Page 90 - Centrum Dialogu im. Marka Edelmana w Łodzi. Time of the Litzmannstadt Ghetto. Film images.

live under difficult conditions before the war as well, so
it was easier for those poor workers and artisans to
adapt to the gradually worsening situation’ – remem-
bered Helena Bergson (LG). ‘We, who came from good
living conditions, were also experiencing it step by step.
People were getting used to it, but those Western Jews
who came from normality to extremely hard conditions.
And they died in large numbers, very quickly’ (Helena
3
3 — Bergson, LG) .
Confrontation of the East with In order to survive, the newcomers had to adjust to
the West is an important theme
in historical studies on the Western new living conditions and get to know the rules applica-
European Jews in the ghetto. See: ble in the ghetto. ‘After a few days, I was sure that the
Krystyna Radziszewska, Żydzi most important thing is what one has available for ex-
zachodnioeuropejscy w getcie
łódzkim w świetle dzienników change’, says Erwin Singer (RD). – ‘whatever one still
i wspomnień z getta, [in:] Fenomen possesses and can exchange for food’. Lucille Eichen-
getta łódzkiego 1940-1944, edited green chose to assimilate and is very frank about it in
by. Paweł Samuś, Wiesław Puś,
Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu the film by Lankosz and Bart: ‘I had decided that I could
Łódzkiego, Łódź 2006, no longer be a Jewish girl from Germany. I made myself
pp. 309-325; Julian Baranowski, believe it. I would tell everyone that I felt Polish. I knew
Żydzi z zachodniej Europy w getcie
łódzkim (1941-1944), [in:] Mówią that I had to be like the locals in order to survive. I would
świadkowie Chełmna, edited by. tell everyone that I felt Polish. Even if they were painting
Łucja Pawlicka-Nowak, Rada their floors red I would do the same.’
Ochrony Pamięci Walk
i Męczeństwa w Warszawie, However, assimilation or adaptation were not always
Muzeum Okręgowe w Koninie, possible. Many people would fall ill as a result of their
Konin 2004, pp. 17-31; Adam attempts to keep their hygienic habits and bathed in ice-
Sitarek, Transporty Żydów z Berlina
do getta łódzkiego (1941-1942), cold water. They did not know how to divide their food
[in:] Studia i szkice dedykowane rations and would quickly suffer from hunger. ‘They just
Julianowi Baranowskiemu, edited couldn’t... for instance, there was a time when we were
by Ewa Wiatr, Piotr Zawilski,
Archiwum Państwowe w Łodzi, getting 250 grams of bread per day, so we would divide
Uniwersytet Łódzki, Centrum Badań it and eat some in the morning, at noon and in the
Żydowskich, Łódź 2010, evening. And they would eat it all at once and then
pp.226-241; Julian Baranowski,
Żydzi wiedeńscy w getcie łódzkim starve. So they started to die very quickly.’ (Helena Berg-
1941-1944, Fundacja son, LG).
Monumentum Iudaicum Lodzense, The feeling of alienation influenced the behaviour of
Archiwum Państwowe w Łodzi przy
współpracy Oficyny Bibliofilów, both parties. ‘The Western Jews would often look down
Łódź 2004; et al. on the Jews from the East and treat them as a lower cat-
egory’ – remembers Stella Czajkowska (RD), whereas
Erwin Singer (RD) recalled an impression of finding him-
self in a place where civilization had ended: ‘Some peo-
ple were sitting on the pavement and looked different
from those we were accustomed to. They were often
bearded, elderly men, in comparison with whom we
looked like guests from a different world. ‘An excerpt
from Dawid Sierakowiak’s diary illustrates the preju-
dices harboured by the local inhabitants of the ghetto:

88 Ewa Ciszewska