What+was+the+Warsaw+Ghetto+like+before+the+uprising?


 * What The Warsaw Ghetto was Like **



Before World War II had broken out, Warsaw Poland was a peaceful place. It was home to 337,000 Jewish Residents. They made up for 29% of the 1.3 million people that lived in Warsaw. The Jewish population had undeniable effect upon the culture of Warsaw, since they took part in economic, social, and everyday life that takes place in any large city. However, when the war began, all of that was set to change. On August 31, 1939, Hitler's army invaded Poland, and it took them 28 days to reach Warsaw and then to take control of the city. Upon taking the city, the Germans immediately began to persecute the Jews. Many were beaten or arrested under false pretenses. This was only the start to what would be a sad, dark, and long road.

Before the establishment of the official ghetto, the Jewish population was forced to face many hardships. They lost their ability to bank efficiently, the use of their radios, and they had to wear arm bands to differentiate themselves from the rest of the population of Warsaw. When Polish gangs began attacking the Jewish population, little to no help was given to the minority. The attacks ran rampant and many people were injured or killed during this time. Still the population of Warsaw tried to keep a normal community running. They did not close down many of the shops due to the occupation. There was a great effort to maintain the life that they had been living.

Much was the same once the ghetto had been established and sealed. There was a still people trying to maintain what was. They did not close down the schools, cafes, or grocery stores that were in the ghetto. However, there was little that could remain the same. With an addition of Jews from the local area, 450,000 people were put in only 1.5 square miles. The Nazis took 35% of the population of Warsaw, plus people from outside of the city into only about 3% of the cities space. This On average 6 to 7 people were forced to cram themselves into 1 room. The spaces were tight and hygiene became a problem. Sanitation particularly proved problematic, especially when the sewer pipes froze, and typhoid ran through the ghetto claiming thousands of lives everyday. The disease is passed on through food or water that has come in contact with the feces of an infected person. Every morning at 4 A.M. a cart would come to collect the bodies of people who had died from this deadly disease. Most of the times the bodies were left unclothed on the side of the street. Families needed to keep the dead's clothing so that they could be sold for money. In 1942, Abraham Lewin described the sight: "We line in a prison. We have been degraded to the level of homeless and uncared-for animals. When we look at the swollen, half-naked bodies of Jews lying in the streets, we feel as if we found ourselves at some subhuman level. The half-dead, skeletal faces of Jews, especially those of dying little children, frighten us and recall pictures of India, or of the isolation-colonies for lepers which we used to see in films" (Stewart, 9).

Money had become a major problem. Before the ghetto was made, the Nazis had established a limit on how much money a Jewish resident could withdraw everyday. Jobs soon became a hard thing to pass by. Most of the success withing the ghetto came from Nazi created jobs such as craftsmen, carpenter, tailors, and shoemakers. These jobs all produced supplies and services that were needed by the Nazi War Machine. These were the jobs that had "work passes", meaning that the Nazis approved them as legal jobs. There was, however, underground and unapproved occupations within the Warsaw ghetto. Smugglers became vital to the survival of many Jews as they were responsible for getting sometimes entire train loads of food inside of the ghetto. Some of these smugglers became rich due to the fact that the food was in such high demand. Many viewed these smugglers as scum since they preyed upon the hungry and poor and profited off of such unfortunate people. The underground of the ghetto also created blackmailers, thieves, informers, and bribe takers. Guards were easily swayed by money and soon people began to take advantage of them to benefit themselves. Jewis would pay off guards to "not notice them" as they smuggled in contraband. This would eventually end as the German command began to realize what was happening.

The atmosphere of the ghetto was a somber one. There was so much death within such a small space the emotions were apparent. People were also hungry. The ration that the Jewish people received was 200 calories, only one fourth of what the Polish people were given. The Nazi soldiers within Warsaw were given 2,000 calories everyday, which is also the modern healthy standard. This was 10 times the amount of food then that which was given to the people of the ghetto. People also felt a sense of fear in the ghetto. In the beginning there was hope that they could continue life as normal, the war would end and they would be able to return back to their homes. However, as time continued, the general sense of hope began to dissipate. Rumors began to spread that there were work camps that Jews were to be sent to.