Jewish quarter of Warsaw burning, 1939

Jewish quarter of Warsaw burning, 1939 

Jewish quarter of Warsaw burning, 1939 

This sequence was shot on the night of September 16, 1939, during Rosh Hashanah. The German invasion of Warsaw, Poland had begun over a week before, but they intentionally set the Jewish quarter of Warsaw on fire during the holiday. Bryan did not have any external lights to illuminate the action while shooting this event. If the viewer looks closely they can make out the outlines and shadows of the inhabitants of the Jewish quarter in bucket brigades in the foreground of these shots trying to save their homes, their lives, and their livelihoods. The quarter was destroyed that night.