Book Excerpts: The German Occupation of Zhetel and escape into the forest

 

  "I am more than certain that this language is too poor or inadequate to write and to tell you what I went through with my dear ones in the days that I was separated from you.  It was in the year 1939 when the Germans first entered our small town of Zhetel.  A black cloud covered all our hearts.  We knew that no good occurrences await us.  That what they did to us we never expected."

"The situation became worse from day to day.  We start to speak about taking revenge and about who will be able to take revenge on our behalf." 

''Each day there are new orders.  The day we were driven into the ghetto, we all were to be in a place on one street.  We had only three hours to accomplish the move.  It meant that all 3000 of us would have to be located on this one street.  I will never forget the panic of the small children in the laps of their mothers, all crying as to where shall they go and what shall they do.  Jews with clasped hands understood what was happening, were saying prayers in small corners of that one street and remained sitting.'' 

"I had two little children, a little boy that was seven months old and the second child was two and a half years old.  I wrapped them both on and around me and we hid in a potato cellar." 

''We were envious of those who had perished.  They did not have to endure the terrible suffering and torture that we had yet to overcome.  Can you image what it is like to be envious of those who already were dead and whose suffering is already over? '' 

"Three days and three nights stretched on as we sat in our hiding place.  As time passed, we could no longer tolerate our terrible confinement.  We felt that we were suffocating and, worst of all, we felt the danger to our little children as we see this before our eyes."

"I told the peasant I could not run anymore and that for six days the children did not have any water to drink.  He gave us some water."

"They are going to search the woods and trap us.  That means there will be an ablave (a very thorough search) of the woods designed to trap us." 

"Before the Germans and White Russian police enter into the woods, they shoot into the woods.  They use rockets and searchlights.  Our teeth chatter.  Where shall we bury ourselves?  We hear various sounds from groups that run by with their rifles extended and who will stand up against the regular German army.  Even family groups run and some stop by me, clasp their hands and say that God should only help you.  They know very well that running in the woods with two children is impossible.  Even walking is difficult, for there is snow and ice."

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

When the nuns saw us they became frightened and gave my children milk and soon gave us an ehtizhe (a plan, or a solution).  The day before, the police and the Germans found many Jews that were in hiding.  They don’t want to betray us to the police or to the Germans and instead tell me that they will lead us to a place near the shtetl (town) where there is some hay and where I can rest my feet a bit.  They wrapped my feet in linen bandages, because my feet were swollen from all the walking.  They tell me not to think about my hunger, but they help me find something to eat.  The piece of bread from the night before still lingers in my throat.

Life in the Forest

 

And now we began our life in the woods.  Days become short, nights become long.  It becomes cold.  What do we do with the children?  They are barefooted. 

They are going to search the woods and trap us.  That means there will be an ablave (a very thorough search) of the woods designed to trap us. 

Before the Germans and White Russian police enter into the woods, they shoot into the woods.  They use rockets and searchlights.  Our teeth chatter.  Where shall we bury ourselves?  We hear various sounds from groups that run by with their rifles extended and who will stand up against the regular German army.  Even family groups run and some stop by me, clasp their hands and say that God should only help you.  They know very well that running in the woods with two children is impossible.  Even walking is difficult, for there is snow and ice.