The Circumstances of the Establishment of Warsaws Judenrat. A New Point of View

The article deals with the circumstances of the establishment of the Jewish Councils (Judenrate) in the territories occupied by the German Reich. The author looks at the Nazis' actions in Germany, Austria and the Czech lands, leading to the establishment of a mock representation of the Jews. The author goes on to describe the process of setting up Jewish Councils in occupied Poland by SS officers from the so-called 'Einsatzgruppen' and the circumstances of the establishment of the 'Judenrat' in Warsaw. The author emphasizes that the establishment of Judenrate was an idea put forward by SS experts in Jewish affairs and was supposed to make it easier for the occupation forces to control Jewish communities.