Who remained of the literary elite in August 1944?
Szmul Rozensztajn’s list - from the Łódź State Archives (documents PL_39_278_L19492_47 and PL_39_278_L19492_48) - made available thanks to Łódź-based researchers Michał Latosiński (independent researcher) and Ewa Wiatr (University of Łódź): Szmul Rozensztajn [sometimes referenced as: Shmuel Rosenstein] was a journalist. Before the war, he was the Łódź reporter for the Warsaw-based Yiddish Zionist daily Haynt [הײנט, i.e., Today, click here for more]. He was one of Rumkowski’s assistants and editor of the ghetto’s official newspaper, the געטאָ-צײטונג [Geto-Tsaytung; Getto-Zeitung] (see sample by clicking here). Dated August 1, 1944 – shortly before the ghetto’s dissolution – a two-page document, written in German, lists the artistic elite of the ghetto for Rumkowski in a special request for food rations. The document is divided into a number of sections: 1. Writers in Yiddish (25, including two writers who were also painters) 2. Writers in other languages (9, probably 8 in Polish and 1 in German) 3. Painters (13) 4. “Artistes” (3) 5. Musicians (23)
In the lists, Lejzerowicz is listed principally as a painter, but also as a writer in Yiddish. Chava Rosenfarb is listed as number 16 in the alphabetical list of Yiddish writers. Hilde Stern, likely the only writer in German, is listed as number 8 in the list of writers in other languages. Perhaps the other writers wrote in Polish.
