Ghettos
Life in the ghettos was incredibly hard, most of the time impossible. Overcrowding was always an issue, from one apartment to the next many families were cramped into a small housing area together. Diseases was a common enemy among the ghettos, they were contagious and were spreading rapidly. Hunger struck many of the families due to the small amounts of food given. The Germans purposely tried to starve the families by allowing them small portions of bread, potatoes and fat. In order to survive and get the food needed, families had to often beg and steal for food. With lack of warm enough clothing, through the winter many people died due to hypothermia and exposure to the cold. To escape their seemingly hopeless lives, suicide was a way out for many. The older children of families most of the time had to take care of the younger kids, if their wasn't anyone to take care of the kids they became orphaned and many of the orphans froze to death in the winter. Small children in the ghetto sometimes helped sneak food to their families by crawling through narrow openings in the ghetto wall, and upon getting caught were severely punished.