Kirchgassner, James

12/2/15
B2

Research: Causes and Consequences of Armed Jewish Resistance in

World War II
Armed Jewish resistance to the Nazis and the other Axis Powers was a
desperate effort that took place after 1942. This was caused by shows of force by the
Nazis, which consisted of the murder of earlier resistor's families and coreligionists.
Armed Jewish resistance occurred in France, Belgium, Ukraine, Belorussia, Lithuania,
and Poland, sometimes fighting alongside general resistance groups, despite great
obstacles, such as lack of weapons and training, operations in hostile regions, Nazi
terror, and the reluctance of partisans to leave their families.
In eastern Europe, thousands of Jews resisted the Nazis in city ghettos and in
the forests, despite antisemetic attitudes from the local populace. Many resistance units
formed in ghettos in places like Poland, Lithuania, Belorussia and Ukraine. In 1942,
Jews even battled German attempts to set up ghettos in a few small eastern Polish
towns, such as Mir and Lachva. Thousands of Jews escaped the ghettos and ran to the
forests, where they joined partisan resistance groups. Uprisings even occurred within
the extermination camps of Treblinka, Auschwitz, and Sobibor from 1943 to 1944.
In addition to resistance units, family camps were also formed, which maintained
the resistance movements by repairing weapons, cooking for the fighters, and making
clothes, as well as assisting Soviet partisan operations. These camps also protected
Jews. At least 10,000 Jews survived the war as by taking refuge in the family camps.
The camp established by Tuvia Bielski in the Naliboki Forest in 1942, which
safeguarded more than 1,200 Jews, is a prime example.

Kirchgassner, James
12/2/15
B2

Armed Jewish resistance also occurred in western Europe, especially in France.

In Toulouse in January 1942, the Arme Juive (Jewish Army), a French resistance unit,
was formed. It was made up of members of Zionist youth groups and operated in
Toulouse and the surrounding area, including Lyon, Nice and Paris. The Arme Juive
operated mostly by smuggling. It successfully transported money from Switzerland into
France to assist Jews in hiding, as well as smuggling 500 people, Jews and non-Jews
alike, into Spain, which remained neutral during the war. In addition to the Jewish Army,
there also existed a Jewish communist resistance group called Solidarit, which fought
Nazi personnel in Paris on a regular basis, as well as the many Jews who became a
part of the general French resistance.
In Belgium, a resistance unit made up of combined Jewish and non-Jewish
forces formed under the same name as the French organization Solidarit. The Belgian
Solidarit managed to derail a Nazi deportation train in April of 1942. On July 25th,
1942, Solidarit also burned the files of organization that had been forced on the Jews
of Belgium by the Nazis. Dutch and Italian resistance units also operated.
All of these Jewish resistance groups were constantly threatened by starvation.
Operating a rebellious partisan unit in hostile territory meant that food was extremely
hard to obtain. In order to sustain themselves, Jews had to disregard their religious
dietary restrictions. Partisans obtained food usually by stealing from shops and farms,
as well as caches meant to be used by German soldiers. Occasionally, friendly sources
supplied the resistance units with food and supplies, such as peasants and Soviet
airdrops.

Kirchgassner, James
12/2/15
B2

While there were a massive number of active Jewish partisan groups, the overall
impact of Jewish armed resistance was next to none. The resistance efforts did little to
stop the Nazi war machine. However, Jewish partisan resistance was still the most
direct and effective means of opposition to the Nazis by the oppressed Jews.