The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-03-26
The Ghetto
In Warsaw
BY TOsha Bialer
(WNU Feature-Through special arrangem'
with Golfers Weekly

My husband, my son and are the
only persons in America to have es-
capped from the ghetto set up by
Germany in Warsaw The amaz-
ing set of circumstances by which
we escaped cannot be told, because
it would mean death to all who aid
ed us.
OF those whom we left behind, I
can say little. This is the third win
ter they will have passed through,
and how many will survive I cannot
say. There can hardly be many left
now of the $1,000 that were once
there.
I, who lived with them through
dark years, who shared their bitter
fate, hunbly bear witness to their
martyrdom. Anything may say or
write about it is in memory of those
who died, tribute to the courage
and determination of those who are
still living. I join with them in a
prayer for a new world in which
they will resume their place as free
human beings.
Location OF tne GneCtO.
The ghetto, as set up by the Nazis
after they took possession of War
saw, included the oldest and most
deteriorated sections of the city,
district that had been an eyesore
for years and should have been torn
down long ago. It comprised many
blocks completely destroyed by
bombing, without a habitable build
ing left standing. With intentional
foresight, not one park, playground
or public garden was included behind
the high ghetto walls. There was
no access to the. river banks. The
modern Jewish hospital, the Liberal
Jewish Synagogue and the Old Peo-
pies Home were left outside.
The Germans were set on our
destruction. With cold logic
they concluded that Overcrowd-
ing, inadequate housing, MANU-
triton and reduction to subhu-
man standards weuld save them
the trouble and ammunition re-
quired to massacre half a mill
lion people outright.
Against this situation, the Jewish
Council, religious committee, took
over the responsibility as best they
could. The president was a Mr..
Czerniakow, fine man. I say twas"
advisedly, because few weeks ago
we learned that he committed sui
eide when the Germans directed
him to draw up list of 100000 peo-
pie for deportation.
Business With Outside World.
All business with the outside world
had to be handled through the Com
missar for Jews of the German gov
eminent. ! never saw him. He was
remote personality, but his shad-
ow fell deeply across our lives. A
court building was the only place
where our world met the outside
world. Here Jew and Christian were
allowed to see each other for the
last time. Here men terminated old
partnerships started by fathers or
grandfathers. Here husbands and
wives met to say good-by, to see
each other no more. For the Nu-
remberg law has been applied in
Poland, and marriages between
Jews and non-Jews had to be dis
solved.
We had no electricity, no radios,
no telephones, no musical instru-
ments, no street cars. The post Of
fee would handle nothing but post
cards, and every card was exam
med by a German censor. Our Of
fetal bread allowance was five
pounds per month.
One morning we woke up to find
. number of Jews lying dead in
Kupiecka street. They had been
caught outside the wall, shot down,
and then the bodies thrown into the
ghetto. We never knew whether
they had passes or not. The Ger
mans never bothered about little
technicalities like that.
For our own sake and that Of our
families, we were always terrified
at any harm coming to our jailers.
Day after day we saw friends and
relatives murdered in retaliation for
deeds in which they had no share, no
knowledge. On one occasion a Po-
Nsh policeman had been killed while
on duty. The Gestapo carried out
an extensive search, in the course
Of which a building at Nalweh
street put up a stubborn resistance
for several hours. When the defend
Iers were finally overcome, SO male
inhabitants of that building were
dragged out and shot.
Early in 1912, patches of deportees
from Germany began to arrive, five
or six hundred at time. After be-
ing despoiled of whatever they had,
they would be moved on. We were
told they were to 60 to a ''reserva-
ton" near Lublin. Actually, most
Of them left in charge of "Extermi-
nation Squads" According to the
stories, these squads had several
ways of disposing of their charges.
One was to shut so or so of them
up ia truck and then I'LL it with
poison gas. Another was to leave
them starving by the roadside. Or,
simply machine-gun them.