Statement B5

E. Kohn

O. Weiss:

Topolčany

Dr. B/SS

4. 10. 1945

Report

Mr. Ernest Kohn, residing in Žabokreky n. Nitrou no. 85 and Mr. Ondrej Weiss, residing in Krásno 43, post office Bošany reg. Topolčany stopped by and made the following statement:

Mr. Ernst Kohn states the following: riots occurred in Topolčany on Monday, September 24th, 1945, and the following was the cause:

A Jewish doctor, Dr. Karol Berger, was summoned to the children’s dormitory in order to vaccinate the children against typhus. While he was vaccinating them, three mothers of the vaccinated children said that the Jewish doctor was bothering their children. At that moment, a fourth woman, hearing the word bother, ran out of the room and down the street, screaming that Jews were bothering Christian children. Right then and there, the inhabitants of Topolčany tore into the room and stabbed Dr. Berger with a knife. They also broke in, in an organized way, into the apartments of all the town’s Jews and into the stores where Jews were employed because none of their stores were returned to them, dragged the Jewish inhabitants out, and beat them with metal rods, knife butts, and other objects. Soldiers and policemen joined the crowd of people and participated in the anti-Jewish riots. They screamed that Jews were bothering children and a rumour was spread that 30 children had died. In one case, a Jewish citizen was wounded by a hand grenade that was thrown under his knees. According to my information, 49 people in total were injured, who were then taken to the rooms of the National Security Forces. In certain cases, the riots were accompanied by the looting of apartments. The soldiers and policemen called to the scene didn’t fulfil their duties, didn’t protect people in danger, but, in fact, had beat the Jews on the way to the National Security Forces room, instead of providing them with help and protection. This pogrom lasted from about 9 o’clock to 2:30 in the afternoon and hundreds of inhabitants had taken part in it. It must be noted that the police didn’t intervene against the rioters, nor was a single warning shot fired. The riots finally ended because they couldn’t find any Jews either in the apartments or on the street, because many had hidden, and others were safe with the National Security Forces.

The riots didn’t limit themselves to Velké Topolčany, but spread to several neighboring villages around Topolčany, such as Žabokreky n. Nitrou, Chynorany, Krásno n. Nitrou, and Nedanovce. This was because people had run to some of the villages around Topolčany and spread the same accusations as in Topolčany. A large crowd gathered in Žabokreky, which also broke into Jewish apartments, in which they found citizens Schlesinger and Polák, who had fought in the Slovak Uprising as partisans, and who they beat with carbines until they drew blood. Soldiers Antonín Švercl, Jan Volek, and Podolák participated in these riots. Citizen Maximilián Feldman’s apartment was looted by the rioters, who stole valuables that Jews had managed to save during the fascist regime. The police didn’t intervene in Žabokreky either.

The next day, the chief of the police station Valach and another policeman Kriško went to see the sick; the day before, they had caused a riot by spreading lies about murdered children and Jews hiding in the local Fund administration. Officer Kriško, who Mrs. Schlesingerová had asked for help, answered that Jews don’t work, they have nice clothes, that he won’t help them, and he threw Mrs. Schlesingerová out of the station.

Another case occurred in Chynorany, where about 300 rioters, incensed by the same lies, chased Mr. Ondrej Weiss, who sought shelter in the apartment of the station chief in Chynorany. Rioters searched the building for several hours and threatened to kill Weiss when they found him.

In the meantime, rioters looted the apartment of Mr. Weiss in Krásno and the briefcase in which he had saved valuable documents and the remaining family jewels.

In Nedanovice, rioters searched for Mr. Wohlstein, who wasn’t home, and then guarded his house with the intent to kill him as soon as he got home.

According to us, the evidence indicates that all of these events were organized by Aryan supremacists, who want to prevent the return of property. We also note that some members of the National Committees in Žabokreky, Krásno, Nedalovec, and Topolčany, are former members of the Hlinka Guard, or rather the People's Party, who are furthering a fascist agenda. They create propaganda to promote the idea that Jewish farms should be divided up just like the farms of Germans and collaborators, although they themselves are the biggest collaborators. Jews who have returned from concentration camps or returned as partisans didn’t get their stores or businesses back. Most are in the hands of Aryan supremacists.

Ernest Kohn signed in his own hand.

Ondrej Weiss signed in his own hand.