On July 22, 1942, the largest extermination of the Jewish population in occupied Europe began. In two months, some 254,000 people were deported from the Warsaw ghetto to the Treblinka death camp. In commemoration of the victims of the “Great Operation,” today (July 22) at 6:00 pm, a March of Remembrance organized by the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute will march through the streets of Warsaw.
Holocaust in the center of Warsaw
In October 1939, about 360,000 Jews lived in Warsaw. After the Germans created the ghetto and subsequent deportations, the number rose to about 460,000. Overcrowding, starvation and disease took a deadly toll. But the most tragic moment was the time from July 22 to September 21, 1942 - the Grossaktion, the so-called “Great Action.”
It began in the shadow of terror. The day before, the Germans detained 60 hostages - representatives of the Jewish community, including members of the Judenrat. On July 22, a notice of “deportation to the East” appeared in the ghetto, from which only a few were released. On the same day, deportations began from the Umschlagplatz - a reloading area adjacent to Stawki, Dzika and Niska Streets. Thousands of people were deported every day.
Adam Czerniaków, chairman of the Judenrat, refused to sign the ordinance that included children and committed suicide. By the end of the operation, the Germans had murdered or deported nearly 300,000 people.
March of Remembrance 2025
On the 83rd anniversary of the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto liquidation, the Jewish Historical Institute is organizing the March of Remembrance for the fourteenth time. Its participants will set out at 6:00 pm from under the Umschlagplatz Monument and walk along the streets of Muranow to Krasinski Garden, where a concert commemorating the victims will be held.
This year's patrons of the March are musicians of the Warsaw Ghetto - including Artur Gold, Paulina Braun and Josima Feldszuh - artists who created despite the tragic conditions and were murdered during the Holocaust. The closing concert of the March will evoke their work in new arrangements and reconstructions, including from found sheet music from the Ringelblum Archive.
Remembrance and presence
The March of Remembrance is not only a symbolic event - it is also an act of defiance against oblivion. It is a step towards restoring the names and history of those whose lives were brutally cut short. On the 83rd anniversary of the “Great Operation,” Varsovians and visitors will again collectively pay tribute to the victims - walking the same route that the Germans once used to herd Jews to their deaths.