A list of trades in which Jews are permitted to work was published by the Nazi authorities in Poland where the Nazi administrators are now organizing collective workshops in the ghettos, making each worker responsible for the entire output, it was reported in Polish official circles here today. The trades in which Jews may engage include tailoring, shoe-making, brush-making, knitting, book-binding, glass-blowing, wearing, spinning, optical work, button-making, hat-making, soap-and-candle-making, paper-making, carpentry, house-painting, cabinet-making, and electrical engineering.
At present there are, according to the report, seven collective tailoring shops in the Warsaw ghetto providing employment for about 1,000 workers. One collective glove shop, in Warsaw provides work for about 300 workers, while 1,000 work in three shoe-making establishments there. Similar collective shops also function in the ghetto in Vilna. Each collective must carry out the orders placed by the German authorities within a given time. Failure by the collective to carry out the order within the specified time results in punishment for each member of the collective. When a quote of military boots was not delivered by a Jewish shoe-making collective in Warsaw, each worker was fined twenty percent of his salary. In another case, Jewish worker were imprisoned for three days each when the work of their collective shop was found faulty.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.