On March 4, the Bulgarians placed most of the Jews in Thrace, which had been annexed to Bulgaria in 1941, in confinement. According to Bulgarian statistics, 4,058 Jews were handed to the Germans and sent to Treblinka, where they were murdered at once. Approximately 200 Jews survived in Thrace amongst the partisans or hidden by their Christian neighbors, including 42 young men who were in Bulgarian labor camps.
Beginning on 25 February, deportation convoys from Salonika to Auschwitz were prepared by assembling Jews in the Baron Hirsch quarter, located near the railway station. The first transport from Salonika reached Auschwitz on 20 March. By the time the transports ended on August 18, 43,850 of the 50,000 Jews in Salonika had been deported to Auschwitz. Most were murdered as soon as they reached the camp.
The final liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto began on the Eve of Passover, April 19, 1943. The deportation did not come as a surprise. The Germans had amassed a military force to carry it out, but did not expect to engage in a confrontation that included street battles. Armed German forces ringed the ghetto at 3:00 a.m. The unit that entered the ghetto encountered armed resistance and retreated. The main ghetto, with its population of 30,000 Jews, was deserted. The
ZACHOR Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA [email protected] 800.575.9583
ZACHOR Holocaust Remembrance Foundation is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charity.
Thank you for considering the future of ZACHOR. Your donation helps keep the memories alive and allows for our foundation to continue educating our youth for a better tomorrow.
