Those deported from the Łódź ghetto to the Chełmno (Kulmhof) death camp 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 suicide rate amongst the ghetto residents increased in March 1942, which was explained by The Chronicle with 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.
As Gordon J. Horwitz writes in his book Ghettostadt, the Jews who received a deportation summons were in great despair and tried to secure exemptions from deportation. Personal connections were usually helpful but were not a means available to all. He writes, "One accepted and legitimate channel, however, remained open to all, even if in practical terms it proved little more than an illusory lifeline: a written appeal to the officers of the Resettlement Commission."[3]...