ADVERTISEMENT

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

Add photo comments
POST
stephen-bormann avatar
htbq
Community Member
6 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.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#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

Add photo comments
POST
finale2009 avatar
Anastasia Dashkevich
Community Member
6 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...

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#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

Add photo comments
POST
wiktoriakozowicz avatar
Wiktoria Kozłowicz
Community Member
6 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 :)

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#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

Add photo comments
POST
michel-m-prins avatar
Michel M. Prins
Community Member
6 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.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#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

Add photo comments
POST
jlk103144 avatar
John L
Community Member
6 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.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#10

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

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

Henryk Ross Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#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

ADVERTISEMENT
#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

#17

1940: Baking Flat Bread

1940: Baking Flat Bread

Henryk Ross Report

Add photo comments
POST
laurencole avatar
lauren cole
Community Member
6 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.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#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

Add photo comments
POST
rhon avatar
Rhon
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#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

Add photo comments
POST
kippermcgee avatar
Kipper Mcgee
Community Member
6 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.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#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

Add photo comments
POST
xanbex avatar
xanbex
Community Member
6 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!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#25

1942: Police With Woman Behind Barbed Wire At The Ghetto

1942: Police With Woman Behind Barbed Wire At The Ghetto

Henryk Ross Report

Add photo comments
POST
walkingheartfarm avatar
Pam Morton
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I just want to hold her hand....let her know someone cares.

#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

Add photo comments
POST
mxrobertsonbaker1 avatar
Mark Robertson-Baker
Community Member
6 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.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#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

Add photo comments
POST
tiffanywaller2 avatar
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.

ADVERTISEMENT
#31

1940-1944: Delivery Of Potatoes To The Ghetto

1940-1944: Delivery Of Potatoes To The Ghetto

Henryk Ross Report

#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

Add photo comments
POST
ava_007 avatar
Ava Salzman Page
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No matter how many photos or documentary's I see, I still can't seem to wrap my mind around any of it.

adoracat avatar
adoracat
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good people can't. They cannot wrap their minds around how evil people can be to one another. But they know it should not happen.

Load More Replies...
ravensgirl62 avatar
Wendy J Shores
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They were treated worse than animals. I hope Hitler and his followers are all burning in hell...

joelei avatar
Joe Dad
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Butchered like animals... wtf? And to think that all it took was one man... no one rose up to speak against Hitler... he continued to rise..

joelei avatar
Joe Dad
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And the sad thing is, the same thing happened again, with Trump. Trump should've never won, and yet he did. Wtf? F*****g stand up and fight!

Load More Replies...
miriaml avatar
Miriam L
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Images like these reinforce to me why Judaism places so much emphasis on respectful treatment of a corpse and a proper burial - which the Nazis denied them in the most violent forms. The soul is not longer in the body, but the body was used for good things and also has attained a level of holiness. This... we don't even treat dead animals like this. They are piled up like weeds, and it hurts

View more commentsArrow down menu
#36

1944: A Mass Deportation Of Ghetto Residents

1944: A Mass Deportation Of Ghetto Residents

Henryk Ross Report

Add photo comments
POST
doncar avatar
Doncar
Community Member
6 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.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#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

Add photo comments
POST
tamara_kosoris avatar
Tamara Kosoris
Community Member
6 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

View more commentsArrow down menu
#40

1940-1944: Abandoned Body, Decomposing In Field

1940-1944: Abandoned Body, Decomposing In Field

Henryk Ross Report

Add photo comments
POST
ispeakcatanese avatar
ispeak catanese
Community Member
6 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.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#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

Add photo comments
POST
lucid_intervals avatar
Alexandra Siwa
Community Member
6 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

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#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

Add photo comments
POST
rhon avatar
Rhon
Community Member
6 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!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#48

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

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

Henryk Ross Report

Add photo comments
POST
#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

Add photo comments
POST
verwoehnte_goere avatar
Susanne Pachtmann
Community Member
6 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.

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#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

Add photo comments
POST
#54

1940-1944: Woman Posing With A Mail Truck

1940-1944: Woman Posing With A Mail Truck

Henryk Ross Report

#55

1940-1944: Youth Selling Goods On The Street

1940-1944: Youth Selling Goods On The Street

Henryk Ross Report

Add photo comments
POST
#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

Add photo comments
POST
#60

1942: Ghetto Residents Held For Deportation

1942: Ghetto Residents Held For Deportation

Henryk Ross Report

Add photo comments
POST
tracym09 avatar
Tracy Moorhead
Community Member
6 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.

View more commentsArrow down menu
See Also on Bored Panda
#61

1940-1944: In The Bakery

1940-1944: In The Bakery

Henryk Ross Report

Add photo comments
POST
bigsyis1 avatar
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.

#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

Add photo comments
POST
ampiquiet avatar
Ann Piquiet
Community Member
6 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

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#63

1940-1944: Residents Sitting On The Street

1940-1944: Residents Sitting On The Street

Henryk Ross Report

Add photo comments
POST
sherry_straus_94 avatar
Sherry Straus
Community Member
6 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!!!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#64

1940-1944: Workers Breaking Rocks

1940-1944: Workers Breaking Rocks

Henryk Ross Report

Add photo comments
POST
ruteledrask avatar
Ruta Draskinyte
Community Member
6 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.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#65

1940-1944: Male Factory Worker Unloading Mattress Springs

1940-1944: Male Factory Worker Unloading Mattress Springs

Henryk Ross Report

Add photo comments
POST
#66

1940-1944: Men Pulling Road Press

1940-1944: Men Pulling Road Press

Henryk Ross Report

Add photo comments
POST
lara_andrea avatar
Lara-Andrea Beck
Community Member
6 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!!!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu