Rare Photograph of a Large Group of Jews (Mainly Women) Rounded Up by the Nazis for Deportation During the Final Stages of the Sieradz Ghetto Liquidation – Poland, 1942. Rare.
A rare historical photograph, likely taken by a Nazi soldier present at the scene, showing a large group of several dozen Jewish women standing in an open field against the backdrop of Sieradz town buildings, standing in rows, awaiting their deportation. On the back, an inscription in Polish reads: Ostatnie wysiedlenie – “The Last Deportation, ” along with the year 1942 and location “Sieradz”, Poland.
Sieradz was a county town in the Łódź district. Between the two world wars, nearly 3,000 Jews lived there, comprising one-third of the population. Most made their livelihood in crafts and trade. The town had a wide-ranging Jewish educational network, a library, and Jewish sports associations. Rising antisemitism in the 1930s led to severe economic hardship for the Jews, forcing many to close their shops and workshops. The Germans occupied Sieradz on September 4, 1939. Eleven days later, on September 15, 1939, German forces executed 17 civilians, 11 of whom were Jews. Some Jews were taken to concentration camps in Germany. In December 1939, a few hundred Jews from Sieradz were deported to Sandomierz. In March 1940, an ungated ghetto was established in Sieradz, where some Jews were forced to work in a weaving workshop set up in the local prison. Between 1940 and 1941, many Jews from Sieradz were deported to Zduńska Wola and forced labor camps in the Poznań region. By early 1942, only 1,100–1,400 Jews remained in the ghetto. In its final six months, living conditions deteriorated drastically. Jews were required to report twice daily for roll call, while their homes were left open for looting.
In spring-summer 1942, thousands of Jews from surrounding ghettos were forced into the Sieradz ghetto, raising its population to approximately 4,500 before its final liquidation. On August 22, 1942, German police stormed the ghetto, forcibly transferring all its residents to a nearby monastery, shooting those who tried to hide or were unable to walk. After being held in the monastery for three days, most were deported to the Chełmno extermination camp, while 184 Jews were sent to forced labor in the Łódź Ghetto.
Size: 9×14 cm. The photograph is divided on the back for use as a postcard. Stains in the upper section, minor cracks, and a small missing piece in the upper right corner.
Condition: Good-moderate.
