RelatioNet PI ELA 27 WA PO

RelatioNet PI ELA 27 WA PO
Pinchas Elez (Lustman)

Interviewer:

Full Names: Ofek Goren and Naor Gottlieb
Telephone: 09-7661844
Mobile: n/a Email: ofekgoren2@gmail.com
Messenger: No
Address: Kfar Saba, IL


Survivor:

Code: RelatioNet PI ELA 27 WA PO
Family Name: Elez (Lustman) First Name: Pinchas Middle Name: n/a
Father Name: Mother Name: Rivka
Birth Date: 15/8/1927
Town In Holocaust: Wachok Country In Holocaust: Poland
Profession (Main) In Holocaust: Student
Status (Today): Alive
Address Today: 20th Agron Kfar Saba (אגרון 20 כפר סבא) Israel.
Email: n/a

Relatives:

Code: RelatioNet AA BB 11 CC DD
Family Name: Family First Name: First Name Middle Name: Middle Name
Father Name: Father Name Mother Name: Relationship (to Survivor): Relationship
Birth Date: 1/01/1925
Town In Holocaust: Wachok Country In Holocaust: Poland
Profession (Main) In Holocaust:
Status (Today):
If Dead - Death Place: Town Country Death Reason: Death Reason Year Of Death: Year
If Alive - Address Today: Town Country
Email: aaa@bbbbbb.net



Wachock

Wachock was established in the middle of the 12th century. In 1455 Wachok came under the ownership of the Polish monarch. In 1511, the lands of the area were sold to a German prince by the name of Matteaus.

In the 19th century a few dozen Jewish families settled in the town, and in 1921 the Jewish community held 468 people. There is not much information about the lives of the Jews in Wachock during the 19th and 20th centuries.

In World War II the Germens captured Wachock at September 14th 1939. Many houses were destroyed and the Jews were sized for forced labor. There was no ghetto in Wachock and the Jews continued to live in their hoeses until the community was destroyed.

Wachock is located Northeast to Kielce, and west to Starachowice:


Interview with Pinchas Elez.

I was born in the 15th of august 1927, in a town called Wachock, near the city of Satrachowice. In my family there were 4 children. The firstborn was Menachem (Mendel), the second one was my sister Ester, Then Natan, and I was the youngest of the four. My Parents were traders, they had a leather shoe store. We were very close to each other, and not only the small family, but also with the extended. I learnt in al local Polish school until the 7th grade, and then I moved to study in a "Heder" for religious studies with the other Jewish children until evening time. The Rabbi used to hit the children if the made mistakes in their tests.

When I was 12 years old the war erupted and Nazis invaded Poland and made their way across the country. They arrived to Wachock very quickly, the faced a Polish resistance but the Germens burned them down, literally, with flamethrowers. My family immediately hid all our possessions in the basement, and then, as well as the rest of the Jewish community, we went to the bakery yard because that's were the Nazis told al the Jews to gather in, While we watched the town burning in flames with almost nothing.

The Polish rode on horses and fought with swords, which obviously could not be compared to the German tanks and airplanes. We ran and hid in the cemetery. The next day, Saturday we came out and started to look for food we were very hungry, and we saw that the synagogue and the school were not harmed. One of the Germens entered but didn't know what was it so he asked my sister who knew German. we found out that they were not S.S, but only simple German soldiers. Unfortunately after the soldiers left, S.S units came to take the Jews with them. But meanwhile we went to a Polish friend's house; we rented a room from them, though it was very crowded. But 2 days later we were taken by the S.S to forced labor in the ghetto. I went working instead of my father because I didn't want him to do it. There was no school, it was forbidden for Jews to leave the town and to use the train, even though there was no wall. We were living on the street and we wore yellow patches.
The S.S troops didn't watch us all the time, usually they came to visit every once in a while from a near by town. Along with them came the Gestapo, who were even worse. When they came we used to hide because if they caught any Jews they would abuse them and cut they're beards. When we came out we used to listen to the radio that only a few houses had, then we knew approximately what was going on in Germany and Europe. We weren't allowed to bring doctors and that's why when my father got ill he died.

A few weeks later the Nazis deported us from Wachock to Wiez'bnik. There, there was a concentration camp with Ukrainian guards. They made us work in the industry; my work was with a lathe. My manager was a Polish man whom we gave all the belongings to. When we came back to the camp, the dogs barked at us and the Ukrainians used to beat us with sticks. Then we got some soup and went to sleep. After a few months we were transported by foot to another camp in Starachowice.

Several days later we heard that the Nazis plan to transport us to Auschwitz. But just before that a mutiny by the Partisans has started when they threw grenades into the camp, shot the Ukrainian guards. When the Partisans escaped the scene, some Jews escaped with them, just like my brother Natan, and up until today I don't know what happened to him. at 10 o'clock in the morning we were taken to the trains, with no food and no water. We knew that the train faced Auschwitz. We arrived in Auschwitz at 5 o'clock AM. The Germans hit and shout on us. They led to a plaza, where they made a selection. The weak people went to the left while the healthy people went to the right. I was marked as healthy so I went to the right to a big shack, where we all got a haircut and a cold (water) shower. When we went out we were led to Birkenau, a gipsy's camp, to a huge shack which was a supposed residence.

After a few months, the Germans who were starting to lose the war, the Russians started approaching the camps, Therefore they made march "the march of death" in the snow, and whoever couldn't walk was shot in the spot. I almost understood what was happening so I hid somewhere away for several days. Then the miracle happened when the Nazis left the camp, and on the other side, I saw an American tank. I knew salvation had come, so with the last of my strength I ran all the way to the tank. The G.Is gave me biscuits and gave me shelter.

After being released out of camp I found one of my old friends and we wandered in the area to look for food. In one of the villages was an American note which told us who survived and where he was now. I saw the name " Ester Lustman " so I drove to Bargen Belzen to find my sister. In Lodz I found my brother Menachem, He asked me to go to America with them but I decided to go to Israel. Me and my sister drove and passed the Alps, until we have arrived in Italy. There, British took us to a camp in Milano.

I immigrated to Israel on a ship called "Alia Bet", but when we arrived the land, the British didn't let us in and led us to Cyprus. I was there for almost 2 years and I learnt history, bible and literature by Israeli teachers. I also worked there as a translator from Yiddish to Hebrew. Finally we were boarded to a ship which sailed to Israel and "Pal-Yam" troops helped us sneak into the land. I was sent to Pardes Hana to teach.

I studied Bible and Hebrew in university of Tel-Aviv and the University of Jerusalem and I worked as a teacher up until now, in "Ort Shapira" High school in Kefar Sava, also in "Shazar" Junior high in Kefar Sava and in a college in "Keriat Malachi"

posted by RelatioNet Katza @ 4:17 AM