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...At
the end of October 1942 a meeting was held at the Ha-Shomer
[Left-wing Zionist] Club in 61 Mila Street. Those present
were: Ha-Shomer Mordecai [Anielewicz]; He-Halutz Yitzhak
[Cukierman]; and Poalei Zion Smol [Left Labor Zionists] Pola
[Elster], Berlinski, Wasser...agenda...the defense of the
Warsaw ghetto. After an exhaustive discussion in which the
following members took part Pola, Berlinski, Wasser, Mordecai
and Yitzhak we reached a joint conclusion: (1) That the Jewish
Fighting Organization has been established in order to prepare
the defense of the Warsaw ghetto; (2) In order to teach a
lesson to the Jewish Police, the Werkschutz,2*
the managers of the "shops"3* and all
kinds of informers. When we reached the issue of appointing
the leadership, a touchy discussion developed. Should there be
one authority or two: military, or military and political? The
members of Ha-Shomer and He-Halutz strongly oppose twofold
authority. Twofold authority will lead to arguments that will
hamper the work. It will take us back to the days on the eve
of the Destruction, when the parties argued and did nothing.
The members of Ha-Shomer and He-Halutz speak with derision and
scorn of the political parties. The parties have no right to
interfere in our affairs. Apart from the youth, after all,
they will do nothing. They will only get in the way. One
single military leadership must be established, so we can
start on the job.
The
members of Poalei Zion Smol point out the faulty assumption of
Ha-Shomer and He-Halutz on what they term the death of honor:
"We are fighting for our lives. If a few of us fall in
battle we will not make a tragedy of it. Every war claims its
victims. If the political parties made certain mistakes it is
not you who are entitled to judge them. It was not you who led
the political struggle and not you who will lead it in the
future... One must not sanction irresponsible acts that are
likely to bring about the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto
before its time. A group or organization that carries out
weapon training contains within itself the aspiration and
expectation of the happy moment when it will use these arms.
We consider it to be an essential condition that a second
authority be established which can judge clearly, from a
political point of view, what the appropriate time is for the
use of arms. Why are you so anxious, why are you so much
afraid? Justice will always conquer. And even if we start out
from the assumption that the ghetto will be destroyed and that
we shall not be accountable to anyone for our actions, as a
political party we declare that we are responsible for our
actions before the Jewish masses in the world and before our
comrades abroad. We do not want anybody to stone our graves
because we advised irresponsible action. If you do not agree
that the political parties will control the fighting
organization then you are creating conditions for us that do
not permit us to continue to take part...."
As
soon as there is agreement on twofold authority, military and
political, the foundation stone will have been laid for the
joint Jewish Fighting Organization. We have decided to widen
the area of our work and to draw the Bund closer to us....
Yad
Vashem Archives, JM/2598.
1*
Member of the military staff of the Jewish Fighting
Organization.
2*
Werkschutz the guard at places of employment and
factories the "shops."
3*
"Shop" Code name for a German enterprise, or an
enterprise working by authority, and on behalf of the Germans. |
