A WITNESS TO THE HOLOCAUST
A WITNESS TO THE HOLOCAUST KARSKI IN THE GHETTO

KARSKI IN A CAMP

THE JEWISH SITUATION IN OCCUPIED POLAND

An article about the overall situation and the extermination of the Jews in occupied Poland in BIULETYN INFORMACYJNY [The Information Bulletin, the most important Underground publication in occupied Poland], Warsaw, April 30, 1942.

THE JEWS

1. The Warsaw Ghetto

Poverty, hunger and terrible sanitary conditions create a horrible situation. Let's give some examples: In a number of “special” houses, inhabited by the poorest of the poor, death is taking an extraordinary toll. Thus for instance in a house by 46 Miła Street, inhabited by almost 500 people, 223 people have died so far, and in the house by 51 Miła Street, inhabited by 578 people, 260 people died so far. [...]

In many apartments, there is almost no wood for burning. In the 17 “special” houses, for approximately 780 rooms, 718 had no fire under their stoves. Entire families have frozen to death. There is also a great number of illnesses . [...]

In the house by Krochmalna Street, during the last three months, 106 people died, 64 as a result of typhoid, and the rest of starvation. Sixty-three bodies were thrown out on the street due to the lack of funds for standard funerals. Three hundred sixty-five people suffered from typhoid. Almost a 100 people had hunger swelling. In the past three months, 45 families were evicted and the vast majority of them were placed in basements without floors, windows, etc. Currently there are 28 families (140 people) without any sort of support. These people are lying on bare floors, covered with rags, eating raw peelings.

“BIULETYN INFORMACYJNY” [The Information Bulletin], vol. 17, 1942, IN: TEN JEST Z OJCZYZNY MOJEJ, [THIS ONE IS FROM MY HOMELAND] W. BARTOSZEWSKI, Z. LEWINÓWNA, WARSAW 2007, P. 664.