Jews Forced Into Ghettos
Between the years 1939 (the outbreak of WWII) and 1943 the Germans forcibly concentrated hundreds of thousands of Jews in 400 separate ghettos which were set up in Eastern Europe. The ghettos varied in size (from several hundred residents to close to the half a million who lived in the Warsaw Ghetto by the end of 1940), and by the level of their closure. There were ghettos which did not permit entering or leaving them (like the Lodz Ghetto), and there were ghettos which permitted work in factories outside of the ghetto(like the Warsaw Ghetto).
The residents of the ghettos died of hunger, illness, exhaustion, executions and of course, from the deportations to forced labor and death camps. By the summer of 1944 all the ghettos of Eastern Europe were emptied of most of their inhabitants. The varied population which was concentrated in the ghettos, the constant daily struggle for a means of livelihood and food, and the difficulty in procuring arms made it extremely difficult for the Jews to resist their oppressors.
The residents of the ghettos died of hunger, illness, exhaustion, executions and of course, from the deportations to forced labor and death camps. By the summer of 1944 all the ghettos of Eastern Europe were emptied of most of their inhabitants. The varied population which was concentrated in the ghettos, the constant daily struggle for a means of livelihood and food, and the difficulty in procuring arms made it extremely difficult for the Jews to resist their oppressors.
During World War II, ghettos were city districts (often enclosed) in which the Germans concentrated the municipal and sometimes regional Jewish population and forced them to live under miserable conditions. Ghettos isolated Jews by separating Jewish communities from the non-Jewish population and from other Jewish communities. The Germans established at least 1,000 ghettos in German-occupied Poland and the Soviet Union alone.
The Germans regarded the establishment of ghettos as a provisional measure to control and segregate Jews while the Nazi leadership in Berlin deliberated upon options to realize the goal of removing the Jewish population. In many places the time that Jews actually spent in ghettos lasted a relatively short time. Some ghettos existed for only a few days, others for months or years. With the implementation of the "Final Solution" (the plan to murder all European Jews) beginning in late 1941, the Germans systematically destroyed the ghettos. The Germans and their auxiliaries either shot ghetto residents in mass graves located nearby or deported them, usually by train, to killing centers where they were murdered. German SS and police authorities deported a small minority of Jews from ghettos to forced-labor camps.
There were three types of ghettos: closed ghettos, open ghettos, and destruction ghettos.
The ghettos during the Nazi period were not intended as a permanent framework, but simply as a stage in preparation for a future general solution to the "Jewish Problem." The Nazis gave several pretexts for the establishment of ghettos: For example, they wished to prevent the dissemination of diseases supposedly prevalent among Jews, or to suppress alleged black-market activities by Jews. While the Nazi authorities definitely aimed at establishing an impenetrable barrier between Jews and non-Jews, their main objectives were the creation of extremely harsh living conditions, isolation from the outside world, and the internment of Jews in vast prisons under conditions of total helplessness.
The Germans regarded the establishment of ghettos as a provisional measure to control and segregate Jews while the Nazi leadership in Berlin deliberated upon options to realize the goal of removing the Jewish population. In many places the time that Jews actually spent in ghettos lasted a relatively short time. Some ghettos existed for only a few days, others for months or years. With the implementation of the "Final Solution" (the plan to murder all European Jews) beginning in late 1941, the Germans systematically destroyed the ghettos. The Germans and their auxiliaries either shot ghetto residents in mass graves located nearby or deported them, usually by train, to killing centers where they were murdered. German SS and police authorities deported a small minority of Jews from ghettos to forced-labor camps.
There were three types of ghettos: closed ghettos, open ghettos, and destruction ghettos.
The ghettos during the Nazi period were not intended as a permanent framework, but simply as a stage in preparation for a future general solution to the "Jewish Problem." The Nazis gave several pretexts for the establishment of ghettos: For example, they wished to prevent the dissemination of diseases supposedly prevalent among Jews, or to suppress alleged black-market activities by Jews. While the Nazi authorities definitely aimed at establishing an impenetrable barrier between Jews and non-Jews, their main objectives were the creation of extremely harsh living conditions, isolation from the outside world, and the internment of Jews in vast prisons under conditions of total helplessness.
These goals would, in turn, lead to the breakdown of their physical, mental, and social structure, destroying their resistance as a community.
German authorities wished for a Jewish representation that would carry out German orders and commands to the letter and would be responsible to the Nazi authorities for the implementation of those orders. To this purpse they establish Jewish councils for the sole purpose of controlling the Jews further. The Jews, on the other hand, assumed that the Jewish representation would protect Jewish interests as far as possible. The respective expectations of both sides towards the Jewish council were, thus, directly opposed. In most ghettos, the first Jewish Council leaders were eventually removed from office or murdered and were replaced by men the Germans found more compliant to their wishes, who accepted their fate without protest, knowing that the penalty for any attempt at rebellion was death.
German authorities wished for a Jewish representation that would carry out German orders and commands to the letter and would be responsible to the Nazi authorities for the implementation of those orders. To this purpse they establish Jewish councils for the sole purpose of controlling the Jews further. The Jews, on the other hand, assumed that the Jewish representation would protect Jewish interests as far as possible. The respective expectations of both sides towards the Jewish council were, thus, directly opposed. In most ghettos, the first Jewish Council leaders were eventually removed from office or murdered and were replaced by men the Germans found more compliant to their wishes, who accepted their fate without protest, knowing that the penalty for any attempt at rebellion was death.
DAILY LIFE
The Germans ordered Jews residing in ghettos to wear identifying badges or armbands and also required many Jews to perform forced labor for the German Reich. Daily life in the ghettos was administered by Nazi-appointed Jewish Councils (Judenraete) discussed above. A ghetto police force enforced the orders of the German authorities and the ordinances of the Jewish councils, including the facilitation of deportations to killing centers. Jewish police officials, like Jewish council members, served at the whim of the German authorities. The Germans did not hesitate to kill Jewish policemen who were perceived to have failed to carry out orders.
This video which is approximately 15 minutes in length demonstrates the terrible conditions that existed in the Jewish ghettos.
The Germans ordered Jews residing in ghettos to wear identifying badges or armbands and also required many Jews to perform forced labor for the German Reich. Daily life in the ghettos was administered by Nazi-appointed Jewish Councils (Judenraete) discussed above. A ghetto police force enforced the orders of the German authorities and the ordinances of the Jewish councils, including the facilitation of deportations to killing centers. Jewish police officials, like Jewish council members, served at the whim of the German authorities. The Germans did not hesitate to kill Jewish policemen who were perceived to have failed to carry out orders.
This video which is approximately 15 minutes in length demonstrates the terrible conditions that existed in the Jewish ghettos.
RESISTANCE EFFORTS
Jews responded to the ghetto restrictions with a variety of resistance efforts. Ghetto residents frequently engaged in so-called illegal activities, such as smuggling food, medicine, weapons or intelligence across the ghetto walls, often without the knowledge or approval of the Jewish councils. Some Jewish councils and some individual council members tolerated or encouraged the illicit trade because the goods were necessary to keep ghetto residents alive. Although the Germans generally demonstrated little concern in principle about religious worship, attendance at cultural events, or participation in youth movements inside the ghetto walls, they often perceived a “security threat” in any social gathering and would move ruthlessly to incarcerate or kill perceived ringleaders and participants. The Germans generally forbade any form of consistent schooling or education.
In some ghettos, members of Jewish resistance movements staged armed uprisings. The largest of these was the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in spring 1943. There were also violent revolts in Vilna, Bialystok, Czestochowa, and several smaller ghettos. In August 1944, German SS and police completed the destruction of the last major ghetto, in Lodz.
The primary and most disturbing problem that faced the Jews in the ghetto was food and provisions. Almost all sources of Jewish income had been seized or prohibited. Moreover, the Germans had separated the Jews from the general economy, and forbade them to engage in most professions. Jewish property was confiscated, and Jewish-owned shops and factories signed over to German citizens. Jews were forbidden to hold private stocks of merchandise or cash, and periodically the Nazis raided Jewish homes and stole whatever they wanted. The Germans instituted forced labor for the Jews, but the Jews received either no payment at all or a sum that did not even suffice to buy a loaf of stale bread.
The Nazis demanded that Jews hand over their money and movable possessions, but the Jews did not comply with the order. The Jews organized networks and individually smuggled contraband food into the ghetto. The ghetto wall was virtually a front line. Children and adults who were caught smuggling were killed at the wall, but trade did not cease. Approximately 80 percent of all food that entered the ghetto arrived illegally.
During the Holocaust, ghettos were a central step in the Nazi process of control, dehumanization, and mass murder of the Jews.
This short video/slide show demonstrates some of the day to day horrors and fears that Jewish people endured in both the ghettos and concentration camps they were forced to live in during World War II.
Jews responded to the ghetto restrictions with a variety of resistance efforts. Ghetto residents frequently engaged in so-called illegal activities, such as smuggling food, medicine, weapons or intelligence across the ghetto walls, often without the knowledge or approval of the Jewish councils. Some Jewish councils and some individual council members tolerated or encouraged the illicit trade because the goods were necessary to keep ghetto residents alive. Although the Germans generally demonstrated little concern in principle about religious worship, attendance at cultural events, or participation in youth movements inside the ghetto walls, they often perceived a “security threat” in any social gathering and would move ruthlessly to incarcerate or kill perceived ringleaders and participants. The Germans generally forbade any form of consistent schooling or education.
In some ghettos, members of Jewish resistance movements staged armed uprisings. The largest of these was the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in spring 1943. There were also violent revolts in Vilna, Bialystok, Czestochowa, and several smaller ghettos. In August 1944, German SS and police completed the destruction of the last major ghetto, in Lodz.
The primary and most disturbing problem that faced the Jews in the ghetto was food and provisions. Almost all sources of Jewish income had been seized or prohibited. Moreover, the Germans had separated the Jews from the general economy, and forbade them to engage in most professions. Jewish property was confiscated, and Jewish-owned shops and factories signed over to German citizens. Jews were forbidden to hold private stocks of merchandise or cash, and periodically the Nazis raided Jewish homes and stole whatever they wanted. The Germans instituted forced labor for the Jews, but the Jews received either no payment at all or a sum that did not even suffice to buy a loaf of stale bread.
The Nazis demanded that Jews hand over their money and movable possessions, but the Jews did not comply with the order. The Jews organized networks and individually smuggled contraband food into the ghetto. The ghetto wall was virtually a front line. Children and adults who were caught smuggling were killed at the wall, but trade did not cease. Approximately 80 percent of all food that entered the ghetto arrived illegally.
During the Holocaust, ghettos were a central step in the Nazi process of control, dehumanization, and mass murder of the Jews.
This short video/slide show demonstrates some of the day to day horrors and fears that Jewish people endured in both the ghettos and concentration camps they were forced to live in during World War II.