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In the winter of 1944, at the height of the Holocaust, Jewish photographer Henryk Ross buried a box of black and white photos in the ground. Just over a year later, he returned to unearth the historical photos, and the tragic story they told still resonates to this day.

Henryk Ross of Łódź, Poland was a simple news and sports photographer when German forces invaded his city in 1939. From then on, he survived by taking identity photos and propaganda shots for the Nazi Department of Statistics. While on the job, however, he risked his life to secretly document day-to-day events in the Łódź Jewish ghetto, which eventually included the deportation of its residents to concentration camps. Being at risk of a similar fate himself, he buried his photos near his house in a tar-sealed box, preserving evidence of the crimes against the Jewish population for future generations.

After the liberation of Łódź by the Soviet Army in 1945, Ross came back to dig up his time capsule, many of which were damaged or destroyed by groundwater. The ones that remained intact, though, provided an intimate look inside the lives of Polish Jews, many of whom met the most unspeakable of ends. These old photos now call the Art Gallery of Ontario home and live on as a memorial to the victims of the world's largest genocide.

#1

1940-1944: Portrait Of A Couple

1940-1944: Portrait Of A Couple

Henryk Ross Report

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htbq
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

someone should photoshop the second photo mirror reflection to replace the first photo mirror reflection.

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    #2

    1940: A Man Who Saved The Torah From The Rubble Of The Synagogue On Wolborska Street

    1940: A Man Who Saved The Torah From The Rubble Of The Synagogue On Wolborska Street

    Henryk Ross Report

    #3

    1940-1944: A Boy Searching For Food

    1940-1944: A Boy Searching For Food

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Anastasia Dashkevich
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My grandmother told she and her siblings were looking for the rotten potatoes on the fields in winter after nazies burned all village. It happened in Belarus...

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    #4

    1940: A Man Walking In Winter In The Ruins Of The Synagogue On Wolborska Street (Destroyed By Germans In 1939)

    1940: A Man Walking In Winter In The Ruins Of The Synagogue On Wolborska Street (Destroyed By Germans In 1939)

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Wiktoria Kozłowicz
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I made reconstrucion of this Synagogoue as my academic degree here you can see how it looked https://youtu.be/BARy4alee6I :)

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    #5

    1944: Food Pails And Dishes Left Behind By Ghetto Residents Who Had Been Deported To Death Camps

    1944: Food Pails And Dishes Left Behind By Ghetto Residents Who Had Been Deported To Death Camps

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Michel M. Prins
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Knowing what would happen with deportation, makes this photo incredibly powerful, without even showing a single person.

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    #6

    1940-1944: A Smiling Child

    1940-1944: A Smiling Child

    Henryk Ross Report

    #7

    1945: Henryk Ross' Excavating His Hidden Box Of Negatives And Documents From The Lodz Ghetto

    1945: Henryk Ross' Excavating His Hidden Box Of Negatives And Documents From The Lodz Ghetto

    Henryk Ross Report

    #8

    1940-1942: Woman With Her Child (Ghetto Policemen's Family)

    1940-1942: Woman With Her Child (Ghetto Policemen's Family)

    Henryk Ross Report

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    John L
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Even amidst the persecution and killings, there is still the glimmer of hope and love, before it too is ground into the ashes.

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    #10

    1940-1944: Sign For Jewish Residential Area (“Jews. Entry Forbidden”)

    1940-1944: Sign For Jewish Residential Area (“Jews. Entry Forbidden”)

    Henryk Ross Report

    #11

    1940-1942: Lodz Ghetto Prison At Czarnecki Street, A Rallying Point Before Deportation

    1940-1942: Lodz Ghetto Prison At Czarnecki Street, A Rallying Point Before Deportation

    Henryk Ross Report

    #14

    1940-1944: Deportation In Winter

    1940-1944: Deportation In Winter

    Henryk Ross Report

    #15

    1942: Children Being Transported To Chelmno Nad Nerem (Renamed Kulmhof) Death Camp

    1942: Children Being Transported To Chelmno Nad Nerem (Renamed Kulmhof) Death Camp

    Henryk Ross Report

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    #16

    1940: Henryk Ross Photographing For Identification Cards, Jewish Administration, Department Of Statistics

    1940: Henryk Ross Photographing For Identification Cards, Jewish Administration, Department Of Statistics

    Henryk Ross Report

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    #17

    1940: Baking Flat Bread

    1940: Baking Flat Bread

    Henryk Ross Report

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    lauren cole
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Good timing as we come upon our holiday of Passover or Pesach, Beginning sundown April 10th.

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    #18

    1940-1944: Young Girl Among The Greenery

    1940-1944: Young Girl Among The Greenery

    Henryk Ross Report

    #19

    1940-1944: Woman Sitting In The Ruins Of The Synagogue On Wolborska Street, Destroyed By The Germans In 1939

    1940-1944: Woman Sitting In The Ruins Of The Synagogue On Wolborska Street, Destroyed By The Germans In 1939

    Henryk Ross Report

    #20

    1940-1944: A Sick Man On The Ground

    1940-1944: A Sick Man On The Ground

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Rhon
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Poor thing. To be sick and to go through such horrors

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    #21

    1940-1944: A Group Of Women With Sacks And Pails, Walking Past Synagogue Ruins Heading For Deportation

    1940-1944: A Group Of Women With Sacks And Pails, Walking Past Synagogue Ruins Heading For Deportation

    Henryk Ross Report

    #22

    1940-1944: Children Looking Out The Window

    1940-1944: Children Looking Out The Window

    Henryk Ross Report

    #23

    1940-1944: Skulls And Bones On Ground

    1940-1944: Skulls And Bones On Ground

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Kipper Mcgee
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Heres a weird fact. If you go to the places where they burned the jews, you will see the most beautiful gardens there. Its because the ashes of the people are rich in nutrients. Its so sad, but beautiful.

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    #24

    1940-1944: "Soup For Lunch” (Group Of Men Alongside Building Eating From Pails)

    1940-1944: "Soup For Lunch” (Group Of Men Alongside Building Eating From Pails)

    Henryk Ross Report

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    xanbex
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Bare feet on two of these men...how cruel we humans can be........and still it goes on!

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    #25

    1942: Police With Woman Behind Barbed Wire At The Ghetto

    1942: Police With Woman Behind Barbed Wire At The Ghetto

    Henryk Ross Report

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    #26

    1940-1944: A Nurse Feeding Children In An Orphanage

    1940-1944: A Nurse Feeding Children In An Orphanage

    Henryk Ross Report

    #27

    1945: Three Men After Liberation By The Red Army

    1945: Three Men After Liberation By The Red Army

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Mark Robertson-Baker
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The Red Army raped the women and children they were liberating. Really messed up. It makes this photo anything but pleasing to me.

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    #29

    1940-1944: The Removal Of Feces In The Ghetto By Men And Women Workers

    1940-1944: The Removal Of Feces In The Ghetto By Men And Women Workers

    Henryk Ross Report

    #30

    1940-1944: A Jewish Policeman With His Wife And Child In Marysin

    1940-1944: A Jewish Policeman With His Wife And Child In Marysin

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Tiffany Waller
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The thing that is so striking about this picture is that the Jewish police had a bad reputation for being complicit with the Nazis. Yet, members of the Jewish police were following orders at the risk of having their own families murdered. In the end, most of the Jewish police would have been deported and killed with their families.

    #31

    1940-1944: Delivery Of Potatoes To The Ghetto

    1940-1944: Delivery Of Potatoes To The Ghetto

    Henryk Ross Report

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    #33

    1940-1944: A Scarecrow With A Yellow Star Of David

    1940-1944: A Scarecrow With A Yellow Star Of David

    Henryk Ross Report

    #34

    1940-1944: Body For Burial Tagged '54'

    1940-1944: Body For Burial Tagged '54'

    Henryk Ross Report

    #35

    1940-1944: Corpses And Body Parts In The Morgue

    1940-1944: Corpses And Body Parts In The Morgue

    Henryk Ross Report

    #36

    1944: A Mass Deportation Of Ghetto Residents

    1944: A Mass Deportation Of Ghetto Residents

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Doncar
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Considering how horrific and inhumane the Holocaust was, it is hard to understand how, just a few decades after, the state of Israel can do what it does to the Palestinian population. Even today no only they deport Palestinian families out of their land, but also bulldoze theirs homes. It seems to me that the the victims of the past have become the perpetrators. Very sad.

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    #37

    1940-1944: A Group Of Young Residents Standing In A Line

    1940-1944: A Group Of Young Residents Standing In A Line

    Henryk Ross Report

    #38

    1940-1944: Babies Lying On Floor Mat, Probably In The Hospital Nursery

    1940-1944: Babies Lying On Floor Mat, Probably In The Hospital Nursery

    Henryk Ross Report

    #39

    1942–1944: Lodz Ghetto Police Escorting Residents For Deportation

    1942–1944: Lodz Ghetto Police Escorting Residents For Deportation

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Tamara Kosoris
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I think the that the film being partially destroyed makes this an even better composition. Very apropos

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    #40

    1940-1944: Abandoned Body, Decomposing In Field

    1940-1944: Abandoned Body, Decomposing In Field

    Henryk Ross Report

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    ispeak catanese
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This person had loved ones but they weren't there or able to take care of him after death. Knowing a bit about Jewish funeral practices, it's horrible to think that no one was able to do the right thing by him. It adds another layer of sadness to this.

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    #41

    1940-1944: Man And A Boy Looking Out The Window

    1940-1944: Man And A Boy Looking Out The Window

    Henryk Ross Report

    #42

    1940-1944: Portrait Of Stefania Schoenberg Posing In The Window

    1940-1944: Portrait Of Stefania Schoenberg Posing In The Window

    Henryk Ross Report

    #43

    1940-1944: Two Young Women Observing The Bridge At Koscielyn Square, Crossing Zigerska Street

    1940-1944: Two Young Women Observing The Bridge At Koscielyn Square, Crossing Zigerska Street

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Alexandra Siwa
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Plac Kościelny - Church Square. Sorry, i'm complaining about descriptions, but I'm living near of the places on photograpies, so i just can't leave it with mistakes :P

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    #45

    1940-1944: A Performance Of 'shoemaker Of Marysin' In The Factory

    1940-1944: A Performance Of 'shoemaker Of Marysin' In The Factory

    Henryk Ross Report

    #46

    1940-1944: A Boy Walking In Front Of The Bridge Crossing Zigerska (The "Aryan") Street

    1940-1944: A Boy Walking In Front Of The Bridge Crossing Zigerska (The "Aryan") Street

    Henryk Ross Report

    #47

    1940-1944: Residents Sorting Belongings Left Behind After Deportation

    1940-1944: Residents Sorting Belongings Left Behind After Deportation

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Rhon
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Imagine most of us today being able to bundle our belongings like this!

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    #48

    1940-1944: Children In Pond Searching For Items To Salvage

    1940-1944: Children In Pond Searching For Items To Salvage

    Henryk Ross Report

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    #49

    1940-1944: Man Brushing Hide In The Leather Factory

    1940-1944: Man Brushing Hide In The Leather Factory

    Henryk Ross Report

    #50

    1940-1944: Nurse Holding Baby Before Surgery

    1940-1944: Nurse Holding Baby Before Surgery

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Susanne Pachtmann
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My guess is this child/these children didn't survive... Back than the technologies wasn't advanced enough. To fix might be the wrong word here. But it's understandable you used this verb.

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    #51

    1940-1944: Portrait Of Two Women

    1940-1944: Portrait Of Two Women

    Henryk Ross Report

    #52

    1944: A Boy Walks Among A Crowd Of People Being Deported In Winter

    1944: A Boy Walks Among A Crowd Of People Being Deported In Winter

    Henryk Ross Report

    #53

    1940-1944: Young Girls And Boys Working In A Workshop ("Ressort") In The Ghetto

    1940-1944: Young Girls And Boys Working In A Workshop ("Ressort") In The Ghetto

    Henryk Ross Report

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    #54

    1940-1944: Woman Posing With A Mail Truck

    1940-1944: Woman Posing With A Mail Truck

    Henryk Ross Report

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    #55

    1940-1944: Youth Selling Goods On The Street

    1940-1944: Youth Selling Goods On The Street

    Henryk Ross Report

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    #56

    1940-1944: A Woman Sewing In A Workshop ("Ressort") In The Ghetto

    1940-1944: A Woman Sewing In A Workshop ("Ressort") In The Ghetto

    Henryk Ross Report

    #57

    1940-1944: Ghetto Buildings

    1940-1944: Ghetto Buildings

    Henryk Ross Report

    #58

    1940-1944: Delegation After Liberation

    1940-1944: Delegation After Liberation

    Henryk Ross Report

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    #60

    1942: Ghetto Residents Held For Deportation

    1942: Ghetto Residents Held For Deportation

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Tracy Moorhead
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I can't imagine the heartache of watching your family being separated and taken away.

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    #61

    1940-1944: In The Bakery

    1940-1944: In The Bakery

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Cathy Wilson
    Community Member
    5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Obviously a propaganda photo. All the same, these men were working to literally make the bread of life available.

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    #62

    1940-1944: Man Working In A Workshop ("Ressort") In The Ghetto

    1940-1944: Man Working In A Workshop ("Ressort") In The Ghetto

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Ann Piquiet
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    They went to work...they held out hope.....even though they were starved, beaten and tortured...some human beings are the most evil creatures to walk or have walked on this Earth

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    #63

    1940-1944: Residents Sitting On The Street

    1940-1944: Residents Sitting On The Street

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Sherry Straus
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Heartbreaking, sad, moving! I cannot understand mans hate for others, so much so they kill, torture and starve so many. I would die before I ever allowed such a thing to happen in my country!!!

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    #64

    1940-1944: Workers Breaking Rocks

    1940-1944: Workers Breaking Rocks

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Ruta Draskinyte
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    reminds me the movie "Forest of the Gods" 2005. If anyone is interested in movies about nazi camps and the life in it, you should watch it. it is about Lithuanians being deported to german concentration camps.

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    #65

    1940-1944: Male Factory Worker Unloading Mattress Springs

    1940-1944: Male Factory Worker Unloading Mattress Springs

    Henryk Ross Report

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    #66

    1940-1944: Men Pulling Road Press

    1940-1944: Men Pulling Road Press

    Henryk Ross Report

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    Lara-Andrea Beck
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    They have been treated worse than animals up for slaughter. I am so ashamed about the past of my country. It makes me absolutely sick! But this MUST be remembered!! I would like to believe that this will not happen again up to the point when everyone has forgotten about the tragedy. So these pictures need to go around the world for everyone to see them. This must never be forgotten!!!

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