Pre-1939: Lublin, city, Lublin województwo, Poland; 1939–1944: Kreis Lublin-Land, Distrikt Lublin, Generalgouvernement; post-1998: Lublin województwo, Poland Lublin lies about 160 kilometers (99 miles) southeast of Warsaw. In August 1939, around 37,000 Jews were living there among a total population of some 122,000. In September 1939, following the German invasion, thousands of Jewish refugees fled to Lublin. The aerial bombardment of the city was quite heavy, resulting in around 1,000 civilian deaths and leaving thousands more homeless. German forces reached Lublin on September 17. Soon after their arrival they started to seize Jews for forced labor and rob Jewish property. In the fall of 1939, the Jewish community was required to pay several very large contributions to the German authorities. Initially the Jews were forced to wear yellow stars on their clothing, but in December 1939, these were replaced with white armbands bearing a blue Star of David.1 At the end of 1939, the Ger...