Pabiance, Poland

General

Pabiance was a town in the Lodz district of Poland. In the early 1800's, Jews became prominent in the cotton industry. By 1900, the Jewish population was in excess of 5,000 (19% of the total). The Germans occupied the town on September 8, 1939, and turned the synagogue into a stable. In October, a Judenrat was established, and a ghetto was created in February, 1940 for over 8,000 Jews (including refugees). About 1,200 Jews worked in confiscated textile factories producing uniforms. On May 16, 1942, all the remaining Jews were deported with the ill and children going to Chelmno and the able bodied to the Lodz ghetto and then on to forced labor camps.

Cover

Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a cover sent by Mirjam Zauber from Pabiance to the International Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland, postmarked Dcember 19, 1940. The cover bears a violet 2-line Aeltestenrat der Juden in Pabiance/Abteilung Auftragstelle cachet on the front. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Cover" in the left frame to return.

References

Spector, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust (2001), P. 960

Ghetto

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