However, as the time in the ghettos grew longer, and Jews began to disappear in greater numbers, it became clear that something had to be done, and the resistance grew. Couriers risked their lives and carried messages to the outside, and armed rebellions began to be more common. What may be surprising is that so many acts of resistance actually occurred throughout Europe, this is something that is often overlooked in Jewish history.
When the Germans forced the Jews into labor, internment, concentration, and extermination camps, they realized what the Germans really had in store for them, and camp members forged resistance groups, as well, even though it was much harder to resist inside the concentration camps, because they were heavily guarded, the work was incredibly difficult, and food was almost non-existent. It was much more difficult to resist in these conditions. However, resistance did occur, even if the penalty was death. The editors continue, "In many camps, underground groups formed, sometimes across the divergent political, ethnic, and language barriers; members exchanged information and coordinated efforts to alleviate suffering of the inmates" (Editors 24). Uprisings occurred in Treblinka, Sobibor, and Auschwitz-Birkenau, according to the editors, and mainly these revolts were a show of opposition simply to let the Germans know the Jews would not surrender without a fight. It is extremely important to understand the Jewish resistance movement inside the camps to show the very nature of the Jewish people. They knew, for the most part, their fate was hopeless by the mid-term of...
They resisted the Germans not out of hopelessness, but with a defiance that indicated their faith and their determination to fight back at all costs. More importantly, they hoped some might somehow escape and take news of the terrible camps to the outside, and bring help for their suffering. While this did not occur, the resistance shows the Jews did not simply give up, they kept fighting back as long as they possibly could in any way they could.
In conclusion, the Jewish resistance to the Holocaust is important for any number of reasons. It indicates that the Jews became aware of the dire situation the Germans were creating, and it indicates that at least some of the Jews attempted to fight back against the Germans and save themselves and their fellow Jews. It also indicates how terrible the situation was, and how Jews were willing to die in resistance rather than passively go off to an unknown fate. They knew the Germans were evil, and they knew that they probably would not survive anyway, so they attempted to do as much damage as they could before they met their own fate. It indicates that not all the Jews simply gave up and followed the Germans passively, but that at least some Jews understood what they were facing, and wanted to take matters into their own hands for as long as they possibly could.
References
Editors. "Resistance During the Holocaust. The United States Holocaust Museum. 2007. 26 Nov. 2007. http://www.ushmm.org/education/foreducators/resource/resistance.pdf
