Będzin Ghetto Będzin Ghetto or the Bendzin Ghetto was a ghetto established for Jews by Nazi German authorities in occupied Poland during the Holocaust . A major ghetto in East Upper Silesia , it was created in May 1942 . Over 20 , 000 Jews from Będzin ( Bendzin ) , along with another 10 , 000 Jews who had resettled there after being displaced from other local communities , lived in the ghetto during its short history . Most of them were forced to work in German military factories before being deported to the nearby concentration camp at Auschwitz where they were exterminated by German authorities . The last major deportation of ghetto residents between 1 and 3 August 1943 was marked by an uprising by members of the local Jewish Combat Organization . Background . Before the outbreak of World War II , Będzin had a vibrant Jewish community . In early September 1939 during the Invasion of Poland , the German Army ( Heer ) overran this area , followed by the SS death squads ( Einsatzgruppen ) . On 7 September , persecution of the Jews began , with the instituting of economic sanctions . On 8 September , the Będzin synagogue was burned , and the first massacre of local Jews took place . On 8 October 1939 , Hitler declared that Będzin would be among the Polish territories annexed by Germany . Germans started to resettle Jews from other communities into Będzin ; among them were Jews from Zagłębie Dąbrowskie region , as well as from nearby towns of Bohumin , Kielce and Oświęcim ( Auschwitz ) . Overall , about 30 , 000 Jews would live in Będzin during World War II . By late 1942 , Będzin and nearby Sosnowiec ( see also Sosnowiec Ghetto ) , which bordered Będzin , became the only two towns in the Zagłębie Dąbrowskie region that were still inhabited by Jews . Ghetto . Until May 1942 , the Jews in Będzin were not restricted to a confined area . The creation of the ghetto in May 1942 was part of the slow but steady process of resettlement undertaken by the German authorities , which eventually created areas in which the Jews could be clearly confined . As was the case in other ghettos , German authorities eventually murdered most of the Jews of Będzin , deporting most of them to Nazi concentration camps ( primarily nearby Auschwitz ) . From October 1940 to May 1942 , about 4 , 000 were deported from Będzin . At that time , the leaders of the Jewish community in Zagłebie ( Mojżesz Merin or Moshe Merin ) cooperated with the Germans , hoping that the survival of the Jews might be tied to their labour . This eventually proved a false hope . Major deportations took place in 1942 : 2 , 000 in May , 5 , 000 in August . Another 5 , 000 were deported between August 1942 and June 1943 . The last major deportations took place in 1943 : 5 , 000 were deported on 22 June 1943 and 8 , 000 around 1 – 3 August 1943 . About 1 , 000 remaining Jews were deported in the subsequent months ; it is estimated that of the 30 , 000 inhabitants of the ghetto , there were only 2 , 000 survivors . Uprising . A local chapter of the Jewish Combat Organization ( ŻOB ) was created in Będzin around 1941 . During the final major deportation push in August 1943 , the ŻOB in Będzin and Sosnowiec staged an uprising against the Germans . The uprising , a final act of defiance of the local population , was unsuccessful ; most of the Jews from the ghetto perished . Commemoration . In 2004 , Będzin City Council decided to dedicate the city square to the heroes of the Jewish ghetto uprising in Będzin . In August 2005 new memorial was unveiled at the site of the Będzin Ghetto . There are several diaries from survivors and hundreds of written correspondences made to relations from those in the ghetto at the time . Photos of many of the ghetto ' s deportees to Auschwitz were preserved . A collection of over 2 , 000 photographs was discovered in October , 1986 , including many images of life in Będzin and the ghetto . Some of them have been published in a book or in a video . The Eyes from the Ashes Foundation administers the collection .