Izbica concentration camp
Encyclopedia
The Izbica ghetto was a Jewish ghetto created in Izbica
in occupied Poland during World War II
, serving as a transfer point for deportation of Jews
from Poland
, Germany
, Austria
and Czechoslovakia
to Belzec
and Sobibor
extermination camps. SS-Hauptsturmführer
Kurt Engels was the commandant
of the camp. In the camp, the Jews from Germany were differentiated from Polish Jews by the colour of the obligatory star of David
signs (yellow for German vs blue for Polish Jews). Many victims succumbed to typhus
due to poor sanitary conditions in the ghetto. Already in the early phase of the ghetto, the Nazis destroyed the local Jewish cemetery
and the tombstones were desecrated and used to build a prison. Besides being sent to the extermination camps, approximately 4500 Jews were murdered by Nazis at the cemetery. The Jewish cemetery in Izbica is being reconstructed by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland.
Izbica
Izbica is a village in Krasnystaw County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Izbica. It lies approximately south of Krasnystaw and south-east of the regional capital Lublin...
in occupied Poland during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, serving as a transfer point for deportation of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
to Belzec
Belzec extermination camp
Belzec, Polish spelling Bełżec , was the first of the Nazi German extermination camps created for implementing Operation Reinhard during the Holocaust...
and Sobibor
Sobibór extermination camp
Sobibor was a Nazi German extermination camp located on the outskirts of the town of Sobibór, Lublin Voivodeship of occupied Poland as part of Operation Reinhard; the official German name was SS-Sonderkommando Sobibor...
extermination camps. SS-Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank of Hauptsturmführer was a mid-grade company level officer and was the equivalent of a Captain in the German Army and also the equivalent of captain in foreign armies...
Kurt Engels was the commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
of the camp. In the camp, the Jews from Germany were differentiated from Polish Jews by the colour of the obligatory star of David
Star of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
signs (yellow for German vs blue for Polish Jews). Many victims succumbed to typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
due to poor sanitary conditions in the ghetto. Already in the early phase of the ghetto, the Nazis destroyed the local Jewish cemetery
Jewish cemetery
A Jewish cemetery is a cemetery where members of the Jewish faith are buried in keeping with Jewish tradition....
and the tombstones were desecrated and used to build a prison. Besides being sent to the extermination camps, approximately 4500 Jews were murdered by Nazis at the cemetery. The Jewish cemetery in Izbica is being reconstructed by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland.
Sources
- Izbica - a story of a place by Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland
- Kurt AdlerKurt AdlerKurt Adler was an Austrian classical music conductor, chorus master and pianist with a European musical education. He was best known as the chorus master and conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1943 to 1973...