Jews from wide areas were rounded up and forced to live in unbearable conditions in cramped ghettos.

by Rabbi Eliahu Ellis & Rabbi Shmuel Silinsky

THE GHETTOS

The most famous was the Warsaw Ghetto. Warsaw was a city in which the 335,000 Jews represented about one third of the population.

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Warsaw Ghetto

Warsaw Ghetto, 1940
photo courtesy of Yad Vashem

 

More Jews were herded into Warsaw, so the Jewish population rose to about 450,000. These Jews were thrown into the slum area of town, 2.3% of the city area, and walled off.

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Starvation Casualties

Starvation in Warsaw Ghetto
photo courtesy of Yad Vashem

 

Read a personal account.

There was no sanitation. Pestilence would sweep through.

Life in the ghetto was intolerable.

Child In Ghetto

Child On A Ghetto Street
photo courtesy of Yad Vashem

If a person was not fit for work, then he did not get food tickets. That meant death by starvation.

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Makeshift Ambulance

Being Taking To The Hospital
photo courtesy of Yad Vashem

 

Over 75,000 people died of disease and starvation.

The Jews of the ghetto had no idea what the Germans had in mind. At first, they thought the Nazis were trying to starve them to death or kill them off with plagues.

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Deportation

Standing In Line For Deportation
photo courtesy of Yad Vashem

 

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Hungry Child

Hungry Child In Ghetto
photo courtesy of Yad Vashem

 

The ghettos were run by Jewish councils, (Judenrat) who were responsible for carrying out Nazi orders.

Read a personal account.

The transports bound for Auschwitz and other concentration camps would come, and the Nazis would ask for 1,000 Jews. The Council's rationalization was, "If we did not send off the one thousand, they would ask for two thousand." In fact, not only the one thousand went, but the two thousand went, too. And not only the two thousand, but the council members went and their entire families went also.In the end, everyone from the ghettos was swept away.

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Lodz Ghetto

Moving Into The Lodz Ghetto
photo courtesy of Yad Vashem

Read a personal account.

It must be noted that in spite of the unbelievable ghetto conditions, Jewish life – to the extent that it could – went on. The Torah studies, circumcision, Shabbos and holiday observance – all still went on, in spite of the fact that getting caught could mean death.

 

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Deporting Children

Deporting Children From The Lodz Ghetto
photo courtesy of Yad Vashem

 

Published: Wednesday, December 31, 1969

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Visitor Comments: 49

  • (49) Leslieadrienne , November 18, 2009

    It never stops hurting....

    No matter how many times you see it, it is never easy

  • (48) nrthshore , November 5, 2009

    wow

    i was doing a paper on ghettos and got this this is crazy never thought some stuff like thiss went on

  • (47) Nathan , May 23, 2009

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  • (46) 7th grader , May 21, 2009

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  • (45) Calli , May 3, 2009

    this website is so great! i have to a journal of the life of a jewish child and this website is great! the project is due tomorrow!

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