HOLOCAUST TESTIMONIES


Deponent: Szlama Frajberger
Birth Date: February 8, 1904
Birth Place: Wolbrom
Parents: Dawid and Tauba (maiden name Koplowicz).
Pre-war Residence: Bedzin (Bendzin), ul. 1-go Maja 5
Present Address in 1947: Bedzin, 1-go Maja 5
Occupation: Merchant


The first Arbeitseinsatz in Bedzin took place during the Sukoth holiday in 1940. Firstly there were taken only bachelors. Then secondly, I was taken - I had a wife and two children. Already people had said that there will be a second Arbeitseinsatz. I wrote an application to the Community asking release from the Arbeitseinsatz because I have family.

On March 24, 1941 at 6 a.m., someone started knocking on my door. There entered a German policeman from the Shupo who had written down addresses. He ordered me to dress quickly and take with me what I wanted and to go with him because I was selected to go to work in Germany. There began a terrible weeping in my home. My wife and children were awakened and were crying, but nothing helped and I had to take things and leave. I didn’t see my children again. One child cried and said to me: "Daddy - don’t go!"

All this didn’t move the German. The Shupo man took me to the "Hakoach" sport field, where were gathered other Jewish men taken just like me. We were guarded there by Germans. After a few hours, they gathered there about 200-300 men, aged 18-50, and we were taken on foot to the Dulag to Sosnowiec. There escorted us only Germans who had machine guns. This Aktion was managed by SS man Knoll.

We were taken to the Dulag where other Jews had been gathered. From Bedzin, they took several groups, in total 4-5 groups containing over 1,000 persons. In Dulag they wrote down once again our personal data and separated us into groups. On the following day, at 7 a.m., they ordered us to go out to a square and there were arried out so-called medical examinations.

A German doctor spoke to us, telling us that we should go voluntarily to work in Germany and we shouldn’t complain about our health. However, people went to doctor and said that they were ill. After a superficial examinations, the the doctor and his German assistants kicked and beat the persons shouting: "Ihr seit faul zur Arbeit, sagt Ihr das Ihr seit krank". (You are lazy to go to work and say you are sick). After seeing this, no one went for examination.

After this so-called medical examination, the Germans made a roll-call. One person had disappeared there. As it appeared later, this was Kornfeld from Bedzin. After one hour of searching, they found him hidden in a cellar of the Dulag. They beat him bloody and he joined the transport.

Later they set us in rows of four and drove us to the rail station surrounding us on all sides with armed German police. It was the noon on March 25, 1941. They loaded us into wagons (rail cars) and we were deported. Some of the people remained in the Dulag. We were placed in several wagons of a special train.

We went by train until one station before Gross-Maslowitz. We arrived there in the morning. To Gross-Maslowitz we arrived by foot. We were the first persons in the Gross-Maslowitz camp. In the camp was only "wache" (watchmen) and a few persons - Jews - deported from other camps near the highway. Together with our arrival, there began history of Gross-Maslowitz camp.