Before the war
Jewish life included Polish-, Yiddish- and Hebrew-speaking institutions, religious communities and political movements.
Occupation
Soviet occupation from 1939 was followed by German invasion in 1941, pogroms, forced labor and mass shooting.
Ghetto and Janowska
German authorities confined Jews, deported many to Bełżec and used Janowska as a forced-labor and killing site.
Witnesses
Rudolf Reder, Simon Wiesenthal and survivors of sewer hiding provide distinct windows into the city’s destruction.
Sources
This page draws on the institutional sources listed below.