Small Riga Ghetto

265
Yes, now I was truly free!
But I couldn't believe that after years of imprisonment I was free again at
last. Initially I wasn't happy about my fate at all, for what was I supposed to
do now? My wife was dead, my son was dead, my next of kin and my friends
had all been killed, my possessions had been destroyed and stolen! Alone,
sick, weak and old, how was I supposed to build my future? What was I to do
now with my freedom?
What I most wanted was to be destroyed together with the whole world and
dissolve into dust and ashes.
But I gathered together my courage, following my inner voice, for I had
been given back to life – and now I would go on with my life toward the unknown
future.
Via Stutthof – Burggraben – Gotentov *
– Riben – Lauenburg to Freedom
(Excerpt Based on Other Reports)
On 17 October 1944 a part of the Riga transport (about 100 people), headed by
Mischa Glücksmann, was taken from Stutthof to Danzig. Equipped with new
prisoners' uniforms, the prisoners were sent directly from the washroom onto
the steamship. On 23 October 1944 the second transport (about 500 people)
was put together and sent to Danzig under the command of the former head of
the ghetto labor authority, Kassel.
Among these Jews were some from Latvia and Lithuania and a few from
Germany. From Danzig the two transports moved on to Burggraben, where
they lived in small log cabins. Later they were joined by more Jews to
strengthen the commando, so that the total number, including the women,
eventually reached 1,600. The last arrivals were former inmates of Auschwitz
- Hungarian, Greek, and other Jews. The camp representative, Mischa Glücksmann,
was the top commander. He slapped Kassel, who was a decent human
being, and appointed him to be a block representative. Because Glücksmann
had a sadistic nature, our situation grew much worse under his leadership. He
chose the Pole Chamek, who was also especially cruel, to assist him.
The work site of the people in this satellite camp was about 15 kilometers
from Danzig, and the Jews had to work in two twelve-hour shifts (day and
night) in the Schichau shipyard. Because of the poor food and the heavy labor,
* [Ed.: Gotentov - Godętowa]