Krakow+Ghetto+Krakow+,+Poland

During the two years the Krakow Ghetto was holding Jewish prisoners, it saw many horrific events. About 68,480 Jewish people lived in Krakow and the surrounding areas. And before long, Krakow became one of the largest Jewish communities in Poland. Most of these Krakow Jews resided in a historic Jewish district called Kazimierz. By 1867, many Jews and their families lived and owned their own businesses thoughout the entire city. Even today native people and tourist are still able to visit these old Jewish homes and the synagogue of Kazimierz. This was also the only historical Jewish district that wasn't destroyed in the war. On September 6, 1939, Krakow was captured by by Germans while they were taking over Poland. During this time, the Nazis ordered all synagogues to be closed and the Judenrat was to be established. When Germans began to occupy Krakow, persecution of Jews started. In November 1939, Nazis ordered that all Jews twelve and older had to wear armbands with the Star of David on them. By the time everyone had one, they had sold 53,828 armbands. Before too long, Jewish shops and homes were looted of anything of value. As well as the homes and shops being raided, the best apartments were reserved for the German officials and their families. While the German officials were taking their homes, most Jews were forced into labor camps. On April 1940, a man named Hans Franz announced to the city that Krakow should be the "cleanest" city in the General Government. But when he said cleanest he meant to be rid of all Jews. On May 18, 1940, Nazis ordered a huge amount of Jewish people to resettle. Only 15,000 Jews were allowed to stay with their families because of jobs and work. By autumn 1940, 5,000 Jews, from Krakow, were uprooted and moved to the Lublin district. Some Jews from Krakow moved to new homes surrounding Krakow, while others followed the command and went to the Lublin district. In total, 41,000 Jewish people were transferred to the Lublin district to work in the labor camps. There were two factories that were built for people to work in in order to support the German war effort. On March 3, 1941, Dr. Otto Watcher, governor of the Krakow district, ordered the establishment of a ghetto in Krakow. This was the beginning of all the problems in Krakow. This ghetto was built in Podgorze and was under Nazi control. All Jewish people had to move to the new ghetto by March 20, 1941. While some left the city, others followed the commands and moved to Podgorze. The first deportation of the Krakow Ghetto to the death camp was between May 30th and June 8, 1942. On June 4, 1942, 600 Jews were killed in the ghetto. S.S. men chose who would remain on the ghetto and who would be deported. Who was responsible? A man named Wilhelm Kunde was responsible for all this and the next upcoming deportation. And on the last day of action, 7,000 Jews from the camps Miechow, Jedrzejow, and Slomniki were all deported. All the people that were deported when to Belzee and hundreds of people were killed during the deportations. The Germans killed people such as the elderly, hospital patients and children from the orphanage. By the end of June, the ghetto was even smaller. On the right bank of the Wisla River and in the district of Podgorze was the "Jewish Housing District". Within, overcrowding was a major issue. Every 4 families lived in one apartment. In total, 3,000 of the original residents were relocated. Jews were also fed small amounts of food. This small amount of food includes 100 grams of bread and 200 grams of sugar(fat) per month. Because this is such a little amount, starvation was common. May 29, 1942, the Krakow Ghetto was surrounded by Nazi troops for the liquidation of the ghetto. Now the ghetto was under Nazi occupation.On March 13, 1943, the final liquidation of the ghetto took place. The worst liquidation was on the 13th and 14th of March 1943. 4,000 people were sent to work and the other 2,000 people that were unfit to work were shot there. Currently, only a small portion of the ghetto remains. March 16th marks the 70th anniversary of the liquidation of the Krakow Ghetto. What happened in the Ghetto will be an everlasting scar on Krakow but also a learning experience to teach people how horrific people can be. This is a good lesson to not only the people of Krakow but also all the world.