New Source Material on the Holocaust!!

Jan03

by Marzena Dubiel

Never Before Published!!

Some weeks ago I received the following e-mail:

"Dear Mrs. Kramer, name is Marzena Dubiel, maiden name Patryn. My family has lived in Strzyzow for generations. I teach history in a high school in Strzyzow. I have many documents about Strzyzow Jews (my thesis was about local Jews during the WWII). I thought some might be useful to you. Please get in touch, preferably in Polish but correspondence in English is also possible."

After viewing some of the material, I requested and received Marzena's permission to place it on the Strzyzow web page. My next task was to locate someone to do the translation. Luckily I remembered Monika Hendry. Monika was born in Jaslo and lives in Hong Kong with her new baby and had offered assistance "for the benefit of not only Jewish communities but also of future generations of Poles, to help them shed prejudice, broaden their horizons"; Monika gladly translated Marzena's material. The following is just the beginning; we expect to receive additional pages each month.

The Holocaust in Strzyzow

by Marzena Dubiel

One of the most tragic parts of Hitler's population policy in the occupied Poland was extermination of Jews. Annihilation of Jews, of which more than 95% had Polish nationality, lasted throughout the occupation. In the Rzeszow region it was carried out in three stages:

  1. Until the end of 1939
  2. From 1940 until 1941
  3. From 1942 until the liberation (August 1944)

In the initial four months of the war, in the absence of central guidelines for dealing with Jews in areas occupied by the Wermaht, their fate depended basically on decisions of local commanders and administrators. These officials shared a view that Jews must unconditionally submit to the demands of Germany's racial policy and that their personal freedom must be severely restricted. Contrary to some researchers' view that in 1939 Nazis pursued only indirect and „bloodless" persecution of Jews, statistics show that by 31 December 1939 Nazis killed 7,000 Jews in Poland. First bloody pogroms in the Rzeszow region were carried out by divisions of the 14th army of General List and police divisions of General Streckenbach.

In the second period, Jews were mainly concentrated in camps and ghettos and exterminated through starvation and hard labour. They were also robbed and expelled from their homes. During that period, which lasted until the attack on the Soviet Union, Nazis forced them to work on reinforcement of embankments of the San river.

The mass and planned extermination of Jews in the Rzeszow region started in March 1942, when the first transports of prisoners were directed to the Belzec camp. Before the war, Strzyzow's Jewish community had 1,050 members. There was a very well organized kehilla, with a rabbi who was the highest authority not only for the local Jews but also for those from Czudec, Niebylec, Domaradz and Frysztak. Literacy was very high - the rabbinical school was very active and many Jews studied in the local high school. Many had tertiary education (lawyers, doctors). According to the Town Council records, in 1939 the Jewish library had 1,250 books and 245 members. The kehilla owned a beautiful, 18th century synagogue. Many enterprises were Jewish-owned.

When the Wermaht took Strzyzow, the Nazis started extermination of Jews. On 15 September 1939, German soldiers shot 4 Jews on the outskirts of Strzyzow:

  1. Puderbeitel Józef from Frysztak
  2. Schlesinger Berisch from Frysztak
  3. Stern Mates from Koraczyce
  4. Zanger Chune Wolf from Frysztak.
The reason was their refusal to sweep the streets on the sabbath. They were buried at the Jewish cemetery in Strzyzow. Also in autumn (unknown date) the Wehrmacht shot in the town a Jew called Berek Kracher.

On 24 June 1942, in accordance with the plan of total liquidation of Jewish residents in Galician Gubernia, Germans started resettling Strzyzow's Jews in the ghetto in Rzeszow. The operation was carried out by local and Rzeszow police and took 3 days ending on 26 June 1942. Jews were ordered to gather on the main square with little luggage allowed. Strzyzow's council was to provide horse carts, more than one hundred of them, and the kehilla paid for their hiring.

Rzeszow's ghetto was established on 1 January 1942 and divided into two parts: one for the old, children and women (who usually didn't survive for very long), and the other for men aged 18-45, who were used as slave labour around the city. The ghetto was liquidated in July 1943 by the gestapo, police and SS battalion Truppenübungsplatz from Pustkow. The Jews had to give up all their belongings and were led to the train station in Staroniw, from where in cattle carriages they were taken to different places for extermination. Strzyzow's Jews shared their fate with those from Rzeszow. Most were killed in Belzec, some shot dead in Rzeszow, some in the Glogow forests and in Pustkow.

The table below lists surnames of Strzyzow's Jews whose place of demise I was able to establish based on information from Regional Archives in Rzeszow and archives of the Regional Commission for Investigating Nazi Crimes:

 

Surname,First Name Born Place and way of Death Date of death
Dr Apperman, Majer 28 May 1878 Rzeszow ghetto Dec 1942
Felber-Feiga, Hersch, Moses 1912,1882,1910 Gassed in Belzec Aug 1942
Felber-Izrael 1920 Rzeszow ghetto Jul 1942
Grünblatt-Golda,Chaskiel 1874,1899 Gassed in Belzec Jul 1942
Haber-Chiel 22. II. 1900 Belzec Dec 1942
Haber-Elisz 1923 Hanged in Pustkow Nov 1942
Haber-Estera,Hencia,Szymon 1887,1920,1885 Shot dead in the ghetto Jul 1942
Haber-Hersch 1918 Hanged in Pustkow Nov 1942
Haber-Izrael,Jozef, Laja 18 X 1927, 25 VII 1930, 1895 Belzec Dec 1942
Haber-Szymon 1885 Pustkow Dec 1942
Hagel-Beila, Chana, Janka 1933,1902,1937 All murdered in the Rzeszow ghetto Dec 1942
Hasen-Beila, Jakub, Mechel, Mendel, Natan, Tauba, 1910, 1888, 1899, 1883, 1900, 1897, All gassed in Belzec Jun 1942
Hochdorf-Feiga 1898 Killed during liquidation of Rzeszow ghetto 1943
Kaufmann-Chana 1914 Killed during liquidation of Rzeszow ghetto 1943
Kulik-Brandla, Chana, Estera, Salomon, Utka, 1937, 1936, 1890, 1892, 1938 Belzec Jun 1942
Kulik- Miszkieta 1887 shot in Rzeszow ghetto Jun 1942
Lustgarten-Sara, Mendel 1905, 1904 Shot at train station in Staroniw, Rzeszow ghetto Jul 1942, Nov 1942
March-Sara 5 Feb 1899 Shot in the Glogow forests Jul 1942
Mussler-Chaskiel, Mariem 30 May 1905, 16 Mar 1870 Belzec Dec 1942
Pinkas-Etna, Hersch, Salomon, Szmul unknown Rzeszow ghetto unknown
Rubinfeld-Berl Leib, Hencia, Macht, Szyja 1938, 19 Mar 1897, 1894, 1939 All gassed in Belzec Jun 1942
Safier-Gedajle, Golda Sara, Mariem, Rubian, Süssla 1900, 1909, 1940, 1938, 1907 All killed during the liquidation of the Rzeszow ghetto 1943
Schall-Henia Chaja 1911 Rzeszow ghetto 1943
Schapiera-Lieba 1902 Belzec Jun 1942
Scheps-Feiga 1897 Belzec Jun 1942
Siegel-Dwojra 1890 Belzec Jun 1942
Szmul-Chajdebi, Ruchla unknown Rzeszow ghetto Unknown
Weinberg-Chana Dwojra, Weinberg - Katz Mariem Feiga 1871,brak danych Both in Rzeszow ghetto Jul 1942

Lot of Jews - IV

Strzyzow Jews put up no resistance during arrests and deportations to the ghetto. There are few cases of survival or attempts to avoid anihilation. It is known that in September 1939 the Goldberg family left for Lwow: Fischel (1876), his wife Feiga (1869) and children: Markus (1900), Rachela (1905) and Eliasz (1906). In 1942 the house they lived in was surrounded by the Germans who set fire to it, on a pretext that some shots were fired from it. They all perished in the fire.

On 31 December 1942 German gendarme G. Kopf shot in a forest near Niebylec a 19 year old Jewish girl from Strzyzow who was hiding there called Sprynca Rieder.

On 18 April 1943 in Wysoka Strzyzowska gendarme H. Drewitz shot in a village Graby three Jewish women sheltered by Franciszek Pilch. They were buried in a forest.

In June 1943 H. Drewitz murdered a 16-year old Jewish girl near the cemetery. A witness describes the scene: "He made it into a game and a joke, he let her run waua and then shot her and wounded. The poor girl was in agony for 10 mins, bleeding and staggering around in paralysing fear." In the summer 1943 the Germans shot in Strzyzow a Jew called Diament who came from Oparówka. In 1944 local gendarmes shot on the former Jewish cemetery a man and a woman. Two Jewish women (aged 18 and 20), who came from the Krosno and were hiding in a forest near Wysoka Strzyzowska were discovered by the Nazis, murdered, and buried on the spot. The property of killed and deported Jews was stolen or burnt, the records of the kehila destroyed, the kirkut flattened and matzevas used to pave the market square. The synagogue was saved thanks to action of mayor W. Górnicki. Not many Jews survived.

The following are survivor surnames that were cofirmed:

  1. Acht Fryderyk, lawyer, survived in the Soviet Union,
  2. Apperman F.
  3. Berglas,
  4. Diamant,
  5. Dienstag,
  6. Deutsch J.,
  7. Feit, a girl of extraordinary beauty taken away by a besotted senior-officer pilot as a "labourer" to his parents in Germany as a Pole with false documents,
  8. Felber F.,
  9. Frenkel Joachim, lawyer, after losing wife and two daughters, he escaped from the ghetto, got false ID and pretending he was German worked as a translator for Lwow gestapo (!),
  10. Frydman M.,
  11. Goldberg Natan, doctor, survived in the Soviet Union,
  12. Heschel D.,
  13. Hoff,
  14. Mendel D.,
  15. Neubart A.,
  16. Proseisen A.,
  17. Sterngast Z.

Return to Table of Contents

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List of Victims, April 7, 1940 from Yad Vashem

Strzyzow List from yad vashem Yad Vashem has more than just pages of testimony; they have gathered and digitized lists and other documents relating to the holocaust. Recently the following list came to my attention and i've alphabetized the list to make it easier. The table below lists Strzyzow's Jews who were victims of the holocaust.

To see the original lists, please go to yadvashem.org and click on "shoah related lists" under Digital Collections, then key Strzyzow in the search box.

 

Name (in 1940) Age Expelled from?
Nazuisko i Imie Wiek Wysiedlony Walajocamcse-strzyzow or Zawad?
Abeles Sara 35 Strzyzow
Abeles Naftuli 3 Strzyzow
Alter Benjamin 62

Alter Feiga 63

Anmuth Chaskel 41 Strzyzow Blacharz (tinsmith)
Anmuth Porja 41 Strzyzow
Anmuth Cywja Doba 4 Strzyzow
Anmuth Hersch Ber 1 Strzyzow
Birndorf Salamon 54 Strzyzow
Blau Moses 30 Szczakowej Pryw. Nauczyciel (private teacher)
Blau Sura 33 Szczakowej
Blau Majer Salamon 4 Szczakowej
Blau Chaim Lazar 2 Szczakowej
Blau Majlech Mendel 1 Szczakowej
Buchfuhrer Hersch 45 Koln Kupiec (merchant)
Buchfuhrer Rywka 47 Koln
Buchfuhrer Adolf 14 Koln
Diamond Leib 62 Strzyzow Wyrobnik (laborer)
Diamond Adela 58 Strzyzow
Diamond Rachela 26 Strzyzow
Diamond Jakob 20 Strzyzow
Diamond Chana Ruchla 13 Strzyzow
Diamond Josef 25 Strzyzow
Diamond Abraham 23 Strzyzow
Diamond Reisla 33 Strzyzow
Diamond Moses Lazar 6 Strzyzow
Eils Jonas 75

Eils Gitla 70

Feigenbaum Israel 38 Strzyzow
Feigenbaum Perla 41 Strzyzow
Feigenbaum Szymon 11 Strzyzow
Feigenbaum Chaja 10 Strzyzow
Feigenbaum Szaindla 7 Strzyzow
Feigenbaum Masza 5 Strzyzow
Feigenbaum Ides 3 Strzyzow
Feldmans Tauba 45 Strzyzow
Feldmans Hersch 19 Strzyzow
Feldmans Gitla 16 Strzyzow
Feldmans Lasar 14 Strzyzow
Goldberg Ester Feiga 29 Strzyzow
Goldberg Gitla 4 Strzyzow
Goldberg Chana 2 Strzyzow
Goldman Abraham 62

Goldman Dworja Sara 60

Goldman Malka M29

Goldman Ita 27

Goldman Marjem 26

Goldman Jakob 24

Gorbin?baum Markus 75 Strzyzow
Gorbin?baum Feiga Sara 43 Strzyzow
Groskopf Markus 16

Halberstam Jakub 40 Strzyzow
Halberstam Rachela 44 Strzyzow
Halberstam Abraham 13 Strzyzow
Halberstam Feiga Ides 10 Strzyzow
Halberstam Pesla 8 Strzyzow
Halberstam Chiel 5 Strzyzow
Horowitz Cywja 36 Strzyzow
Izman Pinchus 54 Strzyzow
Karpf Israel Leib 65

Karpf Reisla 44

Kett Meilech 44 Strzyzow
Kett Beile 43 Strzyzow
Kett Kreindel 13 Strzyzow
Kett Lena? 10 Strzyzow
Ketzer Laja 65 Strzyzow
Klambar Benzion 60 Strzyzow b.urzednik pryw.(private clerk)
Klambar Rozalia 60 Strzyzow
Klambar Helena 20 Strzyzow
Klotz Josef 73 Strzyzow
Klotz Elka 70 Strzyzow
Kraus Josef 80 Strzyzow
Kraus Idesa 72 Strzyzow
Kraus Hinda 31 Strzyzow
Kraus Tobias 39 Strzyzow
Kraus Feiga 34 Strzyzow
Kraus Dawid 4 Strzyzow
Kraus Pinchus 2 Strzyzow
Kresch Abraham 59 Strzyzow
Kresch Chaja Sara 58 Strzyzow
Kresch Josef 28 Strzyzow
Kresch Mechel 24 Strzyzow
Kresch Beila 18 Strzyzow
Kresch Samuel 15 Strzyzow
Kuflik Nuchym Levi 65 Koln Kupiec (merchant)
Kuflik Marjem 62 Koln
Langsam Jacob 64 Strzyzow Pryn.namcnyciel(private teacher)
Lehrman Chaim 57 Stuttgart Kupiec (merchant)
Lehrman Blima 62 Stuttgart
Maler Idel 50 Koln Krawiec (tailor)
Maler Jenta 50 Koln
Maler Netti 21 Koln
Maler Rosa 16 Koln
Maler Cyla 14 Koln
Mandel Rywka 76 Hamburg
Mantel Sara 77 Strzyzow
Mantel Joel 46 Strzyzow
Mohrer Leib 58 Strzyzow
Nussbaum Rechla 68 Koln
Rebban Salamon 33 Strzyzow
Rebban Chaja 35 Strzyzow
Rebban Tauba 7 Strzyzow
Rebban Chava 5 Strzyzow
Reibscheid Sprinca 45 Strzyzow
Reibscheid Sara 17 Strzyzow
Reibscheid Mozes 13 Strzyzow
Rein Joel 62 Koln Pryw. Nauczyciel (private teacher)
Rein Zlata 65 Koln
Rein Salamon 44 Strzyzow
Rein Debra 37 Strzyzow
Rein Dworja 16 Strzyzow
Rein Chawa 12 Strzyzow
Rein Hersch 11 Strzyzow
Rein Rywka 5 Strzyzow
Rein Chaim Izak 5 Strzyzow
Rein Hencia 80

Rosen Chaim 58 Strzyzow
Russ Leib 72 Strzyzow Wyrobnik (laborer)
Russ Bela 68 Strzyzow
Schajer Sara 15

Scheffler Samuel 40
Wyrobnik (laborer)
Scheffler Sara 35

Scheffler Basia 63

Seidler Tobias 46

Seidler Marjem 49

Seidler Rywka 20

Seidler Ida 19

Seidler Amalia 17

Seidler Fradla 16

Seidler Hersch 13

Seidler Salamon 11

Seidler Josef 10

Spalter Jakub 62 Strzyzow
Spalter Malka 62 Strzyzow
Spalter Chana 53 Strzyzow
Spalter Feiga 30 Strzyzow
Spira Nechemie 65 Strzyzow
Spira Nechume 65 Strzyzow
Spira Salamon 43 Strzyzow
Spira Rebeka 37 Strzyzow
Spira Szajndla 12 Strzyzow
Spira Anna 8 Strzyzow
Spira Samuel 6 Strzyzow
Spira Adela 1 Strzyzow
Sternberg Chaim 44 Czarny Dunajec Frachoiarz
Sternberg Hinda 43 Czarny Dunajec
Stisman Frymet 70 Strzyzow
Waksman Chaim 70 Kalisza Blacharz (tinsmith)
Waksman Beila 25 Kalisza
Warszawski Rynyn 35 Lodzi Krawiec (tailor)
Warszawski Regina 26 Lodzi
Warszawski Bela 4 Lodzi
Weisman Hersch 49 Koln Piskarz (sandblaster?)
Weisman Serla 48 Koln
Weisman Fryda 17 Koln
Weisman Estera 13 Koln
Wellisch Hersch 74 Strzyzow
Wellisch Marjem 64 Strzyzow
Wolker Tauba 48 Katowice
Wolker Mina 25 Katowice
Wolker Beila 21 Katowice
Wolker Esta 19 Katowice
Wolker Rachela 16 Katowice
Wolker Berl 14 Katowice
Wolker Perla 9 Katowice
Zawadski Hersch 48 Lodzi Cukiernik (confectioner)
Zawadski Beila Perla 28 Lodzi
Zawadski Hendla 15 Lodzi
Zawadski Chaja 1 Lodzi
Zolakdz Yankiel 42 Lodzi Rzeznik (slaughterer)
Zolakdz Sara 31 Lodzi
Zolakdz Hersch 9 Lodzi
Zolakdz chaja Ita 7 Lodzi

Return to Table of Contents

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Sefer Strizhuv, the Yizkor Book

The Yizkor Book, Sefer Strizhuv, was published in 1969 in Tel Aviv. It has 480 pages; mostly Hebrew and Yiddish. In 1990 Harry Langsam translated it into English, and published it in Los Angeles, entitling it "The Book of Strzyzow and Vicinity". Harry has given JewishGen permission to reproduce the contents on JewishGen.

Here, some photographs taken from the Yizkor Book, and sent to us from the Library of Congress:

Recognize anyone?? Harry Langsam wrote and said that "on the top row to the right is my brother (in a black hat) and on the very top on the left there is a little boy visible, that's me". Strzyzow group

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Strzyzow 1925

You will find the table of contents and the index on the JewishGen Yizkor Web page at The Strzyzow Yizkor Book . Let me suggest you go directly to the .... list of Names from the Index. Once you get the page numbers you are interested in, you can view the page in English or Hebrew....because....

A wonderful thing has happened!!

The New York Public Library, Dorot Division, has imaged hundreds of yizkor books and made them available on the web!

You can read the Strzyzow Yizkor book in hebrew or in english, just click here .

Isn't the world wide web wonderful!!

Return to Strzyzow's Table of Contents