Issuu

Resistance During the Holocaust How could so many people—six million Jews and five million others, a number impossible to imagine— from all over Europe be murdered in so short a time? Did anyone oppose the Nazis? Did anyone come to assist the Jews or other victims of the Nazis? Did the Jews try to fight back? Resistance, in many ways, was near impossible for Jews, and it was also extremely difficult for citizens in the occupied countries. There was little access to weapons, almost no ability to move about freely, and a majority of the population that for various reasons was uninterested in resisting the Nazis. Furthermore, open conflict was not a wise alternative, since it most often resulted in death for oneself and others. Until it became perfectly clear that the Nazis intended to murder every Jew in Europe, people hung on to the hope that perhaps their own lives would be spared. Perhaps by being compliant, doing what the Nazis were ordering them to do, they could survive to the end of the war. The Nazis encouraged that sense of hope in order to keep the Jews obedient and orderly. They intentionally deceived the Jews, leading them to believe the relocations and separation of their families were only temporary, and that they were vital, valued workers for the German war effort. While the Nazis were masterminding ways to deceptively give Jews hope, they were also planning and executing their mass murder. However, it would be a grave mistake to believe that all Jews went to their death like “sheep to slaughter.” It would be equally wrong to think that all non-Jews in Europe did nothing. Despite the odds, many Jews practiced some form of resistance, whether it was cultural and spiritual, or armed and active. In addition, a small number of non-Jews were involved in resistance, though they were the exception to the rule. Below describes how Jews and non-Jews were able to resist during the Holocaust.

Cultural and Spiritual Resistance The term “resistance” when related to Jews and the Holocaust takes on a different meaning than the way most of us understand the term. Jews during the Holocaust were resisting, among other things, isolation, dehumanization, starvation, illness, and the “Final Solution”—every single Jew living under Nazi tyranny was sentenced to death. For most Jews, acts of cultural and spiritual resistance were the only possible means to oppose Nazi tyranny. Such acts undermined Nazi power and inspired Jewish hope. However, the risks of resisting Nazi policies were grave; often an act of resistance by one person would mean the death of many others. Resistance of any kind during the Holocaust required great courage.

Cultural and spiritual resistance took place within the ghettos, but the extent varied from ghetto to ghetto. Some of the activities were secretive, held at the initiative of underground organizations; they included literary evenings, gatherings to mark the anniversary of a Jewish artist, and concerts. Jewish authors, directors, and poets produced works in the ghettos, and there were secret libraries. Some of the cultural activities were based on works written before the war; others drew on the situation in the ghetto. Other examples of resistance included creating schools; printing and distributing underground newspapers; maintaining religious customs; drawing, painting, or secretly