October 1942, Deportation of Jews from Plonsk, Poland to Auschwitz-Birkenau

Plonsk, situated in the district of Warsaw, had a Jewish population of 4,913 in 1931. The invading German army conquered the city on September 5, 1939, instituting a regime of forced labor and extortion. As a destination for many refugees from other areas of Poland, Plonsk’s Jewish population almost doubled. The Germans established a Judenrat in July 1940, and a ghetto was established in May 1941. A typhoid epidemic immediately broke out with the establishment of the ghetto, which was only brought under control in April 1942. On Oct. 28, 1942, 2,000 elderly and sick Jews were deported from Plonsk to Auschwitz. Three more transports, each carrying 2,000 Jews, left from Plonsk for Auschwitz in the next six weeks.

Yad Vashem Photo Archives 7309/2