9 - Heroism and Moral Responsibility in the Ghettoes

Summary

Despite the deportation of Jews confined to the ghettoes of central and eastern Europe during the Holocaust, as Freud stated, no one believes in their own death. Although the Nazis deceived Jews and lied to them, playing games of cat and mouse with their prey, universal optimism and the instinct of self-preservation led Jews to believe in the deceptions. Once the ghetto was created, Jews frequently lost the opportunity to flee; moreover, by doing so, they would have had to leave loved ones behind. Furthermore, as Lucy S. Dawidowicz documents, open defiance of the Germans typically led to death, and “individual acts of resistance became nothing more than induced suicide.” Ghetto Jews frequently regarded armed resisters as irresponsible hotheads who would bring about reprisals from the Nazis. Thus, partisans and other resistors often faced the wrath of their brethren, who favored caution and prudence. Believing in the will of a God who loves the persecuted and not the persecutors, pious Jews elevated powerlessness into a virtue. Thus, Jews came from a tradition that practiced nonviolence, prudence, and moderation before active resistance was considered an option. Their preferred methods involved mediation, petition, and bargaining instead of meeting the Germans with brute force. With regard to the Judenräte, Dawidowicz asserts, “To say that they ‘cooperated’ or ‘collaborated’ with the Germans is semantic confusion and historical misrepresentation.” Despite the obstacles, Jews in the ghetto often acted existentially or heroically in attempting to control their fate.