According to the documents from the ghetto's Jewish self-administration archive, 763 Jews were deported from the Łódź ghetto (Germanized to Getto Litzmannstadt) to the Chełmno death camp (Kulmhof) on March 17, 1942.[6] An invoice for the transport submitted by the Reichsbahn Verkehrsamt (Transportation Authority of the German national railway) to the Gestapo Litzmannstadt notes the slightly higher figure of 768 Jewish deportees.[7] The latter is consistent with the number of deportees recorded on a fragment of the last two pages of the deportation list for this transport, which was compiled by the Aussiedlungskommission (deportation commission), and which can be found in Archiwum Państwowe w Łodzi (Polish State Archive in Łódź).[8]
Those deported from the Łódź ghetto to Chełmno 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.[9]
In March 1942, the suicide rate increased amongst the ghetto residents. The Chronicle of the Łódź Ghetto explained this in the following manner: "… universal mood of depression and panic that reigned in March as a result of the resettlement action provided fertile soil for acts of desperation."[10] Almost every other day, Polish Jews committed suicide....