Judenräte were organisations forcibly set up by the German (occupation) administration in Jewish communities and ghettos in the occupied territories to administer the Jewish community. The tasks of the Judenräte included the distribution of food, the organisation of work detachments, the supervision of the ghetto inhabitants, the maintenance of order, the administration of finances and the selection of those to be transported to the death camps. The Judenräte were in an extremely difficult position, as they had to walk a tightrope between protecting the Jewish community and being forced to cooperate with the German occupiers.
lit. Jewish council/Judenrat
- Synonyms: lit. Jewish council
