Similarities and differences: a comparative study between the ghettos in Bialystok and Kielce

Juxtaposes the Bialystok and Kielce ghettos and demonstrates the importance of local Jewish leadership, which varied from ghetto to ghetto. Worlds of difference spanned the experiences of Herman Levy, the wholly ineffective chairman of the Kielce Judenrat and Ephraim Barash, the more effective chairman of that in Bialystok. The dynamics of Jewish police also varied greatly in terms of corruption and origins. The geography of the ghettos and the possibility of work mattered as well, helping to condition the responses of Jewish leaders.