Resistance in the Holocaust Part 1: Spiritual and Cultural Resistance Part 2: Partisan and Armed Resistance

What is the meaning of the word resistance? Pt. 1--Write: What is the meaning of the word resistance? What are some examples of situations where resistance would be appropriate or necessary? What are some different forms of resistance?

What are some reasons why most people could not resist? Pt. 1--Think: What are some reasons why most people could not resist?

Hunger Sickness Isolation Lack of weapons Care for children, parents, or other family members

Pt. 1-- Watch and Answer: Go to Echoesandreflections.org Click on “Lessons” then “Lesson Components” Click on the plus sign next to L6 Watch the video clip under Roman Kent Write: What are the specific examples of resistance Roman Kent shares in his testimony? In his testimony, Roman says, “sometimes the easiest resistance is with a gun and a bullet.” What do you think he means by this statement? Do you agree with him? Explain your thinking. Roman wants people to understand that contrary to what some may think, Jews did resist the Nazis during the Holocaust in a variety of ways. Why do you think he feels it is important for people to understand this?

Pt. 1-- Watch and Answer: Under the same lesson, watch the video clips for Helen Fagin and Ruth Brand. Write: How would you characterize the activities Helen Fagin initiated in the ghetto? What purpose does the Gone with the Wind story serve for the students in Helen’s “clandestine school”? What reason does Ruth Brand give for fasting on Yom Kippur, despite the danger of doing so? How were Ruth and the other girls punished for this act of resistance? What does the word “brave” mean to you? Based on your definition, would you describe Helen and Ruth as brave?

Pt. 2-- Know: Partisan: a supporter of a person, group, party, or cause, es pecially a person who shows a biased, emotional allegianc e.

Pt. 2-- Read and Answer: Read the Partisans handout on my webpage. Cite textual evidence when answering the following: What dilemmas did a Jewish person face when thinking about whether he or she should flee to the forest? What were the main differences between a Jewish partisan and a non-Jewish partisan? According to information provided in the text, why was it so difficult for people to flee to the forest? Why was it impossible for most Jews to flee to the forest? Why did partisans feel it necessary to keep their location secret—even from local farmers and peasants?

Pt. 2—Background on Abba Kovner Abba Kovner was a young Lithuanian Jew who was a leader of a youth movement that hoped to take part in building a Jewish state in Israel. A young activist in the ghetto, he eventually became the leader of an armed underground. After a wave of murder during the second half of 1941, in which 2/3 of the Jews of Vilna were killed, Kovner was convinced that the Germans had a plan to murder all Jews everywhere. He had no real solid proof, but a strong feeling based on the events that had occurred in Vilna. Thus, the underground members decided to enter the ghetto and when it was about to be liquidated, they hoped to lead an armed uprising.

Pt. 2—Read and Answer Read the Pronouncement by Abba Kovner on my webpage. Answer: To whom is Abba Kovner directing his message? What specific words in the text support your answer? Explain why you think this was his audience. What are Abba Kovner’s arguments in favor of resistance? Analyze the following statement from the text: “It is better to die as free fighters than to live at the mercy of murderers.” What was Abba Kovner’s central argument? Why do you think that most Jews who participated in the revolts were youth?

Pt. 2– Background on resistance in the ghettos and camps In addition to the underground partisan resistance that occurred in the villages and the countryside of Nazi-occupied territories, there were forms of active resistance including armed revolts that were organized in the ghettos, concentration camps, and even extermination camps during the Holocaust. It was difficult for Jews to conduct armed resistance. The German army in WWII was very powerful. It took nearly six years from the start of the war and an effort unparalleled in history to defeat it.

Pt. 2—Read and Answer Read Armed Resistance in the Ghettos and Camps on my webpage. Answer: What motivated Jews to fight the Nazis? How were their motives similar or different from other examples of resistance that you know about? What does it mean to “offer resistance for its own sake”?

Pt. 2—Read and Answer Read the Personal Testimonies handout on my webpage. Answer: What difficulties and dilemmas did the fighters face in obtaining weapons? What expressions does Mordechai Anielewicz use to describe the revolt? To whom does Mordechai Anielewicz address his message? Why do you think this is his audience? Why was it important for Zalman Gradowski to leave written testimonies behind?

Pt. 2—Watch and Answer Go to Echoesandreflections.org Click on “Lessons” then “Lesson Components” Click on the plus sign next to L6 Watch the video clips under Mira Shelub and Sol Liber Write: Were you surprised to learn that there were female partisans? Why or why not? What do you learn about the partisans from Mira Shelub’s testimony? What does Mira say was the goal of the partisans? What do you learn about the armed resistance in the Warsaw ghetto from Sol Liber’s testimony? Both Mira and Sol give insight into how resistance during the Holocaust didn’t mean “winning,” but each and every act remained significant. How were the acts of resistance that Mira and Sol describe “significant”?

Journal Entry Record your thoughts on what you have learned about resistance in the Holocaust.