“We experienced such terrible days that our movement’s history is still unfamiliar with…” – “First messages from members of the Polish “Halutz” organization November 1939″. Typewritten pages and duplicated by stencil – rare documentation of the outbreak of the Holocaust in Poland and its surroundings – riots and massacres of thousands of Jews everywhere, and the initial organization of “HaHalutz” members in an attempt to assist the Jews of the cities. Typewritten printing. From the first descriptions known to us of the Holocaust events that were documented at the time of their occurrence by “HaHalutz” members who themselves had to flee from the Nazis. German.
The writer, a member of the “HaHalutz” movement, describes in detail the events he and his colleagues experienced and what happened in various cities with the outbreak of war and the Nazis’ invasion: “Here in Vilna, there are about 400 members, including one-third of “HaShomer HaTzair”. It is expected to be 450-500. That’s all that’s left for us. I cannot describe to you all the events of the last few months of the year of horror and terror… The escape was not organized for us… We passed a distance of almost 400 km under bombardment and machine-gun fire; there were 7 casualties, and there is still no news about many members… Currently, we have three different districts for our work: in Germany, we have two kibbutzim left: Lodz and Bendin, Grochow is being rebuilt from scratch. The main building was set on fire. Nothing could be saved. Warsaw is a heap of rubble… Our problems here are endless, but I cannot tell you more now.
We experienced such terrible days that our movement’s history is still unfamiliar with… It is almost impossible to describe in words the great destruction of Polish Jewry… With the beginning of the World War, it was already clear that Poland would lose. And the escape began like a frenzy from the front and also from the cities, and it was clear that the Jews were blamed for everything,
and therefore pogroms were carried out against them. This was done by the Poles. But immediately afterwards, the Germans appeared, and in their turn, they spilled endless amounts of Jewish blood. About 30,000 Jews were killed. Most of the towns are completely destroyed… There are towns that were burned down completely with all their inhabitants… After the German occupation, there were no Jews left in the towns at all. In many cases, they were ordered to leave the places within 5 minutes, and the people left with nothing. Today, there are many refugees in Vilna who have not washed their clothes for more than 6 weeks. In the cold and rain, they wander almost naked, and those who managed to take a blanket with them walk in the streets of Vilna wrapped in blankets. Vilna is not the worst. And we hope to receive the necessary help soon. The situation is much worse in the German district. Warsaw is almost completely destroyed. From the entire Jewish quarter, only Nowolipki remains. Nalevki, Gensha, etc., are completely destroyed. In Warsaw, there are now a million Jews without food, without housing, without medical assistance. Diseases are spreading. We receive news that cholera broke out in Warsaw and claimed many victims. I find it difficult to judge if the last message is based on truth. The situation in Bialystok is barely better, even though it is now in the Russian district. 200,000 Jews are concentrated there now. If we imagine that in the past, there were only 12,000 Jews in Bialystok, we can well imagine the situation. You spend the night there on the streets. In the evening, the movement is stopped because it is impossible to pass through the streets as people are lying there. In the German district, acts of violence against Jews continue in the worst possible way.
It is impossible to write down the horrors I heard from refugees and responsible friends, whose credibility is beyond doubt. But even if I managed to convey to you even half of what I heard, it would be enough to freeze your blood….”
The writer continues and describes the difficult situation in Czechia and Moravia, about a million Jews who fled from the town of Bedzin in Germany, about the atrocities of the Germans in Lodz, and writes that despite everything, the training work continues and the youth movements are doing everything they can to assist. The writer tells about relief activities that the young people provided in Kovel and the surrounding towns, and also describes how members of the group strengthen one another, and assist those they can in Poland. It seems these things were printed for members of the Halutz who were staying in Eretz Israel at that time in order to inform them about the grave situation in occupied Europe.
[6] Leaves. Good condition.
