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95-480: The Kraków District was divided up into 12 Kreise (counties). Each of these Kreise was run by a district chief (German: Kreishauptmann). The 12 Kreise that made up the district included Dębica , Jarosław , Jasło , Krakauland, Krosno , Miechów , Neumarkt, Neu- Sandez, Przemyśl , Reichshof, Sanok , and Tarnow. The fifth district, District of Galicia , was incorporated into the General Government after

190-502: A Star of David on their arm, identifying them as being Jewish, which led to the revoking of most rights. A curfew was implemented that stripped Jews of many opportunities to participate in the cultural life. As time went on, Jews needed to obtain permits in order to enter and exit the ghetto, robbing them of any freedom they felt they had left at this point. Even though the Jews were unable to participate in certain areas of cultural life in

285-805: A pogrom in the town, killing more than 150 Jews. In the interbellum period the city was administratively located in the Polish Lwów Voivodeship . During the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, which started World War II , this was the site of the Battle of Jarosław . Germany defeated the Poles and captured the town. Shortly afterwards the German Einsatzgruppe I entered the town to commit various atrocities against

380-929: A Polish rescuer who took them to Bochnia where their mother and sister joined them later. Bernard Offen , born in 1929 in Kraków survived the ghetto and several Nazi concentration camps. Second lieutenant Jerzy Zakulski , an attorney, and member of the National Armed Forces ( Narodowe Siły Zbrojne , NSZ) in German-occupied Kraków was sentenced to death by Stalinist officials and executed in Soviet-controlled postwar Poland on trumped-up charges of being an enemy spy. A Jewish Holocaust survivor from Kraków, Maria Błeszyńska née Bernstein, attempted to save Zakulski's life in gratitude for his rescue of her and her daughter during

475-527: A census and taxing the population. Cultural life in the Kraków Ghetto was bleak and dangerous for the Jewish population. Each day dragged on, consistently becoming harder and harder to tolerate and survive. There was not much for the Jews to live for. The mood was somber, spirits were low, and the majority of the ghetto's inhabitants remained hopeless. Jews in the Kraków ghetto were required to wear

570-420: A diversion from reality, and the upholding of tradition.” These songs portrayed their immense suffering coupled with their dedication and determination to survive. Some of the most popular lyrics are “Me hot zey in dr’erd, me vet zey iberlebn, me vet noch derlebn” (“To hell with them, we will survive them, we will yet survive”), conveying and sharing the feelings of the Jewish people through music. Laughter, which

665-461: A first cousin to Roman Polański who, as a small girl, was rescued and survived the ghetto, wrote a novel based on her experiences, The Girl in the Red Coat : A Memoir . She is mistakenly thought to be portrayed in the film Schindler's List . The scene, however, was constructed on the memories of Zelig Burkhut, survivor of Plaszow (and other work camps). When being interviewed by Spielberg before

760-620: A form of religious resistance by continuing to practice Judaism in secret. This succeeded through the safeguard of the Jewish police . The only pharmacy enclosed within the Kraków Ghetto boundary belonged to the Polish Roman Catholic pharmacist Tadeusz Pankiewicz , permitted by the German authorities to operate his "Under the Eagle Pharmacy" there upon his request. The scarce medications and tranquillizers supplied to

855-542: A limited time. Additionally, two key resistance members – Adolf Liebeskind and Tennenbaum – died in the attack. Finally, following the Cyganeria Café attack, weapons, various currencies, and enemy uniforms were found by the Gestapo. The Gestapo sent a message to Nazi elites via SS-Obergruppenfüher Wolff and Reichsfüher Himmler. Lucien Steinberg, the author of Jews Against Hitler, argues that this communicated

950-463: A reputation for mistreating Jewish laborers. The labor performed for both companies often included paving roads, building tunnels, quarrying stone, unloading freight, constructing roads, removing tombstones from Jewish cemeteries, and leveling said cemeteries to create paved public spaces. The greatest tragedy of the Polish state, was the impossibility of providing its own citizens with protection against

1045-469: A residence permit that "...had to be renewed each month." The following year, on 3 March 1941, the establishment of the Kraków Ghetto was ordered by Otto Wächter . The ghetto was to be set up in the Podgórze District of Kraków. Podgórze was chosen as the site of the ghetto instead of the traditional Jewish quarter, Kazimierz , because Hans Frank believed Kazimierz was more significant to

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1140-537: A safe house for trafficked Jews and distribution of falsified documents as well as secret messages and storage of photographs from Auschwitz. She collaborated with Żegota , attended to sick Jews in hiding and placed them in hospitals under false identities. Żegota also had prominence in Kraków. The goal of Żegota was to aid the Jews on a day-to-day basis – rather than aiming for an overall solution. Zegota provided opportunity with false documents, doctors for healthcare, money, and several other pivotal resources and aid for

1235-696: A series of attacks in a retaliatory response to the implementation of mass deportations. Prior to Cyganeria, attacks occurred at the Optima factory and the Cosmo Club – the Cosmo Club attack killed several Nazi elites. Furthermore, three attacks were planned for Dec. 24, 1942: Cyganeria Café, Esplanada Café, Sztuka theater, and an officers’ club. Ultimately, the Hahalutz Halochem and Iskra resistance groups bombed Cyganeria on December 22 and killed from 7 to 70 Germans and injured many others. The attack at

1330-440: A traditional and important aspect of both Jewish holidays and Jewish home life more generally. The prisoners in the Kraków Ghetto did their best to keep this tradition alive, especially during Passover and Yom Kippur. Although music brought some comfort to many, suicide rates were significantly higher among the musicians than other camp workers. Many of the musicians were forced to watch the murder of their families and friends due to

1425-715: A voluntary expulsion program was enacted. Jews that chose to leave Kraków were allowed to take all of their belongings and relocate throughout the General-Government (Generalgouvernement). By 15 August 1940, 23,000 Jews had left Kraków. After this date, mandatory expulsions were enforced. On 25 November 1940, the Order for the Deportation of Jews from the Municipal District of Kraków was announced. This order declared that no more Jews were allowed into

1520-514: Is twinned with: Krak%C3%B3w Ghetto The Kraków Ghetto was one of five major metropolitan Nazi ghettos created by Germany in the new General Government territory during the German occupation of Poland in World War II . It was established for the purpose of exploitation, terror, and persecution of local Polish Jews . The ghetto was later used as a staging area for separating

1615-457: Is fitted with a memorial plaque, which reads "Here they lived, suffered and perished at the hands of Hitler's executioners. From here they began their final journey to the death camps." Young people of the Akiva youth movement , who had undertaken the publication of an underground newsletter, HeHaluc HaLohem ("The Fighting Pioneer"), joined forces with other Zionists to form a local branch of

1710-473: Is the author of a book describing, among other events, the ghetto liquidation. The list of several dozen Polish Righteous from Kraków, includes Maria and Bronisław Florek who lived at Czyżówka Street and saved Goldberger and Nichtberger families. Notably, Maria Florek smuggled forged identity papers procured at the Emalia Factory of Oskar Schindler (without his awareness), for the Jews hiding on

1805-783: The Fall of Communism in the 1980s. Some local Polish resistance officers were arrested by the Soviets and imprisoned in a Soviet camp in Trzebuska . The communists expelled most of Jarosław's Ukrainian population, at first to Soviet territories and later to territories regained from Germany . It was administratively located in the Rzeszów Voivodeship (1945–1974) and Przemyśl Voivodeship (1975–1998). The first Jews reportedly arrived in Jarosław in 1464. The first rabbi of Jarosław

1900-443: The German army came, but many were forced to return to the city. On the roads the German soldiers were closing in on and quickly occupying the small towns and villages, and those that fled thought it would be safer to go back to Krakow. The Kraków Ghetto was established on March 3, 1941, followed by a wave of further ghettoization in other towns throughout the district. German statistics estimated that there about 200,000 Jews within

1995-591: The Jewish Fighting Organization (ŻOB, Polish : Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa), and organize resistance in the ghetto, supported by the Polish underground Armia Krajowa . The group carried out a variety of resistance activities including the bombing of the Cyganeria cafe – a gathering place of Nazi officers. Unlike in Warsaw , their efforts did not lead to a general uprising before the ghetto

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2090-701: The Kievan Rus' , although the first confirmed mention of the town comes from 1152. The region was eventually regained by Poland, and the settlement was granted Magdeburg town rights by Polish Duke Władysław Opolczyk in 1375. The city quickly developed as an important trade centre and port on the San River , reaching the period of its greatest prosperity in the 16th and 17th centuries. It had trade routes linking Silesia with Ruthenia , Gdańsk , and Hungary . Merchants from such distant countries as Spain , England , Finland , Armenia and Persia arrived for

2185-590: The San River . The town had 35,475 inhabitants in 2023. It is the capital of Jarosław County in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship . Jarosław is located in the territory of the old Polish tribe of the Lendians , which became part of the emerging Polish state under Mieszko I . According to tradition, the town was established in 1031 by Yaroslav the Wise , after the area was annexed from Poland by

2280-683: The Security Police ( German : Sicherheitspolizei ) and the Order Police ( Ordnungspolizei ). The Order Police consisted of the Schutzpolizei ( Schupo ), which handled policing activities in larger cities, and Gendarmerie, which handled policing activities in smaller towns and rural areas. Lastly, the Jewish Police ( Jüdischer Ordnungsdienst ) oversaw the inner activities of the various ghettos set up throughout

2375-857: The Waffen-SS established a military training camp in Pustków utilizing Jewish labor. Jews and Poles were enslaved and exploited as forced laborers until 1944 in this camp and many smaller labor camps that were established in its proximity. The Judenrat was required to provide blankets and food for the inmates, and this helped many to survive. Jews in the Pustków camp originated from both small and large towns and villages in Poland, notably Dębica , Brzesko , Brozstek , Kolbuszowa , Ropczyce , and Wieliczka . Some of those sent to Pustków were then transferred to Auschwitz. While not common, some forced laborers were able to return to Dębica from Pustków, enabled by bribes to

2470-585: The "able workers" from those to be deported to extermination camps in Operation Reinhard . The ghetto was liquidated between June 1942 and March 1943, with most of its inhabitants deported to the Belzec extermination camp as well as to Płaszów slave-labor camp , and Auschwitz concentration camp , 60 kilometres (37 mi) rail distance. Before the German-Soviet invasion of 1939, Kraków

2565-406: The 'Aryan side' of Kraków. Władysław Budyński, who provided help without remuneration even to complete strangers, ended up marrying a Jewish girl, Chana Landau in 1943, but they were caught by Gestapo in 1944 and deported to different concentration camps. Both survived, reunited in Kraków, and in 1969 emigrated to Sweden. Polish gynaecologist Dr Helena Szlapak turned her home at Garbarska Street into

2660-486: The 60,000 Jews that were in Kraków before the war began, around 2,000 survived. There was organized resistance within the Kraków ghetto. They participated in activities both inside and outside the ghetto. Many pre-war youth groups remained in contact and began to train with weapons, implemented assistance programs, and other various underground activities. The resistance conducted raids in which they killed Gestapo informants, stole uniforms that were produced in factories in

2755-533: The German Fischer company and assisted the Müeller company, which was responsible for transporting the trees to Mielec via truck. Similar to many other camps, laborers are Biesiadka received modest meals before and after their work and were treated as prisoners under the supervision of guards. The commander of the camp, Kolis, was known to shoot individual laborers with little warning. In April and May 1940,

2850-726: The Holocaust; however, she was unsuccessful. The certified letter she sent to the Regional Military Court in Warsaw was thrown out, along with the plea for presidential mercy. Zuzanna Ginczanka and her husband left the Lvov ghetto for the Kraków ghetto in September 1942. She was arrested and shot in a prison in January 1945. In 1940 Edward Mosberg , at the time 14 years old, and his immediate family, grandparents, cousins, and aunt were moved into one small apartment in

2945-527: The Jewish residents of 29 nearby villages to move to the ghetto. The size of the ghetto was reduced again in June 1942. The reductions in the size of the ghetto were associated with the deportation of Jews, including deportations to the Bełżec extermination camp . When apartments that were no longer included in the ghetto were vacated, possessions were stolen and the units were reassigned. The Municipal Housing Office

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3040-581: The Jews crossed the San river to the Soviet-occupied part of Poland and hid in the Carpathian mountains, including the elder rabbi and his family. Those that stayed were shot and killed by the German soldiers. Jarosław is a town with a long sports history. In 1889, a branch of the "Sokół" Polish Gymnastic Society was founded in Jarosław. Nowadays, the town's most notable sports club are: Jarosław

3135-523: The Jews with a program called Żegota . Initially, rather than aligning with either communist or Zionist groups, the Iskra Resistance group aimed solely at combating and destroying the Nazis. From the outset, Iskra's inaugural members were Heszek Bauminger, Shlomo Sh., and eventually Gola Mire. Heszek Bauminger fought for the Polish army at the beginning of the war, and despite participating in

3230-437: The Jews. In Zegota , historians assert that Polish – Jewish relations were strong before the war, and Żegota became involved to strengthen the organically arising aid. Moreover, led by Stanislaw Dobrowolski, food, medicine, funds, and means for escape were provided. Several Żegota members – Jozefa Rysinska, Mieczyslaw Kurz, Tadeusz Bilewicz, Zygmunt Kuzma, and Ada Prochnicka – facilitated transport of supplies and overall aid in

3325-512: The Judenrat. The members of the Judenrat allegedly tried to spare as many Jews as possible from forced labor efforts. Small workshops and factories were established to employ several Jews, which consequently left them exempt from labor conscription. The amount of young, capable, Jewish men who were captured by Germans and sent to Pustków or neighboring Dulcza Mała continued to increase in 1940 despite these efforts. During March 1942, similar to

3420-574: The Kennkarten [identification cards]..." from the Labor Office (Arbeitsamt). The ghetto was populated by approximately 16,000 Jews when it was first formed. Before the ghetto was cordoned off, it was home to around 3,500 residents. The ghetto consisted of 320 buildings. To accommodate the density, apartments within the ghetto were divided on a 2m² per person basis or by a standard of three people to one window. The Jewish Council ( Judenrat )

3515-529: The Kraków District; all of which were confined in either the remaining ghettos, or major labor camps such as Płaszów , Biesiadka, and Pustków , according to the Korherr Report . The Kraków Ghetto was divided in early December 1942 into Ghetto "A" and Ghetto "B", the former being for laborers, and the latter being for others. This step was a direct preparation for the eventual liquidation of

3610-589: The Kraków ghetto that aided in keeping the spirits of Jews up as much as possible during such low and awful times. The Kraków Jewish underground resistance existed from 1942 to late 1943, and stemmed from youth groups such as Akiva. The two groups that formed were Iskra and Hahalutz Halochem , or the Fighting Organization of the Jewish youth. Despite ultimately focusing on more classical armed resistance actions, they originally focused on providing support for education and welfare organizations within

3705-419: The Kraków ghetto, “various cultural and religious activities continued within the ghetto." Although the practice of religion was banned, that did not stop those in the Kraków ghetto from praying and staying true to Judaism . At least three synagogues or other religious facilities were still in use that served as a place for the Jews to go to and pray. There was also a café where artists played live music within

3800-633: The Nazi authorities. Kraków was made the capital of the General Government (the part of occupied Poland not directly incorporated into Germany), and by May 1940 the German occupation authority headed by the Governor-General Hans Frank announced that Kraków should become the “racially cleanest" city in the General Government. Massive deportations of Jews from the city ensued. Of the more than 68,000 Jews in Kraków at

3895-410: The Nazi's insistence that the prisoner-musicians play music while the other prisoners were marched to the gas chambers. Aleksander Kulisiewicz was an aspiring musician who did his best to “collect, compose, and perform songs” while living in the ghetto even though it was illegal to do so. Inmates in the Kraków ghetto worked 12-hour days that left them more exhausted than imaginable. In order to pass

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3990-614: The OD had an office established at Józefińska Street 37 in Podgórze. In April 1941, the ghetto was enclosed by a wall made of barbed wire and stone; the stones used were designed to look like tombstones, but also included "...Jewish monuments and tombstones from the cemetery." The ghetto wall was constructed using Jewish forced labor. The ghetto was accessible by three entrances: one near the Podgórze Market, Limanowskiego Street, and

4085-473: The Plac Zgody. The Kraków Ghetto was a closed ghetto meaning that it was physically closed off from the surrounding area and access was restricted. Within other German-occupied areas, open ghettos and destruction ghettos existed. Movement in and out of the ghetto was restricted and Jews working outside of the ghetto had to have the proper documentation. Jews had to "...obtain the appropriate stamps for

4180-596: The Social Zionist Hashomer Hatzair group, he moved his allegiances to communism. Gola Mire – another Hatzair former member – became involved in the Polish Communist Party. Accordingly, Iskra worked in conjunction with the communist Polish Workers' Party division – Gwardia Ludowa – in an armed initiative. Specifically, German armed forces were the target of Iskra. Further, Resistance in the Kraków ghetto decided to attack

4275-568: The Third Decree of the General Governor's was enacted. This decree stated that Jews found outside "...their designated residential area will be punished with death." The punishment also applied to anyone found aiding Jews. The decree applied to all residents within the General Government. On 28 November 1941, the area that encompassed the ghetto was reduced. The population of the Kraków Ghetto increased because Nazis required

4370-526: The annual three-week-long fair on the feast of the Assumption . In 1574 a Jesuit college was established in Jarosław. Jarosław was a private town of Polish nobility , including the Tarnowski , Jarosławski, Odrowąż , Kostka , Sieniawski , Zamoyski , Wiśniowiecki , Koniecpolski , Sobieski , Sanguszko and Czartoryski families. The Jarosławski family of Leliwa coat of arms hailed from

4465-403: The appointment of Rabbi of Jarosław because it would be against his old uncle's appointment. The city council had already written his appointment and wished to express their sorrow for its cancellation. The Dubner Magid had just entered the city on a snowy winter day, and was taken directly to Orenstein's house, together with the city council, who happened to pass by him. But the walk up the steps

4560-553: The attack's significance to Hitler. Publicly the identity of the attacks perpetrators were not revealed and it was rumored to be the Polish Underground or the Soviets . Regarding the Jews who carried out the attack, they were disguised as Poles. This reflected a concern, within Hahalutz Halochem, of Nazi retaliation against the ghetto if the Jews were implicated. Additionally, Jews in the Kraków Ghetto participated in

4655-673: The beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa . The main administrative leader was the district governor. The first governor was SS Major General Otto Wächter , who would be succeeded in the following order: Richard Wendler , Ludwig Losacker, and finally Kurt von Burgsdorff. The first German SS and Police Leader (SSPF) was SS- Gruppenführer Karl Zech , succeeded by SS- Oberführer Hans Schwedler , then SS- Oberführer Julian Scherner and, lastly, by SS- Brigadeführer Theobald Thier . The SSPF oversaw various police agencies, such as

4750-506: The camps. Movie director Roman Polanski , a survivor of the ghetto, in his 1984 memoir Roman evoked his childhood experiences there before the mass deportations of Operation Reinhard in Kraków . "My own feeling – Polański wrote – was that if only one could explain to them that we had done nothing wrong, the Germans would realize that it all was a gigantic misunderstanding." Many years later, Roma Ligocka , Polish artist and author, and

4845-493: The city of Kraków, Jews residing in Kraków required a special permit, and locations outside of Kraków that Jews were forced to move to were chosen by authorities. Jews forced to leave were also only allowed to bring along 25 kg (62½ lbs.) of their belongings when they left. By 4 December 1940, 43,000 Jews were removed from Kraków, both voluntarily and involuntarily. Jews that were still residing in Kraków at this time were deemed "...economically useful..." and they had to obtain

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4940-785: The city's prominence. In March 1656, led by Polish national hero Stefan Czarniecki , the Poles defeated the invading Swedes under King Charles X Gustav in the Battle of Jarosław . In the Great Northern War of 1700-21, the region was repeatedly pillaged by Russian , Saxon , and Swedish armies, causing the city to decline further. After the fall of the Rákóczi's War of Independence against Austria in 1711, Hungarian leader Francis II Rákóczi and his court, including essayist Kelemen Mikes , found refuge in Jarosław. In 1711, Rákóczi and some Hungarians left for Gdańsk , while some stayed, and later on, several Hungarians were buried in

5035-498: The civil administration to enforce Jewish-related policies that were signed into law. The members of these councils were responsible for the implementation of any orders given to them. The Jewish councils were responsible for organization of forced labor, the collection of taxes and contributions, registration, the enforcement of sanitary regulations, and the organization of welfare and medical services. The Jewish councils were accused to treating refugees horribly and corruption. Members of

5130-429: The councils often tried to bribe German officials into delaying an order. This did not work over the long term as Jewish funds began to dry up fairly quickly. The Jewish Social Self-Help (JSS) eventually took over control of welfare from the Jewish councils. Branches were set up in major Jewish populations throughout the district. The services they provided include setting up soup kitchens, distributed food and clothing that

5225-531: The district. Polish Blue Police and the Order Police were responsible for external patrolling of the ghettos. The Commander of local Order Police battalions and SD for District Kraków was SS-Lieutenant Colonel Max Grosskopf. Once the military gave control over to the German civil administration, various antisemitic laws were passed to strip Jews of their rights and began forced labor for those that were able. Jewish councils ( Judenräte ) were created by

5320-681: The district. This was likely a low estimate as it failed to take in to account the Jews that came from Germany after Poland was incorporated into the Reich. Kraków became the headquarters of Security Police (SIPO) and the SD intelligence agency for Operation Reinhard which marked the most deadly phase of the " Final Solution ". The majority of deportations of Jews came within a three-and-a-half month period from June 1 to mid-September 1942. All ghettos were liquidated by February 1944, with Jews either being sent to labor camps or to Bełżec extermination camp . Of

5415-451: The fate of other Jewish communities in the Kraków District, all Jews were completely expelled from Mielec. About 750 people were sent to Pustków, and about 500 were murdered in and around the town. In addition, another 3,000 were deported to the Lublin area. In some cases, like the town of Błażowa , several Jews had connections to "fake jobs" that exempt them from being sent to Pustków during

5510-529: The ghetto's residents often free of charge – apart from health-care considerations – contributed to their survival. Pankiewicz passed around hair dyes to Jews compelled to cross the ghetto walls illegally. In recognition of his heroic deeds in helping countless Jews in the ghetto during the Holocaust , he was bestowed the title of the Righteous among the Nations by Yad Vashem on February 10, 1983. Pankiewicz

5605-568: The ghetto, and other activities. Outside the ghetto, they assassinated German officers and attacked checkpoints. Much of the forced labor in the Kraków District occurred at Nazi-run concentration camps. Labor was generally coordinated by the Judenrat (Jewish Council). This included separating Jews by able-bodiedness for forced labor and handling any social issues that arose. It was not uncommon for laborers to be sent from labor camps to Nazi extermination camps, particularly to nearby Auschwitz-Birkenau or Bełżec . By 1942, about 37,000 Jews remained in

5700-425: The ghetto, which proved to be instrumental in keeping Jews' spirits up. Finally, there was a ghetto pharmacy, which was a place where people could go to discuss problems, read underground and official newspapers and learn the realities of what was happening and what atrocities they were living through. Numerous songs were created by those living in the ghetto, serving three major purposes: “documentation of ghetto life,

5795-406: The ghetto. The Jewish management and police kept their significance and hierarchy within the camp, maintaining ghetto systems and power structures. Guards in Płaszów frequently beat the Jews. Along with laborers being transferred from the ghetto to the camp, many other logistical transfers took place, such as moving machines, raw materials, and equipment for workshops. In both Płaszów and Mielec ,

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5890-557: The ghetto. Aktion Krakau ( Operation Reinhard in Kraków ), led by Amon Göth , carried out the final liquidation in mid-March 1943. Forced labor varied in purpose, but was typically civil, industrial, or agricultural in nature. Many Jews were enslaved in factories or on construction projects, generally under horrible conditions and provided with meager rations. Two German companies notably utilized Jewish forced labor, Organisation Todt (OT) and Kirchhof, both of which were known to provide inadequate food supplies and wages. Kirchhof had

5985-422: The ghetto. Eventually establishing a magazine, the groups initially focused on working with the Polish Underground and the Communist Partia Robotnicza ( PPR ) . They ultimately planned for action against the Nazis. The Resistance conducted demonstrations against several Nazi -frequented institutions, including café Cyganeria, café Esplanada, and a theater. Additionally, the Polish Underground group also aided

6080-462: The historic Jewish district of Kazimierz. Displaced Polish families from Podgórze took up residences in the former Jewish dwellings outside the newly established ghetto. Meanwhile, 15,000 Jews were crammed into an area previously inhabited by 3,000 people who used to live in a district consisting of 30 streets, 320 residential buildings, and 3,167 rooms. As a result, one apartment was allocated to every four Jewish families, and many less fortunate lived on

6175-438: The history of Kraków. Podgórze was a suburb of Kraków at the time. Wächter claimed that formation of the ghetto was necessary for public health and order. The Kraków ghetto was officially established on 20 March 1941. When relocating to the ghetto, Jews were only allowed to bring 25 kg of their belongings. The rest of their possessions were taken by the German Trust Office (Treuhandstelle). Some Jews were resettled to

6270-495: The letters KL ( German : Konzentrationslager — concentration camp ) were tattooed on the hands of Jews. The Biesiadka labor camp was located about 150 kilometers east of Kraków, not far from Mielec. Not incredibly urban in nature, it has been noted that the majority of the laborers, many from Rzeszów and Jawornik , engaged in more agriculture-based labor, such as cutting down trees. Jews and Poles were separated from each other in Biesiadka. Upon arrival, they cut beech trees for

6365-493: The local Corpus Christi Collegiate Church, before their exhumation and burial in Hungary in 1907. In the mid-eighteenth century, Roman Catholics constituted 53.7% of the population, members of the Greek Catholic Church 23.9%, and Jews 22.3%. Jarosław was annexed by Austria in the First Partition of Poland in 1772. It was part of newly formed Galicia ( Austrian Partition ) until Poland regained independence in 1918 following World War I. In 1914, Russian soldiers carried out

6460-527: The making for the film, Burkhut told of a young girl wearing a pink coat, no older than four, who was shot by a Nazi officer right before his eyes. Oskar Schindler was portrayed in the Thomas Keneally novel Schindler's Ark (the basis for Steven Spielberg 's film Schindler's List ). In an especially dramatic event, 300 of Schindler's workers were deported to the Auschwitz death camp despite his efforts, and he personally intervened to return them to him. Other notable people include Mordechai Gebirtig , who

6555-406: The nearby ghetto of Brzesko . All non-Jewish residents of the area were required to relocate in other districts by 20 March 1941. The ghetto was guarded by the German police (Schutzpolizei), the Polish police ( Blue Police ), and the Kraków Ghetto Jewish Police (J üdischer Ordnungsdienst – OD), but the only police force inside the ghetto was the Jewish Police. With the formation of the ghetto,

6650-435: The occupiers’ terror. Poland was helpless against the construction of a network of concentration camps within the territory occupied by the Germans. It was not capable of preventing the citizens of the Republic of Poland – Jews and Poles alike – from a slave-like ordeal in the German death factories and Soviet labor camps. The Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp , the second largest camp in the Kraków District, after Auschwitz,

6745-444: The population . Under German occupation , the town was part of the Kraków District of the General Government . The Polish resistance movement was active in the town, and from May 1940, the underground Polish newspaper Odwet was distributed in Jarosław. In 1944, the town was captured by the Red Army of the Soviet Union and restored to Poland, although with a Soviet -installed communist regime, which remained in power until

6840-459: The second, of additional 4,000 Jews deported to Bełżec death camp on 5 June 1942. On 13–14 March 1943, the final 'liquidation' of the ghetto was carried out under the command of SS - Untersturmführer Amon Göth . Two thousand Jews deemed able to work were transported to the Płaszów labor camp . Those deemed unfit for work – some 2,000 Jews – were killed in the streets of the ghetto on those days with

6935-436: The spring of 1942. Some of those sent to the camp, however, were murdered or died from harsh conditions along the way. Jaros%C5%82aw Jarosław ( Polish: [jaˈrɔswaf] ; Ukrainian : Ярослав , romanized :  Yaroslav , IPA: [jɐroˈslɑu̯] ; Yiddish : יאַרעסלאָוו , romanized :  Yareslov ; German : Jaroslau ) is a town in southeastern Poland , situated on

7030-430: The street. The ghetto was surrounded by the newly built walls that kept it separated from the rest of the city. In a grim foreshadowing of the near future, these walls contained brick panels in the shape of tombstones. All windows and doors that opened onto the " Aryan " side were ordered to be bricked up. Only four guarded entrances allowed traffic to pass in or out. Small sections of the wall still remain today, one part

7125-550: The theater was relatively unsuccessful due to poor planning and a refusal to harm innocent Poles in attendance; however, Esplanada Café and the Officers’ club attacks were successful. The relative success of the Resistance groups was hindered by Julek Appel and Natek Waisman who betrayed the resistance. Hahalutz Halochem was quickly subdued by the Nazis – due to Appel and Waisman – but better security habits protected Iskra for

7220-523: The time of the German invasion, only 15,000 workers and their families were permitted to remain. All other Jews were ordered out of the city, to be resettled into surrounding rural areas of the General Government. In April 1940, Hans Frank proposed the removal of 50,000 Jews from the city of Kraków . Frank's reason for removing Jews from the Jewish quarter was that the area "...will be cleansed and it will be possible to establish pure German neighborhoods..." within Kraków. From May 1940 to 15 August 1940,

7315-467: The time, songs were sung throughout the work day. Mordechai Gebirtig , who is “known for his beautiful and prescient songs and poems” in Yiddish emerged from the Kraków ghetto. His song “Our Town Is Burning” which was written in 1938 became “one of the most popular songs in the ghettos and concentration camps." Unfortunately, Gebirtig was shot and killed in the Kraków ghetto. Another individual who

7410-555: The town. In the 1590s Tatars from the Ottoman Empire pillaged the surrounding countryside. (See Moldavian Magnate Wars , The Magnate Wars (1593–1617), Causes .) They were unable to overcome the city's fortifications , but their raids started to diminish the city's economic strength and importance. Outbreaks of bubonic plague in the 1620s, and the invasion known as the Swedish Deluge in 1655–60 further undermined

7505-474: The underground movements published a paper called “Hechalutz Halochem” which was edited by Simon Dranger. This paper served to combat the German work of “Zydowska Gazeta”; this was an underground work which attempted to conceal the Nazis' genocidal aims and thus stem any opposition. The Cyganeria Bombing is one of the more discussed attacks conducted by the Kraków Resistance movements. It was one of

7600-542: The use of " Trawniki men " police auxiliaries. The remaining 3,000 were sent to Auschwitz . A 24-person Jewish board was formed in the city of Kraków and later in the Krakow Ghetto, when the ghetto was formed on March 3, 1941. This Jewish Council was in charge of the inhabitants of the ghetto but received many orders from local Nazi officials, even though it retained some degree of autonomy. Some of its functions included overseeing labor and welfare, conducting

7695-558: The youth movements involved had significant, but realistic aims. It is suggested that Nazi intentions were evident to the youth and they consequently decided to fight the Nazis vision, even though they knew success would be limited. Significantly, composed of members of the Akiva Zionist youth movement, Hahalutz Halochem worked with Iskra along with communist to stage the Cyganeria bombing. Aligning with Hahalutz Halochem motivated Akiva to transition to armed resistance. Furthermore,

7790-542: The “Aryan” portion of the city rather than fight a futile war from within. To strengthen itself, Iskra merged with Hahalutz Halochem – thus mixing communist leanings with a Zionist group and subsequently forming the Jewish fighting Organization (Zydowska Organizacja Bojowa; ZOB) Despite the similarity in name this ZOB was independent from the ZOB involved in Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Historians will argue that

7885-405: Was Rabbi Nathan Neta Ashkenazi, in 1590. A year later, the new Council of Four Lands (Vaad Arba Aratzot) began convening in Jarosław, rotating the meetings with the city of Lwów (Lviv). Until 1608 with a small Jewish community, religious facilities were not allowed. Still, Rabbi Solomon Efraim of Lontschitz (the author of "Kli Yakar"), a prominent and well known rabbi, lived here. By 1670 there

7980-467: Was a large "government" synagogue created, although protested by the Christian community of the city. During attacks on the city by Tatars and Swedes, Jewish merchandise and sometimes homes were set on fire. In 1765, there were 1,884 Jews in the city and towns around it. A Jewish school was established sometime later. The famous rabbi Levi Isaac of Berdyczów (Berdychiv) studied in Jarosław circa 1760 and

8075-410: Was a rarity in the Kraków ghetto, was another way numerous victims attempted to cope with their strong hatred for the enemy. Sometimes prisoners performed ghetto songs, while other times small groups performed them with various instruments. Street songs are a sub-genre of ghetto music with four dominant themes: hunger, corrupt administration, hope for freedom and a call for revolt. Music has always been

8170-548: Was an influential centre for the 60,000–80,000 Polish Jews who had lived there since the 13th century . Persecution of the Jewish population of Kraków began immediately after the German troops entered the city on 6 September 1939 in the course of the German aggression against Poland . Jews were ordered to report for forced labour beginning in September 1939. In November, all Jews twelve years or older were required to wear identifying armbands. Throughout Kraków, synagogues were closed and all their relics and valuables confiscated by

8265-432: Was called "the genius of Yeruslav". A fire in 1805 burnt down the old synagogue and a new one was established more according to tradition to replace it. The new synagogue was completed in 1811. A census taken in 1901 notes that Jews were 25% of the population: 5701 Jewish families. In a story about Jacob Kranc told by Rabbi Jacob Orenstein around 1850, about the appointment of the Jarosław rabbi, Rabbi Orenstein had refused

8360-618: Was enough to create a moving speech, remembered years later, and accounted for in the book. In 1921 the last rabbi was appointed, Rabbi Shmaiya HaLevi Steinberg. He wrote a book about the Jews of his town, and in the 1930s sent two copies to the National Hebrew Library in Jerusalem . These copies are the only surviving copies of the book after the Holocaust . In September 1939, Jarosław was captured by Germans. Most of

8455-566: Was given to them, and provided care for the elderly and children. Their efforts were not enough to fix all the issues facing the Jewish ghettos. A little over two months after the invasion of Poland , the new Gestapo chief of Kraków Bruno Müller had launched his Sonderaktion Krakau , shutting down all universities and high schools, and arresting leading academics; eventually killing President of Kraków Dr Stanisław Klimecki . The occupation of Kraków by Nazi Germany began on September 6, 1939. Many Jews and civilians alike tried to flee when

8550-486: Was in the Kraków ghetto was Roman Polanski , who became a famous film director upon his survival of the Holocaust. Polanski eventually directed a film that told the story of the musician Władysław Szpilman who survived the Holocaust . In order to pass time while trapped in these horrendous conditions, a lot of Jewish children in the Kraków ghetto played the violin and any other instruments they had access to. Music proved to be an instrumental aspect of cultural life in

8645-589: Was liquidated. From 30 May 1942 onward, the Nazis began systematic deportations from the Ghetto to surrounding concentration camps. Thousands of Jews were transported in the succeeding months as part of the Aktion Krakau headed by SS - Oberführer Julian Scherner . Jews were assembled on Zgody Square first and then escorted to the railway station in Prokocim. The first transport consisted of 7,000 people,

8740-403: Was one of the most influential and popular writers of Yiddish songs and poems. He was shot there in 1942. Miriam Akavia , an Israeli writer, survived the Kraków ghetto and concentration camps. Renowned dermatologist and co-discoverer of Reyes Syndrome , Dr Jim Jacob Baral was also a Kraków Ghetto survivor; his mother pushed him and his brother Martin under the barbed wire to hide at the home of

8835-563: Was originally constructed as an extension of the Kraków Ghetto, located about 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of the city center. Wilhelm Kunde, a commander of the SS guard detail, was the overall manager of the Aktion process to liquidate the Kraków Ghetto, and eventually become one of two commandants of the Płaszów camp. Approximately 10,000 Jews were sent to Płaszów immediately after the liquidation of

8930-405: Was responsible for determining the new housing assignments. Within the Kraków ghetto, Yiddish was the official language, not Polish. On 1 December 1939, an order was announced mandating that all Jews within the General Government wear an armband identifying them as Jewish. The white armbands with the blue Star of David were still required once Jews were moved into the ghetto. On 15 October 1941,

9025-473: Was responsible for these apartments. In December 1942. the Kraków ghetto was divided into two parts: Ghetto "A" and Ghetto "B." Ghetto "A" was intended for people that were working and Ghetto "B" was for everyone else. This division was planned with future liquidations of the ghetto in mind. The Kraków Ghetto was formally established on 3 March 1941 in the Podgórze district and not, as often believed, in

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