Łódź through time
A chronological route through dated events and source accounts in the memorial book. Dates reflect what the selected evidence states and do not imply independent corroboration.
- Before 1939
A large Jewish community in Łódź
The memorial book describes nearly a quarter of a million Jews in Łódź before 1939, living in a multiethnic city and participating in industry, commerce, medicine, education, religion, and culture. [mention_359e7216d59a25e03734a45f, mention_52c4993a757aa955cfb73afd, mention_f3cb15f27be5748231c78657]
- September 1939
German invasion and the beginning of persecution
The book recalls Hitler’s army entering Łódź, after which young Jewish men fled toward Russia. It also records the hanging of eight people by Germans on 9 November 1939. [event_candidate_47edb3593260c946d0ba7b0f, event_candidate_ee02cc6015505c14b4072655]
- April 1940
Entry into the Łódź ghetto
Moshe Tafel entered the Łódź ghetto in April 1940, as Jewish residents were confined under German-controlled conditions. [event_candidate_8ed6f5a3b491d2233705d959, mention_8e435081c21e60a50e8876c9]
- September 1940–March 1941
Strikes, demonstrations, and cultural disruption
A tailors’ strike occurred in September 1940, followed by a February 1941 demonstration against Rumkowski’s administration. The Hazamir choir ended in March 1941 when many members were deported. [event_candidate_1976358b4e30ef25ed1bfbdc, event_candidate_a8ce5bdd9ca20d8f58582d4a, event_candidate_8a46da5fcfdbf0ec7aa7304b]
- January–April 1942
Transports to Chełmno
The first transport to Chełmno departed from Radegast station on 16 January 1942, and the final transport, numbered 80, left on 2 April 1942. [event_candidate_ef9a382830d1e81483ff3cfe, event_candidate_3c108d9977067d6bac81e9aa]
- May–September 1942
The ghetto’s hardest period
The memorial testimony identifies May through September 1942 as the ghetto’s hardest period because of severe hunger. [event_candidate_e0e15c252f7b41add3dddfed]
- June–August 1944
Mass killing and evacuation
The book reports that 7,176 Jews were killed at Chełmno from 23 June through 14 July 1944, followed by the beginning of ghetto evacuation on 8 August 1944. [event_candidate_3deb2247cfe4795a669dd15e, event_candidate_3ba16a9f6f6dc65d01dd4c61]
- 18 April 1948
Liberation and the possibility of rebuilding
One survivor’s account dates liberation to 18 April 1948, when English military arrived after camp supervisors fled and returned. [event_candidate_adb0dbff4b60305e6a0e4b2d, event_candidate_11c768e1ee86d431e94c6e6b]
- 1952
A survivor establishes a new life in Melbourne
H. Rozhaner settled in Melbourne in 1952 and continued working as a doctor, one example of postwar survival and professional rebuilding outside Łódź. [event_candidate_14ed52d6a0e529b6d24c8082]
- 27 September 1989
Monument to the martyrs of Łódź
A monument commemorating the martyrs of Łódź was unveiled on 27 September 1989. [event_candidate_b7f9e5bf11dc6c9ab1de73d7]