SOBIBÓR - Holocaust Handbooks

J. GRAF, T. KUES, C. MATTOGNO, SOBIBÓR 301
“Yesterday afternoon at 18:00 hours, without any prior announcement,
another transport of approximately 800 Jews arrived.
About half were women and children under 14 years of age. There
were no men at all in the transport. The Jews were from Slovakia as
well. On Monday and Wednesday altogether over 1,600 Jews have
arrived, among them hardly any fit for work. 200 Jews were transported
onward to Kamionka, 300 to Ostrow, 80 to Firlej.”
On 9 May 1942 the Landkommissar informed the county chief as
follows: 911
“Re: Evacuation of Jews from Slovakia.
As I already reported by telephone, the Governor of the district,
Population and Welfare, informed me last Wednesday that on
Thursday 1,000 Jews would be arriving from Slovakia; they would
be transported farther in about 14 days. On Thursday the 7th of May
the transport arrived here in the late evening; there were 841 persons,
older men and women with children, 199 men were kept behind
in Lublin. This transport was better equipped with baggage and
food than the earlier ones. The direction of the evacuation from Lublin
was under the control of SS-Obstf. Pohl, who was also present
here on the occasion of the evacuation of the local Jews on April 9.
The Jews are at first lodged in the former high school. Whether and
when the transport onward is to take place is not yet clear.”
Another letter, dated 13 May 1942, states: 912
“Herr County Chief of Cholm was present here personally yesterday
and requested that those of the next transport, who are fit for
labor, also be sent to him, since he is in urgent need of a work force.
Futhermore, he complained about the fact that food, which is added
to the transport trains, is always taken off in Lublin. I am asking that
the food be passed on to Cholm as well with the next transports.”
A similar complaint was voiced also by the Rejowiec delegation: 912
“The delegation informed me that on 17 April 42 two transports
of evacuees from Slovakia and the Protectorate arrived. The baggage
of the evacuees has remained in Lublin, and the delegation requests
that the baggage, which for the most part contains bed linens,
be released.”
In order to create room for the new arrivals, Polish Jews residing in
the Lublin district were gradually deported farther east. These evacua-
911 Jüdisches Historisches Institut Warschau (ed.), op. cit. (note 116), p. 276.
912 Józef Kermisz (ed.), op. cit. (note 723), p. 49.