Berel Kirshner
GETTING WEAPONS
To get weapons and especially to introduce these weapons to the Ghetto
of Pruzhany, deserves to be treated in an separate chapter. In normal
conditions and situations this could be considered fantastic but inoperable: it
should pass by a strict control, where the smallest suspicion means
extermination. Therefore each time, each circumstance, creates his heroes. One
of these was YTZL FRIDBERG, of Pruzhany
youth with his young 22 years, but full with ardor and energy, who demonstrated
to be capable in all senses (during
Russian domain of years 1940/41 was ascended to inspector's position in
Pruzhany's Bank). In the Ghetto was designated as leader of a work command, and
he left the area of the Ghetto for diverse tasks.
Many of these commands, worked in the barracks, located to a half of the
road toward Linovo. From very early, when beginning the day, they left on foot
toward there, and they returned to the evening.
ITZL FRIDBERG was related with MORDECHAI BER SEGAL and IZRAELIT (both
responsible for assignment of tasks in the Ghetto). Together, they created the
first plan to organize reliable people's group whose task should be "fix
or recycle" Nazi's barracks.
This group opened a new chapter in the history of Pruzhany's Ghetto
life. It was formed by specialized workers, with a certain mission, and a
simple work that specialists should execute. Only some of these workers knew
essentially the truth. In the barracks everything was minutely observed, until
they discovered deposits with Russian
weapons, that were captured to the prisoners of that origin in it's moment.
YTZL knew about these weapons, from the time of the
"Przyfsposobienie Wojskowe" (Polish military youth organization),
where he carried out military maneuvers. Now his function was to deviate German's
watch attention bet in the barracks, and distract them with diverse
elements: rings, monograms that attracted attention of German soldiers, etc.
Judenrat leaders also tried to obtain German power trust, giving them objects
of value. The members of the Judenrat had the decision power, and the special
elements for this end.
Soldiers innocence was useful in this sense. The specialized workers of
the group, began to introduce under their clothes, component of weapons. They
also took out grenades and bullets for rifles, and they got ready to go out of
the barracks with stolen merchandise. Certain people were called "bullets
transport ". They put on high sole shoes, and inside the sole located 15
bullets.
Grenades were knotted around the feet with red bands especially dirtied.
Some dressed wide work shirts, made with double pocket, which could contain
great quantity of bullets. They broke the wooden part of rifles, and introduced
iron parts under the clothes . The wooden parts were elaborated in the Ghetto
by a specialized worker called MIODOVNIK (an inhabitant of the Ghetto that was
sent in the transports of Byalistock
Ghetto).
To deceive the surveillance next to Ghetto's entrance door , YTZL
provided food to group workers: shortening, vegetables and bread, or pieces of
logs. In the worst of the cases they should pay the punishment of leaving to the guards the groceries and the
logs. In a certain hour, when the workers of ITZL came close to the Ghetto,
MORDECHAI BER SEGAL and IZRAELIT, who received a permission, left the Ghetto
and communicated how they should behave when arriving to the entrance. All
weapons introduced were stored in very secret way in that of SHMERL ELMAN, on Kobrin St.
When enlarging the activity of this group, future partisans thought of
making a tunnel that would extend through the fields in Alendre crossing
Blotne with an exit in address to the mill of BARANOVSKY, outside of the
Ghetto (the road also took to the mill of KRUTZEL). This plan was annulled
after a lot of effort, and was interrupted in half of its execution.
At the same time, we were informed about a new place where could find
more weapons. It was toward the road to Polinove, in address to the new
aerodrome. Germans built a shop to repair weapons of Russian production. Near
this place was the house of Pruzhany's German Major. To this house went daily to work SHMERL ELMAN, sent by those in
charge of work in the Ghetto. The shop was very well watched over and fenced.
Inside also worked Ghetto's Jewish workers, and the patio was full with
logs.
SHMERL ELMAN had a permission of Major's office to bring logs to his house to use as combustible material.
At 12 o'clock p.m., when lunch hour, a small sled with double bottom, already
was waiting in the street When arriving
at shop yard, weapon parts were already prepared, also a small sled with double
bottom , and were introduced weapons in the lower part of the sled, and above
covered them with logs. The whole
"transport" with permission granted, was introduced in the Ghetto.
At the end of Seltz St. on the other road's lateral side, was the LEHMAN
group, known because they terrified Ghetto inhabitants. Their function was to
watch over and to repair Pruzhany's phone
lines, in the road toward Rozhinoi. When YTZL FRIDBERG went to work
from his house together with his group,
already knew that something could be organized there. He spied all rooms and
observed that were bullets and grenades in a corner. Of this place he could not take out the
material to the street and hide it. It was an open space, and all movement
could betray them. He took advantage in a certain opportunity, and introduced
inside his clothes and pockets, bullets and grenades. He entered the Ghetto loaded with these weapons, and discovered
that the bullets were adapted to the rifles that one day before had been
brought of the barracks.
Underground work of YTZL was heard by the Judenrat, and these said that it was a serious danger for
the Ghetto. For not harming him, those in charge of distributing the work sent
him with a group of 20 workers toward Bielovietz, where was built a road toward
Kamenietz through the forest . This work was under the supervision of a
construction company, and every Sunday the Ghetto provided them food.
It seemed to be that his destiny was already closely bound to his later
function of partisan. Also here, after some time, he met accidentally with
Russian partisans, while these collected strawberries in the forest (they were
former soldiers of red army that stayed in the forest after army retreat). He
sometimes met with them and they thought a new plan: to build refuges in the
most deep places of the forest, transfer workers there, and in their
substitution bring other men of the Ghetto. With the permission of the
construction company, YTZL traveled to the Ghetto with the objective of
contacting Judenrat.
President YTZL YANOVITSH rejected categorically this proposal, using as
excuse and basis the integrity and security of the Ghetto, more than the
proposal. The Judenrat said that
Pruzhany Ghetto would avoid the destiny
of other Ghettos, because Pruzhany was declared by German power as Jewish
meeting point. After the liquidation of all Ghettos around Pruzhany, all Jewish
survivors, those that escaped from the knife or of the bullets, found their place - at the moment - in
Pruzhany's Ghetto.
The work of underground organization, was very known and prepared. The
atmosphere was full with explosive material, and the future partisans felt that
came close the day of beginning to fight.
Pruzhany's Jews as Partisans
Inside closed Ghetto limits, was not any political activity, but there
was an activity inside daily frame: help to those that suffered hunger,
expelled homeless of near towns. All filled the Batei Midrashim and the old and
half knocked down peasants' shanties.
From there arrived pain screams, the inhuman suffering, without being
able to give necessary help.
At same time that existed the tragedy, appeared in the surface people
that began to have an important role in the so called "public life".
Besides the members of Judenrat, were Jewish policemen and work brigades. Also
arose people with "own initiative": commandants, clandestine workers,
leaders of diverse partisan fractions, owners of big underground bunkers where
were carried out very secret meetings, and intermediary Jews that could achieve
something with Ghetto Commandant who had in his hands the destiny of life and
death. With the emergence of such leaders, a silent conflict began in the
Ghetto, a longing of power, in particular for the weapons that were introduced
in the Ghetto.
Were strange, unknown people that were investigated by all. Each one had
his nickname. For example, "the necessary Jude" that was incorporated
in mysterious way to German army and remained in Pruzhany. His personal
documents had wide stamps of German army and was protected by them. In
Patopuwke marauded an individual among
low shanties, with a diplomatic past, and before him "should not" be
spoken or remember, neither was he sent to work.
In a calm night, was killed in the Ghetto an individual called EPHRAIM.
With regard to him, circulated many legends . Women said that he was a representative of partisans groups
that fought in near forests ...His death was
left as an enigma. Some commented that another fight group, headed by
LEIBL MAISTER was involved in this crash, that arose for the weapons issue..
Also were optimistic individuals that looked for a miracle, be able to
hold on to a thread and be able to survive; they called themselves
"activists". Each street had its bunkers, its people sympathetic to
them, and its leaders. Dozens of circles were created in most secret
places.
Of all these broken groups, after a long time crystallized a secret
organization that was in contact with the partisans outside the Ghetto. This
secret movement was divided in diverse fractions, and its preparation consisted
on being able to get and repair weapons.
Regarding this issue, we already exposed in previous point.
Judenrat considered this as a serious danger for the Ghetto. They
sustained that Pruzhany's Ghetto could
avoid the extermination and would be dangerous to cause a fight. Those suspected for introducing weapons were
not sent to works where they were in contact with German army, as happened with
YTZL FRIDBERG.
All these inconveniences made even more popular future partisans,
because in each young man, burned the desire of vengeance . The members of the
Judenrat, those active as the passive, were not willing to leave the Ghetto,
and become a single fight unit with weapons in the hand. They had diverse reasons: the objective situation was
closely linked with the family, the risk of old parents' life, and this stopped
them of taking such a chancy step.
Later they were able to contact
Russian partisans in near forests, through a man called OSTAPIUK, a
Christian who informed them that they were willing to support partisan
movement in the Ghetto, and the most
important: they offered necessary help in opportune moment. Twice visited
OSTAPIUK the Ghetto, entering thought a secret road, a tunnel, that entering
from an abandoned barn ended in Kobrin
street. His appearance in the Ghetto revived courage of the
"groups".
Before evacuating Pruzhany's Ghetto, came out to the forest the first
partisans group; were 18 people. This group was in constant contact with other
groups in the Ghetto. Two of them returned to the Ghetto to report and to
prepare other groups to exit towards the forest. The road was between Zamoshe
and Truchanovitz. There was the
temporary establishment of Russian
partisans that should receive Jewish
groups.
In the critical day of evacuating the Ghetto, when the whole fence of
spikes wire was severely watched over, in diverse points of the Ghetto,
organized groups tried to escape under a rain of bullets. Together with these
groups, left a quantity of young men that sometime in the past made fun of
partisans. To abandon the Ghetto in the last moment, when arrived suddenly the
order of evacuating, was like a terrible tempest that cost many murders. We
reproduce next the testimony of MORDECHAI
BER SEGAL, one of the partisans.
... Whole night we wondered disoriented among snowy fields. To the dawn
we arrived to the encounter point between Zamoshe and Truchanovitz. We hoped to
meet previous Jewish group, as well as Russian partisans, but we didn't find
them. We were in the forest of Zamoshe the whole day. It was Saturday. We
waited three days, and nobody came. Later began to arrive another people of
Pruzhany's Ghetto who had hidden in the bunkers, and after the evacuation of the Ghetto, escaped at night. Also
came some who escaped of the sleds in which were transported Jews toward the station.
A problem arose: how to order the diverse groups, that were already some
100 people ? Some left the forest, and could not tolerate cold and hunger. They
went to hide to that of well-known peasants, and in the way fell in Germans
hands .
Being exposed to hunger and cold, we decided to begin to do something.
After first assaults to near peasants,
we got groceries, coat clothes, and necessary elements: axes, handsaws,
hammers, pots, etc. Each group was integrated by 20 people, we built an
underground bunker, camouflaged with branches and snow. We decided to remain
this way during the months of cold. When beginning the spring we would gather
Russian commands. After the assaults made on February 17 1943 to near
villages, peasants observed that were not
Russian partisans but Jews of Pruzhany's Ghetto.
They denounced this fact to near German commands, and in a beautiful
winter dawn the forest was surrounded by Germans, who together with peasants began a wild persecution to our
Pruzhany's Jews. After such a sudden attack, all began to leave bunkers
barefoot and almost naked. One of them indicated us that we should ran toward
the swamps that extended in the area. In that situation were killed 14 people.
Some were caught alive by Germans , who also exploited the bunkers.
The destiny of other groups of partisans of Pruzhany's Ghetto who went
in address to the forests of Novidvor, was even worse. All were caught
by the peasants that watched over the roads, and they gave them to the
murderous Nazis"...
These were first steps of Pruzhany's partisans until their later
integration in the great regular partisan army.