Go back to The Eichmann Trial: Participants, Then & Now
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Teigman, Kalman
Witness to conditions in the Treblinka concentration camp, Poland
1961 Quote: 6/6/61: TEIGMAN: But most of the people had been advised that the revolt was to begin at four. However, as I ascertained-we were told this afterwards-Rudek fired at the SS man who was beating these two young men, and subsequently a grenade was thrown.
ATTORNEY GENERAL GIDEON HAUSNER: Was that how it began?
TEIGMAN: This was the signal for the revolt to commence. And after that, the explosions began. There was a young man who used to disinfect the hits of the Germans and the Ukrainians. He had a receptacle on his back, with a hosepipe, with which he sprayed [disinfectant]. On that day, this young man was to mix the chemicals with fuel, petrol, and in fact he did so. In addition to that, there was a large tank of petrol near the garage. I think it must have contained several thousand liters of petrol. This tank was also set on fire. It exploded and spread flames along the fence which was covered with dried foliage, and it began burning. I was at the workshop refurbishing aluminum utensils. I knew that I was to receive arms at the garage. I ran, in fact, towards the garage, but I could not reach it, for the fire from the tank prevented me from getting near. Then I turned around and ran in the direction of the Lazarette towards the second gate.
HAUSNER: And you escaped from there?
TEIGMAN: And I escaped from there.
1996 Quote: I followed the Eichmann trial all the time, and even visited the courtroom a few times to listen to the other witnesses. The testimonies, of course, were all very similar, since we all had gone through the same things, some more, some less. After my testimony, like most witnesses, I was a little relieved. On the other hand, I thought about it for a long time and could not free myself. It was all very difficult and it haunted me for a long time.
