Page 93 - Centrum Dialogu im. Marka Edelmana w Łodzi. Zofia Lubińska-Rosset - "Okruchy Pamięci".

Last Days

In the middle of summer of 1944, in August, the Germans
began the liquidation of the ghetto. We knew that transports of
several thousand people were leaving every day, and with them
equipment from entire departments. It lasted until the end of Au-
gust and from then on the ghetto was almost deserted. About 1500
people remained, grouped in two camps: at 36 Lagiewnicka St. and
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in the factory building at 16 Jakuba Street . It was said that those
gathered there would not be deported.
In addition, there were still small groups of people hiding in
various places, which was extremely risky, because if found they
were usually killed on the spot. My Parents also tried to hide for a
very short period of time but we had neither a good hiding place
nor any possibility of getting food. However, we got lucky again.
We managed to join the camp at 36 Lagiewnicka Street. I think that
also this time we owed it to uncle Salek, who was there with us,
with aunt Reginka and his brother Moryc .
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From the radio news that my Dad risked his life to listen to at
the time (I have no idea how), we knew that the retreat of the Ger-
mans from the east was proceeding very quickly and that the end
of the war was approaching fast. I remember that my Parents were
talking to each other in Russian while talking about these matters,
as well as about others that they did not want to reveal to me. But

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Their task was to clean up the ghetto after its liquidation. That meant preparation to
transport machines from liquidated departments to the Reich. Most of the group of over
800 people that were gathered at 16th Jakuba St. survived until the Soviet army entered
Lodz. The building was demolished after the war.
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Salomon Lewin was the deputy head of the camp at 36 Lagiewnicka St., which gath-
ered mainly people selected to work in factories in Oranienburg, Dresden and Königs
Wusterhausen. The prisoners were to continue the production of replacement houses
for the victims of the Allied bombings. Until they were deported from the ghetto (Oc-
tober 1944), they were employed also at cleaning works.

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