Shoemaker's tack hammer of the type used in Łódź Ghetto

The tack hammer was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990. 

Shoemaker's tack hammer of the type used in Łódź Ghetto 

overall: Height: 4.750 inches (12.065 cm) | Width: 2.750 inches (6.985 cm) | Depth: 1.000 inches (2.54 cm) 

Tack hammer, possibly for a shoemaker, similar to those used by Jewish forced laborers in the Łódź Ghetto in German-occupied Poland from May 1940 to summer 1944. Łódź was occupied by Germany a week after the September 1939 invasion of Poland. It was renamed Litzmannstadt, and in February 1940, the Jewish population of about 160,000 people was confined to a small, sealed-off ghetto. All residents had to work, and 85 percent of the ghetto population labored in nearly 100 factories. The major ones produced textiles, including uniforms for the German Army. Occupying authorities seized much of the specialized machinery from the Jewish population, forcing them to use hand techniques for production. Due to severe overcrowding and scarce food, disease and starvation were common. The Judenrat (Jewish Council) administered the ghetto for the Germans, and chairman Mordechai Rumkowski thought hard work and high output would preserve the ghetto. However, in January 1942, mass deportations to Chelmno killing center began; half the residents were murdered by the end of the year. In summer 1944, Łódź, the last ghetto in Poland, was destroyed and the remaining Jews were sent to Chelmno and Auschwitz-Birkenau killing centers. 

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Tack hammer with a short, cylindrical wood handle that is narrow on the bottom and widens at the neck. Extending from the handle is a thin, short, cylindrical metal rod capped with a rectangular block of metal. One end is stepped and blunt and the other tapers to a pointed end. Attached to the bottom butt of the handle is a small, black leather hanging tab with a small slit. The neck of the wooden handle is charred and uneven.