Nochum Kozak

... On the fifth day we were placed on trucks and transported to a farm that reputedly belonged to the head of the Bialystok Gestapo. The officer in charge of our transfer was a sadist; he beat us with canes, wooden boards and anything else he could get his hands on. The police ridiculed and beat us, and some even poked sharp objects into our abdomens. They beat up young Nochum Kozak, whose father, Herszel, a printer, was sent away with other printers to a camp in Germany. The most difficult work was being forced to load steel bridge sections onto wagons, which demanded superhuman strength. Many of us contracted infections during work, including Tewele Wrubel, whose fever raged for four weeks; Boczkowski, a lock- smith and jazz musician; and Zylberblat, who owned a house near Druskeniki Gymnasium. Those who were deemed unsuitable for labor were immediately shot, while those who exhibited stamina continued living for the time being. ...

... While the struggle was taking place in the Judenrat gardens, a group of Nazis entered the ghetto streets with a fire engine to put out the blaze near the ghetto fence. From the windows and attics, the resistance fighters immediately started shooting, causing confu- sion and panic in the Nazi ranks. Two daring 15-year- old friends, Szmuel Rajzner and Nochum Kozak hid in an attic at 12 Czepla Street. They killed two Nazis standing near the fire engine with well-aimed shots. ...