Warsaw Ghetto Wall

Because I have read so many accounts of the Jewish uprising in the Warsaw ghetto during World War II, I was most anxious to see it, as were most of our group.  Our Polish guide was somewhat reluctant to include this on our tour.  Our Fun For Less guides and our local guides discussed this most all of the day.  One conversation I heard between a fellow traveler and the local guide may explain his reluctance.  As they were talking our American friend referred to the concentration camps as "Polish  Camps".  The local guide was quick, and a bit angry as he pointed out that they WERE NOT Polish but German.  I do understand his concern that we not remember his country solely on the extermination camps.  Also the Jewish Ghetto was totally destroyed by the Germans so there is not really much to see.

I'm happy to report though that we did get to see a few locations.  Here is a marker showing where one of the walls of the ghetto once stood. The ghetto was about 1.3 square miles and the number of Jews who were forced inside the walls was about 350,000- 400,00.

Starvation and disease sent a great number to their deaths.  Thousands more were transported to death camps.  It was when the Germans made their final push to 'liquidate' the ghetto that a Jewish 'army' resisted..  For just under a month a small number of Jewish freedom fighters held off the mighty German army. In fact they actually expelled the Nazis from the ghetto for awhile.  In the end, of course, they were defeated and were killed.

One part of the original Ghetto wall survived and we were able to see that.

We also had a short visit to the garden located on the spot where the first armed resistance by Jews to the Nazi army took place.  The monument to the heroes of the resistance is pretty impressive.

"Though it be to die we will fight....not for ourselves but for future generations. Although we will not survive to see it, our murders will pay for their crimes after we are gone. And our deeds will live forever" Izhak Katznelson Ghetto Freedom Fighter - executed at Aushwitz.