The Warsaw Ghetto

Starvation Starvation was the deliberate Nazi policy. The amount of food allowed in the ghettos changed from day to day, but typically their ration included: Bread: 14.0 oz. Meat Products: 4.5 oz. Sugar: 1.75 oz. Fat: 0.9 oz. At best, they had 1,100 calories a day. At worst, they had 350 calories a day. An adult who sits at a desk for 8 hours a day needs at least 2,000 calories a day to maintain weight. When the body doesn’t get enough calories, it begins to feed on itself and muscle disappears.

Starvation Starvation led to beggars. When begging failed, people died in the streets. In 1940, the first year of the Warsaw Ghetto, 90 people died of starvation. In 1941, that number rose to 11,000. At its height, 5,000 people were starving to death each week.

The Cold Poland’s winters are bitter cold January in Warsaw often dropped to -20 below zero. The Nazis did not allow in fuel to heat their homes. They even went as far ask taking the warmest clothes from the Jews: sheepskin, furs and fur lined gloves had to be turned in. People were so cold that they would dismantle old buildings, taking them apart piece by piece to use the wood for fires. It was a common sight to see people wrapped up in rags, wearing clothing that didn’t fit and stuffing their clothes with paper. A child wrote “I am hungry. I am cold. When I grow up I want to be a German, and then I will no longer be hungry and cold.”

Disease With the population weakened by starvation, the ghetto was a breeding ground for disease. The amount of people in the ghetto was far more than the sanitation facilities could accommodate. Pipes would freeze and burst, so there was human waste in the streets along with garbage. Typhus spread quickly; in 1941, 16,000 people died of it. That is the “official number” according to the Nazis The Jewish Council would not tell them the true number because the Nazis were afraid of an epidemic. They would show up and take away anyone who was sick. The Jewish Council lied to give people time to get better. The correct number is thought to be more like 100,000.

Smuggling Smuggling kept people alive. If not for smuggling, the Nazis would have succeeded in completely starving the ghettos to death. There was some large-scale smuggling, but most was small. If you were wealthy, you could bribe the guards to not notice. If you were caught, you would be immediately shot. Most of the smugglers were children 10-14. They were small, so they could slip through holes in the fence.

Jewish Life The Ghetto was basically a giant cage. Despite this, people tried to give the ghetto some variety and vitality. Teaching was forbidden, but there were secret classes. Theatrical groups put on plays. Noted authorities and scholars gave lectures. Musicians and singers performed. Scientists conducted experiments. Operas were composed and performed. Secret libraries were set up.

Response In 2-3 paragraphs, discuss your thoughts on the Warsaw Ghetto. Why did people care so much about cultural activities? Why did the Nazis establish the ghetto? Why did people still have to wear the Star of David, despite the fact that only Jews were in the ghetto? Why did they stage an uprising? Were the smugglers heroes? How would you feel or react in this situation?