In August 1942, the SS demanded 20 kg of gold from the Judenrat, promising that this “payment” would save the Jews of Wolbrom from deportation. However, despite the promises and the fact that the amount was paid in full, a large aktion took place in Wolbrom on 5 September 1942, on the eve of the Sabbath, an hour before the first slichot (penitential prayers) were due to be said. Most of the Jews were deported to the Belzec death camp where they were murdered in the gas chambers. Those who were deemed “fit for work” were sent to Plaszow or other forced labor camps.
After the September aktion, only a few hundred Jews remained in Wolbrom, most of them family members of the Judenrat and the Jewish police. They were put to work sorting the valuables and property left behind, living together close to the Study Hall surrounding the hospital. At the beginning of November, the second, and final, aktion took place. The few Jews left in Wolbrom were taken to a nearby forest and executed by gunfire. |
