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What was Jewish life like before the Holocaust?

Jewish life before the Holocaust was vibrant. Just like their non-Jewish neighbors, Jews worked as teachers, doctors, lawyers, artists, and store owners. Jews in small towns had insular, Jewish lives. Jews in cities were often less religious but still active in Jewish culture. They were involved in politics, the arts, and everyday life just like any other citizen.  

Family Passover in Seder

Photo: A family Passover seder in Łódź. 1938/1939, Łódź, Poland.

Photo credit: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Pauline Kra.

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