle. They were grouped into 190 divisions and opened attack along a 2,900 kilometer (1,800 mile) border. Among them were SS forces whose fanatical devotion to Nazi ideology was manifested in the mass slaughter of captives and civilians, particularly Jews.

Read More

Chapter 10 – From Arkhangelsk to Kutaisi

From Arkhangelsk to Kutaisi

 “Who knows the tears that have yet to be shed, the storms that have yet to strike?”

“”Mishut ba-Merhakim” (Back from the Distance)

 Our stay in Arkhangelsk was, as mentioned, not easy. I varied the daily routine by means of all sorts of activities with my sisters and other boys whom I met. I have already described Ita’s role, but I must reiterate and emphasize that in our long stay in this godforsaken location, she truly outdid herself and inspired admiration. She continued to be both mother and sister to us, and none of us questioned her position. She took us under her wing and, in this freezing cold, showered us with her love

and warmth.

Throughout the time we lived here, the trains never ceased arriving, bringing with them a stream of refugees, with news and updates. From them we heard about the concentration camps and the mass murders carried out by the Nazis. We had known about the atrocities and had even witnessed some ourselves, but not one of us could have guessed the extent of the slaughter in these camps. Later we learned that in Treblinka itself, the Nazis had cremated 900,000 Jews! The human mind cannot fathom such numbers.

Despite the change on the battlefield in winter 1942, which signaled the end of Germany’s victories and rapid advance, the Nazi extermination machinery continued to operate at full steam in the occupied areas, as we later heard.

Read More

Chapter 7 – Bialystok

Bialystok

“Arise and go now to the city of slaughter; into its courtyard wind thy way;

… and with the eyes of thine head, behold.”

“Be’Ir ha-Haregah” (“City of Slaughter”) by H.N. Bialik

     Bialystok was a huge city. I had never visited such a large city before. Here, too, the heavy hand of the Nazis was clearly in evidence. At the outbreak of the war, the Germans had attacked the city and several buildings had collapsed during the bombings. The Nazis entered the city on September 15th and retreated a week later. Under the terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the city came under control of the Sovietforces.

The city resembled a battlefield. Hundreds of Red Army tanks and military vehicles were scattered everywhere and battalions of soldiers roamed the city. Worst of all were the enormous numbers of refugees who flooded the city. Most, if not all, were Jews who had run for their lives from the claws of the Nazi predator, or had been expelled from their homes in the cities and villages and savagely crushed.

The stream of refugees into the city was endless, like the powerful current of an overflowing river.

At first, Father thought we could manage here; but it quickly became apparent that even the Russian conqueror was unable to restore order and cope with such a large population crying out for food and housing. Every synagogue, school and beit midrash (study hall) was filled with Jewish families who had arrived empty-handed. All public auditoriums housed refugees; families wallowed in hallways and public areas, under appalling sanitary conditions. Bialystok Jews opened their homes to relatives and acquaintances. Social service institutions and philanthropic organizations did their best to help their Jewish brethren. Although the large community of 50,000 Jews was well-organized, the burden was much too heavy for its institutions to bear.

Read More