Beginning with the rise of Adolf Hitler and the start of World War II in 1939, Jewish people, along with others deemed “undesirable” by the Nazi Party, were persecuted and punished throughout Germany and rest of Europe. Many were forced into ghettos or sent to concentration camps where they were forced to perform labor or were instantly killed. Though the Nazi party kept a tight hold on their power through the use of the military and secret police, many resistance movements were formed across Europe. Defiance came in many forms; from secret groups, to single figure operations, to concentration camp revolts, many risked their lives to aid in the opposition of Nazi tyranny. These heroic figures, such as Oskar Schindler, those of the Sobibor Uprising,
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A significant figure of the Holocaust was Oskar Schindler, a German man who saved the lives of hundreds of Jews. A member of the Nazi Party, Schindler ran multiple factories, creating supplies and ammunition for the German war effort. At first, he was driven by the desire to make profit; however, he began employing Jews at his factories. For example, by 1944, over 1,000 Jews worked in Emilia, a factory next to the Krakow ghetto. These actions came at a price; Schindler often had to bribe Nazi officials and use the black market, leading him to be suspected of crimes by the Nazis three times. Rena Ferber, a Holocaust survivor who was employed at one of the factories, states that Schindler, “treated us with kindness and respect...Schindler bribed Goeth and others to get food and better treatment for the Jews during a time when all Germans were killing the Jews,” (Ferber). Schindler treated the Jews that he employed with humanity, providing them with food and never physically harming them like …show more content…
During Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, along with its counterparts of countries in eastern Europe, the four Bielski brothers - Tuvia, Alexander, Asael and Aron - were forced to flee their home and hide out in the forest. There, they encountered other escapees who had also been forced from their homes, and from there, formed the Bielski Partisan group. This eventual otriad consisted of approximately 1,200 Jews, many of them escaped prisoners from nearby ghettos. The main goal of the group was too save as many Jews as possible. In an interview with Jack Kagan, a member of the group, he describes the group as, “They were more concerned with saving Jews than with killing Nazis. They did not kill innocent people,” (Kagan). Though many of partisans had seen their own families be killed, including the family of the Bielski brothers, the intention of the fight was not for claiming revenge by killing Germans, but rather saving Jews who had faced similar struggles during the Holocaust. The otriad was forced to move their campsites many times throughout the war, and often had to take extreme measures to ensure their survival. Nonetheless, the group operated for many years, and was able to save hundreds of Jews from imminent execution at the hands of concentration camps or ghettos.
A significant figure of the Holocaust was Oskar Schindler, a German man who saved the lives of hundreds of Jews. A member of the Nazi Party, Schindler ran multiple factories, creating supplies and ammunition for the German war effort. At first, he was driven by the desire to make profit; however, he began employing Jews at his factories. For example, by 1944, over 1,000 Jews worked in Emilia, a factory next to the Krakow ghetto. These actions came at a price; Schindler often had to bribe Nazi officials and use the black market, leading him to be suspected of crimes by the Nazis three times. Rena Ferber, a Holocaust survivor who was employed at one of the factories, states that Schindler, “treated us with kindness and respect...Schindler bribed Goeth and others to get food and better treatment for the Jews during a time when all Germans were killing the Jews,” (Ferber). Schindler treated the Jews that he employed with humanity, providing them with food and never physically harming them like …show more content…
During Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, along with its counterparts of countries in eastern Europe, the four Bielski brothers - Tuvia, Alexander, Asael and Aron - were forced to flee their home and hide out in the forest. There, they encountered other escapees who had also been forced from their homes, and from there, formed the Bielski Partisan group. This eventual otriad consisted of approximately 1,200 Jews, many of them escaped prisoners from nearby ghettos. The main goal of the group was too save as many Jews as possible. In an interview with Jack Kagan, a member of the group, he describes the group as, “They were more concerned with saving Jews than with killing Nazis. They did not kill innocent people,” (Kagan). Though many of partisans had seen their own families be killed, including the family of the Bielski brothers, the intention of the fight was not for claiming revenge by killing Germans, but rather saving Jews who had faced similar struggles during the Holocaust. The otriad was forced to move their campsites many times throughout the war, and often had to take extreme measures to ensure their survival. Nonetheless, the group operated for many years, and was able to save hundreds of Jews from imminent execution at the hands of concentration camps or ghettos.