Photograph

Photograph of Franciszek Magiera in front of his house in Oględów, from the period when Herszla from Staszów was to be staying there periodically. On the reverse, a handwritten signature of the donor of the photograph: Our cottage from the time of occupation, 1941.

One of Krzysztof Magiera's recollections from the period of the German occupation and Herszla’s stay at the Magieras' house (an edited version of the interview, ed. by Przemysław Kaniecki, published under the title “Kaganek” in the magazine Midrasz, 2016, no. 6, p. 68):

At my uncle's house, who also lived in Oględów, only in the middle of the village, there were storks on the barn. We were supposed to go see them with Heśla, but his father called him to do some housework, so I went to see the storks by myself. A young boy, a Jew, also from the village, was walking there. A carriage passed by, driven by a Polish German, Andrzej Rezler from Sielec, a neighbouring village. When the boy started to run away… He ran into the yard where my uncle and I were standing. And the German jumped off the carriage, pulled out a pistol and shot at the boy. He was maybe two metres away from the raspberry bushes, but he was hit in the back and fell down in front of the raspberries. The uncle started to scold Rezler: What have you done, Jędrek, you killed a child! They knew each other because they went to school together. And Rezler replied: Quiet, Władek, he said, if you keep talking, it'll happen to you too. Now take a cart and take him to Staszów.

So me and my uncle ran towards the boy. He was lying by those raspberries. I remember his eyes were open and his mouth was foaming with blood, because the bullet probably hit his lungs and spine. And my uncle had to take him to Staszów. I can still see that boy, you know, I can still see that boy lying dead.

I came home from my uncle's and said: Hide, Herszek, under the bed, because there's a German here, I think he killed a friend of yours, killed him at my uncle's! And it's good that you didn't come, good that you didn't go with me, because who knows what would have happened.

Although that Rezler had already left, out of fear I was saying: Bloody hell, hide, because he might come back.