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The Ghettos
Separation and Confinement
The term ghetto originated as early as 1516, and referred to the closed Jewish quarter of Venice. In Nazi Germany, the term specifically meant the virtual isolation of Jews from the general population.Hundreds of thousands of Jews were confined in ghettos throughout Europe as the Nazis sought to contain the Jewish population in preparation for the Final Solution. While Ghetto inhabitants tried to sustain a certain degree of normalcy in their lives (through cultural and social activities), living conditions were terrible and thousands died from hunger and disease.
Ghettos were located in Poland, the Soviet Union, Holland, Hungary, Greece, and Czechoslovakia. In accordance with a 1939 order by the SS, the Nazis eventually established several hundred ghettos through the Reich and Nazi-occupied areas.
By 1942, all the Jews of Poland and the German-controlled territories of the Soviet Union were confined to ghettos, living in hiding, or on the run. Some ghettos were closed, while in the beginning, other were relatively open. By the final deportations, all ghettos were sealed.
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Listen to Ed Herman's description of his experiences in the Warsaw ghetto:
Listen to Paul Temmer describe how he and his grandparents were moved into the ghetto from his home in Budapest, Hungary:
Listen to Yetti Sterensis recall her family’s move into the Lvov ghetto:
Listen to Yetti Sterensis describe how her family bought food in the ghetto:
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