To organize the local population and maintain order, the German authorities established a Jewish Council commonly called the "Judenrat" or the "Ältestenrat" ("Council of Elders") in Łódź. The chairman of the "Judenrat" appointed by the Nazi administration was Chaim Rumkowski (age 62 in 1939). Even today, he is still considered one of the most controversial figures in the history of the Holocaust. Known mockingly as "King Chaim", Rumkowski was granted unprecedented powers by the Nazi officials, which authorized him to take all necessary measures to maintain order in the Ghetto.