Ghettos
Ghettos were restricted areas in large towns or cities throughout Nazi territory during World War II. They were built by Germans to round up Jews and the conditions were awful, as the pictures above show you. The poorest areas of the city were deliberately chosen most of the time. Jews had to leave their homes and settle in the ghetto to avoid punishment and they had to live in cramped conditions with poor sanitation and plenty of disease. This made them an easy target if the Germans wanted to exterminate them, but, for a certain amount of time, the Germans (mostly) left survival in the ghettos up to the Jews themselves.
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Power Structure:
1. SS - Hitler's personal bodyguard. 2. Judenraete - the Jewish council in the ghetto. They carried out many tasks, the worst being choosing Jews who were to go to death camps. 3. Jewish ghetto police force - a police force set up bu the Judenraete. They were to make sure that there was at leas some law and order in the ghetto. |
The ghettos were separated from the outside world by thick walls or barbed wire.
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The calorie content (184) of the official daily Jewish rations in the ghettos was equivalent to:
This was 15% of the minimum daily requirement for survival. Soup kitchens were set up to provide a midday meal, but this was still not enough. The Germans aimed to starve the Jews to death.
Once Germans began using death camps more, entire ghettos were liquidated - the population was sent to a death camp.
Warsaw Ghetto
The largest ghetto built by the Nazis was the Warsaw Ghetto. On the 12th of October, 1940, the Germans declared the establishment of the Ghetto. 400,000 people were forced onto an area of 1.2 square miles, with an average of 7.2 people per room. On April 19, 1943, SS officers appeared outside the ghetto walls, intending to liquidate the ghetto. However, the Jews organised a resistance, but despite being more successful than you would expect, it did not stop the Nazis. It is estimated that around 20,000 Jews escaped deportation by hiding.
Once Germans began using death camps more, entire ghettos were liquidated - the population was sent to a death camp.
Warsaw Ghetto
The largest ghetto built by the Nazis was the Warsaw Ghetto. On the 12th of October, 1940, the Germans declared the establishment of the Ghetto. 400,000 people were forced onto an area of 1.2 square miles, with an average of 7.2 people per room. On April 19, 1943, SS officers appeared outside the ghetto walls, intending to liquidate the ghetto. However, the Jews organised a resistance, but despite being more successful than you would expect, it did not stop the Nazis. It is estimated that around 20,000 Jews escaped deportation by hiding.