Warsaw Ghetto and Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, 1939-1978 | Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

The arrangement scheme for the record group was imposed during processing in the absence of an original order. Materials are arranged by subject, then by identifier, as assigned by the processor.

Record group is comprised of seven collections and three items, the collections of which are: 1. Collection of Warsaw ghetto street scene photographs; 2. Collection on Warsaw Ghetto Uprising; 3. Collection of exhibit-building photographs; 4. Collection of Warsaw ghetto documents issued by the German authorities and Jewish ghetto administration; 5. Władysław Wójcik collection; 6.Collection of photographs on forced stripping in the Warsaw ghetto; 7. Collection on Adam Czerniakow.

The Warsaw Ghetto was established on October 16, 1940 in the Jewish section of Warsaw. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began on April 19, 1943, when the Nazis decided to liquidate the ghetto and send its remaining inhabitants to Treblinka, an extermination camp. The uprising lasted until May 16, 1943.The collection of photographs depicting a forced stripping of a Jewish young woman in front of German soldiers consists of original photographs.

The collection of photo documents depicting ghetto life are largely secondary photographs. The same is true about the photo documents comprising the collection devoted to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.RG-25.01- Warsaw Ghetto Street Scenes Photo-Collection

This collection of four photographs is of the Warsaw Ghetto from 1943.

RG-25.01.01.01- The first photograph depicts a Jewish man in the front, two Jewish females in the back, and another Jewish man passing by on the street. There is a clock in the background with a hanging sign, “Zegarmistrz.”

RG-25.01.01.02- The second photograph depicts the backs of a group of males and females marching and carrying shovels. There is a man in the back holding arms. There is also a film negative of this photograph included in the envelope the photographs are in.

RG-25.01.01.03- The third photograph is of a street scene with a tall building in the background.

RG-25.01.01.04- Photograph of a Warsaw Ghetto street scene, two men walking past each other

RG-25.01.02- Warsaw Ghetto, Police Mistreating Old Man

Caption attached- “A Hitlerite policeman/schupe/ mistreats an old Jew. Photo found on a Hitlerite officer killed in battle.” Caption also in Polish.

RG-25.01.03- Warsaw Ghetto, Invaders and a group of Jewish Men

Caption attached- “By persecuting the Jews the invader tried to trample down their human dignity and thus kill their spirit of resistance. Photo taken from the Ghetto Underground Archives.” Caption also in Polish.

RG-25.01.04- Warsaw Ghetto in Flames, the last Jewish prisoners are led to execution

Dated- 1943-

This photograph shows the Warsaw Ghetto in flames as the last Jewish prisoners are led to execution.

RG-25.01.05- Warsaw Ghetto, 1941, photocopies

Photocopies of photographs of the Warsaw Ghetto in 1941. The first is a scene of men working and using wheelbarrows. The second is of men walking toward a car. The third is of a man standing near a pile of rectangular objects.

RG-25.01.06- Soldiers walking in the streets of the Warsaw Ghetto in May 1943

Dated- May 1943

A photograph of the Warsaw Ghetto in flames in May 1943, two copies.

RG-25.01.07- Warsaw Ghetto, Wagon of dead bodies

RG-25.01.08- Warsaw Ghetto, A man on the street

RG-25.01.09- Warsaw ghetto, a doctor visiting a dwelling at 33 Nalewki Street, 1941

RG-25.01.10- Warsaw Ghetto Jewish police, May, 1941

RG-25.02- Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Photographs

Dated- April-May 1943

RG-25.02.01- Two male resistance fighters during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

RG-25.02.02- Blazing houses during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

RG-25.02.03- Fighter climbing out of a cellar with hands in the air after capture by the Nazis.

RG-25.02.04- Women prisoners lined up awaiting their fate.

RG-25.02.05- Mordechai Anielewicz, original Passport Photograph

This photograph was donated by Mrs. Nutkievitz, who was in Sweden and exchanged photos with a friend, who gave her this original passport photograph of Mordechai Anielewicz. Anielewicz was a strong leader and one of the initiators of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising; he had been appointed commander of the ZOB, a Jewish fighting organization, in November of 1942. He was killed in the bunker on May 8, 1943.

RG-25.02.06- Warsaw Ghetto Burning, 3 copies

Dated- April-May 1943

Three copies of the same photograph, a photograph of the Warsaw Ghetto in flames in the background of a skyline.

RG-25.02.07- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, two female members of Jewish Fighting Organization (ZOB) before the execution, Courtesy- YIVO Institute for Jewish research

RG-25.02.08- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Jews in front of the German soldiers, Alex Schwartzkopf Collection

RG-25.02.09- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, a street in the ghetto after the Uprising

RG-25.02.10- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, a column of Jewish captives is being led in the aftermath of the Uprising, courtesy of Wide World Photo

RG-25.02.11- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, in the aftermath, Alex Schwartzkopf Collection

RG-25.02.12- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, ruins of the ghetto, Alex Schwartzkopf Collection

RG-25.02.13- Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, in the aftermath

RG-25.02.14- New York Times, Warsaw Ghetto article

Secret Polish Radio asks Aid, Cut off

RG-25.02.15- Heavily armed German troops clear Muranowski Square of Jewish Resistance Fighters, April, 1943

RG-25.02.16- The Monument of Ghetto Heroes

A small relief of one side of the Monument of Ghetto Heroes in Warsaw dedicated to the Ghetto Heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto. The box contains a booklet in English explaining the monument.

RG-25.03- Exhibit-Building, Secondary Photographs

RG-25.03.01- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto wall

RG-25.03.02- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto, Hungry and Exhausted Kids in the yard

RG-25.03.03- Color slide, Warsaw Ghetto, Jewish Policeman regulates traffic

RG-25.03.04- Slide, Warsaw Ghetto, Books are being sold and exchange on the street

RG-25.03.05- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto, A man on the street

RG-25.03.06- Photograph, Warsaw, First Days of the German occupation

RG-25.03.07- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto, a view of the ghetto wall

RG-25.03.08- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto, Jews climbing over the ghetto wall

RG-25.03.09- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto, at the cemetery

RG-25.03.10- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto, a Jewish Boy, 1943, Yad Vashem Archives

RG-25.03.11- Photograph, Warsaw, Jews are not allowed into the park

RG-25.03.12- Photograph, Warsaw, a ghetto check-point

RG-25.03.13- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto, a ghetto entrance

RG-25.03.14- Photograph, Warsaw ghetto, medical examining in the ghetto

RG-25.03.15- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto, prayer in the ghetto

RG-25.03.16- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto, Jewish kids in the classroom

RG-25.03.17- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto, A beggar on the street

RG-25.03.18- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto, unidentified location, perhaps a transfer

RG-25.03.19- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto, inside a ghetto dwelling

RG-25.03.20- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto, street sale

RG-25.03.21- Photograph, Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

RG-25.03.22- Slide, Warsaw ghetto, pedestrian bridge

RG-25.03.23- Slide, Warsaw ghetto, transporting cargo

RG-25.03.24- Photo-copy, Warsaw ghetto, a food ration card

RG-25.03.25- Photograph, Warsaw ghetto, street entertainer Rubinstein on the street

RG-25.03.26- Photograph, Warsaw, a Jewish fur shop, preparing for the German requisitions

RG-25.03.27- Photograph, Warsaw ghetto, dragging the dead

RG-25.04- Warsaw Ghetto Documents issued by the German Authorities and Jewish Ghetto Administration

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RG- 25.04.01- Warsaw Ghetto, Notice, copy

Dated- 10 November 1941

Issued by- Dr. Fischer, Gouverneur

“Notice- Death penalty for leaving the Jewish residential district…the General Governor decreed that in the future, when a Jew of the residential district leaves on un authorized leave, there will be a death penalty. The same penalty applies to those who take in Jews either knowingly or helping by using all kinds of vehicles. The trial is carried out by the Special Court of Warsaw. I would like to see the entire population of the Warsaw District comply to this new statutory because only a more rigorous approach is unrelenting.” The language is in German.

RG- 25.04.02- Warsaw Ghetto, Judenrat Notice, copy

Dated- 22 July 1942

Issued by- Warsaw Ghetto Judenrat

A notice from the Warsaw Ghetto Judenrat that all Jewish people of all ages and sex living in Warsaw are relocated to the East…Person designated for resettlement may each pack a travel bag of 15 kilograms and may bring monetary valuables, jewelry, gold, etc...The transportation begins July 22, 1942 at 11am…” The language of the notice is in German and Polish.

RG- 25.04.03- Warsaw Police Bulletin

Dated- 1943

Issued by- Warsaw Police

A Warsaw Police bulletin in German and Polish.

RG- 25.04.04- Zydowska Organizacja Bojowa Notice, copy

Dated- 23 April 1943

Language- Polish

Notice to Polish citizens to fight against the German army, which as cruel invaders, invaded the homes of their mothers, wives and children. The notice calls for a fight against a common enemy, the Nazis, for freedom, human dignity, and national honor.

RG- 25.04.05- Telefax Copy

Dated- 16 May 1943

Language- German

“Sender- Police of Warsaw District

Subject- Ghetto-Grossaktion

Attention- Higher SS and Police of the East…

Krakow

The course of the Grossaktion on May 16 1943, beginning 10 A.M.-

There were 180 Jews, bandits, and people destroyed. The former Jewish residential district of Warsaw no longer exists. With the blowing up of the Warsaw Synagogue, the Grossaktion ended at 8-15 P.M.

…

The evidence is collected and the total destruction of Jews is 56 065.

Own no losses.

Final report…May 18 1943.”

RG-25.04.06- Warsaw Judenrat informs about mass deportation to Treblinka, 22 July 1942

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RG-25.05- Władysław Wójcik Collection

Provenance- Władysław Wójcik, 99-44-62 Avenue, Rego Park, New York, II374. Mr. Wójcik’s collection includes his appeals to Jewish organizations for financial assistance and their responses, letters concerning his nomination to Yad Vashem as a Righteous Gentile, a letter from the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, and a letter from a doctor stating his health. The collection also includes a passport photograph of Mr. Wójcik.

Organization- The collection of documents is a collection of letters, totaling 16 pages. The narrative is placed in a pocket folder and is bound by a paper clip.

Language- English, French, Polish

Bibliographical/Historical note- In 1950 Władysław Wójcik, a construction technician, working on the site of the Warsaw ghetto discovered the second part of the Ringelblum Archives (which contain clandestine documentation of ghetto life). The documents were hidden in two large milk canisters. Władysław Wójcik, having notified the Jewish Historical Institute, ensured security of the documents.

In time Mr. Wójcik emigrated from Poland to the US where his health gradually deteriorated. He also encountered financial hardships. Mr. Wójcik desperately sought help from various Jewish organizations, as well as from private persons. Having been recognized by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Among Nations, he had been given no help from Jewish establishment in the U.S. or Israel. The correspondence proves that his appeal for assistance was not heard.

RG- 25.05.01- Certified Letter, Appeal, Władysław Wójcik

Dated- 1 September 1978

This document is an appeal from Władysław Wójcik to Jewish philanthropic organizations for financial assistance and chronicles his other failed attempts to receive financial assistance from Jewish organizations in the past. He cites his failing health, previous imprisonment by the Gestapo, and his moral assistance to Jews during the war and his role in securing the second portion of the Ringelblum Archives as his reasons for asking for financial assistance.

RG- 25.05.02- New Year’s greetings from L. Bernstein and Engineer A. Reiss from

Dated- 1 January 1964

New Year’s greetings from L. Bernstein and Engineer A. Reiss from Israel expressing blessings and gratitude. Included with the original letter was a souvenir- one small chocolate and one small book.

RG-25.05.03- Certificate from the Jewish Historical Institute, in Polish and English

Dated- 15 August 1964

Issued by- The Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw

Two certificates, one in Polish and a translation in English, from the Jewish Historical Institute certifying that Władysław Wójcik discovered the second portion of the Ringelblum Archives in two large cans while engaged in extraction work on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto on December 1, 1950. Mr. Władysław Wójcik also kept a smuggled diary in his parents’ apartment during the German occupation.

RG- 25.05.04- Recognition Diploma from Yad Vashem, copy

Dated- 1 May 1966

Issued by- Yad Vashem and the Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority

This recognition diploma attests to a meeting on 15 June 1967 when Yad Vashem and the Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority decided to pay homage to Władysław Wójcik for his part in saving Jews during the time of extermination in the face of danger with a diploma or honor, and to grant him the right to plant a tree on the Mount of Jerusalem.  The diploma is in Hebrew and French.

RG-25.05.05- Letter, World Jewish Congress

Dated- 28 March 1968

Issued by- World Jewish Congress

A response from the Executive Director of the World Jewish Congress, Max Melamet, to Mr. Wójcik’s appeal for financial assistance.

RG-25.05.06- Letter, Dr. Irving Rappaport

Dated- 7 July 1978

A letter from Dr. Irving Rappaport, M.D., detailing Mr. Wójcik’s decline in health since his heart attack in 1977. Two copies of the same letter.

RG-25.05.07- Letter from Moshe Landau, President of the Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority, to Władysław Wójcik

Dated- 15 August 1968

Issued by- Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority, Yad Vashem

Letter from Moshe Landau, President of the Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority, to Władysław Wójcik, announcing Yad Vashem’s decision in a preliminary meeting on June 15, 1965, to grant Władysław Wójcik a diploma of honor and the right to plant a tree on the Mount of Jerusalem in his name if fate brings him to Israel, on account of the valiancy and human solidarity he showed by saving Jews in the face of danger under German occupation. The letter states the conferring of the diploma and its date will be communicated later by the Consulate. The letter is in French.

RG-25.05.08- Invitation to receive a Righteous Among the Nations Award

Dated- 20 January 1969

Issued by- Consulate General of Israel Office in New York

A letter from a Consul of Israel in New York, N. Eshkol, inviting Władysław Wójcik to a ceremony at the American Israel Cultural Foundation in New York to receive his Righteous Among the Nations Award.

RG 25.05.09- Photograph of Władysław Wójcik Accepting his Righteous Among the Nations Award, photocopy

Dated 20 February 1969

A copy of a photograph showing Władysław Wójcik accepting his Righteous Among the Nations Award at The American Israel Cultural Foundation  in New York. The General Consul of Israel, Mr. N. Eshkol, and Vice Consul and Władysław Wójcik are in the photograph.

RG-25.05.10- Israel’s Tribute to the Righteous, Opening Remarks

Dated- 20 February 1969

Opening remarks by the Consul General of Israel Mr. R. Amir for Władysław Wójcik’s ceremony celebrating his inclusion in the Righteous Among the Nations.

RG-25.05.11- Letter from Consul of Israel, New York

Dated- 6 March 1969

Issued by- Consulate General of Israel Office in New York

A letter from a Consul of Israel in New York, N. Eshkol, thanking Władysław Wójcik for his presence at a ceremony at the American Israel Cultural Foundation in New York to receive his Righteous Among the Nations Award.

RG- 25.05.12- Photograph of city buildings, copy

RG-25.06- Warsaw Ghetto, Forced Stripping Photographs

Organization- This collection of eight photographs is of forced stripping in the Warsaw Ghetto and is placed in protective sleeves inside a pocket folder.

Bibliographical/Historical note- The Warsaw Ghetto was established on October 16, 1940 in Warsaw, Poland, by the German occupation.

RG-25.06.01- A woman without a top, surrounded by soldiers.

RG-25.06.02- A soldier forcing a woman to strip.

RG-25.06.03- A woman on the floor, removing or putting on her socks.

RG-25.06.04- The same woman standing up in the street.

RG-25.06.05- A woman with her elbow raised and men in the background on the street.

RG-25.06.06- A soldier forcing a woman to strip in the street.

RG-25.06.07- Two soldiers forcing two women to strip.

RG-25.06.08- A woman standing in the street without a top as a soldier in the back keeps guard.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Film and Video Archive

RG-25.07- Battle for Warsaw, English narration, USHMM

RG-25.08- Jan Karski Report, film by Claude Lanzman, USHMM

RG-25.09- Warsaw Ghetto prison, Jewish police, film, USHMM

RG-25.10- Adam Czerniakow

RG-25.10.01- Adam Czerniakow, biographical note

RG-25.10.02- The Warsaw Diary of Adam Czerniakow

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising started on April 19, 1943 when the Nazis decided to liquidate the ghetto and send its remaining inhabitants to Treblinka, an extermination camp. The uprising lasted until May 16, 1943

Wladyslaw Wójcik collection of documents contains original papers and copies from the original documents. Mr. Wójcik’s collection includes his requests addressed to a number of Jewish organizations. He was asking for financial assistance needed to subsidize his medical treatment.  This Collection also includes correspondence from the Jewish organizations with rejection of the requested financial assistance. There is correspondence concerning his nomination to be considered by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Gentile. Another part of the Collection contains a letter from the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, and a letter from a doctor stating reporting on Mr. Wójcik’s health conditions.

In 1950 Władysław Wójcik, a construction technician, working on the site of the Warsaw ghetto discovered the second part of the Ringelblum Archives (which contain clandestine chronicles documenting the ghetto life). The documents were hidden in the two large milk canisters. Władysław Wójcik, having notified the Jewish Historical Institute, ensured security of the documents.

Sometime later, Mr. Wójcik emigrated from Poland to the US where his health gradually deteriorated. He also experienced financial hardships. Mr. Wójcik desperately sought help from various Jewish organizations, as well as from private persons. Having been recognized by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Gentile Among Nations, he had not been given any help from Jewish establishment in the U.S. or Israel. The correspondence proves that his requests for financial and medical help were falling on a deaf ear.Scope/Content Notes, this collection contains original documents and photographs and more in numbers, secondary documents and photographs. It shall be noted that photo documents received from Bundesarchiv have been lesser known, rarely used in publications. We have displayed them as the museum exhibits. Their digitized copies are part of the several archival collections including this one.

Three documentaries from the USHMM Film and Video Archive complement this Collection by the means of original footage and the oral history.