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»Wir sind bereit, eine jegliche Arbeit zu verrichten«

Paul Johans Ludwigs | »Wir sind bereit, eine jegliche Arbeit zu verrichten« | self-evidence | Latvia | March 12, 1942 | voi_00008

Rights held by: Paul Johans Ludwig | Provided by: YIVO Institute for Jewish Research – Archives & Library Collections (New York/USA) | Archived under: RG 215 Berlin Collection OccE3-61

Mister
Most Esteemed Reich Commissar

Transcript to Mister Most Esteemed Regional Commissar of Libau.

We, the undersigned Roma* and house owners from Frauenburg, herewith wholeheartedly request on our own behalf and that of other unpunished Frauenburg Roma* that the esteemed Mister Reich Commissar mercifully help us, caught in a difficult situation, arrange a settlement with respect to our living circumstances.
We were relatively well-situated Roma*, born and settled in Frauenburg. Through inheritances and purchases, we had been able to acquire a few small houses years ago. Our children attended primary school and also the local secondary school. We were never guilty of prowling around, have no criminal convictions and have not earned our living through mongering, as was customary among Roma*, but instead have worked in the factory every day or mostly as carters in the surrounding forests.
Our horses were seized a few weeks ago, the best ones for the army, the others for sale to the farmers; the price for the army was acceptable, for the farmers between RM 4 and RM 30 per horse. This has deprived us of the possibility to earn our daily bread as carters, and because of the low prices we’ve soon become poor. Meanwhile, wagons and other gear have been seized as well, and we have also received a directive from the police that we are not permitted to leave our place of residence. We have no income from the sale of our possessions, but we are also unable to look for suitable work.
We are willing to do any kind of work that we are capable of, and we wholeheartedly ask the esteemed Herr Reich Commissar to give us the opportunity to do so in Frauenburg and the surrounding area. In Frauenburg we are known as Roma* who have never done any wrong, we have our small houses in Frauenburg, our children attend primary and secondary school in Frauenburg.
And if we are not permitted to earn our daily bread as carters, we would like to work as farmhands or day labourers so that our children can continue their schooling and do not perish in misery, since the income from the apartments in our houses is very low.
In honorable veneration.

Frauenburg, 12 March 1942.

sgd Paul Johans Ludwigs
sgd Janis Aleksanders
sgd O. Gindua
sgd Juhle Stefans
sgd Fricis Djuka
sgd Ilze Čuka
sgd M. Čuka
sgd J. Steinfelds
sgd Alberts Gindra
sgd A. Pelds
sgd Otto Gindra

Herrn
Hochwohlgeehrten Reichskommissar

Abschrift dem Herrn Hochwohlgeehrten Gebietskommissar Libau.

Wir weiter unterzeichnete Zigeuner und Hausbesitzer von Frauenburg bitten hiermit im eigenen und im [Namen] anderer frauenburgische[r,] nicht [vor]bestrafte[r] Zigeuner herzlich den hochwohlgeehrten Herrn Reichskommissar, uns in unserer schweren Lage gnädigst mit einer Regelung unserer Lebensumstände zu helfen.
Wir waren verhältnismäßig gut unter[ge]kommene Zigeuner, geboren und sesshaft in Frauenburg. Durch Erbschaft und Kauf hatten wir schon vor Jahren manche kleine Häuser erworben. Unsere Kinder besuchten die Grundschule und auch das hiesige Gymnasium. Wir haben uns eines Herumschleichen[s] nicht verschuldet, sind unbestraft und verdienten unser Brot nicht durch Handel, wie es bei den Zigeunern üblich war, sondern durch tägliche Arbeit in der Fabrik, oder meistens als Fuhrleute in den umliegenden Först[er]eien.
Vor wenigen Wochen wurden uns unsere Pferde beschlagnahmt, die besten für die Armee, andere zum Verkauf an die Landwirte; an die Armee für einen genehmen Prei[s], an die Landwirte zu RM 4 bis RM 30.- pro Pferd. Damit verloren wir die Möglichkeit, unser tägliches Brot als Fuhrleute zu verdienen, und die niedrigen Preise [ließen uns verarmen]. [Inzwischen] sind auch Wagen und anderes Pferdegerät beschlagnahmt worden, und wir haben auch von der Polizei einen Erlass erhalten, dass wir nicht unser[en] Wohnort verlassen dürfen. So haben wir kein Einkommen vom Verkauf unsere[r] Hab[e], aber wir haben auch nicht die Möglichkeit, uns nach einer passenden Arbeit […] umzusehen.
Wir sind bereit, eine jegliche Arbeit [zu verrichten], die in unseren Kräften steht, und wir bitten herzlichst den hochwohlgeehrten Herrn Reichskommissar, uns in Frauenburg und in der Umgebung die Möglichkeit dazu zu geben. Denn in Frauenburg kennt man uns als schuldfreie Zigeuner, in Frauenburg befinden sich unsere kleine[n] Häuser, in Frauenburg besuchen auch unsere Kinder die Grundschule und das Gymnasium.
Und wenn es uns nicht erlaubt ist, als Fuhrleute unser täglich Brot zu verdienen, so möchten wir es gern als Landarbeiter oder Tagelöhner tu[n], damit wir unsere Kinder der Schulung unterziehen können und nicht in Not umkommen müssen, denn das Einkommen von den Wohnungen in unseren Häusern ist sehr gering.
In ehrwürdiger Ergebung.

Frauenburg, den 12. März 1942.

gez. Paul Johans Ludwigs
gez. Janis Aleksanders
gez. O. Gindua
gez. Juhle Stefans
gez. Fricis Djuka
gez. Ilze Čuka
gez. M. Čuka
gez. J. Steinfelds
gez. Alberts Gindra
gez. A. Pelds
gez. Otto Gindra

Raj
Majpaćivalo Rajhesko Komesaro,

Transkripto dži ko Majpaćivalo Raj kotar e Rajhesko Regionalutno Komesaro Libau.

Amen, tele skrinisarde Rroma* thaj kherenge xulaja kotar o Frauenburg, akate birezervako ko amaro korkorutno anav thaj kotar e aver bikaznime Frauenburgeske Rroma* rodas kotar o paćivalo Raj e Rajhesko Komesari, te ažutil amen paćivales ki amari phari trajoski situacija.
Amen samas lačhe trajoske thaj bešipaske Rroma*, bijande thaj bešutne ko Frauenburg. Kotar o palikeripe amare phurengo barvalipe thaj o kinibe šaj sas nekobor cikne khera te ovol amen. Amare čhave džanas ki fundavni škola thaj vi ki lokalutni Gimnazija. Nikana na samas došale vaš o phiripe pe droma, naj sam kriminalutnes krisome, thaj na ikalasa amaro maro kotar o kinipe thaj bikinibe sar so si sakana maškar e Rroma*, numa amen kerdamas buti ki fabrika sako dives vaj kerdamas buti pe kaš ko trujalne veša.
Angleder nekobor kurke amare grasta sas amendar linde, majlačhe grasta vaš e armija a avera sas bikinimaske e farmerenge; o pokinipe kotar e armija sas čhinavdo, vaš e farmerija maškar e 4 RM thaj 30 RM po grast. Akava phagel amaro šajipe amaro maro te las buti kerindos e grastenca thaj soske o pokinipe but cikno si, but sigo ačhilam čorore. Maškar i vrama e vordona thaj e avera grastune šeja sas amendar lende, thaj kotar e policija jekh erlasi lijam kaj našti te mukas amaro bešipasko than. Naj amen love kotar o bikinibe kodo so si amen, numa vi našti te rodas adekvatno buti.

Amen si volja te keras savi go te si buti, vaš savi isi amen džanibe thaj birezervako rodas kotar o paćivalo Raj Rajhesko Komesari te del amenge šajipe te keras kodo ko Frauenburg thaj oleske trujalne thana. Ko Frauenburg amen sam pindžarde sar Rroma* so nikana na kerde vareso bilačhes ko Frauenburg, si amen cikne khera, thaj ko Frauenburg amare čhave džanas ki fundavni škola thaj Gimnazija.
Thaj te naj amenge šajipe te ikalas amaro maro kerindos buti e grastikane vordonenca, amen mangas te keras buti sar bustanarja, vaj palem sar diveseske bućarne te šaj amare čhave te džan dureder peske sikljovibasa ki škola thaj te na crden ko čorolipe, soske e kirija ke amare apartamenora ko amare khera si but cikne.

Deibe pakiv thaj respekto

Frauenburg, 12-to Marto 1942 bersh
skrinisardo. Paul Johans Ludwigs
skrinisardo. Janis Aleksanders
skrinisardo. O. Gindua
skrinisardo. Juhle Stefans
skrinisardo. Fricis Djuka
skrinisardo. Ilze Čuka
skrinisardo. M. Čuka
skrinisardo. J. Steinfelds
skrinisardo. Alberts Gindra
skrinisardo. A. Pelds
skrinisardo. Otto Gindra

Credits

Rights held by: Paul Johans Ludwig | Provided by: YIVO Institute for Jewish Research – Archives & Library Collections (New York/USA) | Archived under: RG 215 Berlin Collection OccE3-61

Playlist

Lesung des Selbstzeugnisses von Paul Johans Ludwigs
2.47 min
voi_00068
Lesung des Selbstzeugnisses von Paul Johans Ludwigs | Spoken word | Germany | 2018 | voi_00068
EN

Contextualisation

Destroyed livelihoods, desperate initiatives
In December 1941, the German security police shot all Roma living in the city of Libau (Latvian: Liepāja). The Roma in the nearby town of Frauenburg (Saldus) initially escaped that fate but were subjected to discriminating measures imposed by the German occupiers that threatened their livelihoods. The above petition reflects the original living conditions of the town’s residents, who earned their livings as carters, owned their own houses and were able to send their children to secondary schools. By explicitly distinguishing themselves from ‘Gypsies’, earning a livelihood by mongering and repeatedly emphasising that they had never done anything wrong, the petitioners tried to refute the antiziganist prejudices of the German authorities. The willingness to do ‘any kind of work’ underlines their desperate situation.

Transcripts of the petition wandered through the offices of the German civilian administration because the Political Department of the Reich Commissariat Ostland, responsible for processing the petition, did not know how the ‘Gypsy question’ was to be dealt with. The Higher SS and Police Chief for Ostland answered that the police should resolve this issue ‘in its own responsibility’, whereby he referred to a personal agreement between himself and the Reich Commissar, which however could not be communicated in writing. Upon request, Reich Commissar Lohse forwarded a transcript of his directive from 4/24 December 1941 through which ‘the Gypsies straying around the country […] are to be treated the same way as Jews’. Although the Roma from Frauenburg did not meet the criteria set out in the directive, correspondence between the authorities ceased at this point. It is not known what happened to them and their families. It is to be assumed, however, that they were shot in mid-1942.

Martin Holler (2017)

Playlist

Lesung des Selbstzeugnisses von Paul Johans Ludwigs
2.47 min
voi_00068
Lesung des Selbstzeugnisses von Paul Johans Ludwigs | Spoken word | Germany | 2018 | voi_00068
EN

Details

übersetzer Titel
‘We are willing to do any kind of work’
übersetzer Titel
»Amen mangas te keras savi go te si buti «
Country
Production
March 12, 1942
Credits
Production Credits
Object Category
Material
Technique
Object Number
voi_00008

Archive Section

Associated Terms & People

people Hinrich Lohse, subjects Sicherheitspolizei, discrimination, petition, massacre, period 1933 - 1945