Editing Warsaw Ghetto (section)

== Background ==
Before [[World War II]], the majority of [[Polish Jews]] lived in the merchant districts of [[Muranów]], [[Wola|Powązki]], and [[Praga|Stara Praga]].<ref name=Gawryszewski/> Over 90% of [[Catholic Church in Poland|Catholics]] lived further away from the commercial center.<ref name=Gawryszewski/> The Jewish community was the most prominent there, constituting over 88% of the inhabitants of Muranów; with the total of about 32.7% of the population of the left-bank and 14.9% of the right-bank Warsaw, or 332,938 people in total<!--313,199 Yiddish and 19,739 Hebrew speakers--> [[Polish census of 1931|according to 1931 census]].<ref name=Gawryszewski/> Many Jews left the city during the [[Great Depression]].<ref name=Gawryszewski/> Antisemitic legislation, boycotts of Jewish businesses, and the nationalist "[[endecja]]" post-[[Piłsudski]] Polish government plans put pressure on Jews in the city.<ref name="Melzer"/> In 1938 the Jewish population of the Polish capital was estimated at 270,000 people.<ref name=Gessner/>

The [[Siege of Warsaw (1939)|Siege of Warsaw]] continued until September 29, 1939. On September 10 alone, the [[Luftwaffe]] conducted 17 [[Bombing of Warsaw in World War II|bombing raids on the city]];<ref name=Wardzyńska/> three days later, 50 German planes attacked the city center, targeting specifically Wola and [[Żoliborz]]. In total, some 30,000 people were killed,<ref name=Wardzyńska/> and 10 percent of the city was destroyed.<ref name=Philpott/> Along with the advancing [[Wehrmacht]], the ''[[Einsatzgruppe]]'' EG IV and the [[Einsatzkommando]]s rolled into town. On November 7, 1939, the ''[[Reichsführer-SS]]'' reorganized them into local [[Sicherheitsdienst|Security Service]] (SD). The commander of EG IV, [[Josef Meisinger]] (the "Butcher of Warsaw"), was appointed chief of police for the newly formed [[General Government#Administrative districts|Warsaw District]].<ref name=Wardzyńska/>