This statement was hardly observed. The British military authority in Lübeck
reported in one of its regular bulletins:
generally, the Germans consider British conduct towards the Jews as being too kind-hearted.
The lack of food in the shops is blamed on the Jews, as they receive part of this food.
An undertone of resentment was often to be read in the Lübeck Nachrichten newspaper (LN), as on
1st October 1947:
The rubbish container full of discarded food demonstrates that no one is going hungry in either
camp.
Practically the only contact citizens of L³beck had with the Jews was through the black market.
Aljons Filcek, a refugee from eastern Europe, and one of the German personnel in the Am Stau camp,
refers to this black market in
his memories of the Exodus Jews, written in December 1947:
Competition developed between the three business-minded youths [who were employed in the camp]
and the old coffee-addicts from Lübeck. The latter came with apples, onions, pillows and old
fashioned kettles to barter for coffee. The Jews had much food from aid deliveries, but no real
coffee. However, they bartered with American canned meat, cocoa powder and cigarettes.
Outsiders were not permitted to enter the camps. Negotiations took place at the outer barbed-wire fence. Understandings and exchange of goods were not easy as the feence was four metres wide. After each party had shown his goods, and made a bargain, the goods were tossed over the fence.
This trade with the outside world quickly took on a commercial character: salted, smoked and pickled herrings were brought on handcarts from the suburb of Schlutup to entice coveted, scarce, American commodities. [...] After the Jews were permitted to leave the camp this barter significantly decreased, without it declining altogether.
Often, dancers returning home in the evening from one of the localities situated near the
Am Stau camp would merrily sing.
Aljons Filcek again comments:
From time to time there were incorrigible youths among them, who could not refrain from
giving their best of rabble-rousing songs of the Nazi period.
Aljons Filcek again makes this observation:
The curiosity of the tram passengers, during the time I was on duty during the day, was most
disagreeable. The camp lay close to the Lübeck-Travemünde road and the Lübeck-Kücknitz tramline.
When the, mostly overcrowded, tramcars rattled past the camp all faces turned in the direction
of the camp. [...] This unwelcome curiosity was heightened by inappropriate jokes from the
conductor. As a passenger, I repeatedly heard the conductor smilingly announce, "Palestine", when
we came to our tram stop.