Deportation is the process of expelling an individual or group from a country. Deportees are typically people whose presence is considered unlawful, undesirable, or a threat to national security. During World War II, this process was a central component of Nazi racial policy. In the first years of the war, the German government deported hundreds of thousands of people — Jews, Gypsies, political opponents, and others — from their homes to ghettos and camps throughout occupied territory. Following the announcement of the Final Solution in 1942, deportations began on the largest scale. Over the next few years, the Germans transported millions of Jews and thousands of Gypsies from their homes, camps, and ghettos to death camps in German-occupied Poland. Paula, Sol, Silvia, and Bert were among the small percentage who survived being deported to death camps.
