MILCH KARTE [Milk Card No. 243227] DER AELTESTE DER JUDEN IN LITZMANNSTADT [The Jewish Ghetto in Lodz].
On the back of the card are the cardholder’s personal details – his name: a Jew named Freiman, his age and address. On the front are regulations in German with penalties for losing the card or making use of it other than Nazi law.
Unlike the other ghettos in the Polish territory, the conditions in the Lodz ghetto were difficult and the population depended entirely on the German authorities. In other ghettos throughout Poland, a hidden “industry” flourished, based on the smuggling of food and products between the ghettos and the outside world. In Lodz, on the other hand, this was almost impossible because of the strict observance and the German minority in the city. The Jews were completely dependent on the German authorities and the Judenrat for food, medicine and other essential equipment. Thus, the various cards that had been granted rights to receive milk, bread, cigarettes and similar products were created in an effort to minimize free trade in the ghetto.
12×15 cm. Very fine condition.
