Poland was invaded in September, 1939. The ?odz Ghetto was the first large ghetto to be forcibly established there. On May 1, 1940 the barbed wire-topped fence was completed around the 4.3 km2 ghetto, which housed 160,000 Jews. The ghetto was run by former orphanage director Mordecai Chaim Rumkowski, who served as the Elder of the Jews in ?odz. Rumkowski became infamously known for his cooperation with the Nazis.
The ?odz Ghetto issued Quittungen, which were “receipts” for national currency tendered by ghetto residents. The group here includes two one-mark notes. These acted like governmental paper money in many respects. In addition, there was an enormous issue of ration chits that served as money. Included here is a ration card for cigarettes, in addition to examples of vegetable and bakery scrip. The ?odz Ghetto also had a postal service that issued its own postage stamps, which here depict the leader Rumkowski.