European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

And then, it was in 1943 I guess, the Germans announced in Warsaw,

that Jews who will come to Polski Hotel will be sent for an exchange to Turkey.

As an exchange for German prisoners.

It was the version from my mother.

And she, my mother, she said that everybody advised her not to go that but she agreed,

because she was scared as it grew harder after 1942.

After the uprising 1943 in the ghetto it was really hard. It was before the uprising in ghetto.

None of the transport went to Turkey, it took some time when other free people,

and in Warsaw there were a couple of thousands of Jews on the Aryan side,

realized that those transports were not going to Italy but to Treblinka,

but it was too late, as most of them had already been sent.

And she was sent, as I know, probably either to Bełzec or to Treblinka and there she terminated her life.

Helping Jewish people in the Warsaw Ghetto

At some moment, to get a contact with the ghetto,

I did not work, I just got an ID card from the Team of Receivers of Jewish Properties in Warsaw.

It was the lawyer Jarczyk. It was based in 6 Królewska Street.

I had this ID from him and on this base I could get into the ghetto.

I helped organizing transport of food.

There were gates to get to the ghetto which were guarded by Germans.

And there Jews were dealing with Germans. I do not know how much they paid them.