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Expressions of
Resistance
By Havi Ben Sasson
“Self-defense in the ghetto is a
reality. Jewish armed resistance and revenge are facts. I have
been a witness to the magnificent, heroic fighting of the Jewish
people in battle.” (From the last letter of Mordecai
Anielewicz)
Written for 9th and 10th
grade students, Resistance was prepared in honor of the 60th
anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and describes various
facets of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. The program is
based on the premise that in order to appreciate the nature of the
fight against the Germans and the tremendous achievement of simply
staying alive, one must understand the grueling conditions in
which the Jews lived.
The documents, testimonies and guiding
questions impart different expressions of Jewish resistance in the
Holocaust, from cultural and spiritual pursuits to armed uprising,
partisan warfare and resistance in the death camps. Each kind of
struggle highlights the terrible situation the Jews faced, where
almost every decision concerned questions of life and death.
The program concludes with a
discussion on the issue of courage, presenting the magnitude of
spirit demanded of Jewish individuals and Jewish society during
the Holocaust.
The author works in the Programs
and Curricula Development Department, the International School for
Holocaust Studies
Copyright ©2004 Yad Vashem The Holocaust
Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority |
