Jews from Lublin, Poland, prior to their deportation

“On the eve of World War II, some 40,000 Jews lived in Lublin, constituting about one-third of the city’s population.  In the spring of 1941, in preparation for the establishment of a ghetto in Lublin, the Germans ordered a partial deportation of the city’s Jews.  In the period from 10 March to the end of the month, approximately 10,000 Jews were deported: some 1250 of them to Rejowiec, some 2,300 to Siedlce, 3,200 to Sosnowiec and the remainder to other towns in the area.  On arrival at their destinations, the deportees had to contend with severe financial hardship and poor living conditions.  At the end of March 1941, the ghetto was established, and more than 34,000 Jews were incarcerated there.  The Jews of Lublin were amongst the first to be deported to the Belzec death camp.  The deportations began on 17 March 1942, and by April, some 30,000 Jews had been deported.  Most of the deportees were murdered in Belzec, the remainder in the forests surrounding Lublin.”

Yad Vashem. “This Month in Holocaust History: March 1941.” http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/this_month/march/05.asp

Accessed on 6/10/11.