On 21 December, 1939, Chaim-Leyb D. was interviewed by the “Committee to Collect Material about the Destruction of Polish Jewry, 1939” in Vilnius, Lithuania. He was 21 years old and came from Pabianice, a suburb of Łódź, where he worked as a loom mechanic. After the German attack on Poland, almost the whole population of Pabianice fled to Warsaw on foot, among them Chaim-Leyb D. He then decided to go back to his home town, where he encountered the brutal antisemitic German occupation regime. He fled eastbound until he reached Vilnius. Altogether, he traveled over 5.000 kilometers, mostly on foot. His further fate is unknown. The record of his full interview is to be found in the We Refugees Archive.
Excerpts from:
Wiener Library Document Section 532, Series 1, frames 0013–0033
Translation:
Miriam Schulz
Voice:
Tal Hever-Chybowski
Script:
Kristof Gerega (Schuldenberg Films)
Miriam Schulz
Direction:
Kristof Gerega (Schuldenberg Films)
Camera:
Anton Yaremchuck
Cut:
Kristof Gerega
Production:
Schuldenberg Films
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Photo series by Bolesława and Edmund Zdanowscy
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