The Atrocity of Hunger: Starvation in the Warsaw, Lodz, and Krakow Ghettos during World War II

Description

During World War II, the Germans put the Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland into ghettos which restricted their movement and, most crucially for their survival, access to food. The Germans saw the Jews as 'useless eaters,' and denied them sufficient food for survival. The hunger which resulted from this intentional starvation impacted every aspect of Jewish life inside the ghettos. This book focuses on the Jews in the Łódź, Warsaw, and Kraków ghettos as they struggled to survive the deadly Nazi ghetto and, in particular, the genocidal famine conditions. Jews had no control over Nazi food policy but they attempted to survive the deadly conditions of Nazi ghettoization through a range of coping mechanisms and survival strategies. In this book, Helene Sinnreich explores their story, drawing from diaries and first-hand accounts of the victims and survivors. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core. Cover Half-title page Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgments Introduction Factors of Survival The Atrocity of Hunger Inside a Famine: Coping Mechanisms Divergent Paths: Kraków, Warsaw, and Łódź Kraków Warsaw Łódź Sources Organization and Summary of Chapters 1 The Nazi Invasion: Violence, Displacement, and Expropriation Food Access during the German Occupation Conclusion 2 Jewish Leadership Warsaw Łódź Kraków Jewish Leadership inside the Ghetto Conclusion 3 The Supply and Distribution of Food: Strategies and Priorities Food Distribution in the Łódź Ghetto Provisioning the Kraków Ghetto and Food Distribution Provisioning the Ghetto and Distributing Food in the Warsaw Ghetto Mail Service and Food Packages Agricultural Production in the Ghettos Manufacture of Food in the Ghettos Food Lines Conclusion 4 The Physical, Mental, and Social Effects of Hunger Physical Transformation The Mental Effects of Hunger Food Fantasy and Hunger Humor Death from Starvation Conclusion 5 Hunger and Everyday Life in the Ghetto Assets into Food Hunger Foods Household Strategies Conclusion 6 Socioeconomic Status and Food Access Impoverishment Rich Ghetto, Poor Ghetto? Geographic Location and Food Access Affluence Gender Religion Conclusion 7 Relief Systems and Charity Foreign Aid and Its Distribution Official Community Care for Those in Need Charitable Organizations and Initiatives Refugees Soup Kitchens Begging The Death of the Poor Conclusion 8 Illicit Food Access: Smuggling, Theft, and the Black Market Food Smuggling The Black Market Food Prices Łódź Kraków Warsaw Dangers of the Black Market Food Theft Prosecution of Theft and Smuggling in the Ghettos Conclusion 9 Labor and Food in the Ghettos Labor in the Three Ghettos Forced Labor Work Outside the Ghettos Hierarchy of Work Social Networks and Jobs Work in the Ghetto Community Employees: Bureaucrats, Food Service, and Police Factory Work Piecework Private Employment and Supplemental Work Hunger and Productivity From Ghetto to Labor Camp Conclusion 10 Deportations and the End of the Ghettos Deportations into the Ghettos Western Jews The Condemned Deportations Out Hiding from Deportation Final Liquidation of the Ghettos Conclusion Conclusion Appendix: List of Kitchens and Food Distribution Sites in the Warsaw Ghetto List of Boarding Houses and Orphanages Day Cares Which Supplied Food for Children Kitchens Food Bank Food Shop Restaurants and Cafes Notes Introduction 1 The Nazi Invasion 2 Jewish Leadership 3 The Supply and Distribution of Food 4 The Physical, Mental, and Social Effects of Hunger 5 Hunger and Everyday Life in the Ghetto 6 Socioeconomic Status and Food Access 7 Relief Systems and Charity 8 Illicit Food Access 9 Labor and Food in the Ghettos 10 Deportations and the End of the Ghettos Conclusion Appendix: List of Kitchens and Food Distribution Sites in the Warsaw Ghetto Bibliography Archival Collections Primary and Secondary Sources Index