In 1939, the Nazi leaders passed a policy to remove Jews from German-controlled territory to be placed in a concentrated area for permanent removal. 2 This concentrated area was called a ghetto. The newly established ghettos were in German-occupied territory near the borders of Poland, German East Prussia, and the Soviet Union.1 Jews were deported later in the year from the countries of Poland, Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia.1  

Life in ghettos was dangerous. 2 There was little food, limited or no medical care, and no sanitation. 2 Jews established schools, libraries, welfare services, and religious institutions to normalize the concentrated area. 2 Forced labor was a central feature of living in a Ghetto. 2 The imprisoned Jews worked in factories and workshops established near ghettos. 2Hundreds of thousands of people died by starvation, disease, extreme temperatures, and exhaustion. 2 Jews were murdered by being beat, tortured, shot, and other violent acts. 2

-M. Swain