Figure 1.--This Jewish father and son are being photographed by a unknown German, perhaps one of the guards or a Ghetto tourist curious about the Ghetto. This looks to have been taken in early-1942, perhaps just before the transports began. You can read the expression on the man's face, the same question Jews throughout NAZI-occupied Europe was asking--"Why?" Notice there was no thought of begging, both were aware thatthey would find no felling of charity or compassion. Notice his son does not even bother looking.

The initial population of the Ghetto was Warsaw's Jewish population of 350,000 people. NAZI officials drove Jew in towns and villages around Warsaw into the ghetto, bring the population to 400,000. These Jews were cramed into an area of 1.3 square miles. There were an average of 7.2 persons per available room in the Ghetto. Some 500,000 Polish Jews were eventually forced into the Ghetto. The Ghetto was administered by the Judenrat which was completely dominated by the Germans. From the very beginning, obtaining adequate food was the major problem facing residents of the Warsaw and other ghettos. The Food delivered by the NAZIs was inadequate to sustain health and in many cases even life. After the Germans established the Ghetto, the confined Jews set up various organizations to attempt to meet the needs of those confined in the Ghetto. Some of the most important was the Jewish Mutual Aid Society, the Federation of Associations in Poland for the Care of Orphans, and the Organization for Rehabilitation. These groups did what they could to help the city's Jews suffering from the inadequate rations delived by NAZI authorities. These welfare groups received financial support from the New York-based American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. The NAZIs cut this support as America and Germany moved toward war with the United States (late-1941).

Administration

The Ghetto was administered by the Judenrat which was completely dominated by the Germans. Members who resisted the Germans in any way or who did not fully complywih German orders were summarilly executed.

Concentration

The initial population of the Ghetto was Warsaw's Jewish population of 350,000 people. NAZI officials drove Jew in towns and villages around Warsaw into the ghetto, bring the population to 400,000. These Jews were cramed into an area of 1.3 square miles. There were an average of 7.2 persons per available room in the Ghetto. Some 500,000 Polish Jews were eventually forced into the Ghetto.

Possessions

The Jews forced into the Ghetto were allowed to only bring in a few personal possessions that they could carry.

Food

From the very beginning, obtaining adequate food was the major problem facing residents of the Warsaw and other ghettos. The Food delivered by the NAZIs was inadequate to sustain health and in many cases even life. The average person in the ghetto was forced subsisted on 1,125 calories a day, but that was with American food relief (1941). Often even that was not available. German allocations were only a few hundred callories daily. Poles in the United States arranged for releft food to be delivered to Poland, some of which was designated for Jews. This helped to prevent starvation in the first 2 years of NAZI occupation. The children and elderly were the prople most as risk. Czerniaków wrote in his diary entry for May 8, 1941: “Children starving to death.” And after Hitler declared war on America (December 1941), the relief deliveries ended. This is when the mumber of staevation deaths escalated. The food became was so inadequate that from the creation of the Ghetto to mid-1942, some 83,000 Jews starved to death. Only smuggled food and medicine ghetto supplemented the miserable official allotments and kept the death rate from rising even further. There were 445 deaths in the Ghetto before it was sealed off. After that it became increasingly difficult to smuggle in food and supplies. And of course as the Jews got weaker from malnutrition and began to run out of valuables, they had less to offer in payment. The Jewish death rate thus began to rise from January 1941 (898), April (2,061), June (4,290) and August (5,560). Monthly death tolls level off at 4,000-5,000 people.

Children

Thousands of Jewish children with and without their parents were forced into the Wasaw and and ither gettoes. Essentuially this meant the end of their childhood. One authot writes, "The Jewish child knows that it has to work, earn a living and sometimes take care of the whole family. The ghetto child doesn't laugh: it has already forgotten how. On its face is an adult scowl and it feels the bitterness of the wronged. Childhood doesn't exist." [Mawolt] The Germans did not allow schools in the Ghetto. Wealthy parebnts, however, sent their children to cladestine schools operated by teachers in the ghetto. Some children worked in factories set up in the Ghetto. This was a great benefit because workers got paid and could afford some food. Parents would send children out into the stree as vendors if they had simething to sell. Zionest groups set up youth groups. Children became adept at sneaking out of the ghetto and buying food to sneak back into the ghetto. Small children could squeeze between small cracks in the ghetto walls. Gradually this became more difficult as the Germans tuightened controls. In addition the Ghetto residents did not have much money or valuables to begin with and their limited resources were rapidly depleted. We are not sure what happened to the child smuggers. This probably depended on their age and the attitude of the individual German guard who caught them. Adults were probably summarily executed. I don't think this was the case of small children. Those most ebdangered were orphaned children with out any one to look after and assist them. They could be seen begging on the streets, but few ghetto residents had enough food for themselves and their own children. I am not sure why orphanages were not set up for these children whose parents had apparent been killed. Of course the Jewish Council did not have the resources to feed the children, butwe are unsure of just what efforts were made. TheJewish Organization for Social Care attempted to suport charity efforts. One report suggests that child welfare programs housed, fed, and educated both prphaned and poor children. We do not yet have much information on their operations or why there were so many prphans on the street. Irena Sendlerowa (Sendler) suceeded in smuggling some 2,500 children out of the ghetto to safety.

Relief Organizations

After the Germans established the Ghetto, the confined Jews set up various organizations to attempt to meet the needs of those confined in the Ghetto. Some of the most important was the Jewish Mutual Aid Society, the Federation of Associations in Poland for the Care of Orphans, and the Organization for Rehabilitation. These groups did what they could to help the city's Jews suffering from the inadequate rations delived by NAZI authorities. These welfare groups received financial support from the New York-based American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. The NAZIs cut this support as America and Germany moved toward war with the United States (late-1941).

Emanuel Ringelblum

Emanuel Ringelblum was historian in Warsaw. He worked with the Jewish social organizations within the Ghetto. He founded a secret organization to document just what the NAZIs were doing in occupied Poland and especially the Warsaw Ghetto. This record is now called "In Celebration of Sabbath" (Oneg Shabbat) or the Ringelblum Archive. Only part of it was found after the War. It is today, however, the most authoritative source on the Warsaw Ghetto, both every day life within the Ghetto and NAZI policies and actions.

Sources

Mawolt, Jan.

Created: 5:49 AM 1/5/2013
Last updated: 6:12 PM 1/30/2013