By Lara & Jillian

Life in the Warsaw Ghetto

Warsaw Poland was the capital of Poland and had a big Jewish population.

German officials ordered a Jewish council under the leadership of Adam Czerniaków

He was forced to manage the soon-to-be established ghetto and to enforce German orders

Key Figure: Adam Czerniaków

On October 12, 1940 the Germans established the ghetto in Warsaw

All of the Jewish people were forced to live in the ghetto

The ghetto was closed off from the rest of the city

Map of the Warsaw Ghetto

Enclosed by a wall over 10 feet tall topped with barbed wire

There were over 400,000 Jews living thereIt was an area of 1.3 square miles with an

average of over 7.2 people per room

Living Conditions

The Jews suffered immensely from exposure, infectious diseases, and starvation

Widespread smuggling of medicines and food into the ghetto helped keep the death rate from rising.

Living Conditions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOom3eCYX1o

Video

From July 22 until September 12, 1942 the German SS and police units carried out mass deportations from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka killing centre

Deportation

The camp was divided into 3 sections: the reception area, the living area, and the killing area

The Jewish people were forced to run naked to the gas chambers (in the killing area) falsely labeled as showers

Once inside carbon monoxide was released into the chamber, killing those inside

Approximately 35,000 Jews were murdered

Treblinka Killing Centre

In January 1943, the SS and police units came back to Warsaw to deport the remaining Jews in the ghetto

The Jews were aware of what lied ahead at the Treblinka Killing Centre so they resisted deportation with the use of weapons smuggled into the ghetto

The SS and police force ended operations and withdrew

Resistance of Deportation

On April 19th 1943, a new SS and police force came back and attempted to deport the remaining Jews to forced labor camps

The Jews fought back and the authorities suffered many casualties

The operation was ended on May 16th

Resistance of Deportation

Jews continued to hide themselves and would occasionally attack German police officers on patrol

20,000 of the Jews in the Warsaw continued to live in hiding

On August 1st 1944, the Polish Home Army, an underground resistance army fought against the Germans to try and free Warsaw

Outcomes

The Soviets tried to assist the Polish Home Army but failed in their attempt

The Germans treated the Home Army and Polish civilians as prisoners of war

They were sent to concentration camps in the Reich

During the uprising over 166,000 people lost their lives

Soviet troops returned on January 17 1945, and freed Warsaw

Outcomes

Ringelblum was a Warsaw based historian

He founded a covert organization that took an accurate record of events taking place in Poland

This record was known as “Oneg Shabbat”

Key Figure: Emmanuel Ringelblum

"Warsaw." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 20 June 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2015

"Treblinka." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 20 June 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2015

"Life in the Ghettos." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2015

"Warsaw Ghetto WWII." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Aug. 2009. Web. 25 Apr. 2015

Works Cited