Figure 1.--This photograph shows Jews from Pabianice to the Lodz Ghetto which had just been esabllished. Pabianice was a town in central Poland. About 8,000 Jews lived there, a quarter of the population. It lwas about 10 km southwest of Łódź. This photograph was probably taken some time in February 1940. I am not sure what type of policeman the man in uniform is.

The NAZIs announced the order establishing the Lodz Ghetto (February 8, 1940). Jews from all over the city were forced to move into the designated area that had been established. They were only allowed to being what they could carry. Many families were given only a minutes to pack a few belongings. They were then forced to march to the new ghetto. This hand to be done on foot. No vehicles were allowed to move possessions. Estimates suggest that about 230,000 city Jews were forced into the ghetto. We have also note an estimate of 160,000. We are not at this time able to explain this discreapancy. Apparently large numbers of Jews were killed or deported before the Ghetto was closed. The NAZIs thought that forceing the Jews into the Ghetto could be done in a day. It actually took weeks. The area for the Jews was very restricted. Armed German police encircled the Ghetto in barbed wire and guarded the perimeter. Hans Biebow, a 38-year-old German businessman, was assigned to run the Ghetto. He set up the process of creating a bureaucracy to systematically confiscation the Jews’ property and then further exploit them through slave labor. Conditions in the Ghetto were very crowded Estimates suggest that there were about 3.5 people for every available room. One the Jews were forced in, the NAZIs built a fence around the ghetto (April 1940). The NAZIs then closed the Lodz ghetto (April 30) and the officially sealed it (May 1).

Created: 3:48 PM 6/5/2008
Last updated: 3:48 PM 6/5/2008