Teaching the Holocaust in the classroom: The “choiceless choices” of the Jews Teaching moral and ethical dilemmas in order to create empathy and not judgment

A Protocol of Zionist youth movement meeting in Vilna Ghetto, January 1942 “ Abba Kovner: It is still hard for me to explain why the blood of Vilna has been spilled and by contrast Bialystok is quiet… One thing is clear to me: Vilna is not Vilna alone; Ponar is not a unique episode… It is a complete system. Running from place to place is futile. Is there a possibility of rescue? Even though this is a difficult thought- we must say the truth- NO!! There is no possibility for rescue. For the millions of Jews under German occupation – there is no possibility of rescue. Is there an answer to our predicament? Yes- there is an answer-REVOLT AND ARMED RESISTANCE!! … Reizel Korczak: We are living without knowing what will happen tomorrow. It is our obligation to transfer our members there, to get them away from here, a place where extermination awaits them. We must begin evacuating at once. Another person (unnamed) : No one among us has talked about a very important problem that we are all faced with. I am referring to the collective responsibility that is hanging over our heads in the ghetto. How can we consider an option of armed resistance in the ghetto when we know that this may bring a terrible tragedy upon all the inhabitants of the ghetto? There is no certainty that we are faced with total and complete annihilation. We, the members of the different young movements are ready to strike, but are we willing to take responsibility for all the Jews in the ghetto and their possible annihilation as the result of our actions??? We should refrain from taking any action until we have resolved this issue “

What are the dilemmas?? How to interpreted the reality What is our responsibility as youth? choiceless choices : - saving ourselves - saving as many as we can -revolt and by that saving no one Reizel Korczak Abba Kovner Vitka Kempner

A Protocol of Zionist youth movement meeting in Vilna Ghetto, January 1942 “ Abba Kovner: It is still hard for me to explain why the blood of Vilna has been spilled and by contrast Bialystok is quiet… One thing is clear to me: Vilna is not Vilna alone; Ponar is not a unique episode… It is a complete system. Running from place to place is futile. Is there a possibility of rescue? Even though this is a difficult thought- we must say the truth- NO!! There is no possibility for rescue. For the millions of Jews under German occupation – there is no possibility of rescue. Is there an answer to our predicament? Yes- there is an answer-REVOLT AND ARMED RESISTANCE!! … Reizel Korczak: We are living without knowing what will happen tomorrow. It is our obligation to transfer our members there, to get them away from here, a place where extermination awaits them. We must begin evacuating at once. Another person (unnamed): No one among us has talked about a very important problem that we are all faced with. I am referring to the collective responsibility that is hanging over our heads in the ghetto. How can we consider an option of armed resistance in the ghetto when we know that this may bring a terrible tragedy upon all the inhabitants of the ghetto? There is no certainty that we are faced with total and complete annihilation. We, the members of the different young movements are ready to strike, but are we willing to take responsibility for all the Jews in the ghetto and their possible annihilation as the result of our actions??? We should refrain from taking any action until we have resolved this issue “

revolt erupted in the Vilna Ghetto. the Jewish population was against any form of armed resistance in the ghetto, therefore no revolt erupted in the Vilna Ghetto. the Vilna Ghetto was liquidated by the Nazis on September 23, 1943. Abba Kovner and his friends escaped to the forests and fought with the partisans to the end of the war.