LEARN & REMEMBER ISOLATION
SEPARATION
Interior of the building where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis from 1942-1944. - Dutch National Archives
After years of social isolation, Jewish families were physically separated from non-Jewish communities throughout Nazi controlled Europe.
Prior to the outbreak of World War II, the so-called Kindertransport sent 10,000 unaccompanied children, the majority of whom were Jewish, to foster families in the United Kingdom. After the war, many of these children discovered they were the sole survivors of their families.
After the start of WWII, ghettos were formed to house people of Jewish descent in the poorest areas of the cities under Nazi control. Thousands of families were forced to leave behind most of their possessions before entering the ghettos. Parents trying to keep their children safe from the harsh conditions of the ghettos attempted to give their children away to non-Jewish families.
Psychologists have found that children suddenly separated from their parents can suffer severe emotional distress that can last into adulthood as well as change how the brain processes stress and perceived threats.
(pictured right) Children in the Warsaw Ghetto. Thousands of children were sent with their parents to be relocated in ghettos throughout Nazi occupied Europe. Some parents sought to spare their children by hiding them outside of the ghetto walls with non-Jewish neighbors. 1.5 million children would perish during the Holocaust.
Others who could not flee from the Nazis chose to hide.
Anne Frank’s family hid in a concealed room in Amsterdam for two years before being arrested by the Nazis. Families in hiding often lived with virtually no outside contact out of fear of discovery or betrayal. Hiding in this way was incredibly stressful and likely caused paranoia, anxiety, depression, and the inability to trust others.
(pictured left) Anne Frank and her family hid from 1942 to 1944 in a concealed room in the building that Otto Frank used to work. Behind a bookcase was a door that led to the Achterhuis (Secret Annex). Only Otto Frank’s trusted employees knew about this hidden room and would bring food and supplies for the Frank and Van Pels families. Both families lived in fear of discovery and were forced to be as quiet as possible. Living in such conditions can lead to many psychological difficulties such as being in a constant state of increased alertness known as hypervigilance.
Entrance to Krakow Ghetto Gate.
The city of Krakow became the capital of occupied Poland with Hans Frank appointed as the Governor-General. Frank announced that Krakow, as the capital city, would be the “racially cleanest” city. At the time 68,000 Jews lived in Krakow. Most of the Jews were expelled until only 15,000 remained. In March of 1943, the ghetto was liquidated and the ghetto residents sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Zychlin Ghetto liquidation
In July 1940, a ghetto was established near the outskirts of Zychlin. 2,800 Jews were confined to the ghetto but this population swelled after Jews from other nearby communities were sent to the Zychlin ghetto. Within the ghetto, there was widespread malnutrition and a typhoid epidemic. In March of 1942, the Nazis began to liquidate the ghetto. On Purim the last of the population was rounded up and deported to Chelmno.
The wall surrounding the Warsaw ghetto.
Smuggling was one of the primary ways the population within the ghetto was able to acquire food. Children often led the smuggling because they were small enough to slip through holes in the ghetto walls and enter the non-Jewish portion of the city relatively unnoticed. Many children were killed after being caught coming and going through the walls by Nazi guards.
Starving victim lying on the sidewalk
This photo shows a body lying dead on a sidewalk inside the Warsaw Ghetto. Death was so common in the streets of the Warsaw Ghetto that the inhabitants barely noticed.
Lublin Ghetto, Roma women
In the Lublin Ghetto, Roma women are seen walking in the street. The Roma, similar to the Jews, were also targeted for segregation in ghettos and deportation to killing centers as they were seen as a threat to the “Aryan” population by the Nazis. Overall, at least 250,000 Roma were killed during World War II. The exact number of Roma victims is unknown as their population was not well documented prior to the war.
Sisak Concentration Camp
The Sisak Concentration Camp was set up by the Ustashi government in the Independent state of Croatia. This picture shows part of the children’s section known as the “Shelter for Children of Refugees.” Children at this camp were subjected to tests performed by Dr. Antun Najžer, known as the “Croatian Mengele.”
Starving children in the Warsaw ghetto.
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest ghetto in Nazi occupied Europe with the population swelling to nearly 460,000.
Margaret Turk Hopkovitz
People were separated into two lines, one for men and one for women. Mr. Turk wanted to be with his wife and daughters so he crossed over to their line. He was immediately shoved away. Margaret did not realize it would be the last time she would see her father. Everything happened so fast, with orders being barked at them, that she could not even think of anything to say when he was taken. This was only the first of many heart-wrenching separations.
Rivka Rosenzweig Ledor
When they arrived in Auschwitz, men and women were separated and Rivka saw her husband for the last time.
In this video Survivors Susanne Jalnos and Rose Williams discuss what it was like when their families were sent to live in the ghetto.
Learn more about the psychological effects of separations from our partners at Jewish Family Services.
Anne Frank used a diary to escape the confines of the attic her family was hiding in. With so many of us forced to remain indoors for longer periods of time, what were some things you are doing to pass the time?
Exhibit Panels Navigation | Introduction // Intimidation // Exclusion // Separation // Loss // Survival // Aftermath
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