Figure 1.--

Many ask why the Jews did not ressist more and instead resigned themselves to their fate. We find this this question is most commonly asked by those who are incredulous about the Holocaust itself and those who do not understand how difficult ressistance was. It is also commonly asked by anti-Semmites who have convinced themselves that Jews among other characteristics are cowardly. In answering this question, first it must be mentioned that there was ressistance. Resistance was made difficult by the fact that except in Poland, Jews were a very small part of the population making any kind of effective ressistance difficult. It must also be understood that the Holocaust was very well planned. It was often carefully staged, designed to create the impression a every stage that conditions could not get worse. In the end the Holocaust played on the strength of the Jewish family. As bad as conditions thought, many Jews felt that at least the family was together. Only when the transports reached the death camps were the families separated.

The Question

Many ask why the Jews did not ressist more and instead resigned themselves to their fate. We find this this question is most commonly asked by those who are incredulous about the Holocaust itself and those who do not understand how difficult ressistance was. It is also commonly asked by anti-Semmites who have convinced themselves that Jews among other characteristics are cowardly.

Armed Ressistance

In answering this question, first it must be mentioned that there was ressistance. Jews served with the partisans. The most famed example is the Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Getto during 1943. Although they had only a small number of small arms, the Jewish resistance was legendary. Another example was the Bielski brothers from the village of Stankevich in the Soviet Union (modern Belarus). They formed a partisan band operating behind the front lines. [Duffy and Tec] There was also risings in the concentration camps, the most important being at Sorbibor.

Difficulty of Ressistance

Any kind of ressistance to the NAZIs was very difficult. This was true even for members of the majority population, let alone a minority. Resistance was made difficult by the fact that except in Poland, Jews were a very small part of the population making any kind of effective ressistance difficult. The Ressistance was conducted by individyals of great bravery, but except in the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia the Ressistance was only of minor military importance in the War. Most active members of the Ressistance did not survive the War and this was the case with the majority population. The chance of a minority group resisting the NAZIs was very limited.

Planning

It must also be understood that the Holocaust was very well planned. It was often carefully staged, designed to create the impression a every stage that conditions could not get worse. The NAZIs had several years in power perfecting methods of suppressing ressistance. he Gestapo was never a huge force, but was to effectively eliminate effective ressistance in Germany within a year, despite the fact that the NAZIs were a minority and the opposition included other committed groups like the Communists. The NAZIs also perfected their procedures of how to effectively isolate and plunder the assetts of the Jews. This was important because isolated from gentile neighbors and without assetts, a Jews's limited chances of escaping the Holocaust fell even further. Few Jews appreciated what the Final Sollution was. After the NAZIs invaded a country, anti-Jewish measures were applied in carefully planned staggered steps. The actual process varried from country to country

The Jewish Family

In the end the Holocaust played on the strength of the Jewish family. As bad as conditions thought, many Jews felt that at least the family was together. Only the shock of Kristallnacht convinced German Jews to part from their children in the Kindertransport and even then many could not bring thmselves to do it. Only when the transports reached the death camps were the families separated. If parents had abanoned their children they could have had a better chsnce to escape, but few could bring them selves to do this.

Sources

Duffy, Peter. The Bielski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Saved 1,200 Jews and Built a Village in the Forest (Harper Collins, 2003), 297p.

Tec, Nechama. Defiance: The Bielski Partisans (1993).

Created: August 13, 2003
Last updated: August 13, 2003