A new documentary explores the function of ghettos during the Holocaust, drawing on archival footage, photographs, and expert commentary to provide a detailed account of their role in Nazi persecution of Jewish populations. Following the German invasion of Poland, Jewish residents were forcibly relocated to overcrowded urban districts that effectively operated as open-air prisons. Rather than immediately murdering the inhabitants, Nazi authorities relied on starvation, disease, and harsh living conditions to decimate these populations.

With the outbreak of hostilities between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in mid-1941, ghettos were established across occupied Soviet territories as well. By late 1942, these ghettos had become integral components of the Nazis’ “final solution,” serving primarily as temporary holding areas before mass deportations to extermination camps.

The film incorporates recently discovered diaries that shed new light on daily life within the ghettos. These personal accounts reveal the complex moral challenges faced by ghetto community leaders, who struggled to navigate impossible decisions amid Nazi oppression. The diaries also highlight the shifting social dynamics inside the ghettos, particularly the role of children, who often took on the responsibility of smuggling food and other necessities, effectively becoming primary sources of support for their families.

By focusing on the ghettos’ function as instruments of gradual extermination and as sites of intense social and ethical strain, the documentary offers a nuanced perspective on this critical but often understudied aspect of the Holocaust.