Two Banknotes Issued in the Łódź (Litzmannstadt) Ghetto as Part of the First Series of Banknotes, May 15, 1940. The banknotes, valued at 1 Mark and 50 Marks, were found in the pocket of a Holocaust survivor and are preserved in plastic for protection.
On the banknotes in the Łódź Ghetto, the Nazis printed a Star of David and a seven-branched menorah in order to give them a Jewish appearance. They also bore the printed signature of Mordechai Rumkowski, head of the Judenrat in the Łódź Ghetto. The notes were designed by Ignacy Guttman, with all seven denominations—from 50 pfennig to 50 marks—decorated with Stars of David and a seven-branched menorah. The banknotes were printed by the Siegmund Manitius company outside the ghetto.
The Jewish money printed in the ghetto served as the sole legal tender and was mockingly nicknamed “Rumki” or “Chaimki” by the residents, after Mordechai Chaim Rumkowski. By issuing the so-called “Jewish money, ” which held no value whatsoever outside the ghetto, the Germans intended to absorb the German currency held by the Jews, who were required to exchange all foreign currency in their possession for the ghetto-issued money. Possession of foreign currency was a serious offense, and violators were harshly punished. On November 14, 1941, three individuals were tried before the Jewish court in the ghetto, charged with forging Jewish currency worth 2 Marks.
See also:
“Chronicle of the Łódź Ghetto, ” Volume I, p. 3, Note No. 5; also pp. 253-254, and Note No. 143.
Encyclopedia of the Łódź Ghetto, in “Yediot Beit Lohamei HaGhetaot” (5), (13), p. 63, entry “Rumki.”
The two banknotes are in very worn condition, indicating that they circulated extensively within the ghetto.
