Lodz Ghetto money from the JDC Jerusalem Archives
Among the rare artifacts in the AJJDC Archives are coins and notes used by the 200,000 Jews in the Łódź Ghetto from 1940 until the liquidation of the ghetto in 1944. In the Łódź Ghetto, which was called Litzmannstadt by the Nazis, this currency was officially called “marks” but widely known as “rumki” and “chaimki” in reference to the head of the ghetto, Mordechai Chaim Rumkowski. Rumkowski’s title—”Der Aelteste der Juden in Litzmannstadt” (“The Elder of the Jews in Litzmannstadt”)—is prominently displayed on the coins and notes; his signature is clearly visible on the notes.
