The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933-1945

Pre-1939: Kałusz, town, powiat center, Stanisławów województwo, Poland; 1939–1941: Kalush, raion center, Stanislav oblast’, Ukrainian SSR; 1941–1944: Kalusz, initially center of Kreis Kalusz then Kreis Stanislau, Distrikt Galizien, Generalgouvernement; post-1991: Kalush, raion center, Ivano-Frankivs’k oblast’, Ukraine

Kałusz is located 27 kilometers (17 miles) north-northwest of Stanisławów. According to the population census of 1931, 3,967 Jews were living in Kałusz. On the eve of World War II in 1939, there were about 5,000 Jews in the town. In July 1941, there were probably around 6,000 Jews living in Kałusz.¹

Following a period of Soviet occupation at the beginning of World War II, Hungarian troops occupied Kałusz on July 6, 1941. The Hungarians ordered the opening of all the shops, with signs identifying every “Jewish store.” They proceeded to loot the shops and ship everything back to Hungary. Local Ukrainian nationalists complained to the German commandant in Stanisławów that their allies were stealing “government property.” In the surrounding villages, Ukrainian nationalists murdered some Jews, causing others to seek refuge in Kałusz. Within two weeks the Germans took control of the town, replacing the Hungarians.²

A German military commandant’s office (Ortskommandantur) briefly administered the town until the end of July. On August 1, 1941, power was transferred to a German civil administration. Kałusz was initially the center of the Kreis Kalusz in Distrikt Galizien. Those appointed to the position of Kreishauptmann were Regierungsrat Dr. Friedrich Gercke (from August 1941 to March 1942; he died during the war) and Dr. Karl-Hans Broschegg (from March 1942 to July 1943).

The subdistricts of Kałusz, Wojniłów, Dolina, Bolechów, Rożniatów, Wygoda, and Perehińsko were incorporated into Kreis Kalusz. (In March 1942, Bolechów became part of the Kreis Stryj.) Altogether, according to the population census of December 9, 1931, there were 16,720 Jews living in these subdistricts.³

In July 1942, the Kreishauptmannschaft Kałusz was dissolved. The subdistricts of Kałusz and Wojniłów were incorporated into Kreis Stanislau. The remaining districts—Dolina, Rożniatów, Wygoda, and Perehińsko—were incorporated into Kreis Stryj.

The anti-Jewish Aktions in the town were organized and carried out by the Security Police outpost (Sipo-Aussendienststelle) in Stanisławów. The post was headed by SS-Hauptsturmführer Hans Krüger (from the end of July 1941 until November 1942) and by his deputy, SS-Untersturmführer Oskar Brandt (from November 1942). A German Criminal Police (Kripo) post, a German Gendarmerie post, and a Ukrainian police unit were established in Kałusz. These units participated in the extermination operations that were carried out.

On August 23–25, 1941, shortly after the transfer of power to the German civil administration, a Security Police detachment arrived in Kałusz from Stanisławów. In this first Aktion, the detachment arrested and shot 380 Jews, mostly merchants and professionals.⁴ In September 1941, 50 more people were arrested and shot by the German Gendarmerie.⁵

In the summer of 1941, the German military administration ordered the creation of a Jewish Council (Judenrat) and the Jewish Police (Jüdischer Ordnungsdienst), commanded by a Czech refugee named Memmelis; these served to enforce compliance with German regulations. The Jewish Police implemented the marking of the Jews with white armbands bearing the Star of David. The Germans confiscated vast amounts of Jewish property, including any items of value. The Jews were registered and required to perform assigned labor tasks.

At the end of 1941, an open ghetto (Jewish residential district) was created in Kałusz. Those living outside the defined area were forced to move into the ghetto, bringing whatever possessions they could carry and abandoning—or trying to sell for very little—heavier items such as furniture. Jews expelled from neighboring villages were also sent to the ghetto. People from places outside the ghetto were housed with families or in the synagogue, and living conditions became extremely crowded. A curfew was imposed, requiring Jews to stay off the streets after sunset, even within the ghetto. Two Jews who violated the order were shot on sight, a clear warning that the curfew had to be strictly observed.

The Judenrat was charged with meeting the daily quota for forced labor. Those assigned to work outside the ghetto received special identification cards and had some contact with the local population, providing possible access to extra food. Some Jews paid large bribes to get these jobs. Among the more desirable places to work were farms, sawmills, workshops, and various German firms operating in the area.⁶

As of April 1942, there were 6,300 Jews living in the Kałusz ghetto.⁷ That same month, the Security Police detachment from Stanisławów carried out another Aktion. They arrested and shot 800 Jews only because they were deemed unfit for labor.⁸ After this Aktion, there were 5,500 Jews remaining in the town.⁹

As the months dragged by, conditions in the ghetto deteriorated. Hunger increased, especially among the many poor who had nothing to trade for food. The Judenrat had nothing left to distribute. People keeled over in the streets, dying from starvation. Corpses were collected on a daily basis to be buried in mass graves in the cemetery. All communal activity ceased. Nevertheless, many people were sustained by a vitality that enabled them to overcome physical deprivation. The doctors in the ghetto, despite the lack of basic resources, nurtured many people through their illnesses.¹⁰

In August 1942, the number of Jews in Kałusz increased again as the Germans transferred more Jews into the town from nearby villages. A total of 209 Jewish families from the villages in the Perehińsko subdistrict—which included Perehińsko, Uhrynów, Jasieniów, Siwka, Jasień, Zawój, Berłochy, Piotrów, Nowica, Grabówka, and Kamień—were resettled to Kałusz.¹¹ Still more were brought in from the Rożniatów sub-district. On Yom Kippur (September 21, 1942), a few dispirited [End Page 788] souls assembled in a secret place for an abbreviated prayer service.

After the Jews were concentrated in the town, the Security Police post in Stanisławów carried out a series of Aktions in the fall of 1942, during which part of the Jewish population was taken to Stanisławów and murdered there, while the others were deported to the extermination camp in Bełżec. The final large Aktion probably took place in mid-September or mid-October 1942 (accounts differ).¹² Because of rumors circulating about another large transport, people frantically tried to hide in cellars and attics, mostly within the ghetto. At the start of the Aktion, Gestapo men and Ukrainian policemen entered the ghetto for a house-to-house roundup. About 1,200 people were captured and held near the railroad station. Most of those in hiding were discovered and also rounded up. The hunt continued for about 36 hours. Then the prisoners were brought to the rail depot and loaded into freight cars. The victims, including the Jewish Police and leaders of the Judenrat, were transported to the camp in Bełżec.¹³

Not everyone was captured during the two-day roundup. As their hunger increased, people slowly emerged from hiding. The Germans announced they would not be harmed. They ordered the establishment of another Judenrat, headed by Berish Geller. No one was sent out to forced labor, nor was any food distributed. At the end of October, or a few weeks later, the surviving remnant was shipped to Stanisławów. The Germans officially declared Kałusz to be free of Jews (judenrein).¹⁴ The Red Army liberated Kałusz on August 1, 1944. Fewer than a dozen Jewish inhabitants survived the occupation.