Spiritual Resistance During The Holocaust

Spiritual resistance, especially during the period known as the Holocaust, can be understood as a complex psychological concept that encompasses an individual’s attempt to maintain a sense of self. Spiritual resistance refers to the refusal to have one’s spirit broken. They do this by means of continuing to maintain community documentation, participate in cultural and educational activities, and by attending clandestine or secret religious observances. Every single day was a struggle if you were living the life of a Jew during the Holocaust. The never-ending fear of death was crippling and the constant dehumanization attempts made by the Nazis were exasperating. These attempts were so much more than just trials and tribulations; they were

Some Jews stayed passionate about their God and held secret meetings to keep all of the other Jews in tune with their religion. These religious meetings were held for a sense of normalcy and a sort of beacon of hope for those who felt as though all was lost. In 1940, it is said that the ghetto in Warsaw had approximately 600 prayer groups operating all on its own (See Figure 1). Though many Jews gave up their faith because they felt as though their God deserted them, there were still few who fought for their spiritual faith to help them keep their sanity.

Some Holocaust survivors have spoken up about the Holocaust many years later. It was extremely difficult for the Jews to believe in a God after all of the torture that they went through. They were constantly asking why their God would allow something like this to happen to them. Though, while many decided to give up on their God, there were others who did not. When asked about his faith, Hungarian Holocaust survivor Alex Seidenfeld said, “We stayed alive. We survived. How could this have happened without the almighty? The almighty knows what he is doing. He has a plan that we sometimes don't