Original Lodz Ghetto (Litzmannstadt) Bread Ration Card "Brot-Karte", Der Aelteste der Juden, Rumkowski, c. 1942

An original bread ration card ("Brot-Karte") from the Lodz Ghetto (Litzmannstadt), issued by the Supply Department of "Der Aelteste der Juden in Litzmannstadt", the ghetto's Jewish council headed by Mordechai Chaim Rumkowski. Circa 1942.

The card entitled its holder to the fixed bread ration for one person, collected only at the assigned distribution point. It is numbered No. 070703, made out by hand to a named ghetto resident, assigned to bread distribution point No. 19, and carries red ration markings, Rumkowski's printed signature and the council's round stamp. The printed text warns that any trading or forgery of bread cards would be severely punished, and that lost cards would not be replaced.

A rare and moving document of daily life and hunger in the Lodz Ghetto.

Condition: rust stain with a small tear at the top centre from an old staple; otherwise intact. See photos.

Size: approx. 15 x 10 cm.