Warsaw Symbolism

Warsaw, A Symbol of Resistance and Courage “The horrors experienced by the Jews of Warsaw in their two years of confinement are almost too vile and inhuman to have been created by the hands of men.” (Finegersh 1) Although the odds were against them, the Jews of Warsaw took desperate measures to escape life in the ghetto. They started with unexpected resistance, which turned into an uprising; although they did not succeed, they will always be remembered as a symbol of resistance for fighting with everything they had. Why did The Jews of Warsaw decide to fight back? As part of Hitler’s “Final Solution,” the Nazis established ghettos to confine Jews until they could be executed. In September, 1939, 400,000 Jews were confined in an area less that one square mile. It was not until November, 1940,that the ghetto was sealed with barbed wire, a brick wall, and armed guards, completely separating the Jews from the outside world. Once Jews were completely separated, they were …show more content…
The Jewish Fighting Organization (Z.O.B) was formed on October 20th, 1942. Z.O.B stands for Zydowska Organizacja Bojowa, which is Polish for Jewish Fighting Organization.“ The fighting Organization is unified, strategies are planned, underground bunkers and tunnels are built, and rooftop passages are constructed. The Jews of Warsaw prepare to fight to the end” (www.ushmm.org). On January 18, 1943, Warsaw was surrounded for the second liquidation, but the Jews were prepared this time, they realized they could not just do what the Germans said and allow Jews to continue being deported to their death. They had managed to smuggle limited weapons from anti-nazi poles and make homemade bombs. When the Germans approached the corners of Zamenhof and Niska streets, resistance fighters fired at soldiers. After a few days of battle, the Germans retreated. The Jews viewed this a victory, encouraging them to fight back