Building Resistance
a Webquest for Grades 10-12
“Hate becomes a habit.”
—Sam Lato, Jewish partisan
re⋅sis⋅tance noun
an organized movement that fights against an enemy that has taken control of their country
Resistance took many forms during the Holocaust.
Approximately 30,000 Jews engaged in armed resistanceA group or movement that opposes oppression, occupation, or injustice. During the World War II and the Holocaust, resistance groups fought against Nazi Germany through armed struggle, secret networks, rescuing victims, spreading information, and other acts of defiance. against the Nazis and their collaborators. Partisan resistance fighters organized in guerrilla units and engaged in self-defense and sabotage operations. They disrupted the Nazi war and genocide machine by ambushing thousands of Nazi transports and patrols. The partisans forced the Nazis to expend significant resources combating them, diverting their focus from fighting the Allies, helping to turn the tide of the war.
Documentation was another form of resistance Jews engaged in during the HolocaustThe genocide carried out by Nazi Germany and its allies from 1933 to 1945, during which six million Jews were systematically murdered. Millions of other people, including Roma, people with disabilities, Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, gay people, and political opponents, were also persecuted and killed by the Nazis. The Holocaust is considered one of the greatest human tragedies in history and serves as a powerful warning about the dangers of indifference, ignorance, and hatred.. The Nazis sought to erase the Jewish people, their culture, and their religion. They went to great lengths to cover up their crimes. Scholars refer to this as “the final act of genocide.”
To resist the erasure of Jewish communities and ensure that perpetrators would one day be held responsible for their crimes, many Jews risked their lives to document the indignities and violence perpetrated on other Jewish people, preserving the memory of those who were murdered. These became powerful testimony and a body of evidence used to prosecute those responsible.
Jews also engaged in spiritual resistanceEfforts to preserve hope, dignity, identity, culture, religion, and humanity during times of oppression or persecution. During the Holocaust, spiritual resistance included secret prayer, education, music, writing, religious observance, cultural activities, and other acts that helped people maintain their sense of self and community despite Nazi persecution. through music, art, and preserving Jewish cultural practices all while facing the Nazi’s efforts to annihilate them. Even behind the walls of concentration camps, Yiddish theater troupes organized performances, poets wrote and recited poetry, and artists produced drawings and other visual art. Jews continued to practice their religious traditions and rituals, often in secret, finding strength and solace in these practices and observances despite facing unimaginable horrors.
Countless people across Europe, both Jewish and non-Jewish alike, were engaged in saving lives, using every means at their disposal to rescue or hide Jews from the Nazis and their collaborators. They risked their lives to hide Jewish families in their homes, forged passport documents to help Jews escape, and attempted, both successfully and unsuccessfully, to liberate Jews from ghettosA section of a city where a specific group of people is forced to live, often under poor and crowded conditions. During the Holocaust, Nazi Germany forced Jews into ghettos, where many suffered from hunger, disease, overcrowding, and violence before being deported to concentration and killing camps. and concentration camps.
In this webquest you will learn about antisemitismHatred, prejudice, discrimination, or hostility directed at Jewish people because they are Jewish. Used as an all-encompassing explanation for all societal problems, suggesting that Jews are the secret operators of the world, acting for their own evil purposes and gain. Antisemitism can appear in many forms, including stereotypes, conspiracy theories, harassment, violence, exclusion, vandalism, and the spread of false information about Jews or Judaism. Known as “the longest hatred,” it has existed for centuries and played a central role in events such as the Holocaust. and why it is destructive to society. You will examine some of the ways that antisemitism festers in modern culture. You will also learn about resistance and how to engage in positive social action. In other words, you will learn how to ensure your actions lead to good and effective outcomes. And though you do not face the same challenges as the partisans, you can fight for and build a better world.
This begins with choosing not to be a bystanderA person who sees harmful, unfair, or dangerous behavior happening but does not take action to stop it or help those being harmed. During the Holocaust, many bystanders witnessed discrimination, violence, and persecution against Jews and others without intervening..