HOLOCAUST TESTIMONIES


Name of deponent: Lejb Grinbaum
Birth date: February 1, 1904
Birth place: Wolbrom
Parents: Jozef and Chaja (maiden name:Lewkowicz).
War-time residence: Dabrowa Gornicza, ul. Narutowicza 35
Current residence (1947): Dabrowa Gornicza, ul. Krolowej Jadwigi 40.
Occupation: Tailor


On Sunday, September 3, 1939, I escaped from Dabrowa Gornicza, on foot, by way of Olkusz to Pinczow. There, I fell into German hands. In Pinczow, the Germans, because one Polish soldier had fired at them in the town, set fires in the town with flammable materials. A large number of Pinczow’s population died as a result. After entering the city, the Germans gathered the remaining residents and brought them to the church square. There, they were held for three days without food. Following these three days, we were released. I, after four weeks stay in Kielce, returned via Zawiercie to Dabrowa Gornicza. I hurried even more because information I had received on my return way was that the Germans had confiscated the belongings of those who had fled and not returned.

I remained in Dabrowa Gornicza from October 1, 1939 until March 17, 1942.
The head of the local Äeltestenrat (Judenrat), which had been organized in 1939, was Izaak Borensztejn, a merchant and owner of a store selling old iron items and rags. The Ordnengruppe (Jewish police force) had been organized in 1941. In 1940, displaced persons from Germany, Czech and Austria arrived in Dabrowa Gornicza.

The first Arbeitseinsatz took place in 1940. The Aktion was carried out on the basis of summonses issued by the Community Council (Judenrtat). At that time, several hundred persons were deported. The second Arbeitseinsatz took place in 1941. German police went from apartment to apartment carrying lists of names. They arrested the men named and brought them to the police station located on "Reden" square on ul Krolowej Jadwigi. Only the poorest people were taken on the basis of the list. Rich people already possessed "Sonders".

I was taken by three Germans from my apartment and brought to the square. The entire Aktion was carried out by Germans. Kuczynski and Lindner arrived at the square by taxi. Before this, Ludwig helped by other Germans, had separated us into two groups. In one group were those persons who had "Sonders" and, in the second group, those who didn’t have these certificates. When Kuczynski and Lindner came, I slipped into the group of persons having the "Sonders". Earlier, I had been with the group which had no "Sonders". Those persons possessing "Sonders" were released. The Germans sent the others to the Dulag. At this Aktion, 1,000 men were sent to forced labor in Germany.

In November 1941, the Dienststelle demanded Jewish young women from the age of 16 be provided by the Judenratfor for forced labor in German camps. The Judenrat then sent summonses to the young women demanding them to appear under threat of eviction of their parents from apartments and deporting them to forced labor in Germany. I brought my 16-year old daughter to the Judenrat under this threat.

The Community Council was, at that time, located on ul. Zeromskiego. In this Aktion, terrible things took place. Mothers wept and lamented in the Judenrat building, broke windows and caused a disturbance. There was even a slapping of President Borensztajn’s face by these Jewish women. There were cases in which parents hid their daughters. Then Jewish "Ordners", by order of the Community Council locked some apartments and took the parents to the Judenrat’s prison until the missing daughters appeared. At this point, the German police and Jewish "Ordners" took the girls to the tram and sent them to the Sosnowiec Dulag.
There were gathered in the Dulager young Jewish women from all of Zaglembie. My daughter was deported to the labor camp in Grünberg where she remained until the mill was evacuated in (January) 1945. She was marched by the Germans to Bergen-Belsen where she died of typhus four weeks after liberation by English army.

On March 17, 1942 another Arbeitseinsatz Aktion occurred in which craftsmen working in their own workshops, such as tailors, shoemakers, butchers, bakers, top-makers (for shoes), carpenters, etc. were taken. In that morning, German police took me from bed to the police station at the square of mine "Reden". There, the Germans brought, until noon, all the craftsmen and journeymen working in private workshops. At 3 p.m., the Germans took us, in a group of several hundred persons, to the Dulag in Sosnowiec. We remained in the Dulag for three days. Then, all of us were taken to the camp "Sakrau". I was there for only 14 days. From "Sakrau", I was taken, in a group of about 200 persons, from Dabrowa to Birkenheim, which, in Polish, is Brzezinka. It is located near Piekary Slaskie.