Resistance To The Holocaust

     Throughout history the Jewish people have been scapegoats; whenever something was not going right they were the ones to blame. From Biblical times through to the Shakespearean Era, all the way to the Middle East Crisis and the creation of Israel, the Jews have been persecuted and blamed for the problems of the world. The most horrifying account of Jewish persecution is the holocaust, which took place in Europe from 1933 to 1945 when Adolf Hitler tried to eliminate all the people that he thought were inferior to the Germans, namely the Jews, because he wanted a pure Aryan State.

Resistance in the mist of WWII and the Holocaust occurred all across Europe and the occupied territories of Nazi Germany. The three groups I’m going to discuss are Zegota, White Rose, and Le Chambon-sur-Lignon. Each one of these came from three very different areas, but they each resisted Nazi ideology. Each group has their own reason for why they decided to take a stand, whether morally, politically, or religious reasons and while there are differences between the groups many of them have overlapping reasons for their desire to resist.

While Jewish resistance was a help was big influence to the Holocaust, the non-jewish resistance was substantially bigger. Some of the groups that helped were, the US, USSR, and Germans. All of these groups had many reason why they wanted to fight/rebel against the Axis of Power. Some wanted to keep their country's interest and beliefs.

Examining any issue pertaining to the Holocaust is accompanied with complexity and the possibility of controversy. This is especially true in dealing with the topic of Jewish resistance to the Holocaust. Historians are often divided on this complex issue, debating issues such as how “resistance” is defined and, in accordance with that definition, how much resistance occurred. According to Michael Marrus, “the very term Jewish resistance suggests a point of view.” Many factors, both internal such as differences in opinion on when or what resistance was appropriate, as well as external, such as the lack of arms with which to revolt, contributed to making resistance, particularly armed resistance, extremely difficult. When considering acts

The Holocaust was the worst genocide in history. The obstacles people went through would almost kill them. It is important people know about this topic so they do not make the same mistake again. Studies have shown that 5 in 10 millennials do not know about Auschwitz, let alone the Holocaust (CBS News). Many European countries have made Holocaust denial illegal. Obstacles were overcome in many Holocaust books/videos including PAPER CLIPS, multiple childrens books, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS, and THE BOOK THIEF.

During the Holocaust, there were many resistance groups and people. The Jewish resistance, however, started in 1942. The people in the Jewish resistance consisted of people who were against the German and Nazis’ ways. There were not many Jews who knew what was going on or where they were going when they got on those trains but the people who knew tried to resist. They would either run away from the trains or attack the captors. Others committed suicide that way they didn’t even go to the camp to get tortured. The people that would disobey the Nazis would get a punishment, which may include additional work to more extreme, execute on the spot. ("The White Rose - A Lesson In Dissent")

People’s understanding of resistance among European Jews throughout the Holocaust is a topic that has been vehemently debated by scholars from various fields of study. These scholars have produced multiple notions regarding the idea of resistance among European Jews, as the debate has developed significantly since the end of World War II. The definition of the term “Jewish resistance,” which has been used to characterize a rather obscure concept, still continues to be a major point of contention in historians’ understanding of the Holocaust. While some scholars who studied the topic in the decades following World War II argued that armed resistance was nearly the only legitimate form of resistance against Hitler and the Nazi’s, other scholars who studied the topic later on contend that this definition has its boundaries. These historians, who argue that other means of defiance must be incorporated into the definition of resistance in the context of the Holocaust, ultimately provide an argument that incorporates more elements that accurately describe the experience of European Jewry and their daily struggle to resist Nazi powers.

If there is any matter of defining Jewish resistance during the Holocaust it is with a quote by Maya Angelou, “You may tread me in the very dirt but still, like dust, I’ll rise”. Though these words are not from a Jew, it is still implied to their resistance. On the year of 1933, during World War II, Nazis forced Jews to relocate themselves into the ghettos. While in the ghettos, Nazis made every effort to dehumanize Jews in forms of extermination, liquidations, shootings, and many unexplained cruelties. Once the community had enough they reacted with resistance. In order to maintain their humanity, Jews used armed and unarmed resistance.

    The Holocaust was a devastating period of time where German soldiers mistreated Jews horrifically, eventually killing over 6 million. While this was going on, there were resistance efforts. This included resistance from the Jews, and Germans. Three impactful examples of resistance efforts include the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising,  the White Rose Society, and the Sonderkommando Revolt. All of these groups worked to liberate Jews and opposed the Nazis.

The Holocaust happened during World War ll and was a bad time for anyone who was injured during it. From the people in the concentration camps to all the people who were involved in helping stop the acts from happening. This is such an important event in the history in the world because it is the prime example of an attempt at genocide. With around six million people dieing within twelve years. Although there were some groups trying to bring the Holocaust to an end an example is the French Resistance groups.

During World War II, many chose to stand against the Nazi’s either passively or actively due to tyranny and oppression. Despite the many who chose to act out against them, actively using warfare tactics, the remainder of citizens opted for a more subtle, passive type of resistance. In “The Diary of Anne Frank,” and “Resistance During the Holocaust,” the main people passively resisted. People can best respond to conflict by passively resisting because of human worth, survival, and to preserve a culture. Citizens should passively resist because they value their own human worth.

Jewish resistance is a very untold and important part of World War II. As the war grew and the Nazi’s occupied many European countries, resistance grew and intensified. Those who could escape the ghettos and work camps joined partisan groups. In the early 1940’s, underground resistance movements developed in about 100 ghettos. There were about 20,000-30,000 Jewish Partisans and their main goal was to break out of the ghettos, save as many Jews as they could, and fight against the Germans. Many Jews operated as partisans, whether as part of individual Jewish units or as members of non-Jewish units (Yad Vashem, n.d.).

During the years of World War, Two more than 5 million Jews were unjustly taken from their families and placed in concentration camps in which they would often be killed by the German Government. Jews were helpless and were desperately in need of some help because of the fact that they were slowly becoming extinct in the result of the cruel and evil acts of the German Government. Sadly, not too many people were bold enough to stand up for the Jews at this time. Luckily one man was able to overcome the possible outcomes of helping Jews at the time. Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat, and his wife Yukiko were one of few who made real efforts to help aid Jews during this time. From July 18 to August 28, 1940, Chiune Sugihara, would spend his

There were hundreds of Jewish resistance groups throughout Europe from 1941 to 1943, but the resistance of Warsaw Ghetto Jews was the most famous of that time. Summer of 1942 around 300,000 Jews were deported from the Warsaw Ghetto to a concentration camp called Treblinka. Word of what was happening to the Jews at the camp soon got back to Warsaw and it started a rebellion group called the Z.O.B, which translates to Jewish Fighting Organization. This group told the remaining Jews in the ghetto to resist going into the railroad cars and to join the group to fight. January of 1943 the Z.O.B made their first attack against German troops whom were rounding up Jews, they fired at them with smuggled and homemade weapons. After a few days the German

Chiune Sugihara created a way to freedom for many Jewish refugees. Even though Chiune saved thousands of Jews, his personal life suffered greatly. He was not able to return to Japan right away, so he traveled through Berlin, Prague, Konigsberg, and Bucharest. While in Europe, they were captured by the Russians because of their suspicious demeanor and were sent to internment camps for over 18 months(Kaleem). Sugihara and his family had to survive in harsh conditions for being who they were and where they were, but no matter what, they kept their mouths shut about what they had done for the Jews. They had no idea if their effort had helped anyone, but Sugihara still wanted to stay quiet about it, for fear of harming the Jews traveling to Japan.