Those deported from the ghetto in March 1942 were mainly Polish Jews, in particular persons charged with various minor offences (such as stealing bread) and individuals who relied or had recently relied on welfare support.[1]
The Chronicle of the Łódź Ghetto also reports an increase in the ghetto's death rate in March 1942, a result of the long and bitter winter, severe hunger, and the ongoing deportations. The suicide rate amongst the ghetto residents likewise increased. The Chronicle reports: "The universal mood of depression and panic that reigned in March as a result of the resettlement action provided fertile soil for acts of desperation."[2] Almost every other day Polish Jews committed suicide. Among those who committed suicide on March 12 was a forty-eight year old woman, D.R., born in Piotrków, who hung herself in her apartment, at 4 P.M.[3]
After receiving their deportation summonses, deportees usually sold their furniture and used the proceeds to buy food. As a result, food prices skyrocketed. At special points in Marysin, near the assembly sites, the deportees could leave money for their loved ones.[4]...