Poland was invaded by Germany. What happened next?
Polish Jews Were Placed In Ghettos
In Warsaw, the capital of Poland, the Nazis created the largest ghetto in all of Europe. In 1939 Polish Jews were forced to wear a white armband with a blue Star of David. On November 16, 1940, they were forced inside the area called a ghetto. Surrounded by walls that they built with their own hands and under strict and violent guard, the Jews of Warsaw were cut off from the outside world. Within the ghetto their lives were a daily struggle between life or death from disease or starvation. The living conditions were unbearable, and the ghetto was extremely overcrowded. On average, between six to seven people lived in one room and the daily food rations didn't even provide enough nourishment for one person. The only jobs in the ghetto were illegal, smuggling of food being the most common activity. More than 80,000 Jews died in the ghetto. In July 1942 the deportations to the Treblinka death camp began. Eventually all of the Polish Jews who were housed in the ghettos were sent to concentration camps to be "exterminated." We will be reading the novel Milkweed, which details the life of an orphan who lived in the Warsaw Ghetto. There were a few brave souls who tried to help those Jews forced to live in the ghettos. Some people to know about include Irena Sendler and Janusz Korczak. There were others, too. Try a little research and see what you find! |