to improvise a stove. He poured the alcohol into an empty sardine tin, and set it alight. Over the tiny flame he held a cup of water which he boiled and then gave to Krisia and Pawel with a lump of sugar.
In the cavern beneath the church, some of the group set about trying to make the conditions more comfortable. Margulies, Berestycki and Chaskiel Orenbach took the initiative, found their way down to the main chamber and set out on the long walk back towards the ghetto. They passed the same ledges and tunnels, that, less than a fortnight before, had been crowded with desperate people. As they moved forward, they heard nothing but their own footsteps mixed with the roar of the Peltwa. The cries and echoes of all the people who had followed them into the sewers had ceased long ago.
Their journey would take them past the tunnel they had prepared before the liquidation. All their labour spent clearing the debris and constructing benches had been for nothing. The tunnel had been occupied by strangers long before they had arrived. Margulies recalled struggling past the opening, on that first dreadful night, and finding the place full. Now, as he and the others made their first journey back that way, he wondered if they were still there and how they were coping.
As they stepped into the entrance they saw what they’d expected. Some twenty-six people, huddled in the darkness, some way down the tunnel. This forlorn group, led by a doctor, had all come fromthe barrack and must have been encouraged to come down by Weiss. They tossed a greeting to each other, but there was little else they could have done. Margulies recognized a few faces. He recalled: ‘They were all seated on the benches we had made. We let them stay there. We couldn’t have looked after them, but we knew they were there.’
Margulies and the others had not come to pay a visit. They were going further. They had decided to return to Weiss’s cellar, partly to satisfy their curiosity but mostly to scavenge for anything that might make their existence more bearable. They planned to get back into the barrack, where there might be something that could be salvaged.
As they approached the spot where the shaft broke through the chamber roof, it seemed both familiar and strange. So much had happened since the night of the liquidation. When they peered back up through the shaft, they could feel a soft draft of fresh air against their faces. It was deceptively peaceful. It was also completely quiet. They climbed towards the draft and miraculously, the iron grate was still in place. If the Germans had got down to the cellar, then they had discovered nothing more curious than a simple drain in the floor. However, as well as the grate, there was the stone slab which Margulies had heaved into the hole in Weiss’s floor. The real test would be shifting the slab.
When they were all inside the cellar, they heaved against the slab, raising it a few centimetres. The light in the room nearly blinded them, yet the lights were off and it was late in the evening. They had already grown accustomed to the dark. When their eyes had settled, they looked again. The place was deserted. Nothing moved. They shifted the slab out of the way and climbed into the room. Everything was in utter ruin. Furniture was shattered, clothes had been ripped into rags, broken plates crunched under their feet. There was nothing worth salvaging and they knew they would have to move on. A wind outside was swinging a window on its hinges, but otherwise, it was silent. Every step they took seemed to announce their presence to the entire district.
To get into any of the other rooms they had to step out into the corridor that ran the full length of the building. If there was anyoneon guard, there would be nowhere to hide, no escape. Gathering all their courage, they peered round the door. The corridor was deserted.
There had been nearly a hundred families living in the rooms on either side and the corridors had
In the cavern beneath the church, some of the group set about trying to make the conditions more comfortable. Margulies, Berestycki and Chaskiel Orenbach took the initiative, found their way down to the main chamber and set out on the long walk back towards the ghetto. They passed the same ledges and tunnels, that, less than a fortnight before, had been crowded with desperate people. As they moved forward, they heard nothing but their own footsteps mixed with the roar of the Peltwa. The cries and echoes of all the people who had followed them into the sewers had ceased long ago.
Their journey would take them past the tunnel they had prepared before the liquidation. All their labour spent clearing the debris and constructing benches had been for nothing. The tunnel had been occupied by strangers long before they had arrived. Margulies recalled struggling past the opening, on that first dreadful night, and finding the place full. Now, as he and the others made their first journey back that way, he wondered if they were still there and how they were coping.
As they stepped into the entrance they saw what they’d expected. Some twenty-six people, huddled in the darkness, some way down the tunnel. This forlorn group, led by a doctor, had all come fromthe barrack and must have been encouraged to come down by Weiss. They tossed a greeting to each other, but there was little else they could have done. Margulies recognized a few faces. He recalled: ‘They were all seated on the benches we had made. We let them stay there. We couldn’t have looked after them, but we knew they were there.’
Margulies and the others had not come to pay a visit. They were going further. They had decided to return to Weiss’s cellar, partly to satisfy their curiosity but mostly to scavenge for anything that might make their existence more bearable. They planned to get back into the barrack, where there might be something that could be salvaged.
As they approached the spot where the shaft broke through the chamber roof, it seemed both familiar and strange. So much had happened since the night of the liquidation. When they peered back up through the shaft, they could feel a soft draft of fresh air against their faces. It was deceptively peaceful. It was also completely quiet. They climbed towards the draft and miraculously, the iron grate was still in place. If the Germans had got down to the cellar, then they had discovered nothing more curious than a simple drain in the floor. However, as well as the grate, there was the stone slab which Margulies had heaved into the hole in Weiss’s floor. The real test would be shifting the slab.
When they were all inside the cellar, they heaved against the slab, raising it a few centimetres. The light in the room nearly blinded them, yet the lights were off and it was late in the evening. They had already grown accustomed to the dark. When their eyes had settled, they looked again. The place was deserted. Nothing moved. They shifted the slab out of the way and climbed into the room. Everything was in utter ruin. Furniture was shattered, clothes had been ripped into rags, broken plates crunched under their feet. There was nothing worth salvaging and they knew they would have to move on. A wind outside was swinging a window on its hinges, but otherwise, it was silent. Every step they took seemed to announce their presence to the entire district.
To get into any of the other rooms they had to step out into the corridor that ran the full length of the building. If there was anyoneon guard, there would be nowhere to hide, no escape. Gathering all their courage, they peered round the door. The corridor was deserted.
There had been nearly a hundred families living in the rooms on either side and the corridors had
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