GRYNHOJZ’S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS IN BIALYSTOK (1890-1909) Because most of the remaining Jews hoped to sur- vive in the hideouts for a long time, they left their bunkers, despite the barrage of gunfire, to seek food in the abandoned houses. In these dark ruins, the survi- vors unwittingly trod upon corpses, torn apart by exploding grenades. For a long while they combed these dwellings in fear for their lives, then returned to their hideouts with some supplies. The Massacre at Pietrasze Field About 25,000 Jewish men, women and children, among them the elderly — those who had not lost their lives in the gardens — were crowded into a narrow corner of Bialystok called Pietrasze Field. The over- crowding and severe heat caused. many to suffocate. This mass of people was surrounded on three sides by Ukrainians, Lithuanians, White Russians and Ger- mans, armed with machine guns. They stampeded, trampling many people to death. During breaks in the crush, the Nazis opened fire. The terrible thirst cost -many hundreds of lives. For a few drops of water, -many Jews offered to give away their last possessions, only to be disappointed when no water came. The Ukrainians beat the people with sticks, pulling rings off women’s fingers. Adding to this living hell, a torrential rain so drenched the mob that hundreds per- ished from exposure. From afar people could see the fires in the ghetto petering out, just as the lives of the Jewish victims were slowly ebbing away on Pietrasze Field. A small group of ghetto fighters, who were also among this sea of humanity, met death in the most cruel manner imaginable. On the second day of the August liquidation, the Gestapo command dispatched murder squads of ten men each to stamp out Jews still hiding inside the ghetto. One squad was enough to attack a smaller 92 building; two squads were assigned for larger struc- tures. These marauding bands turned everything upside down, pillaging everything left of value. In a house sus- pected of containing a shelter, the soldiers would order everyone to emerge or else they would blow up the building. No one would answer because the Jews hiding knew painfully well what was in store for them. Let the beasts do as they wish. Without waiting for an answer, the Nazis hurled grenades. Parts of bodies flew through the air. Every building was attacked at least ten times a day by roaming death squads. The Living Hell in the Hideouts Only someone who endured life in the hideouts can begin to describe those places of desperation, attacked every hour by the Nazi murderers. People literally asphyxiated from the overcrowding. In such circum- stances fights broke out, leading to the exposure of the shelter. Many bunkers housed small children, who, of course, did not understand the dangers in crying. All too often an infant’s wail resulted in the liquidation of the shelter. Everyone’s nerves were on edge, and great fortitude was required to tolerate the tension and sus- pense. Some could not stand the stress and decided to put an end to their lives. With the help of various technical devices, includ- ing listening apparatus and bloodhounds, the Nazis suc- ceeded in capturing 2,000 Jews from the bunkers on the second day of the August liquidation. Some of those arrested were shot on the spot and the rest were dis- patched to Pietrasze Field, that infernal place where Jews were caught in a human stampede. On that day the Gestapo shot Jakow Goldberg, head of the ghetto Rationing Department. A small group of Jews, who continued working for the Nazis in the ghetto, were ordered on the second day to repair the gutted sections of the ghetto fence and to collect the thousands of dead bodies littering the streets and gardens for burial in mass graves. At night, many emerged from the hideouts into adjacent buildings to seek food. Sometimes when they returned to the bunkers, new Jewish faces would appear, unseen before. There was suspicion until the newcomers identified themselves. People began exchanging information about the events of the day. The Nazis had uncovered many shelters, shut off all water to the suspected buildings, forcing the concealed Jews to draw water from distant wells, which meant they could be traced by the tracks they left. These new Nazi methods led the Jews to devise countermeasures to avoid detection. People were advised to obtain water from the wells only at night and not to cook during the day, because the smoke from the stoves was easily noticed. | Meanwhile, some of the remaining resistance fight- The Bialystoker Memorial Book