So the first serious action was held on August 21, 1942? -Yes.
Tell us about it, please. -That was the first action.
This is how it happened...
Two days before the action we were told to pack...
all of our valuables and nothing else, only valuable things.
They even made a list: gold, diamonds, etc.
And something to eat,
for one meal.
Everyone was supposed to come to the Market Square at 5 am.
On August 21? -On August 21.
There were many Germans already,
with their dogs. It was so frightening, really...
terrible.
We didn't sleep all night because we already...
felt that something bad was about to happen.
We were told that everyone must come to the square at 5 am,
to the Market Square.
And everyone came. Everyone came.
There were many Germans, SS soldiers.
There were many policemen with dogs.
They ordered people to sit down.
Everyone sat down and formed a really big circle.
There were Germans inside and outside the circle,
and there were also policemen.
And then it all began. They told us...
the Germans approached the people and said:
"You go there, you go there."
They selected the young ones,
young people.
Nobody knew what they were selected for.
Some people started whispering
that they were probably going to kill the young ones,
and as the old ones were no threat, they would probably leave them alone.
Others thought that the Germans needed young people to work,
and that was why they selected the young ones. And so...
My mom...
A German was standing just beside us, holding a stick in his hand.
My mom asked him in Yiddish:
"Please take her, I am begging you."
He looked at me, Mom held her hands together,
and asked him again...
He didn't answer her, but took his stick,
touched my head slightly
and told another German soldier to take me to the other side.
And that is how I got to the other side.
Three hours later...
they ordered the group selected for the pits to get up,
and they took them away.
It was the last time I saw my mother, my brother and my sister.
They formed a line and took them away,
and we stayed at the square.
Two hours later we were taken back to the Ghetto,
and then we heard the shooting.
They were shooting for a long time,
but no one believed, no one wanted to believe
that they were killing our relatives.