page_title: History of the Jews in Łódź
section_title: First world war
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Jews in Łódź / History / First world war
context_page_description: History of the Jews in Łódź began at the end of the 18th century when the first Jews arrived to the city.The community grew and became one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe. During the Holocaust the Jewish population of the city was concentrated in the northern-district of the city, Baluty, where a Nazi ghetto was established. The community numbers a few hundreds and is headquartered at the Karol Gebhardt House located in 18 Pomorska Street in the city.
context_section_description: World War I caused a drastic decline in the number of Jews in Lodz, even before the Germans occupied the city. From the outbreak of World War I until the conquest of the city on December 6, 1914, about 50,000 Jews left the city. Their number dropped from 200,000 Jews on the eve of the war to less than 150,000. The Jews who fled the city for fear of being occupied by the Germans flowed east or into the surrounding villages. With the outbreak of the war, industrial production greatly diminished. There was a stagnation in trade and the financial market. The employment of the workers, and the Jewish workers among them, fell sharply. To deal with the famine, morbidity and mortality that were a result of the war, the community initiated mutual aid operations. With the help of the JDC, productive and consumer cooperatives were established and the activities of charities were expanded.
caption: Great Synagogue in the city
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