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Based on the description of Dr. Yitzhak Resnick, a scion of Volkovysk who came to Krzemienica in June 1941, as a doctor during the period of the Russian occupation, and remained there until November 2, 1942 when the local Jews were driven out to the bunkers in Volkovysk. – Dr. M. Einhorn

In the town of Krzemienica, or as it is known by the name of Kushemienitsa Kosciolna, two Jewish families had lived for countless generations: the family of Chaim Pomerantz and the family of Malka Rogov. Pomerantz was a scholarly Jew, a righteous man, and very highly regarded by the Christians of the area. A sister of his married the Koshchilker's son, from Volkovysk and was known as in the city as Rachel Lev, the community worker. She was also active in the Volkovysk municipal government, and in general was an unusual, talented, and wise woman. She lived for a long time with her three daughters at her bother Chaim Pomerantz's in Krzemienica.

The other Jewish family consisted of Malka Rogov, the proprietor of a mill with her two sons, her brother Mulya, a laborer, who was a strong believer and a pious Jew.

Apart from these two very well-respected Jewish families, many Jews lived in the various villages of the Krzemienica vicinity (Krzemienica was the principal center of the entire area). The majority of these Jews were tenant farmers, who did hard manual farm labor for their entire lives, and had a good name with their Christian neighbors, as exceptionally skilled workers of land.

The three Papiernitsky brothers and their families lived in the village of Podbalatsya; three brothers and their families lived in the village of Derkatchy, (they were known in Volkovysk as ‘Die Derkatcher’); Abraham Polski lived in the village of Avdievicha with his family. Altogether, there were approximately 70 Jewish souls in the Krzemienica vicinity. The German authority there consisted of an area commissar, a production manager, and six gendarmes. Even for this meager Jewish population, the Germans organized a Judenrat, in which three members were installed.

Immediately after they entered the Krzemienica area, the Germans robbed the Jews of all their possessions. They took away their land, the horses, cattle, and agricultural machinery. In addition to this, this small handful of disenfranchised Jews constantly had to buy off the local commissar with all sorts of gifts such as: several pairs of boots, a fur coat for him and his wife, several services for coffee and tea, and other valuables. They were compelled to do this to buy their way out of a variety of decrees. Despite all this, the Jews continued to live in their own homes, and the way they lived, the terror for the morrow continued to envelope them more tightly.

Dr. Resnick tells that on average, the Jews of that area continued to live peacefully. There were few Germans there. Dr. Resnick was the doctor of the German commissar, his family, and the remaining German soldiers found in that village, even though this was not official, because it was prohibited for a Jewish doctor to attend German [patients]. Dr. Resnick had a good relationship with the German commissar, and on different occasions, was able to extract concessions from him for the Jews, and permits for them to travel from one village to another in the vicinity of his authority. He would also obtain permits for the Jews to travel to Volkovysk, to go into the forest for wood, etc. At that time, this was a big thing, because it was strenuously forbidden to Jews to leave their dwellings. It was even worked out for the Jews in the Krzemienica vicinity to get together with Jews from surrounding villages to conduct services for Passover and the High Holy Days of 1942. The Jews made their living from a variety of endeavors, mostly in construction work. They also worked for the German gendarmes, built stables, a post office, as well as other structures. The Germans did a lot of

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construction at that time, because they were convinced, that the area from Volkovysk to the Zelvianka River, the border between the Third Reich and the lands to the east, would remain permanently as a part of East Prussia. They also built new roads there, and the Jews were involved in all of this work.

This is the way conditions remained until November 2, 1942. No general order was given as was the case in the larger cities and towns. Polish police, accompanied by Nazi gendarmes simply went around knocking on the doors of the few Jewish households, at about 4 to 5 AM in the morning, and ordered the Jews to get dressed in ten minutes time, and to go with them. The Jews were permitted to take food for three days, and a little bit of clothing, and warm underwear. In this connection, the Polish police treated the Jews much worse than the Nazis themselves.

Dr. Resnick, who found himself in Krzemienica then, tells us also about that night of the 1^st to the 2^nd of November. At 5AM, pounding on the door by two Polish policemen and one Nazi gendarme awoke them. They ordered his entire family to get dressed in ten minutes and to leave the house. They had barely time to dress themselves and the 8-month old baby daughter of Dr. Resnick's brother, when the Polish police literally drove them out of their house, not wanting to wait for them to pack up the most necessary of their belongings, and a little foodstuff for the journey.

In the course of an hour, all the Jews of Krzemienica were gathered together on the police station courtyard. The women and children were put up into wagons, and the remaining Jews were ordered to begin to walk on foot in the direction of Zelva.

When the Jews from Krzemienica came to the Zelva railroad station, they met up with the Jews of Zelva there, all gathered together in one place, and ready for the journey.

The Polish police along with the Nazi gendarmes immediately turned their small contingent of Jews from Krzemienica over into the hands of a large contingent of SS troops that were found there. Immediately, the Krzemienica Jews were fallen upon and beaten about the head for no rhyme or reason. (They broke Dr. Resnick's glasses at that time, and he was without glasses until May 1945). Finally, after the Jews had stood there for several hours, enduring a hail of beatings, they were driven into a transport car. There were approximately 70 Jews from Krzemienica and over 40 Jews from Zelva. At the time the Jews were driven into the transport, even their small packages that they had taken when they left their homes, were taken away from them. The Germans tosses all of these packages into one pile not far from the transport.

Dr. Resnick tells, that when he made his way to a window in the car, and asked of a passing German if he would give him back his package that had food in it for the child, the German, to everyone's astonishment, complied with his request. Dr. Resnick was the only one in the car who was able to retrieve the package of his things.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the train that had a complement of about 2,400 Jews, from Zelva, and the entire vicinity, arrived in Volkovysk. The train stopped in the middle of the field, precisely opposite the barracks. All the Jews were swiftly driven off the train transport, and they were once again driven under a hail of beatings, in the direction of the bunkers. Passing by, the Jews of Zelva and Krzemienica were able to see the community of Volkovysk [Jews] that had been driven together and concentrated in the bunkers.

The Jews of Zelva and Krzemienica were immediately driven into a stable, which had already been equipped with three-level bunks for sleeping. About 2,800 Jews were crammed into this stable from Krzemienica, Zelva, Berestovitz and the vicinity.

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