Page 11 - Centrum Dialogu im. Marka Edelmana w Łodzi. Jesteśmy drzewami wiecznymi.

Until the outbreak of World War II, Łódź was one of the most
important metropolises in the Second Polish Republic. Over
two hundred and thirty thousand Jews lived here, making
up a third of the inhabitants of this multicultural city. Łódź
was an active centre of Jewish social, cultural, economic
and political life.
German troops occupied the city on 8 September 1939.
From the very beginning of the occupation, Łódź Jews
were subjected to severe repressions. They took on various,
sometimes very brutal forms – from being forced to do hard
and humiliating cleaning jobs, through robberies, beatings,
to murders. The repressions were legitimized by the law of
occupation introduced by the German authorities by way
of official regulations.
They affected almost every area of life. Jews were fired
from their jobs and banned from running businesses, thus
they were deprived of their livelihoods. The celebration of
holidays or use of public transport were forbidden, a curfew
was introduced, and at the end of 1939, a ban on leaving
the city was imposed. This social isolation was exacerbated
by the requirement for all Jews to wear a badge repre-
senting the yellow Star of David on their outer garment for
identification. The next stage involved physical isolation in
the ghetto, which was carried out in February 1940.

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