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The Warsaw Diary of Adam Czerniakow: Prelude to Doom
Adam Czerniakow was a Polish Jew who killed himself on July 23, 1942 on the face of it not an uncommon occurrence in those times. But there is more to the story than the tragic death of one man among so many millions. Czerniakow was for almost three years the chairman of the Warsaw Judenrat - a Jew, devoted to his people, who served as the Nazi-sponsored mayor of the Warsaw Ghetto. His personal dealings with the German authorities bring to this daily record of events a depth of knowledge, accuracy of detail, and panorama of view that was possible to no other participant in the epic prelude to the final doom of the largest captive Jewish community in Eastern Europe.
This secret journal is not only the testimony of an unbearable personal burden but the documentary of the Ghetto s terminal agony. It is the most important diary to emerge from the Holocaust.
"A tale of Kafkaesque horror." - Houston Chronicle.
This secret journal is not only the testimony of an unbearable personal burden but the documentary of the Ghetto s terminal agony. It is the most important diary to emerge from the Holocaust.
"A tale of Kafkaesque horror." - Houston Chronicle.
444 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 24, 2022
When I am awake I read Don Quixote. How much we need you, errant knight, today! My head is bursting from all the complaints. In Annopol all the unemployed and homeless Jews were thrown out of the public shelters. I now have to cope with four small towns, the hospitals, orphanages, Annopol, and on top of it all, the mentally ill. My head is spinning.
—Nov. 15, 1939
A lady singer occupies an apartment just below us. She was in love with a fellow actor. During an air raid a bomb tore out his guts. With her own hands she pushed them back. Then she drove him to the hospital where he died. He was buried in a common grave. She dug him up and reburied him in a private plot.
—Jan. 10, 1940
At 10 a meeting of the Municipal Relief Committee. The Gestapo expressed sympathy with my fate.
—Mar. 16, 1940
Not long ago I had a visit from a lawyer, B. He listened patiently to my negative opinion of those Jews who run away, or are about to emigrate, about the Jewish activists, like Koerner, who moreover promised hypocritically that they will send us assistance from abroad (money). He kept on nodding his head in genial approval and in the end declared that he himself wanted to emigrate, mainly to render us assistance.
—May 11, 1940
I am reading Proust's Within a Budding Grove. He says: "According to the Japanese, victory belongs to an antagonist who knows who to suffer one quarter of an hour longer."
—May 28, 1940
I read about the Brezsc Affair last night [the illegal detention and brutal treatment of the opposition by the prewar Pilsudski regime]. We too are capable of such things.
—June 1, 1940
An inspection of the Brijus TB sanitaruium and later of Zofiowka. I notice in Zofiowka the woman troublemaker who cost us 100,000 zlotys; adult lunatics and children. One child in a straitjacket to prevent self-injury, the face covered with flies. Another one is scratching wounds on his head. A female singer in bed executes some operatic arias; she used to perform in Italy. Other women by the piano were playing and singing; I joined them. Sombody built himself a tombstone in a cemetery with his name carved on it. It is to this address that he would direct his creditors.
—July 20, 1940
All things considered, one may carry the cross, but not drag it.
—July 21, 1940
A child Z. was given a little desk to cheer him up. He liked it and was quite elated but before the day was over his toy was taken from him.
—Aug. 30, 1940
In the morning at the Community Authority. The number of suicides among the Jews has been greatly increasing during the last months. Not so long ago Frieder and his wife took poison.
—Oct. 10, 1940
Nossig told me about a Jewish mother who abandoned two children on the street, disclaiming to the crowd that they were hers, although they kept on crying, "Mommy!"
—May 2, 1941
The child's mother testified in the presence of the commander of the sanitary column that she had abadoned the corpse because the Community Authority refuses to bury anyone without payment, and that the child had died and she will soon die precisely because she had no food. It was ascertained that the child had indeed died of hunger and the mother's extremities are swollen from starvation.
—July 25, 1941
In the courtyard the same view every evening. Dozens of tenants come down for a walk along Stawki Street. There are no gardens. Babies are pushed in their carriages to a 'little garden' on the site of the former Hospital of the Holy Sprit. They sit out there among the ruins of the bombed-out hospital.
—July 29, 1941
In the evening my wife was visited by Mrs. Werfel and later by Anka Lew. They both managed to upset my wife in no time, speculating about the fate of our children. Having realized what chagrin she was causing my wife, she began to console her. She stated that she herself was in the same predicament (in fact, her situation was somewhat better than ours). Early in the morning I was informed that at 3 a.m. she had jumped out of a fourth floor window.
—Sept. 15, 1941
A little child said today: "I do not yet wear the armband, but when I grow up I will wear one." A fine portent.
—Oct. 11, 1941
Watching some people I come to the conclusion that life is too short to enable them to reveal the whole gamut of their stupidity and malice.
—Feb. 6, 1942
Many people hold a grudge against me for organizing play activity for the children, for arranging festive openings of playgrounds, for the music, etc. I am reminded of a film; the ship is sinking and the captain, to raise the spirits of the passengers, orders the orchestra to play a jazz piece. I had made up my mind to emulate the captain.
—July 8, 1942
Eight hundred deportees were brought here during the night. Small children, babies, women. The sight would break my heart, had it not been hardened by three years of misery.
—July 9, 1942
Incredible panic in the city. Kohn, Heller, and Ehrlich are spreading terrifying rumors, creating the impression that it is all false propaganada. I wish it were so. On the other hand, there is talk about 40 railroad cars ready and waiting. It transpired that 20 of them have been prepared on SS orders for 720 workers leaving tomorrow for a camp.
—July 19, 1942
We were told that all Jews irrespective of sex and age will be deported to the East. By 4 p.m. a contingent of 6,000 people must be provided. And this will be the daily quota. . . . The most tragic dilemma is the problem of children in orphanages etc. I raised this issue -- perhaps something can be done. . . . Sturmbannfuehrer Holfe asked me into his office and informed me that for the time being my wife was free, but if the deportation were impeded in any way, she would be the first one to be shot as a hostage.
—July 22, 1942
I can no longer bear all this. My act will prove to everyone what is the right thing to do.
—July 23, 1942
They demand me to kill children of my nation with my own hands. I have nothing to do but die.
—July 23, 1942, suicide note to his wife
—Nov. 15, 1939
A lady singer occupies an apartment just below us. She was in love with a fellow actor. During an air raid a bomb tore out his guts. With her own hands she pushed them back. Then she drove him to the hospital where he died. He was buried in a common grave. She dug him up and reburied him in a private plot.
—Jan. 10, 1940
At 10 a meeting of the Municipal Relief Committee. The Gestapo expressed sympathy with my fate.
—Mar. 16, 1940
Not long ago I had a visit from a lawyer, B. He listened patiently to my negative opinion of those Jews who run away, or are about to emigrate, about the Jewish activists, like Koerner, who moreover promised hypocritically that they will send us assistance from abroad (money). He kept on nodding his head in genial approval and in the end declared that he himself wanted to emigrate, mainly to render us assistance.
—May 11, 1940
I am reading Proust's Within a Budding Grove. He says: "According to the Japanese, victory belongs to an antagonist who knows who to suffer one quarter of an hour longer."
—May 28, 1940
I read about the Brezsc Affair last night [the illegal detention and brutal treatment of the opposition by the prewar Pilsudski regime]. We too are capable of such things.
—June 1, 1940
An inspection of the Brijus TB sanitaruium and later of Zofiowka. I notice in Zofiowka the woman troublemaker who cost us 100,000 zlotys; adult lunatics and children. One child in a straitjacket to prevent self-injury, the face covered with flies. Another one is scratching wounds on his head. A female singer in bed executes some operatic arias; she used to perform in Italy. Other women by the piano were playing and singing; I joined them. Sombody built himself a tombstone in a cemetery with his name carved on it. It is to this address that he would direct his creditors.
—July 20, 1940
All things considered, one may carry the cross, but not drag it.
—July 21, 1940
A child Z. was given a little desk to cheer him up. He liked it and was quite elated but before the day was over his toy was taken from him.
—Aug. 30, 1940
In the morning at the Community Authority. The number of suicides among the Jews has been greatly increasing during the last months. Not so long ago Frieder and his wife took poison.
—Oct. 10, 1940
Nossig told me about a Jewish mother who abandoned two children on the street, disclaiming to the crowd that they were hers, although they kept on crying, "Mommy!"
—May 2, 1941
The child's mother testified in the presence of the commander of the sanitary column that she had abadoned the corpse because the Community Authority refuses to bury anyone without payment, and that the child had died and she will soon die precisely because she had no food. It was ascertained that the child had indeed died of hunger and the mother's extremities are swollen from starvation.
—July 25, 1941
In the courtyard the same view every evening. Dozens of tenants come down for a walk along Stawki Street. There are no gardens. Babies are pushed in their carriages to a 'little garden' on the site of the former Hospital of the Holy Sprit. They sit out there among the ruins of the bombed-out hospital.
—July 29, 1941
In the evening my wife was visited by Mrs. Werfel and later by Anka Lew. They both managed to upset my wife in no time, speculating about the fate of our children. Having realized what chagrin she was causing my wife, she began to console her. She stated that she herself was in the same predicament (in fact, her situation was somewhat better than ours). Early in the morning I was informed that at 3 a.m. she had jumped out of a fourth floor window.
—Sept. 15, 1941
A little child said today: "I do not yet wear the armband, but when I grow up I will wear one." A fine portent.
—Oct. 11, 1941
Watching some people I come to the conclusion that life is too short to enable them to reveal the whole gamut of their stupidity and malice.
—Feb. 6, 1942
Many people hold a grudge against me for organizing play activity for the children, for arranging festive openings of playgrounds, for the music, etc. I am reminded of a film; the ship is sinking and the captain, to raise the spirits of the passengers, orders the orchestra to play a jazz piece. I had made up my mind to emulate the captain.
—July 8, 1942
Eight hundred deportees were brought here during the night. Small children, babies, women. The sight would break my heart, had it not been hardened by three years of misery.
—July 9, 1942
Incredible panic in the city. Kohn, Heller, and Ehrlich are spreading terrifying rumors, creating the impression that it is all false propaganada. I wish it were so. On the other hand, there is talk about 40 railroad cars ready and waiting. It transpired that 20 of them have been prepared on SS orders for 720 workers leaving tomorrow for a camp.
—July 19, 1942
We were told that all Jews irrespective of sex and age will be deported to the East. By 4 p.m. a contingent of 6,000 people must be provided. And this will be the daily quota. . . . The most tragic dilemma is the problem of children in orphanages etc. I raised this issue -- perhaps something can be done. . . . Sturmbannfuehrer Holfe asked me into his office and informed me that for the time being my wife was free, but if the deportation were impeded in any way, she would be the first one to be shot as a hostage.
—July 22, 1942
I can no longer bear all this. My act will prove to everyone what is the right thing to do.
—July 23, 1942
They demand me to kill children of my nation with my own hands. I have nothing to do but die.
—July 23, 1942, suicide note to his wife
August 19, 2012
The diary of Adam Czerniakow, who was chairman of the Jews in Warsaw, Poland between 1939 and 1942. A fundamentally decent if unextraordinary man, he committed suicide to avoid having to deport the people of the Warsaw Ghetto to their deaths. Czerniakow's diary is quite laconic -- many entries are just a few sentences long -- but provides many details of his efforts on the behalf of the Warsaw Jews.
Obscure references are demystified in the footnotes. There are also some black and white photographs of ghetto scenes, an appendix of ghetto-related documents and letters, and two introductions totaling seventy pages which provide more information on the life and death of Czerniakow and the story of the Warsaw Ghetto.
This is hardly a gripping read, but it is essential if you want to know the story of the Warsaw Jews. Czerniakow worked as best he could for them, but he and they were lost from the start.
Obscure references are demystified in the footnotes. There are also some black and white photographs of ghetto scenes, an appendix of ghetto-related documents and letters, and two introductions totaling seventy pages which provide more information on the life and death of Czerniakow and the story of the Warsaw Ghetto.
This is hardly a gripping read, but it is essential if you want to know the story of the Warsaw Jews. Czerniakow worked as best he could for them, but he and they were lost from the start.
September 3, 2022
Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to make of this at first. I first got interested in it mostly because I'd seen it referenced in a number of other books I was reading about the Holocaust, but once I actually got the book I had my doubts that I'd be able to read it or get anything out of it. I knew that the book was simply a translation of Adam Czerniakow's diary and was not shaped like a narrative in any particular way, but something about actually having it in front of me made me doubt that it was something I could actually read. Delving into it, though, I was absolutely shocked at just how incredible an experience this book really was. The text of the diary is truly just transcribed here, with minimal explanatory comments and absolutely no commentary on the text or its meaning at all. This makes for some tedious reading at times, as entries are filled with names, the names of buildings or streets, and myriad other references that are essentially incomprehensible to the modern, American reader; in addition, much of the journal's entries are taken up with the minute and particular points of data and numbers as Czerniakow navigates the varied tensions that faced the Warsaw Jews. But amidst this calculated mass of details are moments of absolute humanity that are astounding to behold. It's in the way Czerniakow expresses his concerns and feelings for children and orphans and in the wit he somehow maintains against the direst of circumstances. These little comments and side narratives add up, so that by the end as the deportation of Warsaw's Jews ramps up and the writing is on the wall, the entries take on a more harried and emotional significance for the reader even knowing--as the introduction tells us--that there is nothing even approaching a satisfying ending here, that the journal simply breaks off in the wake of Czerniakow's suicide. There is a lot of mundane activities and problems reported in these pages. But the experience of reading this book is somehow life-giving despite the depressing reality of both its production and its end. It's an important artifact, not just for historians or scholars, but for people to see the utter importance of the mundane--and to really emphasize the way that everyday heroes like Czerniakow see their way to protecting the mundane, working through the drudgery of policy and meetings and everything else to protect others in unimaginable and overlooked ways. The story contained in this diary is in many ways a boring one; but it is also an incredible, beautiful, thought-provoking, and challenging one. I'm glad that I read this and got to meet Adam Czerniakow, if only in this limited form. Truly, I can say that I admire him a lot.
January 20, 2020
Book review of the Warsaw Ghetto Diary of Adam Czerniakow.
This book details the experiences of Adam Czerniakow during the period that he led the Jewish Council in the Warsaw Ghetto.
Czerniakow documents the daily grind of administrating hundreds of thousands of people without governmental resources and in the face of constant threat of destruction. He writes of events in a seemingly passionless and wearisome monotone almost hiding the truth of his misery; he takes his own life when "deportations to the east" (Treblinka) began. Instead of signing the order for children to report to the Umschlagplatz (train station) he chose a controversial end for himself as the fates of those remaining were now sealed.
Others certainly wrote more eloquently of their experiences, but A.C. delineates for the reader, as only he could, a first person account of interactions with the Nazi war machine leadership as they implemented a collective death sentence on an innocent and powerless civilian population. This (almost) daily record of the worst crime ever perpetrated on any single community in the history of mankind is a most valued resource for those seeking to understand the events of what happened in Warsaw from Oct 1940 to July 1942.
Written by Edward Janes
This book details the experiences of Adam Czerniakow during the period that he led the Jewish Council in the Warsaw Ghetto.
Czerniakow documents the daily grind of administrating hundreds of thousands of people without governmental resources and in the face of constant threat of destruction. He writes of events in a seemingly passionless and wearisome monotone almost hiding the truth of his misery; he takes his own life when "deportations to the east" (Treblinka) began. Instead of signing the order for children to report to the Umschlagplatz (train station) he chose a controversial end for himself as the fates of those remaining were now sealed.
Others certainly wrote more eloquently of their experiences, but A.C. delineates for the reader, as only he could, a first person account of interactions with the Nazi war machine leadership as they implemented a collective death sentence on an innocent and powerless civilian population. This (almost) daily record of the worst crime ever perpetrated on any single community in the history of mankind is a most valued resource for those seeking to understand the events of what happened in Warsaw from Oct 1940 to July 1942.
Written by Edward Janes
November 9, 2022
Zawsze mi trudno ocenić taką książkę... autor nie pisał jej z myślą, że będzie czytana w takiej formie (być może na podstawie tych notatek, bo to właściwie jego notatki, napisałby książkę, gdyby przeżył). Zapiski są więc raczej krótkie, zwięzłe, "suche"... chociaż już właściwie w nich widać ile miał obowiązków, spraw do załatwienia itp. To są bardzo rzeczowe zapiski, brak tu może uczuć, jakichś rozwlekłych przemyśleń... dla kogoś nie zainteresowanego tematyką może być to książka nawet nudna. Ale absolutnie nie mógłbym jej tak ocenić, bo to jest książka, których nie ma wiele! Dodatkowo materiały na końcu - między innymi mnóstwo zdjęć z których wielu jeszcze nie widziałem, zrobiły na mnie wrażenie, dlatego oceniam wysoko.
(czytana/słuchana: 28.10-7.11.2022)
5-/5 (9/10)
(czytana/słuchana: 28.10-7.11.2022)
5-/5 (9/10)
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July 8, 2025czerniaków był postacią kontrowersyjną, ale myślę, że po upływie lat można ocenić go raczej pozytywnie, biorąc pod uwagę okoliczności, w jakich się znalazł. okoliczności wręcz tragiczne.
swoje zapiski prowadził w sposób dość suchy, konkretny, może sam chciał z nich kiedyś stworzyć książkę? niestety, nie dożył. jednak nadal mamy do czynienia z lekturą trudną, przeznaczoną głównie dla osób zainteresowanych tematyką.
swoje zapiski prowadził w sposób dość suchy, konkretny, może sam chciał z nich kiedyś stworzyć książkę? niestety, nie dożył. jednak nadal mamy do czynienia z lekturą trudną, przeznaczoną głównie dla osób zainteresowanych tematyką.
October 19, 2007
Extremely abbreviated daily descriptions of Warsaw immediately following the German invasion; followed by the excruciatingly incremental, falsely legal destruction of the Jewish population. Written by the Community leader.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews