Historical Background and Interviews
II. The War The War
people. They were appointed because they were relatively well- to-do and were well known in the community. Like everyone else in Ludvipol except the few who managed to escape, they were all killed by the Nazis on the day of the mass murders.” Josef Git- terman later testified, according to documents at the Ludwigsburg archives, that Norgall personally escorted the Judenrat members to the military barracks on the morning of the mass murders and watched their execution. The Judenrat was responsible for promptly enforcing orders and “requests” from Hering and Norgall. On risk of beatings and death, they provided Jewish forced laborers for projects, brought Jewish girls to the Germans, and collected money, goods, and bribes from the Jewish community. On a whim or in return for the promise of a temporary pass, for instance, Hering would demand gold and valu- ables. On some occasions, he would casually mention an item that he coveted, such as someone’s gold watch or silverware, and the Judenrat would have to deliver it. Only the smallest items of jew - elry could be hidden. The collections happened regularly, although one collection that came to be known as Golden Night stands out. On April 14, 1942, the Jews were forced to pay Norgall all of their remaining valuables, “a ransom in gold, silver, and merchandise.” 7 Although Judenrat members were occasionally successful in brib- ing the Ukrainians, the pressures on them as they tried to stay alive and at the same time do their best for the community were intense and destructive. Commissar Norgall went once or twice daily to monitor the road construction work, and harass or murder the workers. On one such visit, he saw Leibel “Trotsky” Keck relieving himself in the bush- es instead of working, and shot him dead, then ordered the labor- ers to bury him beneath the road. 8 Work continued that day as if nothing had happened. “The workers were afraid to even glance at their murdered friend because the bloodthirsty eyes of the mur- derer were still looking for his next victim, and every one of those present saw himself as the next candidate. The Nazi killer used to patrol the work site daily. His only purpose was to shoot and kill,
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