Within the time preceding and during the holocaust there were instances of Jewish resistance, though they seemed few and far between. The instances of resistance were primarily behind the scenes and subliminal, mainly consisting of passive resistance to segregation. In addition to this there was outright resistance though very limited primarily during deportations and city cleansing. The final form of resistance that was practiced was the act of resisting death through hiding and escape. These three ideas were gathered from the two readings, Ordinary Men by Christopher R. Browning and Between Dignity and Despair: Jewish Life in Nazi Germany by Marion A. Kaplan. Through the combination and analysis of these two books I will explain the extent
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This form of resistance was the idea of survival in itself, for every live saved was how the Jews combated Hitler. With this in mind many Jews hid and tried to preserve their culture as best the could during years of hiding. There was one specific resistance group that was especially good at this, Chug Chaluzi. Though this was the most prominent Jewish specific resistance group many others also joined German political groups that were against the Nazis. These groups differed from the the Chug Chaluzi in that their goal was not the survival of Jewish culture but the eradication of Nazism. These groups also took a primarily passive approach as well as fighting the German military machine was not advisable for such a small group of …show more content…
The moment when there was no fighting back because all the Jewish man, woman, or child could see was the end of the road. This was how many Jewish people met their fate during the holocaust, passively accepting the imminent truth. When the men of the Einsatzgruppen were questioned after the war they had a dichotomous idea of the Jewish behavior facing imminent death, that either “stressed Jewish Passivity” or “the emphasis was clearly on the dignity of the victims.” In either case “there was no resistance, no attempt to escape.” This could be seen as either giving up or going out with dignity but in either case it is surprising that there was no resistance. This could also be due to the realization that nothing could be done and it is better to go with an easy mind.
“When the first salvo was heard from the woods, a terrible cry swept the marketplace as the collected Jews realized their fate. Thereafter, however, a quiet composure— indeed, in the words of a German witness, an ‘unbelievable’ and ‘astonishing’ composure—settled over the Jews”
This being a perfect example of the previously mentioned idea. That idea being that it is better to die peacefully than fight what is bound to happen. In this the reason for a lack in resistance can be easily
This form of resistance was the idea of survival in itself, for every live saved was how the Jews combated Hitler. With this in mind many Jews hid and tried to preserve their culture as best the could during years of hiding. There was one specific resistance group that was especially good at this, Chug Chaluzi. Though this was the most prominent Jewish specific resistance group many others also joined German political groups that were against the Nazis. These groups differed from the the Chug Chaluzi in that their goal was not the survival of Jewish culture but the eradication of Nazism. These groups also took a primarily passive approach as well as fighting the German military machine was not advisable for such a small group of …show more content…
The moment when there was no fighting back because all the Jewish man, woman, or child could see was the end of the road. This was how many Jewish people met their fate during the holocaust, passively accepting the imminent truth. When the men of the Einsatzgruppen were questioned after the war they had a dichotomous idea of the Jewish behavior facing imminent death, that either “stressed Jewish Passivity” or “the emphasis was clearly on the dignity of the victims.” In either case “there was no resistance, no attempt to escape.” This could be seen as either giving up or going out with dignity but in either case it is surprising that there was no resistance. This could also be due to the realization that nothing could be done and it is better to go with an easy mind.
“When the first salvo was heard from the woods, a terrible cry swept the marketplace as the collected Jews realized their fate. Thereafter, however, a quiet composure— indeed, in the words of a German witness, an ‘unbelievable’ and ‘astonishing’ composure—settled over the Jews”
This being a perfect example of the previously mentioned idea. That idea being that it is better to die peacefully than fight what is bound to happen. In this the reason for a lack in resistance can be easily