Letters from the Shoah

World Jewish Congress Archives of correspondence from WWII

The following is a telegram, sent hurriedly from Europe on September 8, 1943, from Ignacy Schwarzbart to Stephen Wise of the American Jewish Conference. JUST RECEIVED NEW OFFICIAL REPORTS DATED MAY SECOND JEWISH BATTLE AGAINST GERMANS WARSAW GHETTO STARTED 18 APRIL ON 28 APRIL ABOUT SIX THOUSANDS GERMANS WITH THANKS(SIC) AND GUNS ATTACKED GHETTO UNTIL 29 APRIL OVER TWO THOUSANDS JEWS KILLED IN BATTLE OVER THREE THOUSANDS PERISHED BURNING HOUSES GERMAN LOSSES ABOUT THOUSAND KILLED MANY WOUNDED SYNAGOGUE TLOMACKIE DYNAMITED BY GERMANS ON 17 MAY ALL PATIENTS JEWISH HOSPITAL FRANCISZKANSKA SHOT AGAINST JEWS IN CELLARS POISON GAS USED POLISH FIRE GUARDS WITNESSING COLON SSMEN AND GERMAN SERVICE WOMEN JEERED AT JEWISH WOMEN AND CHILDREN JUMPING FROM HIGHSTORIED WINDOWS SHOUTING CYNICALLY KOMM KOMM JEWISH PARTIZANS FIGHTING IN EVERY HOUSE IN EVERY STREET MAIN RESISTANCE OKOPOWA STREET POWIAZKI ABOUT 15% OF ALL WARSAWS DWELLINGROOMS DESTROYED IN GHETTO JEWISH FIGHTERS DESTROYING GERMAN FACTORIES AND MAGAZINES BETWEEN 15 AND 18 MAY ALL JEWS WHO REMAINED ALIVE DEPORTED TO THE DEATH HOUSE AT TREBLINKA ONLY FUGITIVES ESCAPED FROM THE PROVINCES TERRIBLE NEWS WHOLE JEWISH POPULATION FROM SIEDLCE AND KALUSZYN DEPORTED IN WILNO(SIC) STILL ABOUT 20,000 JEWS BUT NOT RESIDENTS ONLY DEPORTED FROM OTHER PLACES ACCORDING TO RELIABLE INFORMATION AT CAMP OSWIECIM ONLY TILL 15 DECEMBER 1942 640,000 VICTIMS PERISHED HANGED SHOT GASSED AMONG THEM ABOUT HALF A MILLION JEWS MOSTLY FROM OUTSIDE POLAND IGNACY SCHWARZBART