Resistance During The Holocaust

Between 1941 and 1943, underground resistance movements developed in approximately 100 ghettos in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe (“Jewish”).
The Holocaust was one of the most horrific events to ever occur in human history, and is most commonly known for when the mass murder of over six-million Jewish people took place. In 1939, thousands of Jewish families were forced to leave their homes and live in small, fenced-off areas known as ghettos. With miserable living conditions, and constant Nazi terror, resistance was not easy, but certainly not impossible. During the Holocaust, Jewish people engaged in various forms of armed and unarmed resistance, which maintained their humanity and dignity.
Different acts of unarmed resistance were non-aggressive ways Jewish people would attempt to maintain normal lives, despite of the unfortunate circumstances they were living in. Since the Nazi’s forbade any religious acts, most acts of unarmed resistance were secretive and took place underground. “The Germans forbade religious services in most ghettos, so many Jews prayed and held ceremonies in secret – in cellars, attics, and back rooms – as others stood guard” (“Spiritual”).
These acts did not use physical force or weaponry, therefore they are classified as unarmed. Religious ceremonies, underground schools, and more were common forms of unarmed resistance. These acts of resistance were ways Jewish people maintained a sense of self-respect and pride, despite being dehumanized in such ways.
Along with unarmed resistance, there were also others who participated in more violent acts, known as armed resistance.
Unlike unarmed resistance, armed resistance is classified as using physical force to refuse or fight back. Attacking soldiers with weapons, smuggling explosives, and forming revolutionary organizations were the most common forms of armed resistance. “Members of the Jewish Fighting Organization and other Jewish groups attacked German tanks with Molotov cocktails, hand grenades, and a handful of small arms” (“Jewish”). Even though the Jewish people knew they had no chance of defeating their stronger Nazi oppressors, they still fought as a way of not allowing themselves to be willingly slaughtered. Armed resistance was fought for the sake of Jewish honor, for themselves and
others.
Although there were many who took part in acts of armed resistance, under the circumstances of the ghettos and concentration camps, the only way to truly maintain their dignity was through acts of unarmed resistance. Knowing that they would lose to the Nazi’s using weapons, unarmed resistance was a more morally effective form of resistance. Jewish people who performed unarmed acts of resistance showed a greater sense of humanity, as they did not become like their oppressors. “We who lived in the concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances” (Frankl 86). Many Jewish people used prayer and faith to find moral strength under the unbearable circumstances. Choosing prayer over weaponry was a morally higher form of resistance.
Various acts of armed and unarmed resistance were organized by the Jewish people as a way of defense against their Nazi oppressors. Unarmed resistance consisted of non-physical acts, whereas armed resistance used physical force. Both armed and unarmed acts played large roles in Jewish resistance, yet the moral strength of unarmed actions surpasses any physical forces. “Many orthodox Jews who opposed the use of physical force viewed prayer and religious observances as the truest form of resistance” (“Spiritual”).