2. The Minsk ghetto was one
of the only Ghettos
established within the
Soviet Union.
With the largest group of
Soviet Jews, the ghetto’s
proximity to the soviet
resistance, and pre war
relations, resistance and
survival took many forms.
3. Before War Relations
The Soviet Union’s pursuit of communism created a
social setting that referred to each individual as a
fellow worker.
Though their were Jewish communities within larger
cities, many Jewish families and individuals moved
freely, dispersing their community. As a result, there
was no concentrated sector within the Soviet Union.
4. As the Third Reich’s army drew closer to Minsk, the
citizens dug trenches, impromptu barriers, and watch
towers.
But the confidence in the Soviet Government became
bitter as city officials fled Minsk with trucks loaded, not
with their people, but with their personal possessions.
5. The Nazi presence in Minsk
Upon arrival of the German
army, a decree was posted
on every public place in
Minsk.
This charter enforced
every person found to be
Jewish, to move into the
new “Jewish Quarter” of
the city. Those did not
follow procedure were
killed.
6. The Minsk Ghetto
The first action taken upon the Jewish Quarter was
the separation of the educated and skilled.
(These individuals were either killed outright or
moved to a death camp.)
With the Minsk ghetto many families fled to this
ghetto because elsewhere, Jewish people were
being killed outright by the Nazis. Many believed
they had a chance at Minsk.
Issues of overcrowding and congestion quickly
became a growing health issue.
7. No bystanding on barbed wire
Because of pre war relations among all workers, many
individuals and groups who were non Jewish, resisted
Nazi law to save children, transport food, and provide
shelter for runaways.
Because of a lack of resources and German control in
the east, weak barbed wire fences surrounded the
Jewish Quarter. Many simply crawled to safety in the
night.
9. The resistance of Minsk took the form and essence of
survival.
Unlike the revolt of Warsaw, the Minsk ghetto
concentrated on the transport of as many people to the
partisan groups within the forest. Though an exact
estimate is unknown, historians believe that 10,000 -
15,000 people succesfully escaped to join the
resistance.
10. The Children
of Minsk
In cooperation with the
hospital in Minsk, mothers
brought their children to
the hospitals, where they
would be transported to
non Jewish families. (It is
thought that 7,000 children
were saved in this way.)
11. The Judenrat
The Judenrat also played a role in the resistance of the
ghetto. Often giving false names, or the names of the
already deceased they postponed the deportation and
deaths of many. Stopping revolt plans to protect the
already endangered Jews, the Judenrat were both
respected and understood by within the Jewish
Quarter.
