From the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum August 12, 1998 to Judith Cohen Ruthberg

Sara L. Sirman, Archivist

"Dear Mrs. Ruthberg,

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives was able to have one of our volunteers do a translation of the letter sent to your mother by a postal worker in response to her inquiry about what happened to her family. I have enclosed this translation...

5 / 8 / 44

Dear friend,

We got your letter the 4^th of October, and we try to answer it. I write in Polish because using my father's tongue, makes it easier for me, to express myself. I am sorry that my letter is characterized with pain and tears. I am forced to write about things that freeze blood in you veins.

The Germans after the occupation of Swislocz started new orders.

In the beginning they favored the Poles trying to sow seeds of discontent among the population. The Jewish population right away felt the brutality while, entering the army under the pretext of fighting the communists, were killing people regardless of nationality.

Later they established a ghetto for Jews. This was in the neighborhood where the synagogue was situated.

They started mistreating the population with hard labor, beat at any occasion. Making them wear a yellow star in front and back, later changing into a round circle, the same size.

With the Jewish population we were not allowed to talk. A Jude@ how the Germans called the Jews, were not allowed to use the sidewalk, only the street. The war was continuing, and life was getting worse. After a year of occupation, the situation was becoming unbearable, there was talk of a mass liquidation of the Jewish population. Even in that difficult situation, the Jewish population did not lose hope. In secret, the commerce continued. The stores were supplied with goods.

The Germans were imposing great taxes (contribution) on them. They kept pressing the A Judenrat (Jewish Councils) for more and more money.

They used to come to the Judenrat,. And demand within two hours a certain amount of money, if not delivered, they used to beat the council members and take things themself.

Then came the tragic day November 2, 194? They ordered the Jews to get dressed, and come to the gathering place, Where they were separated first men and women, and then young and old. The younger ones they took to the station. The town was crowded, because there was a Catholic holiday. I was standing on the sidewalk, watching how the Gendarmes were crowding them and hitting them like cattle, beating them with rubber hoses. Nothing we could do, everybody was powerless. I thought to myself, after finishing with the Jews, the Poles will be next. I was not wrong. After loading the fit to work on the train which left for Wolkavysk, the older ones they prodded to the adjoining woods, where the graves were already prepared.

The execution started ...ordered the get undressed regardless of sex, line up in tens, the 4 head men would come up from behind and shoot them. A group of young strong Jews would drag the still twitching bodies to the nearest hole.

The whole terrain of A Witzownik was surrounded with machine guns.

My description is true, told me by people who were transporting the feeble and old by wagons.

It was getting dark and the job was not yet finished. Then they placed them in rows, trying to kill a few with one bullet.

After finishing the crime, the Gestapo men, went to the palace in Wiszowniak (?) Where the party lasted all night.

The young ones who buried their fathers and mothers were locked up in the basement of the palace, being promised for their good job, to be left alive. Next day (November 5).they brought to Wiszowniak, the sick Jews from the hospital and together with the ones kept in the basement were shot. Possessions o the killed were stored in the granary. the best things were taken by the S.S. men, the leftovers were sold to the population.

The lot of the removed, in the beginning they were killed by hard work, later they were willing to die.

I regard of what happened to your family, I have no exact information, whether they perished.

Next to graves of Jews are graves of Poles. All murdered. Priest Kozlowski, Barak and one fron Galdok. Next family Tokarski, ? Kacilowski, teacher and others. In Wolkavysk they killed the family Dody, Gruszezyaski, Sheriff Baukowski and more.

The Swislocz there are no Jews. They say in Bialystok there is Slapak, who had the flour mill and saw mill but that is not sure. In Wolkavysk are a few byut I don= t know their names. In Mscibow, Porozow and Jalosc, there are no Jews.

From the old teachers, left alive in Swislocz: Szu?jko, Czajkova (Zubelwicz), Uroezynski, Szezerz, Lopszko, Kinelowa, Kowahas, Wolynezyk, Falkenberg, Chilmon.

Material is so plentiful, that whole volumes could be written, but it is hard to cramp it in one letter.

I must add that Swislocz was wiped out of the face of the earth. But work and restoration was started.

Please write to us, and we will answer.

Signed: Bykowski

Editors Note: Can not read the handwriting so that the names are most probably incorrectly spelled and of questionable value. Any one who recognizes them, please help me and I will make corrections..

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