Jewish Resistance To The Nazi Regime Flashcards
In what ways were the Ringelblum archives a form of Jewish resistance to the Nazis?
. Created a counter-narrative to Nazi propaganda as they planned to twist the brutal treatment of jews after they were exterminated
. Preserved the culture and traditions of jews to maintain their dignity of Jewish life and how they still have a voice and identity
. Ensured evidence to hold the Nazis accountable for their actions
. Organised form of resistance where different people documented the legacy of jews even in the face of extreme repression by the Nazis
What was the Ringelblum archive?
Underground archive that aimed to document the reality of Jewish life under Nazi occupation, creating evidence to get the Nazis in a bad light
How were Ringelblum very organised resistance?
Recruited from all different points of Jewish society
Where was the main aim of the Ringelblum archive?
Mainly documented the reality of Jewish life in the Warsaw ghetto, but also the fate of Jews throughout Poland in general.
How did the works of the Ringelblum archives race constant danger?
. Interviewing refugees in filthy and overcrowded refugee centres exposed them to risk of contracting typhus
. Ever-preset threat of the Gestapo
However, the Germans never discovered the secret of the archives so in this sense they were very successful
Where did much of the information for the Ringelblum archive come from?
Through meeting with the Warsaw Ghetto’s refugee population through the self-help activities in the ghetto e.g refugee points, soup kitchens, underground schools
How widespread was underground resistance movements in ghettos between 1941-43?
In around 1/4 of all ghettos, especially in Poland and Ukraine
What were the main aims of resistance movements in ghettos?
. Organise uprisings
. Break out of ghettos
. Join partisan units in the fight against the Germans
Where were the main acts of resistance in killing centres?
. Treblinka
. Sobibor
. Auschwitz-Birkenau
What happened in the Treblinka revolt?
August 2 1943: Jews seized what weapons they could find e.g some firearms stolen from the camp armoury and set fire to the camp
. Around 200 escaped out of around 1k participants
. Germans recaptured and killed around half of them
What happened in the Sobibor uprising?
. October 14th 1943: prisoners in Sobibor killed 11 SS guards and police auxiliaries, setting the camp on fire
. Around 300 escaped, breaking through the barbed wire
. Over 100 recaptured and later shot
Who was Ala Gertner and what was her role in the Auschwtiz uprising?
When arriving at Auschwitz, she was assigned to force labour at a nearby armaments factory. She learnt that they would be killed at Crematorium 4 so her and some female prisoners smuggled gunpowder and explosives from the factory.
- set fire to crematorium 4 in October 1944 and killed 3 guards
Gertner was publicly hanged in early January 1945
- almost all several hundred involved in the rebellion were murdered
Why did the Jewish combat organisation come about?
Warsaw ghetto inhabitants after the ‘great action’ realised that the deportations to Treblinka meant certain death so created an armed self-defence unit called the Jewish combat origination organisation (ŻOB)
What was the ŻZW and what were their relations with the ŻOB?
Another force that came together in response to the knowledge of killing centres from ghettos. Organised by revisionist Zionist movement, especially including its youth group called Betar
- there were initially tensions between ŻOB and ŻZW but they ended up working together in the Warsaw ghetto uprising
How many surviving Jews were left in the Warsaw ghetto by early 1943.
Around 70-80k
When was the Warsaw ghetto uprising?
April 19-May 16 1943
Were the Nazis prepared for the Warsaw ghetto uprising?
Yes:
. They were aware of the ŻOB and ŻZW due to their earlier resistance in January
. Replaced chief of SS and police in Warsaw with Jürgen Stroop who had experience in partisan warfare
- also had forces at his disposal, including 2000 soldiers and police, reinforced with artillery and tanks
In what ways did the Warsaw ghetto uprising put up a good fight?
. ŻOB fighters managed to force German troops to retreat outside the ghetto wall on the first day and Stroop lost 12 men from first assault
. ŻOB could use guerrilla warfare by striking, then retreating back to safety of ghettos and bunkers
. Kept the Germans at bay for nearly a month
How was the Warsaw ghetto uprising overall unsuccessful?
. Around 700 young Jewish fighters clashed with German forces but were poorly equipped and lack military training and experience
. Nazis ended up completely burning the Jewish ghetto to the ground
