The Westjuden, Sinti and Rom in Litzmannstadt Ghetto (1941-1942)

From the autumn of 1941 the Jews who were still resident within the confines of the Altreich, were gradually deported “towards the East”. Of these Jews, a considerable number, comprising almost 20,000 people, were interned in the Litzmannstadt Ghetto, the second largest (in terms of size), of those established by the Nazis in the occupied Polish lands. The article aims to analyse some specific aspects of this phenomenon, such as: the internal discussions within Nazi institutions that these transfers engendered; the relationships between Polish Jews and those who were defined as Westjuden; the “gypsy” experience, insofar as at Litzmannstadt 5000 Rom and Sinti from Austrian territories were interned there and, finally, the impact on certain specific policies employed by the Nazis against the persecuted groups.