Kirshenblatt,
Mayer (1916-2009) "There were two chimney sweeps in our town. This was not a Jewish occupation. The chimney sweep would walk around town with a ladder and rope on his shoulders. He would attach a rope to one of several brushes, which came in various sizes for large and small chimneys. He would then attach a heavy metal ball, similar in size, to the rope below the brush. The ball provided the weight that pulled the brush down the chimney. He would haul the brush back up with the rope. Most roofs on the bigger buildings were made of galvanized sheet metal. I saw the chimney sweeps walk on the ridge (szczyt) of the roofs, from one chimney to the other. There were not that many chimneys to be swept, but apparently the chimney sweeps could make a living. Buildings that required their services were the ones owned by Harshl kishke and by Mandelbaum, as well as a few others. They also swept chimneys in neighboring towns. I heard that, during the war, there was one Jew who pretended to be a chimney sweep. He covered his face with soot so that no one would recognize him. Because chimney sweeping was not a Jewish profession, people assumed he was a Pole, and he survived." |