The Clandestine History of the Kovno Jewish Ghetto Police

3. The Gruesome Period from the Beginning of the Ghetto to the Great Action

77 The First Days; Establishment of the Jewish Ghetto Police The fast pace of the evacuation, and the approach of the deadline when ghetto life would begin, required the rapid development and expansion of committee activities. To bring order to the life of the Kovno Jewish community , which had been suddenly uprooted and transplanted into the cramped, fenced-in area of the Slobodka ghetto, required the speedy establishment of various municipal offices. From the very beginning of the ghetto, the first and most urgent task was to create and maintain order in the ghetto. The Jewish ghetto police started its work on the first day. As early as July 9, while the committee was still in Rotushke, besieged by thousands of people in connection with the forthcoming evacuation, the pressing need to create an entity for maintaining order in the offices of the committee had become clear. The reserve officer M. Bramson was assigned to organize a group of young men for this purpose. The same group The Gruesome Period from the Beginning of the Ghetto to the Great Action 3 HISTORY OF THE VILIAMPOLE JEWISH GHETTO POLICE 78 maintained order in the committee on Daukshios Street, in the Housing Office and in the refuge.1 At the previously mentioned wide-ranging meeting on July 24, the idea arose that, following the model of other ghettos, a Jewish police force should be created here (in Poland, we heard, this was also the case). Based on this model, and with the concurrence of the authorities, Kopelman was elected as the chief of the police, to serve as the second representative, after the “Ober-Jude” [Head-Jew], and contact to the outside world. On August 6, community leaders, meeting in Slobodka, began to discuss the organization of the Jewish police. In addition to Bramson, a whole line of younger activists—almost all of whom were reserve officers, war veterans [of the 1918–1920 war of independence] or athletes—participated in the deliberations. On August 10 it became known through the committee—already referred to as the Ältestenrat [Elder Council]—that men were being accepted into the police force, priority being given to those who had served in the military. Twenty-six applications had been received, of which ten were accepted. The rank and file of the young people did not, in general, wish to join the police. It is also of interest that some in this group, who participated in the almost daily meetings and consultations concerning the organization of the police, were willing to help organize and structure the police force, but were not willing to join it themselves. The reasons for this attitude were as follows: First, as noted, our future was clouded and veiled. We had no contacts with the authorities, except for those instances when demands were received for workers, or if we happened to hear instructions concerning a new evil decree. We were completely in the dark as to the intentions of the authorities concerning us, not only with regard to general questions affecting the entire community, but also as to their preferences 1. Garfunkel (Kovna ha-yehudit be-hurbana, 105) explains: “There was no other solution to the [housing] situation, except to place people in buildings which were not at all suitable to serve the needs of dwelling there, and were never intended for this purpose. They had no kitchens or the most elementary conveniences—these were synagogues, movie houses and schools. In these ‘reservats’ [refuges] (that’s how these dwelling places were referred to)—16 all told—were crowded in 3,500 people.” The Gruesome Period from Ghetto to Great Action 79 concerning the establishment of the administrative life of the ghetto and the shape and duties of the offices. It was therefore feared that, outside the direct duties of the police to maintain peace and order in the ghetto, the force would be given other work and become a tool of the Gestapo, and that all of our police officials would have to serve as their functionaries. Second, there was fear of the external administrative aspects, which could make each policeman individually responsible for any misunderstanding, any trivial matter. Third, the very creation of a Jewish police was big news in the life of our community: we know from experience that Jews have difficulty getting along with Jews; that a Jew hates to obey a Jewish chinovnik [functionary]. The members of the...