Semitism

Jewish responses to Nazi policy, like the policies themselves, changed throughout the Holocaust. While Nazi policy resulted in a narrowing of Jewish choices and responses, a common theme of Jewish responses included various forms of resistance. Select one of the primary sources listed below that discusses Jewish responses to Nazi policy, and explore the notion of resistance as expressed in the text. Some things to think about: How does this text understand the idea of resistance?  Does it yield a narrow or broad definition of resistance? How does the text’s understanding of resistance shape how students of the Holocausts understand Jewish responses to Nazi policy?

Hope that something will change.

Even though we are now undergoing terrible tribulations and the sun has grown dark for us at noon, we have not lost our hope that the era of light will surely come.

Another young girl cried out to God imploring Him to accept her as the expiatory sacrifice for her people and to let her be the final victim.

The narrow policies that the Nazi’s enforced narrowed the Jewish definition for resistance. Hope triggered the motive to resist while the lack of hope meant that death was eminent, thus efforts for resistance were useless. In the text Facing death in the Bialystock Ghetto, inhabitants of the ghetto contemplate resistance prior to the mass deportation to camps. The orphans knew of their slim chances but the hope and honor they maintained compelled them to fight. The ideas of resistance all led to the same end goal, death. Thus there was no choice for resistance, rather it was the pride of the human spirit and vengeance for one’s people that led resistance efforts, “Armed resistance was not an act of self preservation” . Although death was the result to any form of resistance, jews still responded in hopes for the preservation of its people.