Szulim Keselman is 1 of the very fewer Jews from Volyn, who left a written memory of the tragic events in this area from 1941 to 1944. His “Reminiscences of the Survivor” is simply a description of both the immense German crime on Jews, but besides an interesting cultural mix, which consisted of both Jews and Germans, but besides Poles and Ukrainians. For each of these groups, it was a origin for concern and relief.
A fewer months ago, the National Memorial Institute printed "Memoirs of the Survivor. Volyn 1941-1944” Shulim Keselman. The book came to me by accident. I did not plan to deal with the issue of Volyn Jews, and in fact I did not peculiarly think about the regional aspects of the extermination carried out by the Germans. However, as happens sometimes, I know individual connected with this story. My colleague is the great-grandson of Julia and Julian Stemporowski, affirmative figures from this publication. He gave me this book.
In addition to the specified contents of Shulim Keselman's memories, an introduction was added to the publication telling the general past of the judaic population in Volyn, introduction, linguistic analysis (names, names, sometimes needed corrections, but the author did not talk Polish as the first, which made it sometimes utilized specifically), and at the end of a fewer short articles by historians about Volyn ghettos. This gives an even better general image in the communicative of a peculiar person, acting better on the emotional side of the reader.
The appropriate text of the memoirs begins with the operation "Barbarossa", that is, in September 1941, erstwhile the 3rd Reich attacked its erstwhile ally, the USSR. Volyn was as the east part of the II Republic of Poland in accordance with the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact incorporated into the russian Union in 1939. It might seem that life under Stalin's regulation is simply a tragedy, but compared to what happened to Jews after the beginning of the war between the USSR and Germany, 1 can even realize the longing for these 2 years of peace from the warstorm and the German planned execution of Jews. The author of “Memoirs...” was inactive underage at the time, and in adulthood he came into the most hard times.
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After the successes on the east Front, Germany took over the management of the ends of the Second Poland, including Volyn. At that time they began organizing the lives of the inhabitants in a burdensome way, especially for the judaic people. A ghetto was created in Łokach, where Shulim Keselman's household was found. At a fast pace, it was essential to decision to the designated area, so many Volyn Jews have by no means lost much at the “removal”. There were already hard conditions in the ghetto, which included the order to work for men and women of a certain age, tiny rations (more than 150 g of bread a day, more for workers), the impossibility of leaving the ghetto (except for work outside the ghetto), the fulfillment of the German fanatics (e.g. collecting a certain amount of gold from residents in a short time), the confiscation of furs and warm coats at the beginning of winter (it is hard to find even this cruelty). The Judenrat was liable for filling out the fanatics of German administrators. It was a judaic council that had an unholy function in enforcing German commands, but besides informally her proteges could number on lighter work and greater rations. Sometimes the bribes helped the Judenrates in the close ghettos reduce the burden. However, their aid to the ghetto residents was limited to specified informal/unfair transactions with the occupier.
In September 1942 Germany decided to liquidate the ghetto in Łokach. The vast majority of Jews displaced there were killed, fewer managed to escape. mostly those who worked outside the ghetto, e.g. in the woods, like the author of this publication, Szulim Keselman. He hid behind his mother's advice in the woods. His full household did not escape the liquidation of the ghetto, or physical extermination of its inhabitants, in plain terms. After his escape, Shulim hid in the surrounding forests, in constant fear for his life, with respective companions they prepared a shelter and struggled to get food. He sometimes met another hiding Jews. In time, however, the forest ceased to be a good protection. Germany, though, did not venture deeper between the trees, but otherwise with the UPA bands that revived in 1943. Meanwhile, Shulim Keselman received aid from the Stemporowski State, who allowed him to hide in his barn in the winter of 1942-43 and provided him with food. He was besides helped in a shorter period by the Ukrainian host Stepan Soroka. Then Keselman returned to the forest to fall into the hands of the banders who utilized surviving Jews to work in the tannery. However, this tannery was frequently moved for fear of Germany. However, the flags did not intend to keep the Jews alive forever either. Shulim escaped from slavery. 1 of the flags just made it look like he wanted to shoot him and let him escape. But he wouldn't have survived here without any luck. The Ukrainian who let him escape was afraid to kill him on his own, and tired of searching for his commanders for the night, decided to get free of the problem by making it look like an inept stopping the escapee.
After this event, Keselman hid again with the Stemporowskis, but briefly. They besides frequently stayed outside the house, fearing (and rightly, due to the fact that they could have died at least once) the robbery of the bander, who in 1943 carried out murders called the Volhynia massacre. Interestingly, in an article added to the publication after the appropriate text of the memoirs, 1 abroad historian estimates that the action of UPA against Germany consisted mainly of killing Poles. And during these activities Shulim again barely escapes with life hidden in a haystack, erstwhile the Germans stripped the stave beside him. Eventually, in 1944, he manages to get east of the German business and goes under the care of the Red Army. Then he joins their ranks. He was inactive wounded in East Prussia, so that the end of the war would find him in hospital. Then he spent respective years in Wrocław and leaves for the United States with his established family. His boy took care of his memory.
The reading of this position made me aware of the sufferings of both individuals and the scale of the crime. In the introductions and footnotes, I met respective times with mention of killing respective 100 or even respective 1000 Jews. I do not want to say that this nation has a monopoly on martyrdom, due to the fact that even planned exterminations took place earlier (the demolition of Armenians in Turkey, or the "Operation Polska" of the NKVD), but it is besides not essential to underestimate this Holocaust due to the fact that it becomes a tool for political trade fairs, through which historical fact suffers. Life in the ghetto and waiting for mass execution, where the rabbi's death with the preservation of rituals was considered a large blessing by others, is simply a situation far from average and comfortable to usage euphemisms. Waiting for an enemy on the barricade or in the trench gives at least a sense that something is up to you. The tightness, the filth, the humiliation, the hunger and all that with the possible of being ready for liquidation is simply a tragic situation. Even better seems to be hiding in the woods. There's always hope of survival, any illusory freedom, despite being actually a hunter. Shulim Keselman wrote that he was free only erstwhile he met russian soldiers who treated him like a man and were at the same time able to defend him.
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Here I wanted to share any insight. Szulim Keselman was a Polish citizen. However, as a Jew, he saw matters of war differently than a typical Pole. From "Memoirs..." and cognition about this period, I can say that the circumstantial configuration of ethnic/national groups in Volyn besides had consequences in relations between them. Szulim Keselman just as a hebrew mentioned the russian business rather well, but the German government was a tragedy for him. He was sheltered by average Poles and Ukrainians, but he had to be afraid of Ukrainian police cooperating with Germany and then UPA fighters, even after they broke up with Germans. The Soviets just meant any peace for him. Even the conflict in their ranks was far better than the eternal escape and the conflict for survival.
In turn the position of the Pole, for example Julian Stemporowski, was different. The German business was bad, but only Ukrainian nationalists posed a direct threat that forced him to evacuate the home at night with his family. The Germans could have killed him for hiding Shulim, but it was UPA that hunted him only due to the fact that he was a Pole on the lands they wanted for independent Ukraine. Poles even protected themselves in larger cities with German garrisons, where the flags had a hard task. After all, allies with Hungarians played a affirmative function towards Poles in the period of the Volynian Reich. (Andrzej Matowski wrote about this in his texts as part of the website "World War II in ColorIt is not known whether or not you are taking advantage of me. The end of the war and the triumph of the USSR over Germany cost Mr.Stemporowski to abandon his family's parties and decision to "earth recovered".
I would not like it to be taken as an assessment of circumstantial groups and nations and an effort to bring it to today's realities. I do not think that helping Ukrainians present is inappropriate and do not deserve them due to the fact that they have committed large crimes in Volyn. Especially due to the fact that criminals besides harmed righteous people who helped Poles or warned them. I just wanted to point out that even during the war, in which theoretically the parties are established, it may turn out that even the "official" enemy is not always the top threat that different groups have different interests and can see them differently. Ukrainians had the right to measure the situation in specified a way that Germany was a hope for them to establish their state. Even any groups may have their imagination of business, let alone politicians. The fact that as people we should behave decently is without question, but equally there is no uncertainty that politicians should not be naive, believe in eternal friendships, unflinched alliances and moral rations as the main incentive for the actions of their governments or ministries (and those in another countries). States have their interests and wise authorities effort to discount their good deeds, take care of their PR, etc. The foolish authority believes in its own propaganda and hopes that everyone will appreciate a good deed and will gain respect and safety forever. I do not blame the Ukrainian authorities if they are trying to usage Poland for their own purposes. That is their task - to take care of the interests of their citizens. Even if from our position any actions may look ungrateful or brazen. You gotta accept that. If individual stands at the helm of the state and pretends not to realize it (or does not truly realize it, I do not know what is worse), then he is not a wise politician.
