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The Holocaust

In September 1939 with the outbreak of the war between Poland and Germany, the heavens darkened and the hearts of the Jews of the town filled with anxiety and fear. Already in the years 1938-39, anti-Semitism was well felt in Poland and also in our town, Stepan. Anti-Semitism was felt in every walk of life: in the schools, on the street, and it directly affected the economical lives of the Jews. In school, we suffered swears, threats, and derogatory nicknames, and sometimes even blows. The Ukrainians, because of the great hate for the Poles and the Jews, proclaimed clearly, that the end of the Jews was approaching and that Hitler is coming nearer. We, the Jews, were filled with apprehensions of what was to come, but we did not grasp that it would be so horrible.

The Poles enforced different decrees, and the most outstanding decree was forbidding of kosher slaughtering which was something that affected the spiritual and economic life of the Jews of Stepan. This decree aroused many prayers and supplications. There was a prayer said on Yom Kippur Katan in the Central Synagogue to cancel the decree. Most of the people of Stepan took part in this service. I remember very well the words of Rabbi Levi, the shochet, who said: “We have reached the pinnacle of all decrees, the pinnacle of darkness, the accepted view from creation that it is the darkest before daybreak.” This viewpoint was that redemption was approaching. On that occasion, we did not imagine that this was nothing compared to the decrees that would come in the future.

The effect upon the Jew's economy was felt by forbidding dealing in many areas of commerce, mainly with the monopolies that needed a special franchise. My father had a franchise for a store for tobacco and alcohol. The decree established that only a Pole was allowed to sell, and my father's franchise was cancelled with a warning of a half of a year to close the business. This hurt my father deeply as he was many years in the field and was very involved with what was going on in this area. He held a franchise for many years. He tried in many ways to convince the government in Stepan, in the district, and the King, by traveling to meet them and making many requests. But it did not help. My father even presented a notarized statement, certified by the court, with Polish witnesses, who claimed that in the years 1917-18, he helped the Poles and hid a group of their soldiers when the Communists

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suddenly entered their town. But this did not help, and his franchise was taken from him, and given to a Pole. My father was forced to deal with other areas of commerce, like a grocery store, but without much luck. After that he had a store for bicycles and building materials in partnership with Benny Bastus, the only store of its kind in Stepan. After a short time of success in this area, the war began. The children received a nice bicycle that my oldest brother, Shaul z”l learned to ride. I even learned how to ride it.

Because of the damage to the economic situation, my sister and I were forced to leave “the Cultural” School, which caused us to pay a large monthly sum, and to transfer to a Polish public school, which caused us, the children, disappointment. I had just finished fifth grade and my sister had just finished first or second grade. This meant leaving all of our friends, and moving to a far away environment full of hatred. But we had no choice, and we adjusted after a beginning effort. We especially placed an emphasis on learning the Polish language and history. We became very good students along with some of our other Jewish friends who transferred to this school.

A few days after the beginning of the war, there were rumors, which were verified within a short time, that the Poles were defeated, and that they retreated on all the fronts. The Ukrainians in our towns and in nearby surroundings raised their heads and with their great hatred for the Poles, they took arms and rebelled. They took over the police station, the government buildings, and the whole town very quickly. When they heard that the Russians were approaching, they raised red flags, even though their real intention was nationalistic. It turned out that the Polish guard force, which guarded the Russian-Polish border, retreated from the Russian border in the west direction, and had to go through our town. The Ukrainians, who did not have a great amount of weapons, organized themselves on the hills near the river on one side of the bridge, and came toward the Polish army, who retreated with gun shots.

A night of terror fell upon the people of the town, and I remember how the bullets whistled by us. My father that was versed in the ways of war, apparently from personal experience since the incidents of WWI, ordered us to lie down on the floor behind a big heavy oven. We lied there all night until sunrise, the time the shooting stopped and the Polish army retreated

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to the town. We were closed in our houses and we did not dare to go outside. The Polish soldiers roamed the streets of the town in search of rebels, and they aimed their rifles at the houses of the Jews, on purpose or by chance. After one of the tenants of our house wanted to go outside to the bathroom in the barn, when he closed the door, the roaming soldiers paid attention to the noise. They approached the door of our apartment, and ordered all the tenants of the house to go outside. My father, my mother, my brother, and I came out with hands above our heads, and we walked to the Market Square under heavy guard. There we joined a group of Jews and Ukrainians who were organized in a long line in which there were on both sides of them rows of soldiers with rifles that threatened to kill. They aimed the rifles at the Communist traitors. Because of my great fear, I had the chills.

We stood there for hours, and suddenly there appeared a high officer accompanied by a Pole from Stepan, the son of Roman Hakolbasnik. He was the one who sorted out the guilty and the innocent. Because he knew us well, he said we were innocent, as he decided for most of the Jews, except a few young Jews. We fled when we still could, and we hid in a Polish store, and stayed there until the army left the town. The few Ukrainians and Jews that were not freed were chained and led outside of the city to be brought to trial for rebellion and treason. Their end was of course death.

Immediately after the evacuation of the army, the distinguished people of the town met: Poles, Ukrainians, and Jews. They thought how to save those who were taken who really had no part in the uprising. Then it was decided to send a delegation of Polish teachers and at their head the Catholic priest, in search of the army that had retreated, in order to convince the generals. The army that retreated moved quickly. The Catholic priest had a car, but there was a serious problem of gasoline. Therefore, they turned to my father, who had a store for building materials and gasoline. Of course, my father gave them the gasoline needed and they were on their way. This delegation was successful in releasing all the Jewish boys and even the Ukrainians. A number of Ukrainians were tortured and killed by shooting. This left a very heavy feeling upon the people of the town. A few days later, there was a large funeral in the town, in which most of the people of the town took part in. When the Soviets entered, the Ukrainians took revenge on the son of Roman Hakolbasnik and informed on him and expelled him and his family, including his father, his mother, his brother, and his sisters to Siberia. This was in spite of the fact that many had much sympathy for him as he saved many from death.

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The Entrance of the Red Army into Stepan

Within a day or two after the Polish Army left the town, after the conflict with the rebelling Ukrainians, a rumor spread in the morning that the “Bolsheviks” were coming. We, the children, pushed our way to the head of a large group of Ukrainians and Jews toward the bridge to see the “Bolsheviks”. We had heard about their appearance from our parents, about their clothing and behavior during WWI. And shortly we saw them approaching on their tanks (something we did not see with the Polish Army). They were not at all poor people. But their clothes -- boots, hats, and ranks -- did not shine or compare to the clothes of the Polish soldiers and officers.

A delegation of the honorable people of the town walked toward them and received them with bread and salt, as was the custom of the place. The crowd received them with cheers and clapping of hands. They were very pleasant and smiled to the crowd, and they were happy to explain about their rifles and their ranks. After the tanks, there were rows of walking soldiers and some of them were in trucks. In “the cavalry”, there were horsemen of all types in their national clothing upon short horses, and there were also Cossacks in their national clothing. In the Red Army, there were soldiers of many nationalities -- Tartars, Cossacks, Uzbekistans, and others.

Our parents and the elderly were a bit afraid of the behavior of these soldiers, as they remembered their wild and undisciplined behavior during WWI. But things did not seem that way in the present reality, as the discipline was perfect.

Some of the officers lived in Jewish houses. A Cossack officer with the rank of captain lived in my grandfather's house. They taught us Russian, and taught us Russian songs. They tried to refill what was missing -- sugar, biscuits, and treats, even though it was clear that the lifestyle that we were used to during the Polish Regime before 1939 would not return.

We heard from them of the cancellation of private commerce, about the basic Russian rule -- “He who does not work does not eat”, and about cooperatives. We began imagining to ourselves a first picture of what life would be like under the Bolshevik regime -- the Soviets.

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Civil Soviet Regime in the Town

Several days after the entrance of the Army, people of the civilian regime came and began to organize the town. The “small-Soviet” was formed. This was the town council whose real leaders were the craftsmen -- the proletarians amongst the Jews. A militia was formed which was headed by a Soviet police officer. An office of education and culture, an office of transportation, and other offices were formed.

The merchants and storekeepers amongst the Jews of the town understood that they could not exist under the Soviet regime. They began to eliminate the stocks of goods in order to assure their existence -- by trading with the non-Jews who gave them produce, potatoes, oils, milk, etc.

The regime did not look nicely upon these commercial deals and began to threaten and make arrests in certain cases. I remember at a later stage the bitter impression made by the arrest of the widow Sarah. She lived amongst the non-Jews. She was arrested for a long period of time for selling matches and salt. A rumor spread in the town that the rich Jews were being expelled to Siberia. It was always spoken of the possibility that the police could appear suddenly and expel people without any early notice. I remember that my parents, amongst the people of the town, also were very afraid. But as much as I remember, Jews from our town were not sent to Siberia. Another Jew was tried and sentenced because he was suspicious of looting as he tried to take for himself things at the time that he was dismantling the products of the rich estate owners amongst the farmers. He was sent to jail. Minkil, the Jew, thought that these were the times of the Communists from the period of WWI, and he did not realize that times had changed.

In our town, a cooperative store was opened, where they rationed the basic products for everyone: fish, salt, sugar, kerosene, and matches. There was the problem of standing in long lines for many hours in order to get the allocation. In addition, every Jew tried to privately organize for himself products like wheat – flour for baking bread, potatoes, meat, milk, and other agricultural products, in order to complete the necessary portion of food for his family's existence. Of course, under the given circumstances, the Jews had to cut expenses and to adjust to a different standard of living than they were used to under the Polish regime. But they did not suffer from starvation. My father, for example, bought a cow for milking, and this definitely improved our situation, even though it added work for all the members of the family to take care of her, to feed her, to cushion the barn with straw, to be friendly to her, and to milk her. My mother gave milk products to neighbors who were not as fortunate as we were. My father, who knew Russian and was learned, suggested himself as an accountant for the department of transportation. He became a government clerk with all the rights and obligations. This improved our situation

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as we received a monthly salary for existence, and there were several easier conditions for acquiring food products. We, the children, began going to a public elementary school, and within a short time, we knew the Russian language, with the help of our parents who already knew the language very well.

We, the Jewish children, stood out in our talents and became excellent students -- “Ottolichnikim”, and at the end of the year, we received the report card -- “Pohbalenia Normota”, which encouraged competition and caused us to want to continue to excel.

The preaching of equal rights with no difference of religion, race, or occupation, showed its results. In school, the non-Jews did not stop hating the Jews. But they did not even try to call us “Yid”, but “Yori”. This was not because they liked us, but because religion lessons were stopped in the school – for the Jews, the Ukrainians, and the Poles. On the other hand, there began lessons on Communism and on their great leader.

We organized political youth groups. There were organized groups for shooting at targets, learning defense against gases and bombings, and there were appropriate awards for those who finished the courses. We felt that as far as studies and advancement in studies, we had many opportunities. We had to make efforts, without our parents investing. Therefore, we were happy, studied, and studied more, according to the command of “Lenin”. We were very happy, and our parents were already planning our college studies in the future. My parents wanted me to be a doctor.

Even though we had wide cultural activities, we did not go far from our Judaism. Our parents were sometimes sad that we could no longer learn Hebrew and keep a connection with the Zionist movement, as in the past. At the most, a public school was allowed where the language in which studies were taught was Yiddish with a public Soviet curriculum. As I became of Bar Mitzvah age, I studied the Shulhan Aruch, the Haftarah, and all that was necessary for my Bar Mitzvah party that took place secretly one morning in the synagogue. I remember that I prayed the Shaharit and put on teffilin for the first year early in the morning, without being forced to do so.

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On the Sabbath and the holidays, we would go to the synagogue, even though they began to bother my father about missing work on Saturdays. But almost always, he would switch Saturday for Sunday with one of the other workers of the office. This was possible since the head of the office was not a confirmed communist, but a local Pole, an acquaintance of my father from before the war.

The suppression of nationalistic feelings was stronger under the Soviet regime and showed even more as time went on. The united Zionist youth with deep consciousness and with a traditional Jewish education was pushed away from their Torah when the Russians took over in 1939. Through their special methods of threats to exile people to Siberia and suddenly sending people to jail for a small reason, they stopped the speaking of Hebrew and destroyed the youth movements and organizations. After 21 months of Soviet occupation in the town, the spiritual and social soul of the Hebrew language was forgotten. The subjects in school were taught in Yiddish, but they were not allowed to mention Zionism.

It seems that the spiritual suppression during the period of the Soviet regime contributed in negative due to the fact that the same Zionist united youth of the past who had self esteem and the readiness to defend itself in the past, refrained from doing so in an organized manner when the pogroms and the destruction took place by the Ukrainian and German enemy.

Immediately when the war between the Soviets and the Germans began, the Jews began to worry about their future. The Jews of Stepan learned from past experience that in any situation of instability of the regime, wars, changing of regimes, and times of transition, the security and rights for defense from the government was lessened. The fact that they were surrounded by Ukrainians who were “blood thirsty”, searching for revenge, and desiring national independence caused the Jews of Stepan to understand that the Ukrainians would take advantage of the transitional periods in order to steal, to avenge, to hurt, and to do pogroms against the Jews. But despite all of this, the Jews did not believe or grasp that the Ukrainians would go so far in their actions and would become active partners even more than the Germans themselves in totally destroying the Jewish community.

Rumors reached the town that the Russian Army fell and that there was treason along the whole front. The German agents and of course the nationalistic Ukrainians began to spread rumors of German parachutes near the town. It is possible that here were several parachutes of agents and spies.

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The war began showing its signs in the limited allowance of necessary basic products like kerosene, soap, salt, and sugar. The lines by the cooperatives became longer and the allowances became less and less. Everyone tried to get products from every source. The black market began to flourish. The government began to draft men to the army. I remember how young men, Jews and non-Jews from the town went to an area before the courthouse accompanied by their close family: women, mothers, and children. The good-byes were filled with crying and kissing. The scene caused an oppressive feeling. We, a group of Jewish youth, accompanied the draftees up to the bridge on their way to Milinsk. We remember the sad expressions of saying good-bye between those who accompanied and those leaving.

As days past, we felt the existence of the war more and more. The war department in the town organized the youth and men who were not drafted to help in preparing wheat fields outside of the town to become an airport or landing area. My older brother, Shaul, was amongst the workers. I accompanied him out of curiosity.

On one of the days of the war, enemy airplanes appeared in the skies of our town. There was even a case that a Soviet plane was shot down in the skies of the town. The next day, the anonymous pilot was buried, wrapped in what remained of his parachute. During the burial ceremony, one felt that the Ukrainians were happy, but the Jews were very sorry and sad.

No more than ten days passed, and rows of defeated soldiers of the Red Army retreated through our town. The sight of the retreating soldiers was quite pathetic. They were tired, worn out, hungry, and battered. We, the Jews, tried to help them as much as we could. Our Ukrainian neighbors did not do the same.

I remember that in one case, one of the senior officers called an obligatory meeting in the center of town, and in his speech, he made clear that indeed the Red Army retreated, but the retreat was temporary and only for tactical reasons. He also made it clear, that it is known to the Red Army, who the Soviet enemies were amongst the civilian population who collaborated with enemy agents and placed knives in the back of the retreating Red Army. He added that the traitors should pay for their actions when the Soviet forces return to the area.

The panic and fear amongst the Jews of the town became greater. I remember very well discussions between my father z”l and neighbors who would meet in the evening in our apartment or in front of the house. The possibility of fleeing to Russia with the retreating army and with the civilian Russian officials who were in the town came up. My father had a personal acquaintance with them. We got a clear invitation from the head of the department of war, who was a high Jewish officer, to join him and his family in order to flee to Russia. He promised to help us get started there. But the doubts were many, and there were opinions for and against. The major consideration was if it was possible to leave an orderly house and property and to go with minimal things to another country. Was it so dangerous to stay in the town that it was necessary to flee? As we know, under the German regime, the Jews somehow lived as Jews. The decrees and the pogroms would pass in the end. That was an assumption. It was not possible that the Germans could destroy millions, since first, they must develop methods and means that one could not even imagine to exist in reality.

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Secondly, would the world be quiet when they see these extreme steps? In addition to these claims, we were influenced by the claims of the Jewish refugees who fled in 1939 from Poland when the Germans conquered it. These people claimed that after they lived under the conquering German regime and lived a little under the Soviet regime, that fleeing and leaving ones home is not worthwhile and it is better to take the chance and not to separate oneself from ones nest, ones home, ones town.

The Jews of Stepan did not catch the greatness of the danger. There were those who said he that meant to flee would flee anyways. But if salvation would come, why should we flee? There were those who said they did not want to die on foreign land, but in their home. But they were not granted this wish.

In the end, to our despair, the claims for staying won out. There began rumors that the Germany Army was approaching the town. From day to day, the numbers of retreating Red soldiers grew. The lack of order in the retreat was felt. It was clear that the Red Army received contradicting orders from time to time. There were rumors that the Red Army entrenched itself in the forests near the bridge, and dug trenches and stored hidden ammunition and artillery shells. Our Ukrainian neighbors began to walk around with their heads raised, and some of them, especially the farmers, began to appear and organize themselves in the town for places for robbery and pogroms. The feeling of insecurity grew, especially at sunset time, in the evenings, and at night. In the evening, we would shut ourselves in our houses under lock and key, with much fear and apprehension.

Two days before the final evacuation of the Red Army, the Germans began bombing the lines of the retreating soldiers. There were no arrangements for sirens at that time. I remember that we began to run outside of the town during the bombings and artillery against airplanes. We fled in the morning and returned before it became dark. We discovered that in our area, there was much destroyed. A large number of Jewish houses on the main street and a small street nearby received direct hits and this caused a large amount of human losses amongst the Jews of the town. Amongst the many, the entire Alter Tsiviis Bass family was killed. The next day, there was an enormous explosion in the town and the wooden bridge on the Horyn River was blown up. The retreating Red Army lit several places on fire. This brought the news to us that the Soviet regime had come to an end. We were cut off from the outside world and were under the control of the German Army and our Ukrainian neighbors.

The Ukrainians received the German conqueror with happiness and joy. The nationalists amongst them were happy because of their hate for the Soviets and their hope to receive independence from the Germans. The farmers, the simple people, were happy because it was now a time of lawlessness and they could rob the Jews and do pogroms without any interference. The Jews of the town hid in their homes, and trembled with fear thinking of what was to be.

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We, the children, despite the dangers and fears, dared to go out to the Main Street and see the victorious German Army. They looked different than the retreating Red Army, and not just the color of their uniforms and their ranks. They were more orderly and polished in their appearance. Convoys moved ahead on wagons with Belgian horses. Some of them moved forward on motorcycles and others on bicycles. I do not think that there were many automobiles, and this was because of the difficult dirt roads leading to our town. The army took positions in different places in the town. Platoons set up artillery, not far from one another, against airplanes. We, the children, walked around freely amongst the wagons and artillery without being bothered by the German soldiers.

The next day the town was filled with farmers that robbed the Jewish houses. In addition, these abominable creatures showed the German soldiers that one could take things from the Jewish houses that were of value to the army: material, produce, and bicycles. The farmers brought the Germans to our house and they went up to our attic and found our hiding place for bicycles. They confiscated the bicycles and their parts. German officers appeared and requested to stay in our house. We very happily gave them a large room to stay in as we thought they would protect us from the Ukrainian looters and rioters. When the farmers learned that German officers were staying in our house, they did not attempt to get close to our house. The German officers, who found out very quickly that we were Jews, said that they were sorry that the attitude of the regime toward the Jews was not good and that we would suffer in the future. They tried to help us. They gave our father cigarettes and a couple of other necessities. Several days later the soldiers and officers left us in order to advance to the front.

After them, the engineering corps came and began reconstructing the bridge on the Horyn River. The Germans even began in organizing the local government and formed a local Ukrainian militia, which was headed by one of the locals of the town, Shasha Kromenf. Their uniforms were granite blue. But since there were not enough uniforms for all of them, they went into the Jewish homes and confiscated from their closets any clothes with the same color of the uniforms so they could sew uniforms and hats. They also came to our house and took my school uniform and my brother Shaul's uniform, which were made of granite blue.

It was made public that all men up to age fifty must go to work in reconstructing the bridge. Therefore, my father and several other Jews of the town worked in carrying heavy logs of wood to the area where the bridge was being constructed. Several Germans in uniform who had working under them Ukrainian guards supervised the work. I remember how some of the Jews during their work were hit and pushed along. I remember how Yosef Wachs (who later was the head of the Judenratt) was hit when he failed to carry a log of wood.

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We, the Jews, were cut off from the outside world. We were not allowed to travel outside of our town, and we did not know what was going on in other Jewish communities. The non-Jews told us that the Germans continued to make progress and win along the whole front. They also told us that Jews in nearby cities and towns were kidnapped and were taken to work camps. All the rumors made us more depressed. A decree was made that every Jew must put on his sleeve a white band with a blue Star of David embroidered on it so the person could be identified. The Jews were only to walk in the middle of the street, and not on the sidewalks. The Jews were only allowed to go out on the streets during the day. In the evening and the night, there was a curfew for the Jews of the town. As time passed, the band with the blue Star of David was switched with a yellow patch on the chest and the back. It was forbidden to pray in public and in synagogues.

In this situation, the Jews of the town had to be concerned with their existence. Jews with workshops did work for Ukrainians and in return for their work they received basic necessities for their existence. Others traded their clothes and valuable articles for products like flour, potatoes, butter, milk, etc. Their standard of living went down extremely.

After a few months, a rumor spread that it was decided to place all the Jews of the town and nearby villages in the area into a ghetto. The Ukrainian committee in the local government went through the houses of the town especially on our street, Shkoolna Street, the street of the synagogues, and nearby streets, to measure every room in order to decide how many houses would be included in the ghetto. Indeed, in a short time, an order was made that all Jews of the town must move to the houses on Shkoolna Street. The Jews packed their belongings, left their homes, and were expelled to our street.

Into each room, at least two families were placed to live, and this also included the kitchens. The crowding was horrible, and the result was that the hygienic conditions were run down, filth and dirt everywhere. At the beginning, there were not enough bathrooms. As time went on, they dug holes that were covered with boards and were used as public bathrooms. The Jews who were professionals were given the right to live in a group of houses by the fence of the ghetto. The Germans along with the Ukrainians began organizing the local government of the Jews: the Judenratt and police. Yosef Wachs was chosen to be the head of the Judenratt. He was tall and was well built. When he walked on the street, his head was upright, and it seemed that he loathed the whole world. This Jew was harnessed to aid the Germans. He was placed in the house at the opening of the ghetto, the house of Lazar Hazlazanik. He picked for himself a group of strong boys of the town, who would be policemen, and they began to rule the Jews of the ghetto. Of course, he looked out for his friends and relatives, and placed them as if they were professionals so they could live in houses on the border of the ghetto. Some of them were appointed to jobs in the ghetto,

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for instance administration the kitchen. One thing for sure, the head of the Judenratt carried out the orders of the Germans meticulously and very severely. The Jews carried the burden of the German decrees that were carried out by Yosef Wachs and his people.

The Judenratt and at its head Yosef Wachs didn't really govern the Jews of the ghetto and its area, but there were those who carried out the decrees of the Germans and the Ukrainians. This institution decided the list of Jews to be sent to the forced labor camp near the town of Kostopol, and this was according to the number of workers needed from time to time by the Germans. The workers of the Judenratt dealt with collecting gold, precious stones, and furs. The amounts were set according to the needs of German and Ukrainian authorities. The head of the Judenratt, along with his close advisors, decided who will give what, and how much. If the person who was told to bring a portion of gold or an amount of fur did not appear or didn't bring the required amount, the Judenratt forced him to do so.

The methods were varied. First, messengers of the Judenratt were sent along with the Jewish police. They were usually simple people who used force. There were threats and surprise searches in private homes. In certain cases, they would place the head of the family, the father or mother, in jail in the ghetto. The jail was situated in one of the upper rooms of the women's section in the synagogue. If this pressure did not help, since some of the Jews thought they should keep some of the valuables belonging to themselves to use in exchange for food products in the future or for redeeming a member of the family in the future, the Judenratt sent the head of the family to the Ukrainian police for torturing by harsh beating and for solitary confinement, in order to get from him what was needed, as gold, furs, or precious stones.

I remember being a witness to a case when the head of the Judenratt himself slapped the face of a women who claimed that she was unjustly arrested and that she was not able to add anything to what she had already given. Also something happened to my mother. When my mother was asked to give up her expensive fur, after they had taken from us all of our other furs in the house, my mother successfully smuggled her expensive fur to a trustworthy non-Jew. This was in order to assure that we would have something of value in a time of need. My mother paid for her actions. She went through a series of interrogations and torture, stage by stage, first by the Judenratt and the Jewish police, and later by the Ukrainian police and their solitary confinement.

I remember very well, after not being able to sleep, that I woke up at dawn when my mother was arrested and taken to solitary confinement by the Ukrainian police. I jumped over the ghetto wall and ran

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to the Ukrainian police without any authorization. I stood before the entrance of the Ukrainian police station and whined like a baby. Just then the head of the Ukrainian Police, Sasha Kromenf, walked by and turned his head in my direction. He apparently recognized me from the days when he was a friend of my father from the good old days and would come to my father's tobacco shop. I was almost frozen because it was very cold outside and I was dressed very lightly. Sasha asked me what I was doing here, and how did I leave the ghetto without a permit. He said that I deserve a whipping and could go to jail. I answered that I was aware of this and that I did not care if I received punishment. I asked that my mother be released from jail and confinement since she was sick and would not be able to hold up. Sasha looked at me again, and told the police officer to take me back to the ghetto, and that I should not try to come to the police again because then I would be whipped and taken to solitary confinement. The policeman pulled me out of there, kicked me, and told me to run quickly back to the ghetto. I ran back to the ghetto and after a few hours my mother was released. She was exhausted, tortured, and wretched. I do not know if it was because of me or incidentally that my mother was released, but my sister and I were very happy to be with our beloved mother again.

In addition, the Judenratt and its workers dealt with filling the requests of the government with regard to street cleaning of the town, and work in the ghetto itself. When the Jews where taken from their homes and expelled to the direction of Shkoolna Street, the street of the ghetto, and the nearby streets, it was not clearly decided which families would live in which apartments or houses. Families chose their apartment through their previous acquaintance with the people who owned the apartment, or because they liked a certain apartment, or because there was no other place left and they chose the apartments that were still vacant. The people who lived in the apartments before on Shkoolna Street had to give in to the new reality, to crowd into one room of the apartment or even a half of a room, and to allow the refugees to get settled.

Into our two room apartment with a kitchen, two families moved in, in addition to our family. In the bedroom, my mother, my sister, and I lived, along with the wife and daughter of Berl Yolkazon. In the dining room, the family of Ben-Zion Yolkazon lived, his wife, his two daughters, and his son. The husband slept in the kitchen. The house was very crowded. My mother who was a very orderly housewife had to get used to it being disorderly as a result of it being very crowded. At the beginning, she would respond when there were damages done to our utensils and furniture that were caused by the other families. But slowly, we got used to the new grey reality, and new worries cancelled out those petty worries that we had at the beginning. The problem of food started. The stock that we had slowly decreased, and my mother, who was generous, let the needy people in our house use our food, like pickled cucumbers from the barrel and potatoes in the basement.

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Description of Life in the Ghetto

The authorities separated men from ages eighteen to fifty from their families. There was a fence between the camp of the men and the ghetto and passage was forbidden. The work camp of the men was situated at the continuation of Shkoolna Street. The men were housed in groups of houses. They did forced labor within the work camp and outside of it. From there, certain candidates were taken to the Kostopol work camp. In the camp, those who were craftsmen, barbers, tailors, or shoemakers gave service to the men. The men's food was rationed, like all the members of the ghetto, a small portion of bread and a light portion of soup. Most of the men were exhausted and suffered from malnutrition, filth, lice, hard work, being hit, and disgrace. A man who tried to leave the work camp in the evening to visit his family was heavily punished if he was caught by the Ukrainian police or by the Jewish police. In the cold winter months, means for heating were lacking and it was very cold in the rooms. After the residents of the ghetto and the camp finished taking apart buildings near the houses, like barns, storerooms, and stables, that were made of wooden boards, to get material for heating they had to steal in the night outside of the ghetto to take apart abandoned wooden structures for heating material. In one of these cases, there was a very tragic incident. One of the residents of the camp, Hone, the son of Hazlazanik, went out of the ghetto to organize wood. He was shot by a Ukrainian policeman even though he recognized him.

The first victim who was shot in cold blood deeply affected the members of the ghetto and the camp. It became clear to us that Jewish blood was of no significance. Since it was forbidden to congregate, a small funeral was held with the members of the Chevra Kadisha and family members, which was different from the tradition of the Jews of Stepan to hold large funerals.

The effects of malnutrition began to show their signs on the residents of the ghetto and the camp as some turned partially blind. It was known that they would change from time to time the men who were sent to the labor camp in Kostopol. My father was sent there one time. This caused my mother and us to worry greatly, because our father was a skinny and weak man, and became even weaker in the labor camp. Even though we tried to convince those who were responsible for sending men to Kostopol not to send him, he was sent there. After several weeks there, my father was not able to hang on. One time when they went to work in the nearby forest, he fled and returned to the ghetto. The Jewish police immediately arrested him and placed him

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in jail in the ghetto. My father was exhausted and was near total physical collapse. After a couple days of jail, he was released and sent home to be taken care of. My mother tried to take care of him the best that she could, even though she was exhausted and lacking means to take care of him. I fled from the ghetto on several occasions to organize some food products for us from some non-Jewish acquaintances.

I remember very well an incident when policemen came to check how my father's health was in order to send him back to the labor camp. His response was that he fainted continuously and when I stood by his bed, he seemed like he was dead. I remember that after continuous care by one of the policemen, he barely gained consciousness. His situation convinced them that he was not a candidate for the labor camp, and they left him alone. But after a few days, they turned to my oldest brother, Shaul Shilik, who should be sent instead of my father to the forced labor camp. Shilik's physical condition was not much better than my father, and my brother was not very independent. This scared us. We tried to convince the authorities not to send him, but in the end he was sent to the forced labor camp. I remember very well his parting from us, especially from my dear mother. My mother cried along with all of us. She then bundled up his bundles, putting in several necessary food products from what was left in the house, and Shilik was taken from us.

I would easily sneak into the men's camp through a hole in the fence, and would spend hours in my father's living quarters and sometimes bring him something warm to eat, from what mother prepared. I heard from the men's discussions that there were those who believed that the troubles would pass, and that in the end, salvation would come in one form or another. Others claimed that the end is coming and that there was no hope. They came to this conclusion as they saw that the Germans were prevailing on all fronts. I never heard discussion of rebellion or fleeing and joining the partisans.

In one case, I remember a remark of my past teacher, Baruch Krizer, the son of the shochet Levi z”l. who was a Jewish policeman in the male camp. He was different than most of the policemen in that he would be very polite, and would only make remarks about order and hygiene. As far as I remember, he would never scream or scold. His comment was: “We are compared to feces in the public toilet and that will also be our end.” He said this very near the time of the final destruction.

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I remember that a young fellow succeeded in entering Stepan, as it was forbidden for Jews to travel from one town to another. Perhaps he was sent by a partisan organization or a Zionist organization, with the purpose of organizing the Jews to flee or to rebel. He brought news of the organization and joining of young men from ghettos of different towns to the partisans. He told of the acts of killing of groups of Jews in the Volyn ghetto.

The fellow's activity in the Stepan ghetto did not last too long as in a few days he was arrested by the Jewish police by order of the Judenratt and he disappeared. There were rumors that he was turned over to the Ukrainian police and was forced to leave the town after being threatened by the Judenratt and the police that he would be turned over to the Ukrainians or the Germans.

Because of the great hardships of the Jews in the ghetto, they began to believe in coming of the Messiah and salvation that was told by false prophets and fortune tellers. I remember one named Eliahu Koiffman who would bring all different signs that salvation was coming and would say different dates when salvation would arrive. Even though he was a simple man, most tended to believe in him. This was a way of holding on to something like someone who holds onto straw while drowning in order to save oneself.

Most of the residents of the ghetto could not exist from the small portion of food supplied by the Judenratt. Therefore they looked for all different ways of getting additional food. One of the ways was to be sent to outside work. They would sneak out to the non-Jewish merchants and bring them objects and clothes for food, or just would ask for help. Those residents of the ghetto who had relatives outside of the ghetto, or near it, would get help from them to receive additional food. Since the exit permits for leaving the ghetto were limited, most of the Jews sent boys or young men who would be successful in sneaking out of the ghetto without permits, and get to the non-Jews in order to get additional food products. Many times the boys or young men would stay with the non-Jews for the day or even longer, and take care of their sheep. They would get a decent portion of food for their work they did for the non-Jews. They would bring the food to their families to save them from starvation. When a young man was caught by the Ukrainian police by the fence of the ghetto or on his way from the ghetto, he would get serious blows,

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they would take from him the food which he collected, and would throw him back into the ghetto. This deterred many of the youths from trying to get food in this dangerous manner.

I remember, a little before the ghetto was destroyed, most of the youths who were shepherds for the non-Jews would come home to sleep every night as they were afraid of what was to happen. I also was a shepherd for a non-Jew. I recall a story that shows how abandoned we were by the non-Jews.

One day my flock moved onto the land of one non-Jew. Before I could even move the flock from his land, the head of the land appeared. Without even asking if I did this on purpose or if the flock moved onto his land by mistake, he hit me with a heavy wood pole, until I lost the feeling of my senses. My friend who worked with me brought me to the non-Jew that I worked for, and he placed wet bandages on my whole body. The non-Jew said if I wasn't a Jew, he would hit his neighbor for his inhumane actions toward me.

As it is known, our cooking and heating ovens were heated by wood. Very quickly the residents' supply of wood in their storerooms ran out, because there were so many residents in each apartment. In order to find wood for heating, they had to dismantle storerooms and barns that were built of wood. As long as I could, I tried not to use this method. But the situation just got worse.

My grandfather, Ben Zion z”l, as I remember, reached the age eighty and died in the ghetto. It was clear that the main reason for my grandfather's death was not old age, but the distress caused by the difficult living conditions in the ghetto, and the hardships he underwent. I stood by his bed when he died. It was Friday night, and we had an underground minyan in my grandfather's house. On Saturday night, there was a funeral only for the family members, who were allowed to leave the ghetto. I was included in this. My grandfather was buried in the Jewish cemetery. We had to use wood from my grandfather's barn for the burial and for the gravestone.

In the ghetto, there were two young judges. There were differences of opinion between the two families of the judges. But in the ghetto, the two judges had a lot in common, and tried to encourage the residents of the ghetto that the darkness would end soon and the dawn would break.

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Because of the bad nutrition and living conditions, they tried to make certain laws easier on the people. I remember that they allowed the Jews to make matzot from rye flour and to eat legumes on Pesach.

Muffled but stubborn rumors about the partial annihilation of the nearby communities of Barobana and Kostopol spread somehow amongst the residents of the ghetto. There were those who believed it and there were those who argued that it was not true. But everyone was scared and they were sleepless as they thought about what was to come. There were rumors that a group of Ukrainian policemen from the town, headed by Evan Chatzik, was sent for special training to Kostopol. It was said that this was preparation for our annihilation. On one of the evenings of Elul in the year 1942, a rumor spread amongst the Jews of the ghetto that all the harnessed carriages of the non-Jews of the town and nearby towns were mobilized. But they said this was for transporting produce, but most felt that the end was coming and believed that it was for transporting Jews in the direction of Kostopol. The panic it the ghetto was great. Some of the men of the work camp were able to get into the ghetto in order to calm their wives. We saw that the guard watches around the ghetto were increased, and we heard shooting warnings.

I approached the building of the Judenratt and I heard screaming and threats in Ukrainian from the window of the building. Perhaps these were last attempts to blackmail money and jewelry from the head of the Judenratt, his clerks and family before being exiled. (There were rumors amongst the non-Jews that they were killed by shooting near the police building of Stepan). I was tired and scared and I returned home. I lied close to my mother and my younger sister and somehow fell asleep. But before dawn, we heard voices in German -- Jews get out of your houses. I looked out of the window and I saw three German soldiers with helmets and bayoneted rifles in their hands. They marched on the streets and hurried the Jews to get out of their houses.

Within a couple of minutes, I could see from the window a group of Jews with their wives and their children, taking their belongings with them on their backs, and walking toward the gate of the ghetto. From time to time, they would fight and the crowd would turn into a very scared group of people, or into innocent sheep led to slaughter. I remember how Yitzhak Vitznodel, the butcher, walked, being dressed in his dressy black suit, with his family after him. My mother, my sister, and myself, being very scared, jumped off our beds, without taking anything, barefoot, and in minimal dress, left our house in order to look for shelter. My mother suggested that we hide in a small basement at the opening of our house, until this would pass. I was against this as I thought that the next morning they would continue their search and we would be found. My mother listened to my advice and we climbed the fence

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to the outside of the ghetto. Near the ghetto lived a Polish non-Jew, Henger Yank. We jumped into his garden, and hid amongst the thick corn stalks. Suddenly we heard screaming from the attic of the Pole, that we should leave immediately, or he will call the police. Because of fear, we all got stomach aches and diarrhea. We had to leave the Pole's garden, and we turned to the main highway on the street May 3rd. When we got to the street, we discovered a convoy of carts harnessed to horses. On most of the carts, Jewish families sat, ready to be transported. The carts were facing the direction of the market, in the direction of Kostopol. On the opposite side of the street, many armed Ukrainian policemen stood in order to prevent people from fleeing from the carts, and to prevent any possibility or fleeing from the town.

We tried to cross the street and to sneak away to one of the alleys, but every time the policemen prevented us from doing so with their bayoneted rifles and by shooting in the air. One time, my mother and I were successful in crossing the street and getting to a side alley near Sam's bar. But then we saw how my sister Sosel-Sarah was stopped by one of the policeman and dragged to one of the carts. Her voice and cries brought us back to her, and we took her and ran back to ghetto. Nobody prevented us because we were again in the trap. We saw several people still walking toward the gate, we heard crying from houses, and shooting from the area of the gates of the ghetto. We decided to go to the men's camp to see if my father was still there. We crossed the gate between the ghetto and the men's camp and went to the room my father used to be in. But the whole house was empty. We looked around in the house and outside it, and called my father a couple of times, but there was no response. It seemed that the men's camp was emptied beforehand, and the men were put on carts going in the direction of Kostopol.

As we were so desperate to find father, we turned to a bath house on the river banks. In order to get out of the ghetto, we had to go through water up to our knees which was filthy, full of sharp stones, and broken glass. We chose to jump over the fence of the ghetto in the area of the second corner of the bath house. In this area, the fence was high, and only with joint efforts were we able to cross the fence, helping each other, and get out of the ghetto. The minute the noise was heard when we fell to the ground after jumping the fence, there were shots heard from a policeman on a nearby hill by the fence. We heard the noise of the bullets,

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but we were able to crawl from the fence without being hurt. We ran very quickly along the river, toward the town Korost.

When we arrived at the house of Herschel that was situated between the houses of the Ukrainian judges, on the banks of the river, we heard again shooting and voices “stop” in Ukrainian. We lied under the pillars of the house and then we continued running along the length of the river. While we were running, we shook from cold and fear.

The surroundings looked very hostile, even though in the early hours before dawn, we saw groups of Ukrainians standing at the openings of their houses, in their yards, and in front of the stores. It was clear that most of these Ukrainians were waiting impatiently for morning in order to get from the commander the spoils -- the Jewish belongings that were abandoned. We got close to the house of our faithful non-Jew, Kozma. He was the person that we gave our most valuable possessions to be kept until this period of time passes. He came in our direction and said he did not want us to come into his courtyard. He suggested that we hid amongst the graves in the Jewish cemetery near his house. His reasoning was that there many other Jews hiding there.

My mother almost agreed to this, as she was tired and scared and thought that this hiding place would lessen our fears and stomach aches and our diarrhea. But my instincts told me to flee immediately outside of the town, in the direction of the villages and forests. I was afraid that we would be caught in the morning by the non-Jews in the area, and even by “our friend”, Kozma. My mother listened to me and we continued to flee in the direction of Korost. When the sun rose, we were already in the fields of a village. We came to one of the hay bins. We hid ourselves in the hay and fell asleep. We suddenly awakened because we were hungry. It was sunrise.. Because of the great hope and yearnings to see father, it seemed that from far away father was approaching, but very quickly we understood the bitter reality. We decided to approach a village house to ask for a place to sleep and a little bit of food. We had luck and the farmer we turned to gave us bread, potatoes, and milk. We ate well and the farmer allowed us to stay that night in his threshing floor, and gave us some food for the journey. But he told us we must leave at dawn, so that no one would know that we were there. If it became known, he would be in trouble.

We stretched ourselves out on the pleasant hay on the threshing floor. Thus we spent our first night outside of our home, being scared of every noise, and our hearts hurt from worry of what happened to our father, our brother, and the rest of our family. At dawn we awakened and left the threshing floor in the direction of the nearby pine forest. In the forest, we ran into several boys

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from our town who also escaped and were looking for a place to hide. We tried to get information from them about what happened to the Jews of the town, but they only guessed and were not sure what happened to them for sure. We asked if we could join them. But they refused, claiming that it was easier to hide in the forest in small groups. They left us, and continued on their way in the forest, apparently in search of food. Shortly afterwards, we heard shots from the direction of the village, and we understood that danger was approaching. Therefore, we continued running into the depths of the forest, without really knowing where we were going. Shortly afterwards, we ran into a village non-Jew. We asked how to get to Sarny. The non-Jew showed us the direction.

Our intention was to get to Sarny, as we assumed that the Jews were not hurt and that we could join our uncle who lived there. We started walking to Sarny, using the small amount of food that the non-Jew gave us the day before -- black bread and pickles. We were very thirsty, and since we did not find any other source of water, we drank from a puddle of greenish water.

As we were walking in the forest, we heard a cart getting closer to us. We walked all the time on the side of the road, between the trees, and we hid behind the thick trees in order to see who was coming near us. My mother saw that it was the non-Jew who we knew from Stepan. My mother turned to him to ask him what the distance was from here to Sarny. The non-Jew, who knew us, told us not to get near Sarny, because all the Jews of Sarny were taken yesterday to be slaughtered, and that we had no chance of finding one of our relatives alive. He said we might even fall into the hands of the Germans or the Ukrainians. He suggested that we flee into the depths of the forest, and not to get near the villages, as much as possible.

This made it clear to us that we would not find in Sarny any of our relatives alive, who we thought we could use to lean on and to hide with them. We had a very difficult problem: the struggle of existence of a widow and her two children who were in a hostile and strange surrounding, being persecuted, with no home, and no manner of existence. We were barefoot and wearing thin clothing and the winter was approaching. In the end, it would be cold and it would snow.

After we got over the bad news, we returned to the area of the villages of Korost and Kritashileski. We turned to the non-Jews of the villages, mostly those who lived in isolated houses near the forests. The truth is we never knew to which house to turn to, and how they would receive us, who would help, and who would inform the authorities about us, and who would even turn us in to the Ukrainian police. There were times when they threw us out without shame

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with cursing, and even by inciting their dogs against us. Thus, with no choice, we had to return to the forest, hit, ashamed, hungry, and scared. We developed a method for trying to get food. Two of us would stay in the forest, and one would go to one of the isolated houses near the forest. If he was received in a decent manner, he would give the other two a sign and they would join him. But if he was not received in a decent manner, he would flee as fast as he could, disappointed and desperate.

One time my mother turned to one of the isolated houses for a little food and rags to cover our bodies from the cold fall nights and mornings. In this case, she was received very badly, with cursing and inciting of their dogs. This was how most of the Ukrainian acted toward us. She returned to us crying and exhausted. The three of us cuddled up amongst the thick bushes in the forest for the night's sleep, hungry and despaired.

Mother suggested that the next day we turn toward Stepan in order to see if someone of the Jews of Stepan was still alive, and maybe we could get organized there and live there again. We would not turn ourselves into the Ukrainian police, who would do with us as they pleased. My sister and I, who were against mother's suggestion, pleaded quietly, and fell asleep.

When dawn came, we were frozen, hungry, and scared. But along with this, my mother encouraged me by the fact that she changed her mind with regard to turning ourselves over to the Ukrainian police. Then I decided to turn to one of the isolated houses near the forest in my usual manner. I knocked on the door. It was still very early in the morning. The door opened, and a bearded farmer opened the door, and was appalled by my appearance and by my face. I shook from the cold of the morning, and was wearing rags, barefoot, and scared of what was to come. He invited me in and asked what I wanted. He invited me to sit down and gave me warm pancakes, milk, and warm cereal. I thanked him, and asked him if I could have a little food, and a piece of clothing to bring to my mother and sister who were starved and cold from the forest. He asked me about my identity. After being a bit suspicious, I told him all that we had gone through. After hearing my story and seeing the tears in eyes of the farmer and his wife, the farmer said to me: “Run to the forest, bring your sister and mother. But do so carefully and in secret so that neighbors do not see. They may turn you and us in.”

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Therefore, I ran quickly, and called for my mother and sister, and we arrived at the house of the farmer. We were received very nicely. He put us in his threshing floor. His wife came with a bowl of hot potatoes, bread, pickles, and onions. After we ate, he told us to go up to the attic of the threshing floor. He told us to cover ourselves with hay and be quiet so that the neighbors would not hear or feel our presence.

Therefore, we settled down, and enjoyed the “king's” food that we were served. After we ate and covered ourselves with hay, we fell asleep. That day passed after a warm sleep in the hay and with full stomachs, and we felt good from the nice treatment we received from the farmer and his wife, amongst the cruel sea of hatred and estrangement. We prayed that this would last for many days.

The next day, at dawn, the farmer awakened us and gave us food. He explained in a frightened and sad voice that we must quickly escape to the thickness of the forest as he heard from his neighbors that tomorrow the Ukrainian police are coming to the area to look for Jews who have escaped. We ran quickly to the forest, as the morning cold bothered us, and we tried to go into the thickness of the forest. But because we did not know the area, instead of going into the forest, we came to another group of houses near the forest.

While we were walking in the forest, we ran into two people under trees. As the beginning, we were startled, but immediately we recognized them. They were two youths from Stepan -- fleeing for their lives. One of them was Yaacov, the son of Rebbi Mendel, the blacksmith, and the other was the son of Bezepsha, the butcher. My mother turned to them and asked them to join us as one group and together we would find a way to exist in the conditions of the forest and the hostile surroundings. The youths turned down her offer. They claimed the opposite, that it was easier to hide and escape if it was a smaller group. Disappointed from their response, we continued on our way in the forest, feeling lonely and lacking all for the future. We lied down in the forest in order to warm ourselves in the sunrays. We fell asleep for a short while. But suddenly we heard shots nearby. We got up quickly, ran to an area of thick trees, sat down, and ate the food the farmer gave us.

Toward evening, a farmer found us, and began inquiring where we were from and what we were doing, and if we have gold or silver. After hearing our story, he was convinced that we were indeed poor and lacking all. He told us that this morning two Jewish youths were caught by the Ukrainian police and were taken to Stepan. They were the two youths we had met.

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He suggested we move away from the area in order that we won't get caught.

That night we did not sleep well, because of what the farmer told us and because of the cold. At dawn, we continued on our way into the thick forest, and we moved away from the houses. On the way, we ran into forest berries which we collected and ate. After walking the whole day, we realized that we were getting close to a village as we heard dogs barking. We saw an unknown village with houses that were nicer than the ones we had seen up to now. It was dusk and we used our usual method. Mother stayed in the forest, and my sister and I walked carefully toward an isolated house near the forest. We met a non-Jewish woman who gave us a portion of food, as we requested. We thanked her and left her courtyard. As we left, a tall elderly farmer entered the house that we left. A few minutes later, we heard him scream “stop” in German. He continued running after us and said he would turn us over to the Germans. As fast as we could, we fled to the forest to find our mother, and to tell her what happened.

We went deep into the forest, and found for ourselves a hidden place to sleep for the night. We lit a campfire, baked the potatoes, and ate them. Thus one more night passed. The next day, at dawn, we continued on our way, in order to move away from this village because we were afraid of that non-Jew. This village was a Polish village, called Only. Without knowing where we were going, toward evening, we got close to a Polish village, called Peni, which was near the city Sarny. We entered an area of swamps with small islands with bamboo, and we settled ourselves on one of the islands.

Afterwards, I entered one of the houses and asked for food, and they gave me food. This poor farmer told me that we were not far from the city Sarny, and told me we should stay away from the city for our own safety. That night we slept amongst the bamboo and ate our meal. The next morning, at dawn, we left the area after a difficult night of mosquitoes and cold. We went deeper into the forest. The morning was cold, and we had to walk on puddles of frozen water barefoot.

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We continued, not knowing where we were going. That same non-Jew suggested that we go in a certain direction that would lead us to the village, Kerchon, two days away. He said there were Jews hiding there, and only with their help, would we successfully pass the difficult winter in the conditions of the forest.

At dawn, we awakened, and turned toward the forest, toward the direction of the village, Only, where we came from. We knew the general direction, but we were far from knowing the surroundings or the way. We went deeper into the forest looking for berries, but we didn't find even one berry. To our surprise, we did not get near any village. With no choice, we continued on our way, tired, hungry, and scared. We tried to change our direction, and try to listen to the dogs barking or another sign of life. We had no luck that day. We were tired. Therefore, we settled down for the night, and decided that we would try again tomorrow.

When we sat down on a pile of leaves that fell from a tree, we suddenly heard the noise of steps coming closer. We stood close to the tree and tried to see who was coming. Even though it was the time of sunset, our mother saw a known village Jew with a boy. We ran toward happily and hoped we would get from them help how to get out of the center of the forest.

It turned out that the Jew was Rabbi Yaacov from Kritshilsk near Stepan and his grandson. They were also refugees that had succeeded in escaping. Rabbi Yaacov, who was a man with a black beard, asked if we had come about food today. We answered negatively, and told him all that had happened to us and where we were headed for. We invited him to join us. First, he answered “Thank G-d” that we kept the fast of Yom Kippur because today is Yom Kippur, and he saw this as the intervention of G-d. He took out bread and onions and divided it amongst all of us, and asked us to eat because this is our meal to end the day of judgment. He continued: “Who will give that we will be redeemed this year so that we will be able to avenge the blood of our relatives who have been destroyed.” We ate and drank from a jug of water that Rabbi Yaacov had. Rabbi Yaacov directed us how to get out of the center of the forest and to get to houses and to go in the correct direction leading to the direction of Only-Kerchon. He said good-by to us and said that he was planning to stay in this area and get aid from one of the non-Jews in order to survive the winter. It was very important to save the life of his six year old grandson. Mother thanked him and we began to walk in the direction that he pointed us in.

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The Aid of a non-Jewish Widow with a Good Heart

It started to get dark and we saw light in an isolated house at the entrance to the forest. It turned out that we were very close to a village, but we went around in circles until we finally got out of the forest. According to our method, my mother and sister stayed in the forest and I moved toward the isolated house. The house stood on a hill and near it was a large barn and threshing floor. Nearby there were fields and only several kilometers distance, there were faint lights of houses. I understood that this was an isolated farm. I entered the courtyard and I ran into a dog that did not look dangerous. I came close and knocked on the door. It was answered by a woman who asked: “Who is bothering me from my night time sleep?” I answered: “A poor orphan boy that lost his way in the forest and I ask for your help with a little food and with advise of how to get in the right direction.” My moving story with my shaking and winning voice convinced her to open the door and let me in the house. My worn out clothes, my bare feet, and skinny and scared face convinced her even more that I was speaking the truth, and she had compassion for me. She let me in and called to G-d and crossed herself. This was another sign of her fear and her compassion together.

The house was warm, and the woman and her three daughters, ages twelve, ten, and six, were eating dinner by the table. I was invited to sit down with them, and eat with them. But I asked them for a bit of food and matches, in telling them that my mother and my little sister are waiting for me in the forest. The woman pressured me to tell who we were and what we were doing in the forest. In hesitation, but being sure that I could trust this woman, I told her our story. The woman expressed her feelings again by crossing herself. She told me to call my mother and sister from the forest and that we could sleep on the threshing floor tonight, but she said we must leave a dawn as she was afraid what might happen to her. I ran as fast as I could to the forest, by the signs I left myself in order not to loose my way. I met my mother and sister and invited them to come, telling them the story on the way.

We entered the courtyard and knocked on the door. The non-Jewess opened the door and let us in while crying as she saw what a poor situation we were in. She sat us on a bench in the corner of the kitchen and gave us a plate of potatoes, with another plate of milk with bread and onions. She apologized to us that she had no salt. We ate what she gave us, and gained some strength back from the fast day, the cold, and the hardships that we had gone through. Then she gave us warm milk. My mother thanked the non-Jewess and kissed her hands. Then my mother asked her if we could stay in her threshing floor for a couple of days.

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After much hesitation, the woman was convinced by my mother and the woman agreed that we stay there for three days, on the condition that we do not leave the threshing floor during the day, and she will bring us food and drinks. In the evening, we could enter her house to get warm and to drink something warm.

She gave us food and led us to the threshing floor. In one of the corners of the threshing floor, we settled in on a stack of hay, and we fell asleep. We slept well as the threshing floor and the hay was like king's bedding as opposed to what we had gone through the past weeks -- fear, cold, hunger, and sleeping under the stars. Our mother began to thank G-d that had not totally forgotten us and hoped that she would again be able to convince the non-Jewess to let us stay with her for the winter. If we will go through the war and be freed, we could compensate her with our belongings which were with non-Jews.

During the day, we lay in the hay and from time to time we ate from the food the non-Jewess gave us. We were alert all the time to hear voices or if someone was coming near the threshing floor. Our first day passed. When it was dark, the non-Jewess invited us into her house. She gave us warm milk and a warm dinner. She again gave us food for the next day, and mother suggested to her to let us stay on the threshing floor for the whole winter. Mother said she would sew for her and wash clothes for her during the day and evening.

The women was not convinced and explained to mother that this was not possible, because in the end the people from the nearby village would visit her and they would discover us, especially her brother-in-law who lived in the nearby village and was a policeman for the Germans in Sarny. Along with all her good will and understanding for our situation, she was not willing to take the chance and place herself and her daughters in danger. She requested that we leave in five days. But the women promised that she would give us warm clothes for the journey. We thanked her and went out to the threshing floor for the night. This time we didn't fall asleep so quickly as we were afraid that the brother-in -law who was a policeman would discover us. At dawn, we awakened and listened for every noise of voices of men or a cart approaching. We planned how to escape from the side door, if someone would enter through the main entrance. Thus the second day went by. The fact that she had no salt bothered us, and caused us to be have nausea, because during the day we only ate sweet potatoes.

At dark, we entered her house, and she gave us a warm drink and warm food and gave us some clothes, old shoes, and rags to wrap our legs with. We returned to the threshing floor for the night. We got settled in the hay, but mother suggested

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that she go out for a walk to she where the houses were that she saw as lights from the crack in the wall of the threshing floor. She had two reasons for doing this: 1) to get some salt, matches, and some clothes, and 2) to collect some information about the brother-in-law who was a policeman, what he was like, and how dangerous he was. If it turned out that there was indeed a brother-in-law policeman and that he was dangerous and could drop by for a visit, we must escape tonight and turn toward Kerchon.

We were left in the threshing floor. We cuddled up in the hay, and tried to fall asleep. Our mother went on her way. I could not fall asleep because I wanted to see my mother return from her dangerous night trip in a strange area. It seemed a long time until mother returned. She finally returned with salt, matches, bread, onions, and some clothes. My mother learned from the non-Jews in the nearby village that indeed there was a brother-in-law policeman and that he made money from the possessions of the Jews that he robbed in Sarny. They also told her that he came to visit his sister-in-law at least once a week.

When we heard this, we decided to leave the next day. We fell asleep and another night passed. With dawn, we struggled with the idea if we should say good-by to the non-Jewess or leave without saying good-by. We decided to say good-by to her and to thank her for being so good to us. But we were scared that the brother-in-law would appear or someone else.

Suddenly we caught a discussion of a man with the non-Jewess in the courtyard before the threshing floor. This scared us and we felt that we were in danger. The moment that we decided to escape through the back opening of the threshing floor, the door opened and the non-Jew entered and as if by surprise asked us what we are up to and who we are, and afterwards said that we should come with him to the police. My mother began to beg before him and to ask for mercy. The non-Jew asked if we had in our possession gold or money. We said no, and they he commanded us to leave immediately the threshing floor. My mother thanked him. We took our packages quickly, and we turned to leave the threshing floor in the direction of the forest. The non-Jew entered the woman's house and at the same time she walked out of the house and asked us to enter the threshing floor again. In the threshing floor, she talked with us and explained to us that this was her brother-in-law, the policeman, but that we should not worry because nothing bad will happen to us. She will give us more food, and we must leave the threshing floor tomorrow at dawn. It turned out that she asked her brother-in-law to come in order to scare us and cause us to leave earlier.

My mother began to say a thanksgiving prayer that we were saved, and we listened carefully to all that was going on in the courtyard. That day of tribulations passed.

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In the evening, the woman invited us into her house for a warm drink and gave us uncooked potatoes, matches, onions, and bread. We agreed that at dawn we would leave.

We returned to the threshing floor and fell asleep. At dawn, we awakened, took our packages, and turned to the forest in the direction of Only. From there, we had to get to the train tracks that lead from Sarny to Rovno. Our plan was to walk by the train tracks and get to Kerchon. Before we left, the women directed us according to signs so we would not get lost.

The cold air of the morning was strong and even though we had clothes, we trembled from the cold and fear of the future and of the long way ahead of us. We went in the direction of the town of Only according to the calls of the chickens. The fall sun rose, and we sat down to enjoy its warmth. We ate bread and onions, and we began to plan our way to the train tracks. Since we were not sure of our way, we decided to turn to one of the houses in Only and ask for directions. My mother and sister remained in the forest. I turned to the house that was closest to the forest. In the courtyard, I met a farmer. I turned to him in Polish and asked how to get to Kerchon. The farmer asked who I was and what I was doing here. I told him that I got lost in the forest, that I am an orphan from Stepan, and that I am on my way to relatives in Kerchon for the winter. The farmer invited me into his house, and gave me warm milk and cereal, and explained to me that I must go in the direction of the train tracks to Kerchon, and if I don't loose my way, I should get to the Cheftzi-Kerchon district by evening. The farmer continued to ask me what happened to my parents. I began to trust him and I told him the whole truth. The farmer gave me some more food and a warm jug of milk for my mother and sister, and blessed me on my journey.

When I got to my mother and sister, I gave them the warm milk. After they drank it, we packed our things and went in the direction explained to me, and I was the leader. After an hour in the forest, as we were told to stay away from any path, but to walk parallel to the paths in order not to loose our way, we arrived at the train tracks. Now we must walk parallel to the train tracks for 20 kilometers until we reach the village of Kerchon.

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We continued walking parallel to the train tracks as we tried not to be seen, but still be close to the tracks in order to not loose our way. After a few kilometers in the forest, we would again get close to the train tracks. We continued in this zig-zag fashion.

It was the afternoon hours and we sat down for a short rest and to eat. We went into the forest to look for forest berries and cranberries. We collected berries and ate them as we were also very thirsty. When we finished resting, we continued on our way in order to find the train tracks. We got closer and closer to it. We suddenly found ourselves by the tracks and saw a sign -- Nimovitz Train Station. As we hurried to get into the forest, we heard a car coming near on the train tracks. We moved even quicker. We turned our heads around. We saw it was a train car with two Germans on it armed with a machinegun. They even shot a few bursts of bullets into the forest. Perhaps they were just shots in order to scare us, or that they saw us fleeing into the forest. The shots scared us, we lied on the floor, and did not move until there was quiet. They we quickly got up, looked around, and continued on our way, looking for a place to sleep for the night. Since we were in a pine grove, we collected dry branches, and lit a small fire to warm ourselves and to bake potatoes. Thus we spent the night in the middle of the way to Kerchon, by the campfire. The next day we woke up at dawn, collected our bundles, and continued on our way along the train tracks, hiding amongst the trees.

After walking almost the whole day, we came close to a village area in the late afternoon hours. We knew this because of the barking of the dogs. We saw houses and fields. We thought that we had arrived at Kerchon. We sat down to rest and eat what we had left. We meant to go to one of the houses in the evening to ask if we really were in Kerchon and where the Jews were in this area.

As we were sitting and talking, we heard voices of people coming in our direction. We stood on our feet to escape, but suddenly we heard a voice say in Polish, “Stop! Don't flee. We are partisans!” We stopped, and we found ourselves surrounded by three armed men with rifles, and one of them also had a revolver.

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He was the leader. They asked where we came from and where we are going to. We told them all that happened to us up to now and what our plans are for the winter. We added that we hoped to be helped by the Jews hiding in the forest in this area.

The leader of the partisans ordered one of his men to give us sheep furs so we could cover ourselves on the cold nights. He explained that we were near a Ukrainian village and Kerchon is on the other side of the train tracks. In other words, we must cross the train tracks. He said we could only cross the train tracks after dark and then enter the first house, whose owner had a large threshing floor. He would take care of it that the farmer would give us food and let us stay in his threshing floor until he would met us with the Jews of the forest. He even told us the names of the Jews. We also knew their names.

Seeing how poor, scared and lacking hope we were, he encouraged us in saying that the Germans will soon be defeated and we will be freed, and then we could avenge them and the Ukrainians. He said that the partisans were acting very strongly and caused the Germans many problems. He said we should not be scared when we hear a large explosion in a hour, as they would be blowing up a German train on the train tracks ten kilometers from here. Mother thanked him and wished them good luck in the battles against the Germans, and even suggested her help. But they said that the partisans only accept young men and women with private guns. We continued sitting and waited for it to get dark, so we could continue on our way as the partisan leader explained to us. Mother saw the partisans as messengers of G-d and made a thanksgiving prayer.

As was promised, we heard a great explosion, and we understood that the paritsan's act was carried out. That made us very happy. It became dark, and we turned to crossing the train tracks. We crawled to the tracks and crossed the tracks with each of us running separately. Then we turned in the direction of the house of the owner of the large threshing floor. We came close to the courtyard, and there was a large barking dog. Within a few minutes, a young farmer came out, called the dog, and came toward the gate. He asked us what we wanted, and we told him. We mentioned the name of the leader of the partisans. He opened the gate for us, and quickly took us to the threshing floor. He brought us food, and said later in the evening he would met us with a Jew of Kerchon by the name of Avraham with the closed eye, who would take us to the forest and get us settled with the rest of the Jews. We must leave the threshing floor tonight, because the Germans will do searching tomorrow, after the explosion.

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The Meeting in the Kerchon Forests with Jewish Acquaintances

We cuddled up in a pile of hay in the threshing floor after we ate the food that the farmer gave us and we tried to fall asleep. We fell asleep for a few hours. We suddenly woke up when we heard a discussion in Yiddish inside the threshing floor. I jumped from the pile of hay and I recognized Avraham with the closed eye, and another Jew by the name of Avraham who was a metal worker from Sarny. Avraham with the closed eye recognized me, my mother, and my sister. My mother told him our whole story. He told us his whole story and that he and his wife, Bluma, were still alive. But all the others had been killed.

The farmer came and asked them to take care of us. He made sure that they had a sheltered place for us during the coming winter, and a good hiding place for us if the Germans came to search. The two Jews said they have this for us, but they were not very happy because we might become a burden for them. My mother tried to explain that we were relatives through his wife, Bluma, and she asked if he could help us. The farmer added to us some more food and some old clothes. We went on our way with Avraham from Kerchon and Avraham the metal worker toward the forest. On the way, each of them entered the houses of non-Jews to stock up on food. We continued on our way to the forest.

Avraham knew his way in the depths of the forest in the darkness of the night. Finally, we got to a tangled grove, and met the rest of the Jews who were in a special building made of logs, covered with leaves and dirt. Near the building, there was a campfire burning. By the campfire, sat Avraham's wife, Bluma, the metal worker, Fissa, his daugher, Hanna, and his grandaughter, Zelda. After opening greetings, it seemed that we were received in a very cold manner. We sat by the campfire and they gave us baked potatoes that were taken from the ashes now. Avraham, the metal worker, opened by saying that we all had an obligation to take care of the widow and her two orphans. But we must take into account the existing plans for hiding the refugees in the forest, so they won't be discovered when the Germans come to make a thorough search.

Avraham, the metal worker, was a strange type. On one hand, he was very kind. On the other hand, he was very nervous and apprehensive about being discovered. He said it was very important to hide our tracks in the winter and in the snow, in order not to be discovered. He said we could not all stay together,

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in order to not mix up the plans for hiding already made for the winter.

All the members sat quietly as a sign that they agreed with him. Avraham Hakerchoni (from Kerchon) had to explain to certain non-Jews the reason that we were staying separate in order to prevent misunderstandings. Thus it was decided that the next morning we would be moved to a different part of the forest. There was a shack there that was used in the fall months. Avraham, the metal worker, explained to us that in the winter months, when the snow began to fall, we were to move around as little as possible from the shack to the houses of the village. We should collect for ourselves a supply of food, and to put it in a hole in the ground and to cover it with leaves and branches, so it won't freeze. This referred to bread, onions, salt, matches, and a supply of dry leaves and branches for heating bonfires. If we had to go out, at any rate, we should leave a minimum of footsteps by covering them with the snow.

Avrham Hakerchoni even promised to explain and help us in preparing the shack for the winter, and would help us dig a hole for water close by.

Mother was very sad about all these talks. She cried. But there was no choice, and we had to accept the decision, and thought about how to survive the difficult winter.

That night we fell asleep by the bonfire. We woke up in the morning and ate baked potatoes and onions. Avraham Hakerchoni led us to our new home. After we said goodbye to everyone, Avraham, the metal worker, said to us that we could not visit them under any circumstances, as it would endanger them. But on the other hand, they would find time to visit us from time to time. Avraham Hakerchoni explained to us, on the way, the short cut to the village. He explained where the houses of the villagers who were willing to help us were located.

We arrived at our shack, we cleaned the floor, and put our bundles down. In the middle of the shack, there was a pit for making a bonfire. We lit a fire. A small distance from the shack, we dug a pit with the aid of Avrahma Hakerchoni about a meter and a half deep. We reached water that was clean and tasty. This promised us water for drinking and washing.

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After we got settled, Avraham Hakerchoni left us and promised to visit from time to time. The three of us remained, and my sister and I went out to look for forest berries. We returned with berries and we ate the potatoes that had baked in the bonfire and ate the berries for desert. Then I collected branches of pine trees to cover the roof of the shack and with a tin that I found near by, I dug in the soft sand near the shack, and I pored sand on the branches in order to prevent leaking and cold. I also collected tall weeds, half-dry, and brought them to the shack. I spread them under us for bedding. Thus the day went by, and I planned to go to the village in the evening in order to collect food and other supplies for the coming winter. We tried to navigate in the shortest way, according to Avraham Hakerchoni's directions. As we got farther away from the shack, we left ourselves signs so we would know the way back to the shack.

Even though it was dark, we were not afraid of the animals. We were warned about the danger of the wolves in the winter. If we run into a wolf, we should scare him away by lighting a dry tree. The flame scares him away. After a half an hour, we got to the edge of the forest, and we saw the lights from the windows of the houses in the village. In a bent over position, we crossed the field and came close to the first house.

I knocked on the door, and a fat, short Polish woman appeared, and asked us to enter. In the house, her husband and her daughter were seated. It was very pleasant and warm in the house, as opposed to the cold and wind outside. The woman told us to sit near the heater, where we could get warm. Even though this was a first visit, we did not totally surprise them, and they knew of our existence in the area. We understood this because the woman asked about our mother, the widow. We told them about how we got settled in the shack, that mother was weak and tired from the tribulations of the traveling until we got to Kerchon. We answered their questions about where we came from, what town, and how we escaped. Tears fell from the woman's eyes, and she did not stop crossing herself, and saying prayers.

She and her husband were disturbed by the fact that Avraham and his people did not let us stay with them, but sent us to a separate place. Wasn't it shameful that an escaped Jew dids not want to help someone who was weak and needed help? They served us warm food -- cereal, borsht, and potatoes. The non-Jewess found some of her daughters' clothes and gave them to my sister. She warmed water in a big pot, and suggested that my sister go in back of the heater and shower and wash her hair. She suggested

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that I let my sister stay with them for the winter, because my sister would not survive the difficult winter in the forest. She insisted that my sister already stay the night, and that I return to the forest and tell my mother. If my mother was against this, we could return her tomorrow. The non-Jew went outside and gave me a sharp axe and said this would help me in the forest -- to cut wood for heating, for building, and for protection from animals, and people.

The woman gave me cooked food -- warm cereal and warm milk, bread, cheese, potatoes, and matches. I thanked her and went on my way back to the forest to the shack. I tried to go back the way I came and according to the signs I left myself. Within a half an hour, I got to the shack, and I found mother napping by the fire. Mother awakened when I entered, and I gave her the warm food that I brought her. She drank a little of the milk. I told her of the warm heart of the non-Jewess, Manka, and that I left my little sister with her for the night, as she suggested. Mother was happy and we decided that tomorrow mother would come with me to visit my sister in the village. I added some more wood to the fire, and I fell asleep with mother in the shack for the night.

The next day, I was busy digging a ditch in the corner of the shack for hiding potatoes for supply, so they would not freeze during the winter. Then I collected some tall weeds and covered them. Then I used the axe to cut some dry wood, and I prepared a pile of wood for heating for the winter. Then I collected some berries. During the afternoon, I took advantage of the nice day and the fall sun, and took off my rags and shook out my clothes from the lice. I took a bucket of water and washed myself a bit. Mother did the same. Thus we prepared ourselves for the visit with the nice non-Jewess, where my sister was.

At dark, we went on our way that I already knew, and in a short time, we arrived at the house of Manka. After knocking on the door, and identifying ourselves, she opened the door and received us warmly. My sister jumped and hugged us as if she had not seen us for years. The woman sat us by the oven, and gave us warm and well cooked food. We enjoyed the food. My mother did not stop thanking the woman for her good heart, and thanked her for the suggestion to keep my sister in her house for the winter. The woman said she would teach my sister how to knit while she would sit by the oven during the day. My mother told Manka about her diseases and her suffering. Manka gave us sour milk

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in a big jug and additional food for storage. After two hours in her house, we said goodbye, thanks, and blessings.

When we went out of the house of Manka, my mother suggested that we try to enter the next house in order to fill our supplies for the winter and the snow. We left our bundles by the door and knocked on the door. A tall and thin non-Jewess opened the door, and asked us to enter. Apparently, see also already knew about us. This woman looked very pleasant, and tried to help us to her best ability. She suggested to us to eat. But we thanked her and told her that we had just eaten in another house. After an hour of talking, she gave us potatoes, bread, onions, pickled cucumbers, and cheese. She also gave us some clothes. We thanked her and went one our way. On our way out, we collected our bundles that we left outside, and continued on our way back to the forest. After a short time, we arrived at the shack. We lit the bonfire again, placed the potatoes in the pit that was set up for them, and placed the rest of the food and clothes aside. Then we got ready for a night's sleep by the bonfire.

Thus we continued our daily lives as the winter came closer. The days got gradually shorter and colder. We tried to go to the village as little as possible, but we needed to collect supplies for the winter--potatoes, matches, salt, and onions, in order that we need not go to the village during the snow.

In our surroundings, it was usually very quiet, except for birds chirping, and voices of animals. Nothing usually bothered us. But at any rate, we always listened, and tried not to make unnecessary noises, in order not to stand out.

One morning we heard steps of people getting close. I got closer and looked from the shack. I knew it was Avraham, the metal shop worker and his wife. They entered the shack, said hello, and asked how we were getting along. He made a lot of noise and talked a lot. His wife was a lot quieter and smiled from time to time when he talked. He said that he heard for a reliable non-Jew in the village, that there will be an “oblaba” -- searching with tracking dogs of the Germans in the area of the forest of Kerchon. We are quite far from the village, and he did not think that they would get to us. But we must be careful and be very alert. He and his wife were on their way to a distanced area in another direction from the village, on the other side of the railroad tracks. They planned to stay in hiding for a couple of days, until this searching was done. My mother suggested that they take me with them

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for my safety, and that she stay by herself. This was to lessen the danger for us. Avraham, the metal shop worker, agreed immediately, but I refused to leave my mother by herself. My mother insisted, and convinced me to join the two of them. With tears in my eyes, I left my mother and left her alone.

Avraham, the metal shop worker, was at the head, and he left me and his wife farther back. He went into the depths of the forest, getting farther away from the village. In the end, we stopped, and sat down to rest and eat bread and forest berries that we collected. Avraham opened his mouth and began to plan the future out loud. It seemed that he had not exactly decided where we should hide and where we should go. His wife, Chaya, said her opinion that we had gone far enough and that she was tired, and that we should look for a place in the nearby surroundings, in one of the deep groves. Avraham quieted her in an unpleasant manner, and that she shouldn't give her advice, and that she should totally trust his judgment. His wife, of course, was quiet immediately. He ordered her to continue after him. From time to time, he told us to lie down or stop, and he would listen carefully that he didn't hear any suspicious noise.

Thus the day passed and it began to get dark. It was very windy and the sky was very cloudy. We continued by the same method until we found ourselves by the railroad tracks. Avraham stopped, and told me to cross the tracks by running bent down and to wait for his wife and himself. I did just that. Then his wife crossed the tracks in the same manner and then Avraham. We then continued walking quickly because we were afraid it would start raining. Avraham said nearby there was an isolated house, and about one kilometer from the house, there was a pile of hay under a hay roof. We must steal ourselves to the pile of hay, cover ourselves and stay there for a couple of days. If we were successful doing so without being heard, we could stay there until the searching would be completed. We didn't think that any one would find us.

Within a half hour, we found ourselves before the hay stack. With the help of Avraham, I climbed on the pile first. Then his wife climbed on the pile with Avraham's help from below and I pulled her up. After joint cooperation, we got on the hay stack, and then Avraham climbed on it. On the top of the pile, we felt the strong wind. We then fell into the hay stack and in that way, we protected ourselves from the cold and the wind.

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Avraham and his wife had food -- bread, onions, cooked potatoes in their peels, cheese, and drinking water. Avraham gave us a rationed portion of food, and I fell asleep for the night. I didn't sleep so well because I worried about my mother and my sister, each of them far away from me.

That night it rained heavily and there were strong winds. By morning, the rain stopped a bit and the winds calmed down, but it was very cold and the sky was very cloudy. Avraham said soon heavy snow would fall. We were at the beginning of the month of January 1943. Very shortly, snow began to fall, and the surroundings were totally white. According to Avraham, the change of weather will affect the accessibility of the Germans to the area. If they haven't done their searching as of yet, they will not do so in the days to come. Therefore, he planned that we get off the pile of hay when it became dark, and that we continue on our way in the forest, to our living quarters. On the way, we shall enter some houses of non-Jews in the village and collect food, and we will know if the Germans did their search.

We got down from the hay stack and walked quickly. We had to walk slowly at the beginning, because our feet had fallen asleep because we were under the hay stack all night. Avraham said it was good that we continued because the snow would cover the hay stack tonight, if we continued staying there. We arrived at the railroad tracks, crossed them by running, and got close to the houses of the village of Kerchon. Avraham suggested that he and his wife enter one of the houses, and that I enter another house, and that we meet near the last shack by the forest. He who came first would wait for the others, and that we should not stay more than an hour in the village. Thus it was.

I knocked on a door and after identifying myself as a poor orphan, they let me in. An elderly Polish woman stood at the entrance of the house. When she saw that I was frozen and very poor, she let me in her house quickly, and closed the door. She sat me down by a warm oven. The house was warm and pleasant, and her family sat around the table, four men, women, and their children. The non-Jewess figured out who I was and without asking too many questions, she gave me warm cereal and other warm food. After I finished the large bowl of cereal, someone else offered me warm milk, and I finished it without any trouble. When I finished eating, they were all surprised that I ate so much. I told them for almost two days I hadn't eaten, and before that, I mostly ate baked potatoes. I answered their questions about my mother and my sister, without saying that my sister was staying with a non-Jewess in the village.

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The old woman prepared for me food for the way -- potatoes, cooked meat, and pickled cucumbers. They gave me dry rags for rapping my feet. The others were wet and worn out. I thanked them and continued on my way.

It was very dark outside. I heard dogs barking and wolves whining. The snow continued to fall, and I moved toward the shack we decided to meet at. When I got near the shack, I heard a whistle in another direction, and I moved toward it. Then I ran into Avraham and his wife. We continued into the forest, and Avraham asked me how I was received in the house I went to. He was surprised that they received me so well, because he said this family was not usually so nice, at least to him. As we continued to walk, Avraham continued to tell us what happened to him one night, when he ran into a family of wolves. He got them to leave when he lit a bit of dry wood, which he always kept with him. Of course, the fire acted very well, and caused the wolves to leave immediately. He heard that the wolves preyed on a dog of one of the villagers that night.

He explained the great importance of not walking in the snow in order to prevent leaving tracks. We must be careful and not to eat too much, and not go to the village in any circumstances. If one must go to the village, we should do it during a snow storm, because the tracks get covered. We should cover up our tracks at any rate.

After a half an hour walk, he explained to me the way to my mother's shack, and told me how to go. He said he and his wife will go their way. He reminded me to be careful and hide my tracks. I continued on my way by myself. There was a snow storm, and it was very dark. I ran into a branch here and there, but I continued with all my strength. I was anxious to see my mother and to know how she was. I wanted to be with her. Avraham's stories about the wolves scared me, but I continued on my way.

After walking a half of an hour, I found myself near the shack. I entered inside, and found my mother sleeping with the bonfire almost out. I lit the bonfire again, and then my mother woke up, and I gave a bit of the food I brought. She ate a bit, and I told her my story, and what happened when I was gone. My mother complained of the cold, and how her whole body was aching.

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I put the food supplies in the pit. I warmed some water by melting snow in a can I had, and gave mother something warm to drink. I added wood to the fire, and then I put mother and myself to sleep, wrapped in rags that we had. Our backs were to the fire, and they were warm. But the front part of us was very cold. But we comforted ourselves that another night of tribulations had passed.

The cold outside became worse. The snow storms would come back, and the piles of snow around the shack would get higher. It was hard work to shovel the snow in front of the shack so we could have a passage. We continued our daily routine, and we made sure that the bonfire was always lit, for heat and for baking potatoes, our major form of food. The supplies of the other food were finished during the days we couldn't go to the village. For drinking water, every morning we broke some ice that was above the water pit. In order to warm ourselves, we would boil the warm water in the can that we had, and drink the warm water. That helped us warm ourselves, because it got colder every day. We rationed ourselves potatoes, so they would last this long period of the winter. We hoped the weather would improve.

Mother was very weak, and the cold was very difficult for her. She suffered from heartburn and constipation, which got worse as the week past. We were worried by the situation. Our supply of matches was running out. We tried our best to keep the fire going all the time, but it burned out sometimes, and we would have to use the matches to light the fire again. Mother warned me that we shouldn't fall asleep at the same time, in order that one could watch that the fire wouldn't go out. She said people fall asleep when it is very cold, and could freeze to death while sleeping. She asked me to awaken her from time to time, and she did the same with me. It happened from time to time that we fell asleep at the same time, because we were weak and exhausted, from lack of healthy food, and because of the intense cold.

One morning we woke up frozen, the fire went down, and we had very few potatoes, and very few matches. After a few tries to light the fire which were not successful, we were half frozen, hungry, and isolated from the outside world because of the snow storm outside. Mother stood with my help, and we tried to move our limbs by walking in the shack in order to relive our frozen limbs. We decided we must find a way to the village to get more food and matches, or we would be “lost”.

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Finding a Way Out in Times of Need

Our problem was how to find the way to the village as all the paths and roads to the village were covered with snow, and there were no signs. Also we were weak, hungry, and half frozen. It was very difficult for us to walk in the snow. But at any rate, we took our bundles, my axe, and went on our way. The walking was very difficult, and half of our body was covered with snow. My mother and I felt our feet freezing, especially our foot soles. We moved our feet, as if we were moving logs. We walked as if our feet were artificial. I would have to pick up my mother from time to time. We continued at a very slow pace. We noticed that it began to get dark, and we didn't see any sign of the village. In usual times, it took a half an hour or an hour to get to the village.

With our last strength, we got to a pine grove. I recognized the area, and I knew that in this grove there was a shack. I left mother to sit, and I tried to find the shack, trying to push myself through the thick pine grove filled with snow. After many efforts and trial with my axe, I got into the grove, but I didn't find the shack. It got dark, and I returned to my mother, who sat bundled up and asleep amongst the snow storm and the intense cold.

I woke her up, and reminded her of what she had told me -- that it is forbidden to fall asleep in the cold, and that we could die. My mother answered that it didn't really matter, and that she is going to die. I broke out crying, and begged her not to fall asleep. I suggested to her that I would go in the direction of the village, because it seems that we are close to it. My mother remained sitting by herself, and I wrapped her as well as I could with the rags I had. With the last of my strength, I went in the direction of the village. Even though it was dark, I found the correct direction, and I found myself near the houses of the village. I went to the closest house, knocked on the door, and the tall good-hearted woman who was the neighbor of Manka opened the door. When she saw how frozen and poor I was, she crossed herself several times and cried. She took me in and got me close to the fire. I told her that I couldn't feel my feet. She took off the rags that were on my frozen feet, and rubbed them with snow until I began to feel them again. She then rubbed pig fat on them and told me to put them

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Before I began eating, I began to cry and told the woman about my mother's state and where she was situated. I asked her to give me something warm to drink, matches, and some food, so I could go quickly to my mother. The woman convinced me to finish eating, and she would in the meantime prepare what I requested. She prepared for me new rags for my feet with dry hay and I put them on. My feet and the rest of my body were a lot better after the warm meal.

I was very worried about my mother, and I hurried to bring to her what I had. I put my bundles on my back, which included a bottle of warm milk. I ran to my mother. The warmth of the milk bottle bothered me, and I put it on the ground for a short period of time in order to switch hands. But the milk of the bottle spilled when I placed it on the ground. I felt very bad, and I wrestled with myself to go back to the woman and ask for more warm milk, or to hurry to the forest to my mother. I decided to go to my mother as I was already very far from the house.

After a half an hour, I found my mother. I gave her the bread, cheese, and cooked potatoes. But mother barely ate it. I collected some branches, and lit a bonfire. I collected logs that I cut with my axe. The fire got stronger. Mother recovered a bit, and we hoped to last until morning, and then find the shack in the grove.

Shortly it was dawn. I collected some more wood, and increased the fire, without worrying that we would be seen or heard, because if I didn't, we would freeze. I made a huge fire, and placed my mother nearby, once with her back to the fire and once with her face to the fire, in order to warm her. I went in the direction of the grove, and very soon I found the shack. I returned to my mother, and dragged her with all my strength in the direction of the shack. She could not stand on her feet.

After a short time, I was able to get mother into the shack. It was as cold inside as it was outside. I took all of our belongings, and with my axe, I collected a pile of dry branches, and made a fire in a special tin in the shack that was made by Avraham, the metal shop worker. It was an old bucket that stood upside down with its opening toward the ground. On its lower part was an opening for placing the wood and lighting the fire. Lower down there was an opening for ventilation. On its upper part, there was a pipe chimney through the roof of the shack to the outside. I was able to light the fire and the tin bucket was very hot.

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Thus we were able to get warm. I quickly melted snow in a tin and boiled water. My mother drank from the hot water, and tasted a bit of the food I brought. I thought she was getting a little better. I took off the rags from her feet, and took care of them the way the non-Jewess took care of my feet. I rubbed her feet with snow, and dried the rags on our hot “heater”, and wrapped her feet. My mother said that she didn't feel her feet at all. She asked me to let her fall asleep. I promised her that I would keep the fire going. I went outside to prepare a supply of branches for the fire.

When I came back with the supply of wood, I saw her snoring and making strange distortions, opening and closing her eyes. I ran to her and screamed: “Mother, mother!” I gave her warm water in the tin. She drank a bit, and recovered a bit. She said she almost died, and it was forbidden for me to bother on her deathbed. I began crying and begged her to recover. She promised that she would make all the efforts to recover.

Thus another day passed in which we had a roof over us. I tried not to fall asleep, as I saw my mother's situation was getting worse from minute to minute. I gave her warm water from time to time. At dawn, my mother began to convulse again, I tried to help her, but I didn't know what to do. My mother mumbled all sorts of names that had no relation to one another. She mentioned my father's name, my brother's name, her father's name, her mother's name, and other names of family members. Then there were no more signs of life and her eyes opened.

I began to cry very strongly, and tried to call “mother, mother, wake up! Don't leave me alone, please, mommy.” I kissed her and hugged her with all my strength, and I felt that her body was cold and hard. I placed her head on the ground, and covered her face with rags. I lowered my head, and began to cry about her fate and my fate. An hour later, I uncovered her face to see if there was a miracle and that she was alive, but to no avail. I began to think what I must do now.

I decided that I must turn to Manka's house and get advice on what to do, as I didn't know where the rest of the Jews were. I left the shack that I had entered with my mother. The snow storm calmed down outside, and the clouds dispersed. But it was very cold outside. But the sun was shinning and it warmed me up a bit. I sighed and thought why my mother couldn't have reached this moment,

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so she could enjoy the sunrays. I continued on my way to the village during the day without thinking of the dangers involved in this.

I arrived at the edge of the forest and I stopped and looked around well ahead and to the sides to see if there were any suspicious people. I didn't see anything exceptional but some farmers near their homes. I ran quickly to Manka'a house, and in the courtyard, I met Manka's husband. He was surprised to see me in the middle of the day. He quickly placed me in the threshing floor and told me to wait and he would go to call for his wife. His wife appeared. Manka, the compassionate and good, comforted me. She asked me not to go in the house and not to tell my sister at this point. She promised that she would find the Jews of the forest as soon as possible and tell them what happened. Then they would bury my mother. She gave me some food and told me to return to the forest and wait for the Jews. I of course did what she requested. Quickly and carefully I went back to the forest, to the shack, where my mother died a few hours earlier. Even though I was sure that my mother was dead, I went up to her body again, took off the covering on her face to see if there were any vital signs of life. But I realized the bitter reality.

I sat and waited for the Jews to come to help me to bury my mother. Suddenly, I heard voices come near. I went outside of the shack, and saw the two Avrahams, two other men, and Rabbi Pesa. Avraham Hakerchoni hugged me and tried to calm me down. It seems that Manka's husband knew of the hiding place of Avraham Hakerchoni and the rest. He called him to leave the hiding place, and told him that he had something important to tell him. Since Avraham trusted him and knew his voice, he came out of the house and he told him about my mother's death. Avraham told me all of this, and that he would organize the rest, and they would take care of the burial.

We went a bit away from the shack, and in the same grove found an iceberg that was a bit high. One of the men, a relative of Avraham Hakerchoni, by the name of Yosef, had knowledge about the burial laws. He decided on the place of the grave. Then they began to remove the snow. After that, they dug. At the beginning, the progress was slow, as the upper layer of earth was frozen. But later, the earth was sandy, and the digging moved along quickly. They finished digging the hole, they cut poles of wood to cover the body, and they set up a framework in the hole. Then they entered the shack and took the body of my mother who was wrapped in her rags, and lowered it into the grave. The dark, knowledgeable fellow said a prayer and then I said Kaddish. The grave was covered.

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They placed a wide pole on it with its upper part divided and on it my mother's name -- Mrs. Tibel Prishkolnik, the daughter of Rabbi David Tzukermin from Brozna.

Avraham Hakerchoni hugged me and tried to calm me down. He began moving me away from my mother's grave. He moved the rest of the people away. He said from this moment on, my sister and I will be together with him and his wife, and will be under his and his wife, Bluma's, auspices. What happens to him and his wife, also happens to us.

When we got close to their living quarters, which was very close to our shack and to my mother's grave, Avraham, the metal shop worker, gave orders how to make access to the shack. He organized us in single file and commanded us to go after Rabbi Pesa, and to leave a minimum of tracks. He and Avraham Hakerchoni were at the end of the line, and they had in their hands containers with snow for covering up our tracks. Thus in a short time, we arrived at their shack, and here we found Bluma, Chanah -- the daughter of Pesa from Kazimirka and his granddaughter, Zelda, and Chaya, the wife of Avraham, the metal shop worker. All of them pitied me and tried to comfort me. They tried to analyze the reason for my mother's death. Most of them claimed that the main reason was that she was sick from before, and her general weakness didn't allow her to withstand the intense cold. Therefore, she died. Perhaps, maybe it was for the best. Who knows what hardships are before us? Bluma fed me and said that I should lie down to rest on the bed of rags near the fire.

The rest of the Jews that were present at my mother's burial, were close to Avraham Hakerchoni and even they were from Kerchon. There was a mother, a son, a daughter, and brother-in-law, Yosef, who the one who was well versed in the burial laws. He also said to me: please remember today is the first of February, 1943 -- the day of the death of your mother.

The relations between Avraham and especially his wife with his relatives were very bad. Therefore, they hid out in a different part of the forest and had nothing to do with the relatives. Avraham Hakerchoni knew where they lived. Therefore, he invited them to be present during my mother's burial.

During the first week in their shack, they didn't let me do anything. I sat most of the time in front of the hot oven, and they would give me baked potatoes and onions from time to time. Everyone liked me, and Bluma and Chanah especially took care of me.

Thus the grey daily routine continued in the shack, which was warm enough. From time to time, I would go out to collect dry branches for heating, and would put in and take out potatoes from the ashes of the fire,

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at the bottom of the heater. Part of what we would do during the day was to take care of our clothes -- looking for lice and killing them, or shaking our clothes over the bonfire.

The lice were very bad. In addition to the fact that we had very little food, the lice sucked the last of our blood without mercy, and they multiplied, and got fat on our expense. From time to time, arguments would break out between Avraham, the metal shop worker and Rabbi Pesa about Avraham's exaggeration with regard to his strange ideas and his carefulness about camouflaging our tracks. Sometimes the situation would get so “hot”, that only Bluma and the wife of Avraham, the metal shop worker, could calm them down. From discussions I heard, I found out that near Milinsk, there was a large group of Jews, amongst them Jews from Stepan and Bronza. They were hiding in the forests of the Ukrainian village of Brono. Pesa said he knew the non-Jews of the village, but didn't trust them too much. He thought that there was danger of destruction of the Jews there, if they didn't escape soon.

About two weeks after I was staying in Avraham Hakerchoni's shack, on a night of a heavy snow storm, he suggested taking me to see my sister. He said we should take extra clothing and some food. We were on our way. We arrived at Manka's house very quickly. We entered the house after knocking on the door, and identifying ourselves. Manka received us warmly and with compassion. She called my sister.

We hugged each other, and I broke out in a bitter cry. I told my sister what happened to our mother. My sister joined the crying. Manka calmed us down, and promised to continue keeping my sister until the intense cold passed. But, if I wanted, I could take her with me to the forest. I agreed to this and thanked her. Manka's husband and she criticized the Jews in the forest again for not helping us, and that they didn't let us join them in the days of intense cold. Avraham Hakerchoni tried to justify their actions because of their fear of tracks and noise of too large of a group. But the Poles were not convinced and continued to claim that this shame would not be forgiven. Avraham was offended, hurried to leave, and promised to meet me at the entrance to the forest in an hour.

Manka hurried to prepare a good warm meal for us, gave me some clothes to switch my worn out and dirty clothes, and gave me a supply of food. I thanked her for everything, and sat with my sister, sad and depressed, by the heater. We brought up to idea that from now on, we were lonely orphans without someone to lean on. We could only lean on each other. I, as the older brother, took on the responsibility for her existence in all conditions and circumstances. I told her that when spring comes, Avraham Hakerchoni and his wife will separate from the rest of the group.

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Avraham will help me build a new shack in a place he would choose. Then she could join me and we could live together. My sister claimed, with tears in her eyes, that she was impatiently waiting for that moment, even though she felt good with Manka and that they were very nice to her.

Then I took my bundles, and separated from my sister with a kiss. I thanked Manka again and turned to meet Avraham. At the edge of the forest, Avraham Hakerchoni waited for me and we continued on our way to our living quarters. The snow continued to fall and covered our tracks. But near the shack, Avraham covered our tracks. I walked first, and he after me, spreading snow from his container in his hand in order to cover up our tracks. We returned to the shack and continued with our grey routine. The days passed and we felt that it was less cold, and that the weather got better. We could get enjoyment from time to time from the sunrays and its warmth -- the end of the winter and the beginning of the spring.

At the beginning of April, we had another occupation, and that was milking the white and erect birch trees. It was enough to make a groove in the bottom of the trunk of the tree. Then sweet sap would drip out of the groove. It was so tasty -- sweet water. Since the dripping was slow in general, we would place near the groove in the trunk of the tree a thin branch, and then the drops would drop into the bucket. This caused us much enjoyment. I was an expert at this, and I would collect the sap for most of the members of the shack. Of course, all the knowledge about this activity I acquired from Avraham Hakerchoni.

The nights were not always so calm. From time to time, I would hear the discussions of Avraham Hakerchoni. and his wife, Bluma, as a slept nearby them. The arguments would get stronger and they would accuse one another for losing their children in the Holocaust. She would accuse him that he didn't return to the ghetto on the day of the escape in order to look for their children who were staying with Bluma's mother. He and she, it appeared to me, worked outside of the ghetto of Brazna. There the two children stayed with Bluma's mother. Avraham would explain that there was no reason to return to the ghetto, because when they heard the rumor of the destruction of the ghetto, the ghetto was already being destroyed. He would have only risked his life, without even saving his children. The argument would always end in heavy sighing and crying by both of them.

This of course caused me to think of all that we had gone through at the time of escaping the ghetto. This caused me horrible nightmares.

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The Appearance of Spring in the Depths of the Forest - the Hiding Place

At the beginning of the spring, the rain caused the snow to melt. There were only, here and there, islands of snow left. The chirping of the birds and the clearing of the sky made it clear to us that spring was beginning. This encouraged us a bit, at least life would be a bit easier without the intense cold, and the terrible problem with the tracks of our feet.

Avraham Hakerchoni and I went to work building a new shack. Avraham was a man of great energy, and of great ability to improvise. I tried to help him to the best of my ability, with carpentry of the wood, and cutting and taking down branches. We worked all day straight through, with short breaks for eating. After one day of hard work, a large shack stood hidden amongst the many trees of the forest.

Thus we continued a whole week and improved the shack, including making a roof covering of branches and earth, and straightening the floor inside and making furniture. Also, there was a double bed in one corner for Avraham and his wife, a second double bed, a dining table, and a hole for water. The beds were not connected by nails as we had none, but by tying soft branches, and straps from the bark of trees. Everything was strong and stable. Close to the shack, we dug a wide hole for storing potatoes and other vegetables. With the help of Avraham, the metal shop worker, we built a heater from old metal that Avraham Hakerchoni once brought from the village. The heater was wide and had a chimney with a shield to prevent sparks from spreading in the night.

After finishing the work, we cleaned the shack, spilled white sand on the floor, and cleaned the courtyard before the shack. Our new house was ready. The next day we moved things over and about noontime we said goodbye to the others. Bluma came to live with us in the new shack. Avraham Hakerchoni was very proud of his work, and he really did a very good job. Bluma was satisfied. Avraham said that if everything went well, they will have a new baby soon, and pointed to the place in the shack where they would place the cradle. The baby should be born in the summer and this would make it easier to take care of him. Bluma said it was too soon to talk about it, and they shouldn't discuss this.

From time to time, we would go to the village to supply ourselves with food, and enjoy a warm meal. My left big toe was frozen and hurt me a lot.

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On one of our visits at the non-Jewess in the village, I complained about the pain on the toe of my foot, and she suggested I take off the rags on my foot. She brought for me a bowl of hot water. I placed my sore foot in the water and it seemed that my foot had begun to rot. The non-Jewess brought a clean and soft cloth and cleaned the toe carefully. She made a bandage with non-salty pig fat. She also suggested that I come to her from time to time so she could take care of the toe, and not to neglect the toe, otherwise it would get worse. I thanked her a lot, and returned with Avraham Hakerchoni to the forest. One time I asked from Bluma and Avraham to bring my sister back to the forest, as I had agreed with Manka. I felt a need for this for several reasons: 1) I felt myself very lonely since my mother died, and 2) even though I knew she was doing fine with Manka, I understood that sitting by the heater for days on was not too comfortable. Since the spring had arrived, she would enjoy being a “free” bird in the underground, along with her brother. I took into account that she would feel good with Avraham and Bluma in the new house.

On one of my visits to the village, I came to Manka, and I told her that I was ready to take my sister to the forest. I thanked her very much for all that they had done for her during the winter. Manka gave me a warm meal as usual, and took care of the sore on my foot. Since the toe didn't look too good, she decided not to put anymore pig fat on it, but a special leaf from the house plants. She cleaned the sore well and made a new bandage. She gave me a supply of leaves to use when I changed the bandage from time to time. Manka gave my sister a lot of used clothes. My sister kissed the family goodbye, and we then turned to the forest. Bluma and Avraham received her with open arms, and Bluma explained to her the way of life in the forest. My sister said she would help in the upkeep of the house.

My sister began to get used to the life in the forest. I think she felt less lonely since she was with me. Bluma taught her to prepare potato soup with onions and garlic. She was busy with the tasks of the house. She would fix her clothes and also my clothes. On the nice days, we would take off our clothes and wash them. We would boil them in boiling water in order to get rid of the lice. Then we would wash them from time to time in warm water. But we never got rid of the lice. We would be more successful sometimes and would prevent the lice from spreading. My sister helped Bluma prepare diapers and the rest of the things for the baby to be born.

Thus we continued our lives. I left my sister in the forest, and at night would go to the village by myself. During the day, we would go out to pick mushrooms, under the supervision of Bluma

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who could distinguish between poisonous and edible ones. We would cook the mushrooms in the potato soup -- which would make our usual potato soup a little different.

Avraham Hakerchoni returned one evening from a visit in the village and told a horrible story of how Bandrovechim, National Ukrainian partisans, assaulted Jews who were in the forest near Milinsk-Broni. The Poles told Avraham that the activity of the Ukrainian Nationalists was increasing. They were rebelling against the German rule and formed an independent government in Stepan. The Poles, who were very worried from this growing activity, began to organize themselves for self defense, and increased the guard duty at night.

All these things concerned us greatly. It was known that the Ukrainian Bandrovechim were even more cruel than the Germans. There was a new danger upon us -- perhaps they were in the forest in our area. We took some precautions -- being more quiet and camouflaging our living quarters even better. One time we went in a different way in order not to form paths or tracks.

One morning Avraham, the metal shop worker, and his wife, Chaya, appeared. This was the first surprise visit in our new shack. Avraham, the metal shop worker, opened with a story of the results of the assault of the Bandrovechim on the Jews near the Milinsk. According to him, the nationalist Ukrainians murdered five Jews, among them children and women. The rest of them, who escaped, got to our forest and some of them are hiding in the houses of good non-Jews in Milinsk. Avraham described the present situation as very serious, and he brought plans how to flee from this area, and to prevent a concentration of too many Jews together. According to him, we were about a hundred people.

Bluma began to argue with him, claiming that there was no logic in changing our place. Actually here, near Kerchon, it seems safer, because the Bandrovechim will not dare to get near here because of their fear of the Polish defense, unless they plan to attack the whole village. If this was the case, we would have heard of this from the Poles. Avraham, the metal shop worker, suggested a plan of observation by sitting on trees in the area, from a certain distance from our living quarters, to observe, and to warn if there was any danger approaching.

It was decided by Avraham Hakerchoni and Avraham, the metal shop worker, to make a meeting with all the men who are now in the forest. Thus, there was such a meeting with the new Jews who escaped

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the area of Milinsk. Amongst them stood out a tall and skinny fellow by the name of Francis. It seemed that he had initiative and was very forceful. There were men from the Katz family, the Brier brothers, Benyamin, Yosele, and Shalom. There were several fellows from Stepan -- Shimon, the red head, the son of the baker, the brothers from Korost -- Yosel, Mania, Aharon, and Avraham. Chana, the daughter of Nahman Shenker from Stepan, was also amongst them. There were also two girls from Sarni, the wife of the doctor with her young daughter from Brazna, along with several other men from Brazna. But I knew very little about them except children stories and knowing the Tzukerman family and that they had known my mother very well.

Francis explained that we must divide into two groups for two reasons: 1) so that we would make less noise and tracks, and 2) in the case of a capturing, we all won't be captured at once. He claimed that he had a rifle and revolver and some more weapons for self protection in the worst case. He explained that in the case of shots, we must lie down on the floor, and it is best in back of a heavy trunk of a tree or in the back of a hill. With regard to the idea of Avraham, the metal shop worker, about observation from the trees, he tended to accept the suggestion partially. He said we should have patrols every couple of hours during the day and at night for checking the situation and for warning. He suggested that we should be as quiet as possible.

In summary, the first suggestion of dividing the camp into two was accepted and to keep good communication between them. It was decided that Francis, his wife Mindel, her old mother, her brother and his wife, who was also Francis's sister, would live nearby us. The Katz family, the father, the oldest brother, Zerech, the young brother, the oldest sister, and the two younger sisters, Faysa Hanah and his granddaugher, Avraham, the metal shop worker, and his wife, and the rest, including, the girls from Sarni, the doctor's wife and her daughter from Brazna, and the other Jews from Brazna and Milinsk would live farther away, in a second area.

I was very jealous of Francis because he had weapons, and I tried to get near his weapons, to touch them, and to learn how to use them.

We continued our lives as our fears of every leaf moving were great and very strenuous on our nerves. Every day we would hear rumors, and new and horrible stories. We continued in the same manner to collect food from the village, as the appearance of the Germans in the village was not very probable. From the stories of the Poles, we learned that the situation of the Germans on the Russian front was worse and they began to retreat. Along with this, there was the activity of the partisans, who supported the Russians on one hand and the Ukrainian Nationalists on the other hand. They told us that the Germans were planning a big revenge action on the Ukrainians in Stepan. There was a rumor that when the Ukrainians rebelled in Stepan recently, they hung several Germans from the government in Stepan on phone poles.

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These stories encouraged us, and especially the rumor of the retreat of the Germans and their fall in Russia, and the possibility of revenge of the Germans against the Ukrainians. All this gave us a little hope, that perhaps we would be redeemed one of these days. This was in spite of the fact that the news was general and not usually based on fact.

Along with all the fears that were caused because of the situation, I had self confidence based on the fact that we had a reinforcement of Jews -- strong men with some weapons that they possessed. We would meet with them often and listen to discussions, arguments, prophesies, and evaluations about our chances of getting through the war and being free soon. We found friends who were orphans, and we would go out together and collect mushrooms and forest berries.

One morning, Avraham Hakerchoni returned from a patrol in the forest, and he announced to us that he met a Jew, a person he knew from Korost, his wife, her sisters, and her brother. It was apparently Rafael, the partisan, who could tell that he was the leader of the partisans, and he has different and strange plans about how to deal with the Germans. According to him, he had a secret connection with the headquarters. I knew the truth from his wife, and from his sisters, and especially from his little sister – Devora (Devorke) who said that he had escaped from a group of Ukrainian partisans who turned into Ukrainian Nationalists. Therefore, he is in our area. Rafael would be by himself for hours, even for days, as he would tell about the meetings with the partisans, and terrorist acts on railroad tracks and German installations. Most of the Jews of the forest belittled these stories and thought they were only in his imagination. Once he pointed to a square package that was placed near him, and said this was terrorist material that would soon be activated, and would blow up another train of the Germans.

The summer was coming to an end and time for the harvest: the grain crops, the fruits, and the field crops were ripe. On one of our visits to the village, it became known to us that the Ukrainian Nationalists raided the Polish villages in the area of Stepan, killed, robbed, and burned. The residents of the village, being surrounded by Ukrainians, were afraid for their future, and decided to evacuate the village as early as possible, and to move to one of the nearby cities. This was according to the recommendation of the Germans, who said that when they are on the front, they could not promise to protect them. And so, after a few days, the Poles began to evacuate their village. We said goodbye to them, and especially to Manka and to the rest of the good people, with tears in our eyes. They tried to give us utensils and clothes, and said everything that was left in the fields, in their houses, and in their barns was ours, and we should use it. And thus it was.

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As soon as the Poles left the village, we began to take care of ourselves with regard to food supplies for the winter. It was the time to collect from the fields. Almost everything was left in the fields and a lot in their houses as they left in a hurry. It was known to us that Ukrainians from the nearby villages would visit. Therefore, we made our visits in the evening or at night.

Avraham Hakerchoni was the expert on finding all sorts of bargains, like household utensils, like a millstone or a barrel of pickled cucumbers, pickled cabbage, cheese, or oils. With the cooperation of Avraham, we collected everything from the fields -- potatoes, grain crops, vegetables, and fruit.

In our hiding places in the forest, we set up huge wooden barrels from the village, and we filled them with wheat and rye grains, after threshing, drying, and cleaning. By the shack, we set up a millstone with great difficulty, which we brought with a small cart that we pulled from the village to the forest. We also brought a mortar and a pestle from wood for grinding the oily grain after drying in the sun or by the fire. On one of our visits, we discovered a barrel with salty preserved cheese and we took it to the forest. We dug two huge holes and filled them with potatoes and carrots, and covered them with hay and sand so they would keep for the winter and would not freeze. When fall arrived, we had collected for ourselves a supply of potatoes, wheat and rye grains, onions, garlic, some preserved cheese, pickled cucumbers and cabbage, oil grains, beans, and some salt. All the others Jewish residents of the forest did the same. At the beginning of the evacuation, we caught a bull that had run off to the forest. Mr. Pessa, the butcher, took care of slaughtering of the bull and dividing the meat to everyone. It was enough for several weeks.

One day, Bluma had to give birth. With the help of several Jewish women, she gave birth, and they named him Peretz (Perchik). We had a new member to our shack who was happily received with much love. But we were worried that his crying could be heard by the enemy. But we were comforted by the fact that the fall winds got stronger and would make more noise than the baby's cry. The conditions for taking care of the baby were not good, but we tried our best. As far as I remember, there were a few more births in the forest, and the babies grew up in the conditions of the underground.

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The Victims in the Forest

There were two tragedies. A Jew from Brazna was shot while taking potatoes out of the field near the railroad tracks. We did not know if the bullets were from the Germans or from the Ukrainians. In the evening, he was brought to the forest and was buried by my mother. My mother's grave turned into the cemetery.

The other case was Rafael, the partisan, who disappeared or was kidnapped. When he went to the village early in the morning in order to collect fruit, with his wife's little sister, Devorke, she returned to the forest by herself and told how she saw him being taken by two strong unknown men who spoke Ukrainian. She saw how they tied his hands in back of him, how he was blindfolded, and led away. She was told to go back immediately to the forest. She arrived running and out of breath. She told the story of what happened to Rafael, while crying. His wife and the rest of his family were very sad, and this worried the rest of the Jews in the forest. There were several hypotheses: 1) since they were Bandrovechim, they knew there were Jews in the forest and looked for them in order to kill them, and 2) if they were Russian partisans, they would let him go, or they would try him on some crime. This was very difficult for us. We hoped to see him one day. But the days passed and we heard nothing from him. It was clear that he was killed.

One morning, we heard great explosions from the area of Stepan. We guessed that they were the bombings of the Germans, and we were glad that they were avenging the cruel Ukrainians, blood thirsty, who murdered and robbed the Jews along with the Poles. The houses of the Poles looked like the houses of the Jews when they entered the ghetto. They were destroyed, looted, destroyed doors and windows, and even houses. That is what they did in the village of Kerchon.

Along with all the worries and difficulties, we continued to supply ourselves with food and wood for heating in the winter that was approaching. In the evening, by the bonfire, we would ground the grain on the millstone, and store it in bags. We cleaned and sifted the beans, the onions, and the garlic. After drying it, we would store it.

[Page 267]

The High Holidays in the Forest

The High Holidays of 1943 arrived. The services were held near Mr. Katz's shack. I remember very well the services of Yom Kippur. We were the whole day outside by the shack, we prayed, and listened to the adult prayers. But we also listened to any noise, being afraid that someone was coming near us. Our situation got worse because of the many Bandrovechim. But on the other hand, we had a feeling that the Germans were falling and that our redemption was near. There was a great desire to pass this and remain alive -- to avenge what was done to us. Yom Kippur passed and everyone went back to their shacks.

A very sad and worrisome case took place. From the direction of the other concentration of Jews in the forest, we heard shooting. After a short while, several fellows came to us after escaping. They told us of the story of the attack of the Bandrovechim and how they captured the Jews. This caused great panic, and it was decided to leave everything and move over to the grove near the railroad tracks of Sarny-Rovno. We thought that the Bandrovechim would not dare get close to the railroad tracks because of their fear of the Germans and that the Germans, being worried with their defeat and afraid of getting involved with the partisans, would not enter the forest to search.

That same night we fled to the railroad tracks, and we assembled, everyone with their bundles in their hands. We were very careful to be quiet, and not to make a bonfire during the day and the night. When we did light a fire, we made sure that no sparks were in the air by using fitting wood. It was decided that the real solution was to start digging large living quarters, deep in the ground, which would be covered by logs, branches, and earth. In this large shack, all the Jews who remained were to live.

Therefore, a collective building effort began, organized and managed by Avraham Hakerchoni and Avraham, the metal shop worker. In the meantime, the rest of the Jews were found and nothing bad had happened to them. There were those who the Bandovechim caught. But they only wanted to know where the rest of the Jews were and if they had a connection with the partisans. In the end, they let them go and said that they were invited to live in Stepan, along with the rest of the Jews of the forest. They claimed that they needed craftsmen, and there must be some amongst the Jews. They claimed that the Jews of Stepan had lives of their own with all the rights and that Stepan has been under independent Ukrainian rule for some time. They suggested that we decide within a week to come of our own freewill, and that would be best. If not, they would bring us to Stepan against our will, as it is for the best.

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This seemed to us very strange, and there were arguments amongst us. There were a few who tended to believe the Ukrainians, but most didn't believe them, and understood that this was a trap in order to kill the remaining Jews in a total manner. But we picked several fellows to go to Stepan and to see the reality there.

We, seventy people -- men, women, and some babies -- crowded ourselves in the huge underground shack. We didn't light the fire during the day, only at night. During the day, it was freezing, as the winter arrived. At night we warmed ourselves by the heater and baked potatoes. The crowding was horrible and made life very difficult. But it seemed that the suffering was on the way to redemption.

After a day after the men left for Stepan, they returned very frightened, as they met a non-Jew from one of the villages who asked them where they were going. After they told him their story, he asked to come with them to the forest. Later he told them that the story of the Bandrovechim taking care of the Jews was a lie, and that they shouldn't go to Stepan. He also told them that the front was getting closer, and it seems that within a month the Russians will be here. If we had lasted this long, we should hold on a little longer and hide, because the day of freedom is near. He said that we shouldn't worry about the Bandrovechim because they are busy hiding from the Russians who are getting closer.

He was really the messenger of G-d, one of the righteous men of the nations of the world. The fellows returned to us and told us what “the guardian angel” told them. Then we decided that we should get organized where we were, and that we should get as much food as possible, without moving when the snow began in order to prevent tracks in the snow.

One day, after we succeeded to organize most of the supply of food and even to grind flour, Avraham Hakerchoni decided to go out with me to the other side of the railroad tracks. There were a few abandoned houses of Poles. These houses were not far from a village of Ukrainians who were known for their cruelty. Bluma tried to convince us not to go, but Avraham said he would carry this out, because of his stubbornness.

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We left at dawn. Outside it was still dark, and by the early morning hours, we reached the houses. It looked very abandoned and it seemed that the Ukrainian neighbors had stolen most of the things, including doors and windows that were taken down from the houses. Avraham found by one of the houses a beehive. He decided that he wanted the honey. He knew that he had to take precautions against possible bee stings. He knew from experience the use of smoke, and the possibility of flooding with water. Since smoke would reveal us, Avraham decided to equip ourselves with many different rags, and cover our bodies including our faces, so that we had air to breath, and try to overcome the bees by flooding with water. Thus we did, but we were attacked by the bees, and I felt that that were penetrating past the rags and that they were stinging my whole body. Avraham felt the same thing. After we poured buckets of water into the first beehive, Avraham suggested that we retreat and clean ourselves from the bees. We cleaned ourselves from the bees and saw that we had been stung on our whole bodies. But Avraham was stubborn to get the honey. After a short rest, we moved toward the hive that we had flooded again, and began to take pieces of wax that were full of honey. We filled our buckets, and we were stung again, but continued with our work. We placed the honey in back of the trees. We looked for large containers to carry it back. We found two large milk jugs, we cleaned them with water, and began to fill them with honey, as we separated the honey from the wax in order to save room. After we tasted the honey, it gave us the desire to get additional amounts of honey.

Very carefully, while looking out to see that the Ukrainians from the neighboring village did not see us, we continued with our work, as we did the first time. We were successful in filling two jugs with honey, which only needed to be strained and purified. We got stung again, but we were already immune. We moved away from the houses and from the hives in the direction of the grove in the forest, and we planned to rest until the sun set, and then to pass the railroad tracks in the direction of the shack. We lied down to rest and licked the honey, but the pain from the bee stings increased, and I saw how Avraham looked and how I felt. We were swelling up from minute to minute. My eyes swelled up, and I barely could see anything.

In the meantime, the sun set. Avraham found a strong branch and we placed the two jugs on our shoulders and continued on our way to the shack. We passed over the railroad tracks by running. We got to the shack late that night, because the jugs were heavy and because of the bee stings. We walked slowly and heavily.

Bluma and my sister were happy to see us alive, knowing that we took a big risk. We showed them what we had brought back and began the work of straining and purifying the honey on white pieces of cloth. In the end, there was left a large amount of honey,

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which added to our food supply greatly. Avraham and I suffered from the bee stings for more than a week. I even had a high temperature. Bluma took care of me and Avraham with all sorts of leaves and moist clothes with water and honey. After a week, we felt better and the swelling began to go down.

As long as it didn't start snowning, all seventy residents of the shack tried to help in organizing for the coming winter. Avraham and I, like the others, carried on our backs sacks of potatoes and hid them near the shack. My sister and Bluma baked supplies of bread, and we dried it so it would last the winter. We brought supplies of honey, onions, garlic, and anything else we could carry. We dug a well nearby with the cooperation from everybody. The preparations continued as long as it didn't begin to snow. We organized our daily life and found a place for everybody in the shack. We set up metal heaters, made by Avraham, the metal shop worker, and the chimneys were slanted sideways and downwards so the sparks wouldn't fly at night. Nearby the shack, we collected dry trees for the heaters.

Even though it was very difficult not to heat during the day and only at night, the majority received this decision without reservation. Everyone had in their hearts the feeling that was sometimes expressed in discussions that we had gone through the worst, and that we were near to being freed, and that we should suffer the maximum for this short time, so not to fail.

When all the preparations were finished, December, 1943 arrived and the snow storms began along with intense cold. We heard from far away bombings and the sounds of artillery, mostly at night. An airplane that we heard every morning and evening along the railroad tracks of Rovno-Sarny, stopped flying. The tension of what was to happen was in the air.

Every night we would set up a number of guards outside of the shack in order that they could search, guard, and listen, and if necessary warn of a danger approaching.

[Page 271]

The Beginning of Liberation from the Forests - the Departure for Freedom

One night two fellows entered and told that they heard voices in Russian from the direction of the railroad tracks nearby. Immediately the two Avrahams, Francis, and some other Jews joined them, and got close to the tracks and tried to listen. They clearly heard voices in Russian, and footsteps in the direction of Sarny to Rovno.

After we returned to the shack, there was a strong argument. Many of the residents tended to believe that according to all the signs and rumors up to now, the Russians had arrived and that we would be soon free. But a small part of the residents, including Avraham, the metal shop worker, said this was not possible and at most this was a group of partisans that was passing by, and that we should not show ourselves because then the Germans would follow.

Thus the discussions continued and the listening and surveillance continued at night. Finally there were compromisers amongst the residents that suggested sending a group to Hutor, the nearby Ukrainian village, there lived a reliable non-Jew who Francis knew. Francis was the head of the group. We were all very tense, and in inhumane conditions, we awaited impatiently for the group to return. The wives of the men who were sent were very scared.

One night four men went out in the direction of Hutor, taking advantage of the snow storm which covered their tracks. The next day, before noon, the weather improved and we were expecting them to return that night. But during the day, they came happy, approaching the shack, singing in Russian. Avraham, the metal shop worker, who was always suspicious, began to go crazy and swear to them how they could endanger us in the middle of the day, and why they weren't careful to cover their tracks.. They made fun of him and began saying: “Jews, we are liberated! We met Russian soldiers and at their head a Jewish commander. We got an exact report from him about the situation on the front. The Russians are making progress on all the fronts. There now are battles in the area of Kobel and they are making progress in the direction of Lavov, to the center of Warsaw. The Germans are fleeing and are very scared.” They suggested that we take the necessities and go in the direction of Milinsk. Avraham, the metal shop worker, claimed that he did not believe them, and that it is at the most partisans. He refused to leave the forest until formal Russian representatives would arrive and invite us to be liberated.

The majority made fun of him and were quick to leave the forest. We walked on the railroad tracks toward Milinsk. It was the liberation march of the starved, full of lice, fear, with rags on our feet, partially barefoot, marching in the cold and snow, happy, knowing that we were free.

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As we marched, the Russian Army passed by us, proud and self confident. When they saw our sad case, they threw us canned goods and clothes.

By evening, we arrived at Milinsk. Avraham Hakerchoni led the convoy. We all stood by the village council building. Avraham and the rest of the Jews of Milinsk entered the building to the head of the village council, and requested that they be given their homes back. And each family received a room in houses that belonged to the Jews before the war. In a large house in the center of the village, Avraham Hakerchoni, Bluma, Pertzik got organized in one room, next to them Pessa, his daughter, and his granddaughter, next to them the Briyerim, and next to them my sister and me. The rest of the Jews were in houses that belonged to some of them in the past, others in houses they were given and that were owned by Jews in the past. Milinsk was a railroad station between Sarny and Kostopol. The non-Jewish neighbors and the Russian army helped us get organized for the night, by giving us hay mattresses and food. It was the first time I had slept in a house after seventeen months in the forest. We felt free and felt we had rights like all citizens at the time of war.

The next day, we walked amongst the Red Army, and very soon we met Jewish commanders and soldiers. The stations were full of soldiers, in cars, on horses, or by foot that fought against the retreating German army. Trains passed by all the time filled with army, weapons, heavy tanks, artillery, and bombs that were covered in order not to be discovered. On the roofs of all the cars of the trains, there was artillery against airplanes, machine guns against airplanes, with brave soldiers situated on them.

We talked with the Jewish soldiers and commanders and we heard from them that the Nazis had murdered most of their families. They helped us the best they could by giving us canned goods and some clothing. We turned to the village council and they gave us potatoes and flour. With the aid of the non-Jewish neighbors, we began organizing ourselves at home, including wood for heating the oven that was used for heating and cooking. One of the activities that we placed must effort on was destroying the lice. We sorted all of our bundles and burned the extra clothing. My sister washed the clothes, first in lukewarm water and then boiled them in hot water. We washed our bodies in hot water from buckets and bowls. We washed our cut hair in hot water and with kerosene -- according to our neighbors' suggestions. This activity wasn't completed after one time, but we did this a number of times, until we felt free of the burden of the Nazi persecution and the lice.

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After a short time, I got sick and felt a strong pain in my knees. I couldn't stand on my feet. The non-Jewish neighbors helped my sister take care of me. Bluma and Chanah took care of me with family remedies. An army doctor, who was brought by one of the non-Jewish neighbors, took care of me. Within a couple of weeks, I felt better and began to walk again.

In the meantime, several orphans from Stepan came to Milinsk, and they told us that there were several fellows in Stepan who were still alive. I began to plan a visit to Stepan, in order to 1) to see how much the town had been destroyed; 2) to hear who was still alive; and 3) to collect some of our belongings and our relatives' belongings that had been left with non-Jews at the beginning of the war.

At the beginning, the plan was postponed because we were afraid of attacks from the Bandrovechim. We had to take care of our daily existence. Therefore, the men who were of army age, were drafted to the army. Bluma organized a cart with horses, with the help of the Red Army. One morning I traveled with them to the forest, to the place where we hid, and by the shack, we took out potatoes and some grain from the grain that was leftover from our time in the forest. This involved great danger from the Bandrovechim. But along with the accompaniment of some Russian soldiers, the task was completed as planned. This promised us food for a certain period of time.

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