In 1939 about 380,000 Jews lived in Warsaw.  Warsaw was the center of the Polish-Jewish life. In Poland many Jewish people served their communities as physicians, Lawyers or judges and helped with crafts and commerce.  60 % of physicians were Jews.  They also helped developing houses in major cities and municipal service.

  On May 1943 the famous Synagogue of Tlomackie was attacked by Nazis to show their victory over the Jewish.  It was blown up and was a sign of dominance over the ghetto uprisings.  In the 50's it was officially demolished.  It was thought to be beautiful and was known for its unusual round shape.  Ghettos were small concentrated Jewish neighborhoods controlled by Hitler and Nazi Germany.  In eastern Germany Jews made up 50 to 70 percent of small towns population.

  In retaliation to the Nazis Jews organized a militia and founded a headquarters in the Cracow ghetto.  The ghetto existed until 1943 and by the most of the Jewish prisoners had died from illness or were murdered in concentration camps in Plasz a concentration camp near Cracow.  About 68,000 Jews were originally closed up in the ghetto and few survived.  In the mid 40's many Jews were shut up in the Warsaw ghetto.  The Jews enclosed there were mainly from Warsaw, but some were deported from other areas in Western Europe.  Its population reached one half million at its peak and many suffered under terrible conditions for the ghettos and from hunger and disease.

  The first sign of real armed resistance flared up in January of 1943 when Mordechaj Anielewicz led members of the newly formed Jewish militia known as the Jewish Military Union in building bunkers and fortifications.  Then the ghetto uprising started and the heavily armed SS Nazi organization assaulted the rebels.  The Polish underground actively supported the Jewish resistance by supplying the militia with weapons and organizing planned military actions.  After an admirable defense the Jewish bunker called Mila 18 street was taken over and fell to the Nazis.  All of the staff and the commander at the bunker honorably gave up their lives.  56,065 prisoners were taken at the end of the uprising, and 7,000 were executed.      

Back to Home