Bidspirit auction | Daily bread ration card. Łódź

Daily bread ration card. Łódź Ghetto, 1942 - DER AELTESTE DER JUDEN IN LITZMANNSTADT Card No. 168231, featuring a numbered table granting the right to receive a daily bread ration in the Łódź Ghetto over a period of 60 days. The card belonged to a Jewish resident of the ghetto named Gustaw Elkan. The personal details were filled in on June 27, 1942, and the card was used only 12 times. Stamped on the card in ink is the word “Deceased” – Gestorben. According to the record in the Names Database at Yad Vashem (item number 4488073), Gustav Elkan was born on August 30, 1878. During the war, he resided in Düsseldorf, Germany. He was murdered in the Łódź Ghetto on July 22, 1942 (the date of death listed on the card is July 28 – approximately a week after his murder). His name also appears in the list of Łódź Ghetto residents, 1940–1944, compiled by the Organization of Former Residents of Łódź in Israel. See also Arolsen Archives, record no. 10010003. Unlike other ghettos where access to food and basic goods relied on smuggling from outside the ghetto boundaries, in Łódź this was nearly impossible due to the strict control enforced by the German authorities. The Jews were completely dependent on the German authorities and the Judenrat for food, medicine, and other essential supplies. As a result, hunger and disease spread through the ghetto with devastating force.  Approximately 164,000 people were forced to crowd into an area of 4 square kilometers, of which only 2.4 square kilometers were fit for habitation. In 1944, the ghetto was finally liquidated by Nazi forces. Size: 17x14 cm. Stains. Good condition.