The Warsaw ghetto was closed in November 1940, trapping about 380,000 Jews inside. The terrible conditions, congestion, and hunger led to the deaths of approximately 80,000 Jews. Despite this, creative efforts by artists and thinkers persisted. Deportations to concentration camps started in July of 1942. Before the war, Warsaw was home to about 375,000 Jews, or about 30% of the city's total population.

The Jews of Warsaw were targeted for harsh exploitation and forced labor immediately following Poland's defeat in September 1939. Under Adam Czerniakow's direction, a Judenrat (Jewish council) was formed, and in October 1940, plans to create a ghetto were made public. The ghetto population eventually reached 450,000 as a result of the mass transportation of immigrants to Warsaw. The Jews of Warsaw were isolated from the outer world by walls they constructed themselves and a rigorous and harsh guard. Life in the ghetto was a constant struggle between hope of survival and fear of disease or hunger.

Living conditions were terrible, with each person receiving only 10% of the recommended daily calorie consumption. Minimal and often illegal economic activity occurred in the ghetto, with food smuggling being the most common form of commerce. Those who participated in such criminal activities or had other means of financial security were able to remain in the ghetto for longer. However, the creative energy of its residents persisted in their work despite the dire circumstances in which they were forced to live. Jews community institutions, such as the Judenrat and welfare groups, were impotent in battleing the ghetto's overcrowding, which created a breeding ground for illnesses and mass mortality.

Over 80 thousand Jews perished in the ghetto, and deportations to the Treblinka death camp started in July 1942. Adam Czerniakow, chairman of the Judenrat, committed suicide on July 23, 1942, after refusing to compile lists of those who would be deported in response to the initial deportation orders.