ŁAGIEW – judaic AGENCY GESTAPO
Żagiev, the judaic Freedom defender – a collaboration judaic organization in the Warsaw Ghetto, established in late 1940 by the judaic Gestapo lecture from members of the Group “13” to infiltrate judaic and Polish underground organizations, including aiding Jews.
The “sailboat” remained in close conspiracy by pretending to be a smuggling group so that it could control the channels of food shipment to the ghetto. According to various opinions, she was besides active in looting, tracking and releasing Jews hiding in the alleged Aryan part of Warsaw to Germans. The “Zagwi” agents, considered by the Germans to be the most valuable, had a weapon licence issued by the Gestapo.
From the beginning fought by the judaic Combat Organization and the judaic Military Union. Crashed in early 1941, it was rapidly recreated. At the time of the uprising in the ghetto, most members of the “Zagwi” lost their lives – according to any accounts its leader, Abraham Gancwaich, survived.
Abraham Gancwaich (born in Częstochowa, died most likely in 1943 in Warsaw) – a teacher, journalist, Zionist activist within Ha-Szomer Ha-Cair. Nazi collaborator under German occupation, agent Gestapo.
Gancwaich obtained conventional judaic education, even had a rabbi's diploma. Before the war, he was a Hebrew teacher and Zionist activist. He besides did journalism working with local press, among others, as a correspondent from Belgium. In Vienna, he was an associate of the anti-Hitler periodical in which he was a specialist in judaic affairs. Among the writing associates was his friend, Wilhelm Ohlenbusch, a German spy.
Wilhelm Ohlenbusch (born 28 December 1899, died in 1997 – head of the propaganda department in the Warsaw territory office, appointed on 1 February 1941 as president of the main propaganda department (German Haupteilung Propaganda) in the government of the General Government subordinate to the Reich Propaganda Ministry (German Propagandaministerium) in short-term PROMI.
After the business of Austria by Germany in 1938 Gancwaich came to Łódź, where he issued a magazine entitled “Freedom” subscribed by many Jews. After the Germans seized Łódź, all subscribers of “Freedom” were detained as anti-hitlers; Gancwaich was not arrested, but Wilhelm Ohlenbusch took him to Warsaw. Thanks to his relationship with Ohlenbusch, he received various concessions, including administration of more than 100 buildings, and besides obtained a licence for the only afiche office in the ghetto. He did not gotta wear a band with the star David, at any time with the approval of the Gestapo he could decision from the Warsaw ghetto to the Aryan side; he pretended to be a associate of the judaic opposition (he was the founder and leader of the alleged “13” Group and the “Zagiev” organization). His individual friend was Dr Schober of the territory authorities.
He was executed by the judaic and Polish underground, but he was unsuccessful. He was most likely killed by the Germans in 1943, but his destiny is unknown. Rumors about his post-war destiny (he was expected to cooperate with the NKVD or emigrate to Israel) were not confirmed.
There were besides a number of judaic Gestapo institutions, straight subordinate to the head of the judaic lecture in the Gestapo by Karl Brandt, located in Warsaw at ul. Leszno 13 and Leszno 14.
The cognition of the activities of the judaic Gestapo agents inside the Warsaw ghetto, as well as the aided group of moneymakers, has not yet been made available to the Polish and planet public.
Jewish collaborators were harassing Poles illegally entering the ghetto with their aid to force ransom from them. These looters were mainly judaic smugglers, among whom the porters dominated, and judaic policemen working with them in collusion.
They placed their bets on the courts, walls and various passages to the ghetto. There were cases of issuing these Poles to Germans erstwhile they were not to buy out. For example, Jan Nowakowski smuggling into the ghetto under orders of his father press, food, sometimes ammunition, was caught by the judaic police and released to the Germans. This was in early April 1943. The German gendarme saw that it was a 14-year-old kid who had taken pity, yelled at him and kicked him out of the gate. Almost nothing is known to this day about the “Zagwi” but that it existed and that respective traitors were shot.
Collaboration and betrayal among the Jews took on larger proportions erstwhile the ghetto closed down and the judaic order police were appointed to life. On a higher level of betrayal of their own people were judaic Gestapo agents. At Leszno 14, the chiefs were Kohn and Heller (earned by Karl Brandt) and the second facility at Leszno 13 was commanded by Gancweich and Captain David Sternfeld. Leszno 14 was camouflaged as an industrial enterprise, among others their erstwhile horsecars called Konhellers, and Leszno 13 as an industrial police station appearing under different names, e.g. the Office for Combating Lichwa and Speculation, or the Office for measurement and Wag Control, the Crafts and Trade Division, the Poster Control Office, the Force Work Department, and even Emergency and others. Specially revived, wide and harmful activity was conducted by a facility located at ul. Leszno 13, commonly called "the thirteen". Out of a specially selected component from Brandt's “Thirteen” and individual agents, the organization “The Saive” was formed in the late 1940s.
This organization was tasked with penetrating all manifestations of life in the ghetto, including the agendas of the municipality. She was to observe especially the action of organized smuggling, in order to recognise the sources of Polish aid to the ghetto and thus scope underground organizations supporting the ghetto.
The “jags” besides carried out food smuggling, or, in fact, pretending to be, erstwhile moving their transports, were always seen close the grenade police or even a patrol of the gendarmerie for insurance, so they wanted to play the function of a smuggling-conspiracy group towards the Jews. By gaining the trust of any naive people, they attempted to assemble a supposedly military organization. However, they were betrayed by contacts with Sternfeld and 1 of his officers in the rank of lieutenant. At first, they were able to attract dozens of young people to the organization. These recently recruited judaic Armed Union (ZZW) warned about the actual goals of the “Zagwi” and many “honest ” were able to retreat from it. Those who remained in the ministry, ” despite warnings, ” were fined. And the “sail” grew quantitatively, gave material benefits. The first strike in “The Saive” took place at the turn of 1940/41. After being shot or stabbed by respective of its members, the organization fell apart and ceased its activity. However, the second “Zagwi” pitch went to work in the spring of 1941, as Germany demanded the existence of this organization. After recognizing their activities, ZZW and respective officers of the Military Organization – safety Personnel (OW-KB) began to re-attack in the second half of 1941, partially only effective. Individual zealous sagemakers were liquidated in the meantime. In May 1942, an order came from the office to join the final phase of the liquidation action “Zagwi”, to intelligence work inside the ghetto. The work of “Zagwi” took on rather dangerous sizes. She fell in and was arrested by respective private members of the HSC. It was evident that the sage was sniffing more effectively. He yet came in late spring 1942 Kosieradzki, and with him a handheld weapons warehouse. In order not to exposure herself in the eyes of the ghetto with contacts with the “Thirteen” or Befehlstelle Karl Brandt (Iron 103), “The Saive” has improved her working methods. Agents of the “Zagwi” began reporting and reporting to their moguls, not in the ghetto, but in respective points scattered in Warsaw. They were located, among others, in the Main Post, in the Rival cafe (Place at Rozdroż, close Al. Szucha) and in a textile store located at 7 Mazowiecka Street on the first level from the front. judaic Gestapo agents went to work at alleged facilities and on their way back to the ghetto they submitted their reports there. Many of them even had peculiar passes, which entitles them to decision freely throughout the General Guberní, due to the fact that as professionals they were besides utilized for work in another cities, e.g. a Meryn from Sosnowiec, whether Grajer was a hairdresser and a restaurateur from Lublin, a well-known Hoefl's earring, brought to Warsaw in July 1942. They had weapon permits issued by the Gestapo, in the cover of the brown colour and service pistols, as was already stated at the end of 1940, in the liquidation of the first "Zagwi" throw. The elimination of the second throw lasted a full year and although it yielded erstwhile bigger, erstwhile smaller effects, it was not completed.
The liquidation of the 3rd pitch interrupted Hoefle's large liquidation action in the summertime of 1942 (22.07 to 13.09.1942)
For the period of liquidation of the 4th "Zagwi" throw, the time should be taken from September 1942 to April 1943. The “Zagwi” survivors, who were hard-earned with money, were liquidated by OW-KB even during the Warsaw Uprising, specified as Amber-Wiśniewski, manager of Hoffman's shed. It should be added that during this period, about 300 Gestapo agents – Żagvists lived constantly on the premises of the Gestapo building in Szucha 11, from where they went “to work” in Warsaw, or on field trips, where under the name of persecuted Jews they slipped into guerrilla troops for their designation and publishing; they specialized in tracking Jews in the Aryan part of Warsaw. Access to them and their liquidation were very difficult. ...
... Although the actions of ZZW and ŻOB (Jewish Combat Organization) mobilised people morally healthy, they did not break the dementia and intimidation of the general ghetto community. Based on this attitude of the Jews, the “Sail” was unfortunately not completely broken. All types of attacks of ZZW into this organization were peculiarly intense after the January 1943 action and continued until the very uprising in the ghetto. During the uprising, soldiers of ZZW and ŻOB managed to get and destruct respective more traitors, but many of them remained, as evidenced, among others, by bunkers of militants issued to Germany, including Anielewicz, as confirmed by the Jews themselves. The “Work” of surviving sagemakers did not end with the fall of the uprising. They were inactive needed by Germany, this time to aid catch Jews hiding not only in Warsaw, but besides in the full Guberni General. The Żagwists were besides utilized by the Gestapo, as provokers, entering insidiously into the ranks of Polish underground organizations. Among another things, Żagwiskis and another judaic moneymakers and traitors were guilty of most of the deaths of hiding Jews, and thus they were guilty of the deaths of hiding their Poles.
On February 21, 1943, respective judaic Gestapo died,
on Leon Skosowski ("Lolek" was then injured), Pawle Włodowski, Areku Weintrauba, Chaim Mangel and Lidia Radziejowska. On April 28, 1943, Luftig, a Jew, a Gestapo agent who worked as an interpreter in a railway workshop in Prague, was liquidated on Warmińska Street. The celebrated scandal of the Polish Hotel is besides the work of judaic traitors. The chief aggressor Leon Skosowski and Adam Żurawin (live in the United States) instilled in their fellow believers the belief of peculiar propaganda, releasing them to neutral countries. They acted at the orders of the Gestapo Hahn and Brandt, brought in about 2,000 rich Jews to buy abroad passports with immense money. The Germans plundered and murdered them (some sent to camps), fewer released, including dozens of their agents for propaganda activities for Germany. These Jews passed through the luxury camp in Bergen Belsen and Vittel, France, awaiting exchange for goods from the USA, were interned, survivors (and the Polish government on emigration sent them help!).
The number of Jews of Gestapo agents was so large that their activities began to include not only the Aryan territory of Warsaw, but besides the full General Gubernia. They became especially dangerous by perfidiously adopting masks of people persecuted and seeking aid in Poles. These traitors, rapidly started filling out lists of exposed Gestapo agents, compiled by the National Army and another Polish organizations. Sentences on them began to spread throughout General Guberní. It was known about the actions of traitors in all judaic clusters. For example, there were 2 celebrated Gestapo agents, Zeligner and Forster. Forster even managed to assemble a wide branched network of seizures. After the liquidation of the Krakow ghetto (23 March 1943), 2 organized Gestapo groups, recruiting from Jews, appeared in Kraków in the fall of 1943. They specialized in detecting hiding Jews in the alleged Aryan part of the city. The first specified criminal group included Diamand, Julek Appel, Natan Weissman and Stefania Brandstatter-Poklewska, and the second included Forster, Marta Purec-Przeczka, Rosen, Goldberg, Loeffler, Kleinberger, Kerner, Pacanower, Rotkopf, Taubman, Weininger and many others. Most of them ” as yet useless ” eliminated the Gestapo.
Finally, the Germans themselves had had had adequate of them and on 24.05.1942 they organised a night-long slaughter of the “13” leadership. The chiefs of Gancweich and Sternfeld escaped, but their closest associates were killed: Lewin, Mendel, Gurwicz, Gancweich's cousin Simonovich. After that, the case was quiet and the judaic police continued to execute traitorous service. It was very hard to scope specified with the sentence, so they mostly lived to 1943. little crucial traitors were more likely to face punishment. For example, the erstwhile boxing champion of Poland Rotholc, the popular “Szapsio” so tormented people with his police baton, that at the request of the Jews themselves he was punished with severe whipping, which enforced a associate of the Teodor Niewiętnoski branch.
There were about 10,000 traitors from the Warsaw ghetto. Of this, the police had (rotatively) about 2500. peculiar agents of the Gestapo and “Zagwi” were over 1,000 people. There were more than 6,000 people in the judaic Congregational Municipality; of this, at least 2,500 people were considered to be peculiarly treacherous, active in the peculiar exploitation and economical demolition of the nation, in the demolition of displaced persons and in the execution of starvation. These 10,000 were about 2% of the ghetto population in 1940/41; and tens of thousands of people were present in all ghetto on a national scale. They came from wealth, plutucracy, intelligence, police personnel. The smaller the ghetto, the bigger the percent of traitors. There is no way to find their number, since the Jews themselves and the judaic Historical Institute hide them, since Kneset passed in 1950 not to hold them to criminal responsibility.
The past of Żagwi is in the archival resources of the judaic Historical Institute, but has not yet been made public.
"Warsaw Newspaper" February 2012
Documents, sources, quotations:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BBagiew_%28organization%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Gancwaich
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.polish/browse_thread/thread/a05dbc1e48812bff
http://jedwabne.blox.pl/html/1310721,262146,21.html?287050
Tadeusz Bednarczyk. "Daily Life of the Warsaw Ghetto" (D. Ojd. Homeland Warsaw 1995)
