Warsaw, 5 November 1948. Judge Halina Wereńko, a member of the District Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Warsaw, interviewed the person named below as a witness, without administering an oath. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false statements and of the obligation to tell the truth, the witness testified as follows:
Name and surname | Anna Kacprzak |
Parents’ names | Leon and Ewa, née Makowska |
Date of birth | 20 March 1910 in Warsaw |
Religious affiliation | None |
Education | Secondary |
State affiliation and nationality | Polish |
Place of residence | Warsaw, Chmielna Street 57, flat 29 |
Profession | nurse |
At the beginning of November 1942 (I don’t remember the exact date), at about 10.00 a.m. I went to an apartment in the yard of the house at Bonifraterska Street 13, where food was being sold. Apart from me, there were a few other people in the apartment. Suddenly I heard a scream coming from the yard and three Germans in uniforms entered the apartment.
As my group said later and as was discussed later at the Umschlagplatz [collection point for transports to concentration camps], Konrad was one of the three.
The Germans started punching and beating us with sticks, there was a lot of yelling, and we were ordered to go outside. Konrad made us stand in a line and proceeded to inspect our documents. At some point I noticed a young man, whom I didn’t know, calmly approaching the house gate. I saw Konrad turn around and shoot him dead.
Our group was led to the Werterfassung [collection of valuables] office at Stawki Street (to the office dealing with liquidation of Jewish property) which was headed by Konrad. Our group was kept in the yard for about two hours and then led to the basement. At about 8.00 p.m. we were escorted to the Umschlagplatz. Before we left the Werterfassung, our group was joined by several people who got captured in the ghetto during the day.
There were a few hundred people in the Umschlagplatz. This was in the period between the first and the second liquidation action in the ghetto. The authorities were not ordered to round people up at that time. Therefore, individuals or small groups were gathered in the Umschlagplatz and kept there until there was enough people for a larger transport.
At the beginning of December 1942, I escaped from the Umschlagplatz with help from the outside. I later learnt that the transport departed on the following day. Having left the Umschlagplatz, I heard from Światłowski (now deceased), who was at Bonifraterska 12 at the time, that the deportation of my group to the Umschlagplatz was motivated by robbery. Konrad sent us to the Umschlagplatz and stole valuable items from Światłowski›s apartment.
At this point the report was brought to a close and read out.