Thousands of Jews lived in the towns of Dęblin and Irena in central Poland before World War II. In September 1939, the towns were captured in the German invasion of Poland and the persecution of Jews began with drafts into forced labor and the start of a Judenrat. An open ghetto was made in Irena and its inhabitants worked on labor projects for Dęblin Fortress, the railway, and the Luftwaffe. Beginning in May 1941, Jews were sent to labor camps around Dęblin from the Opole and Warsaw ghettos. Conditions in the ghetto worsened due to epidemics of typhus and dysentery. The first deportation was on 6 May 1942 and took around 2,500 Jews to the Sobibór extermination camp. A week later, two thousand Jews arrived from Slovakia and hundreds more from nearby ghettos. In October, the Irena ghetto was liquidated; about 2,500 Jews were deported to the Treblinka extermination camp while some 1,400 Jews were retained as inmates of forced-labor camps. On 27 July 1944, the camp was liberated by the Red Army. (Full article...).

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_D%C4%99blin_and_Irena_during_World_War_II

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1785:

The University of Georgia, the oldest state-chartered public university in the United States, was founded. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Georgia

1996:

Mahamane Ousmane, the first democratically elected president of Niger, was deposed by Colonel Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara in a military coup d'état. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahamane_Ousmane

2011:

Astronomers documented H1504+65, a white dwarf in Ursa Minor (chart pictured) with the hottest surface temperature known at the time, at 200,000 kelvins (360,000 °F). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursa_Minor

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Mozartian: 1. (music) Of or relating to, or characteristic of, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or his music. 2. One who appreciates or studies the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 3. A musician regarded as a skilled interpreter and performer of Mozart's music. 4. About Word of the Day 5. Nominate a word 6. Leave feedback https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Mozartian

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Today we remember that freedom is not free. We have to work at it — nurture it, protect it and even sacrifice for it. May we never forget — and always remember our brothers and sisters who have served so that we may enjoy the gift of freedom. So in this moment we remember and give thanks for their dedication and selfless service to our nation, in the cause of our freedom. In this solemn hour we render our honor and our gratitude.   --Alex Pretti https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alex_Pretti