T r a n s' T a t' T o h"
Jewish Relief Giommittee at Wojnilow.
November 18th, 1920
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To the
Joint Distribution Committee
Warwaw.
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After the last excesses, arranged by the Army of Petlura
at Wojnilow on August 20th,21st,22nd and 23rd, and at the contiguous
villages on September 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th. the whole Jewish
population of our place remainedflxk^wnk"rarer entirely robbed and
ruined.Legions of orphans,widows, cripples and wounded remained without
roof and without even the possibility of earning their livelihood. This
hardship is increased through the hunger and the coming winter.According
to the wish of the Jewish population of our place we resolved to reorganize
our Relief Committeeby admitting to it the whole intelligent class of our
population.This reorganisation will help us indoing our Relief work,which •»
will consist in alleviating the misery caused by the war and the last
events.As this work is very difficult it must be done with great intensity.
The-formation of this Relief Qgmmitteehas satisfied the whole population.
The chairman of our Committee is at present Dr. Alfred Pischler, judge;
vice-chairman and treasurer-Dr. Karol Mahler,lawyer;secretary-Zygmunt
Lutwak,law-candidate.It has immediately been approved by the District
Jewish Relief wommittee at Stanislawow, and by the Central Jewish Relief
Committee at Lwow.Being sure of the cooperation of the population afid
of the Board of the Committees at Lwow and. Stanislawow,we hope to be able
to support the needy inhabitants and first af all the victims of the last
excesses,fro whom we request your special care.
On Friday August 2oth,the excesses began. At midnight several
-2oosaoks rushed into the house of the most wealthy Jew,Mr. Mendel Herschberg, and without listening to his prayers and promises of giving them
his whole fortune, cut off his ears and smashed his head with swords.
This was only the beginning.Some days later some tens of soldiers,so
sent for
called " Friolowcy",arrived at Wojnilowo.Theyttrfeftri±s 3ax±Hg jakaiii
at
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the chairman of the Jewish Community and 5 of the most wealthy
Jews of our town,and ordered them to pay at once a contribution consisting of:300 pairs of boots, 25/jhanges of underdo thing, wine, beer
and
tobacco.As our town could not provide them with the required things
they began to pillage,xs|| and to rob on Saturday ,August 21st.It is
difficult to relate the dreadful scenes which took place in the next days.
It was a real hell, and these pictures will for ever remain in our minds.
Among the victims of the excesses there were elder men,like f.i:Munio
Hahn,writer at a notary,who has been killed in a bestial manner by a
stroke of the sword on the head;Leiser Andacht, tenant of a farm at
,Temerowiec,who has been first hanged and afterwards cut to pieces by
the- cesacks;A,M.Fledarmaus,a needy shop-keeper,who has been shot through
the head;a most needy shoemaker,Bber Laznik,to whom the Cosacks had cut of
one hand, in consequence of which he died shortly afterwardsjfiktorya
iSrazy
Strassman, orphan, 26 years old,who has turned mti because of her terror
of the cosacks running after her, and died in the Asylum for insane on
October 21st;Ealman Gruss,who was wounded by shooting at the right hand,
which had to be amputated in the hospital at KaluszjHersch'; Zaum,an old
man,whose right palm was cut off thgether with 4 fingers.Besides these
victims there were many others :Hersch &runberg,who has been entirely
undressed and afterwards roasted with burning candles, till he swooned;
Lea Frost,wife of a shop-keeper, 58 years old,mother of 4 children,was
wounded by a stroke on her head;Klara Gold, 21 years old,whose skull was
..smashed by a vigorous blow of a lance ;Izak Hirszberg,who has been
wounded at the head with a hammer;Jossel Reighart,whose hands and
-3rib-bones have been pierced through by bandits;Mendel Herschberg,whose
ears were cut off by sword-blows; Bert a Schubert, whose head was smashed by
a cosack in 2 places;Abraham Reinhart,tailor,whose head was smashed by a hj
hammer;^imche Locker,who got 2 vigorous sword-blows at the head;Sabina
Zinader, who, being pregnant,has been beaten till she swooned, and has been
afterwards wounded by peircing with a sword; Ruchel -ttudolf,who has been
violated by 3 cosacks and is at present dangerously ill.She has not
enough money for going to a hospital.
In consequence of these excesses iftrerK
HEXEX
5 Jews were
killed or died from the wounds; there remained 3 widows, 14 unprovided for
orphans, 14 dangerously wounded or mutilated, 48 wounded, 23 dishonoured
and violated women;many of them are infected or pregnant.The general
damages caused by the excesses amount to 9J4 milion markstbecause all Jews
of Wojnilow and environs have been completely ruined.
Stating all this we must ask you if the sum of Mk. 6000
monthly,which Wojnilow received till now from the American Sommittee,
can be enough for supporting 2 persons at the hospital at Lwow,for
sending 2 other victims to Iiwow,for curing 2 infirms at Wojnilow, and for
supporting the remaining families of the victims of these excesses.
These excesses have ruined thousands of existences.Hundreds
of men are suffering from hunger,because it is impossible to get corn in
the whole region destroyed by the Army of Petlura,and the prices for
food-stuffs are consequently increasing every day. Only an energetic and
urgent relief action can save these unhappy ones from cold and hunger.
Therefore we apply to ourfimericanbrotherswith the following
request:Release us out of this hell, save us from the infallible extermination, don't allow the Jewish blood to be shed in the streets,don't let our
brothers and sisters perish of beasts in human form,don't let the children
and orphans die from cold and hunger.We don't want alms,but we request you
to assist and advice us in the matter of the emigration ot the unhappy
—4ones to America of to Palestine.But until this time we beg our American
brothers,who kmow neither pain,nor misfortunes,but understand the
sufferances of others, to participate at our relief work for the victims
of the excesses, for widows, orphans and infirms,to create a base of our
future HniwfcMMww economical existence.Therefore we request the Joint
Distribution Committee to take into consideration the greet misery of
the Wojnilow population and especially of the victims of excesses, of
orphans and cripplesywho are without means and can only wait for any
one's mercy.
The economical reconstruction of the Jewish population requires great funds; the monthly subvention of Mk. 6000.- cannot be
sufficient for this purpose,there we urgently request you to forward
us larger amounts by intermediation of the Central Jewish Relief
Committee at Lwow.
According to the circular of the J.D.C. addressed to all
the lecal Committees and expressing its opinion about the use of the
monthly subventions,we must statethat we can't reckon on local help
with regard-to.the following:circumstances:many of the victims of the
excesses,many wounded and cripples wander about different Galician
hospitals, or are lying down at Tojnilow,without medical help and often
without food; the greater psrt of the Jewish population has been entirely
robbed.Bxcept some wealthy Jews our population consist
of shop-keepers,
af agents and workmen,who are deprived of earnings,as there is no business at all, our town being situated some ten kilometers from the railwaystation.On account of the lack of "fcfrg lacal help, the economical reconstruction of the Jews can be grounded only on subventions of your Oommitte
or on a philantropical action of the whole Jewish society.
Urgently necessary is the organisation of a popular kitchen
in our town.The victims of excesses would benefit from it,si±kEX receiving food either free or for a very small fee.Ie could possiply deliver
dinners to the poor population oof our town as are doing
kitchens
in
-5other towns with the difference that our kitchen would be supported
by the American uommittee.
We also intend to organise a nursery for Jewish orphans
whose number amount to 181.The majoriry of them are full orphans,
and has no one to support them; even the Jewish Community cannot take c-s
care of them on account of the tefcal lack of funds .The Jews of our
place cannot provide themselves with food-stuffs for the coming winter,
it is therefore easy tu understand that they cannot take care of the
homeless ones.Hundreds of orphans are strolling about the streets
having no shelter and no food for ming and body.These young ones should
deserve any support being the future generation of the Jewish society,
which ought to be mentally and physically healthy.The Committee will
therefore request the P.K.P.D. to subsidize our kitchen and to enlarge
its activity by appropriating food-stuffs for 500 children,instead of
100 children.
. ..Besides this the Committee intends to subsidize the
existing
already Hebrew school, as Jewish laic school w M c h cannot exist on own
means.We want to organize free courses for the most needy children
( orphans),in view of giving them any education.
^^__^
Most urgently necessary would be the organisation of a
Jewish hospital at Wojnilow.The victims of the excesses would not be
obliged to go to other hospitals,we could place there the ill persons
of our town, and this would prevent the spreading out of epidemies.
We must add that the restauration of our bath is also most necessary.
It would be also very desirable to organise a cooperative
for the Jewish population which #as most suffered from the last events.
The Committee requests you for an allotment of products of first necessity, as: flour, corn and potatoes at the maximum nominal price.Our
Committee will try to help the population by purchasing fuel for the
-6coming winter.
We must mention that all this can be realized only
with the assistance of the J.D.C.and that our humanitarian work
wholly depends on the funds which the J.D. C.will forward us in
order to support the needy population of our unhappy town.
Jewish Relief Committee at Wojnilow.
Signed (-) Kutiraoh
(-)
Signature illegible *