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Brzesko Ghetto was a Nazi ghetto during World War II in occupied Poland. The ghetto was created by the Germans in 1940 in the Polish town of Brzesko located in the Krakow District about 40 miles from Krakow. Bzesko was originally occupied in 1939. The ghetto was open when it was first created, meaning there were no barriers preventing people from leaving, but Jews were not able to leave. The ghetto was only marked using signage at this time. In 1942 walls were put up and the ghetto became a closed ghetto which physically prevented people from escaping. An estimated 4,000 Jewish people lived within the Brzesko ghetto when it was first established, but another 2,000 moved there by 1942, many arriving from Krakow and the surrounding area. The Jewish people living within Brzesko were sent to the Belzec extermination camp and Auschwitz extermination camp. After the exterminations, the camp was closed in 1943.

Background

Before the town of Brzesko became a ghetto, about two-thirds of the population was Jewish. When the Germans came to the town of Brsezko they took hostages from the Jewish population and demanded money from the town. The town businesses owned by Jews were also forced to put signs up marking that they were owned by Jews and preventing future business. Many Jews were forced to leave their line of work and pick up new jobs given to them by the Germans forces which included many cleaning jobs. The people put into forced labor included men between the ages of 15 and 60. In addition, the Jews were outfitted with armbands displaying the Star of David on their right arm. After the armbands, the exclusion from many businesses and activities followed including that from restaurants, parks, and stores. Although they faced great discrimination in their town, many of the Jews still considered themselves citizens of the town and still felt obligated to improve it. After the occupation of the town, the German Police would come to the town and shoot citizens. These citizens were both random and targeted by the Order Police. Some of the police involved included Wilhelm Rommelman, Lapsch, and Beck. In addition, burgluries were a problem in and around Brzesko before it became a ghetto.

Ghetto History

When the ghetto was first created in 1940 it was an open ghetto. It was marked by signs, but had no barriers to keep the Jewish people inside the town. The Jews were not allowed to leave and any movement in or out of the city was monitored. Having the ghetto opened allowed for smuggling of food in by nearby Aryan community. After it was closed, this responsibility fell on the Jewish Police. This section of Jewish Police was lead by Diestler. Trades between the Jewish residents and the Jewish Police occurred at night. The Jewish people living in the ghetto were also low on winter apparel and supplies because the German Troops took it in preparation for the invasion of Russia. In 1941 the open ghetto became a closed ghetto when a fence surrounded the town. Overpopulation became a problem when the ghetto was fenced off. The camp had about ten people per window which decreased sanitation throughout the camp. This led to an outbreak of typhoid. Typhoid was one of the major causes of death within the ghetto along with starvation. One of the doctors helping those with Typhoid fever was Maurycy Gross. Even with the outbreak of typhoid. the main source of death within the ghetto was the German forces. When a Jew was shot by someone in the Nazi party, they would force other Jews within the community to sign a document stating they died from natural causes. In addition, the Jews had to pay for any ammunition used to shoot other Jewish people within Brzesko. During the year of 1942, three Aktions took place within the Brzesko Ghetto. These killed about 300 Jews total and were conducted by the Order Police which included people such as Lapsch, Wagner, and Mikler. In 1943 about 2,000 Jewish people were sent to the Belzec death camp, about 150 miles from Brzesko. Another 4,000 Jewish people were sent to the Auschwitz death camp that same year. In order to accomplish the deportation, all the Jews living in Brzesko were gathered in the square of the town. Throughout the process of deportation to the death camps, any citizens considered too weak to travel were shot in the town square. This could be due to illness, age, or injury. Those left behind after the deportation were sent to Tarnow or killed. Kirkut cemetery was the site of many executions from the Brzesko Ghetto. The cemetery still contains the graves of those who died during WWII. There is now a monument in place to mark the mass grave of the Jews that died in Brzesko.

Throughout the lifespan of the ghetto Jews within the ghetto worked to escape. Some of the Jews escaped into the nearby woods where they hid until they could escape or were caught. Other Jews tried to escape by using fake Aryan documents forged for them. Paulina Tider and her family were part of the group that got Aryan papers to escape Brzesko. Anyone who was caught outside the ghetto boundaries was killed on site by the Polish police guarding the ghetto. During the deportation, Dr. Jan Brzeski helped some of the Jews who had escaped by keeping them healthy until they could come out of hiding.

Jewish Council (Judenrat) of Brzesko

The Judenrat was formed to meet the demands of the Germans through forced labor. Though the council was made up of Jews who believed they were making a difference, the purpose of the served only German needs. This included taking a census of Brzesko. The division of the Jewish Council was lead by Jakub Hendler. He also oversaw the counties of Szczurowa and Borzecin.

Additional groups within Brzesko included the Central Organization for Orphan Care, Jewish Social Self-Help, and Committee for the Aid to Refugees and the Poor.