The Holocaust: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

On April 19, 1943, after months of secret planning, something revolutionary occurred for Jews during the Holocaust. It was the day of the largest Jewish revolt against German-occupied Europe; the uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto. On the eve of Passover, around 750 Jewish resistance fighters stood up to the Nazi soldiers in refusal of mass deportation, an attempt to save themselves from what was thought to be the inevitable. The heavily-armed and well-trained German troops eventually defeated the resistance; this event demonstrated the dedication of the Jewish fighters to attempt to save the others during a time of life or death. The Jews initiated this uprising because it was thought to be the only option of continued life for Jews in the Ghetto,

and the handful of individuals who devised this plan created an unforgettable moment in history that will continue to be one of the most symbolic representations of the transformation of Jews during a time of hopelessness and fear.
At the beginning of World War II, the Jewish population in Poland was around 3.5 million, and 350,000 of them lived in Warsaw. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, sealing the fate of the Jews who resided there. There was some resistance from the Polish army towards the Germans, but it wasn’t long before they successfully took over and began dissipating the Jewish population. Jews were stripped of personal belongings and were required to wear markings that ensured everyone in Poland knew who they were. This invasion was the beginning of one of the most horrific moments in history, and also the beginning of what is known today as the Warsaw Ghetto.
The next year, the governor of Poland, Hans Frank, worked with German officials to sanction the creation of the Ghetto, and it was completed in October of 1940.

He declared the Ghetto as an area of the city in which the Jewish population was required to relocate to. There were high walls that surrounded it which segregated any activity between the Jews and the rest of the people who lived in Warsaw. Thus, approximately 350,000 individuals were designated to reside in one area which only took up approximately one square mile of the entire city. Quality of life was poor, morale was low, and people who were living there were left with minimal choices to make on their own; their independence had been completely stripped away from them. Nazi officials systematically manipulated the ghetto by increasing population numbers, decreasing food supply, and deflating the labor market, making almost 60% of the Jewish population unemployed. These events caused exhaustion, panic, fear, and, anger of the Jews who were forced to live in such poor conditions. Two years after the Ghetto was up and running, in the summer of 1942, the Jewish Fighting Organization, or Z.O.B., formed to devise a plan to rebel against the Nazi party, an unheard of movement of any Jew during the

Holocaust.
The mass deportation of Jews, which began in 1942, became the driving force behind the formation of the resistance. Mordecai Anielewicz, a young man of 23, became the leader of the resistance, and the rest of the group was composed of mostly all young men. From September until the beginning of January 1943, the deportations stopped, and this became the best time for the Z.O.B. to smuggle different weapons into the Ghetto. When the deportations started again, the Nazis were unaware that they would be met with any sort of resistance. The following two or three days later, the soldiers gathered to follow out orders of the ‘final solution’, in which the German troops began killing many Jews. This lowered the morale of the resistance, and some of the members of the Z.O.B. felt the desire to withdraw their rebellion, but it was too late to do so; the group had gained enough momentum from new recruits to have a solid foundation to stand on against the Nazis. They strategized their plan and executed it on April 19, 1943, the day after the rest of the Jews in the Ghetto discovered the Nazis’ plan of mass deportation. April 19 was the day the Jews let their efforts shine and followed through with their plans to stand up to the Germans.
While preparing for the resistance, the Jews began to feel anxious, fearful, and concerned about what would happen to them if they followed through with the plans by the Z.O.B., but they found solace in knowing that plans of deportation would inevitably be slowed. Zivia Lubetkin, a resistance fighter from the Warsaw Ghetto, describes the emotions she felt when she discovered the plans of the Germans on April 18. She states, “even though we were prepared, and had even prayed for this hour, we turned pale. A tremor of joy mixed with a shudder of fear passed through all of us. But we suppressed our emotions and reached for our guns.” The idea of resistance was certainly new to Jews, and their helplessness was especially obvious after the Germans invaded their homeland and forced them to uproot to the Warsaw Ghetto. Lubtkin’s testimony demonstrates this very clearly. The resistance fighters were dedicated to saving the lives of the rest of the people, not so much their own, and she even states that even though the fighters knew their likelihood of dying was high, they would be able to die knowing the Nazis paid a price for their actions.
Members of the Z.O.B.

worked tirelessly, while at the same time in hiding, to begin the preparation for their revolt against the Germans. The Jews of Warsaw, who were not part of the resistance organization, were also busy preparing a multitude of hiding places and safe houses for themselves and for as many people in the ghetto as possible. The Z.O.B.’s leader, Anielewicz, stated, “no one considered going to Treblinka willingly,” and the Jews were doing whatever was necessary to remain hidden from the Nazis when they walked through the ghetto for the round up. Being resourceful was an imperative quality to carry out while the bunkers were being prepared for a potentially long stand of time, which meant they needed to have stock of food, water, and medical supplies. Some of these hiding places even had connections to sewage and electrical systems, which would make these living conditions a bit more bearable for the Jews who would live to reside in them. In the event of the mass deportation being carried out, the Jews would need to be able to flee quickly and quietly and have resources to continue living. This would make the success of the construction of these safe houses even more

important.
The Jews discovered that the Nazis would, indeed, carry out their plans for a final deportation on the day after a Jewish holiday, Pesach. Many of the Jews in the ghetto were in preparation of celebrating when the news was generated throughout the small area. Tuvia Borzykowski, a resident of the Warsaw Ghetto, stated in “The Holocaust: Combat and Resistance: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising” that almost everyone spent the night gathering their essential possessions into their bunkers and prepared themselves to go into hiding. The next day, April 19, the Nazi soldiers entered the ghetto and were met by stationed fighters; the rest of the Jews tucked away in their safe houses. Days of fighting occurred and the Germans were astounded by the amount of stamina the Z.O.B. members had, despite their deprivation of proper food and water. They determined that the final deportation would need to be formatted differently, as it was clear that the Jews would not simply report for it as they had in the past. From here, General Stroop, the SS brigadier assigned to the task of ending the revolt, ordered Nazi officials to destroy the ghetto by burning it down, one building at a time, which would either force the Jews out of hiding or simply kill the ones who still chose to do so.
The next month was quite chaotic for the Warsaw Jews. Destruction was everywhere; Jewish men, women, and children were being shot on the streets, there was a severe deprivation of food, buildings were being burnt to the ground, and they were displaced from their family members much more easily than before. The Germans even entered the hospital and shot everyone in sight. However, this was also a time for the Jews to see something they had never seen before – the blood of German soldiers. The Z.O.B. had been successful in making a statement of their self-worth, and that more lives were important than just the ones of the Nazi party.