The term ghetto originates in Italy where the Jewish population were confined in a designated area in the cities beginning in 1516 over the next 200 years Rome, Prague, and Frankfurt also established ghettos though in the late 1800’s they were no longer required to live in them though they still existed.
What was life like for the Jews in the ghettos?
The ghettos were poorly made overcrowded districts that were made in primarily Poland to contain the Jewish, Roma and Sinti population. They were surrounded by walls, fences or barbed wire and nobody could leave or enter without a permit. Each community had a council which would be responsible for upholding German law.
There was little food in these Ghettos and diseases like Tuberculosis and Typhus were rampant among the general population. It got worse when people from different countries were also put into the ghettos 500,000 Jews died in the ghetto from illness and starvation.
There were many orphaned children in the ghettos, and they usually had to take care of other orphaned children they were homeless and often begged for food or anything they could get to survive they had to be resourceful so small children would sometimes help their families by going through small holes in the ghetto wall this however was a huge risk as those who were caught were often killed.
Though it was prohibited people still tried to get an education they were usually held secretly, and pupils hid books under their clothes to avoid being caught.
Jewish police officers in ghettos were controversial they were given extra rations like uniforms, food rations and contraband from those who smuggled stuff from outside the ghettos. Nazi officers often forced them to perform violent acts on fellow Jews some Jewish police officer were even killed by fellow Jews as a response treachery. Some of their tasks included directing traffic, deterring smugglers, liquidations of the ghetto guarding the ghetto gates and to guard areas like post offices, kitchens, and community administrations.
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