Opatow was part of the district of Kielce. A Judenrat was established in early 1941, and the Ghetto was created in April, 1941, and was liquidated in October, 1942. About 10,000 persons passed through the Ghetto. During the liquidation, most of the inhabitants were removed to Treblinka. Before the war, about 5,200 Jews lived in the town. The number of Jews grew as a result of the influx of refugees from surrounding towns as well as more distant cities.
Below are thumbnails of the front and back of three postcards. The first is a postcard postmarked May 21, 1941, from the Ghetto to Switzerland. The second is a postcard postmarked September 17, 1942 from Opatow to Warsaw with a Judenrat Opatow cachet. The last is a postcard from Opatow to Litzmanstadt postmarked July 7, 1941. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Postcards" in the left frame to return.
Museum of Tolerance On Line Learning Center
Spector, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust (2001), P. 937-38
Copyright © 2004 Edward Victor