The Ghetto Fights: Warsaw, 1941-43

This remarkable book, by one of the movement’s leaders, contains the heart-rending MANIFESTO TO THE POLES, issued in April 1943 by the Jewish Armed Resistance Organisation (ZOB) that organised the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising:

‘Poles, citizens, soldiers of Freedom! Through the din of German cannons, destroying the homes of our mothers, wives and children; through the noise of their machine-guns, seized by us in the fight against the cowardly German police and SS men; through the smoke of the Ghetto, that was set on fire, and the blood of its mercilessly killed defenders, we, the slaves of the Ghetto, convey heartfelt greetings to you. We are well aware that you have been witnessing breathlessly, with broken hearts, with tears of show more compassion, with horror and enthusiasm, the war that we have been waging against the brutal occupant these past few days.

‘Every doorstep in the Ghetto has become a stronghold and shall remain a fortress until the end! All of us will probably perish in the fight, but we shall never surrender! We, as well as you, are burning with the desire to punish the enemy for all his crimes, with a desire for vengeance. It is a fight for our freedom, as well as yours; for our human dignity and national honour, as well as yours. We shall avenge the gory deeds of Oswiecim, Treblinka, Belzec and Majdanek!

‘Long live the fraternity of blood and weapons in a fighting Poland!

‘Long live freedom!

‘Death to the hangmen and the killer!

‘We must continue our mutual struggle against the occupant until the very end!

‘Jewish Armed Resistance Organisation’ show less

Marek Edelman was a leading member of the ZOB (Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa) the Jewish Resistance Organisation that led the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The Ghetto Fight is his personal testimony.

Initially the collaborationist Judenrat remained committed to the prospect of the “resettlement to the east” held out to them by Nazi’s. Although the existence of Treblinka and the final solution was known to the Jewish bund it was simply not believed outside of these circles. These circumstances, combined with the illegal policy of collective responsibility ensured the relative passivity of the ghetto population.

By late 1942 however it was obvious to large sections of the population that there were no labour camps. After talks between the show more Jewish Bund and various Zionist political groups a joint battle organisation was formed. When The Nazi’s second push for deportations began in January 1943 it was met with concerted resistance. Poorly armed and vastly outnumbered the ZOB inflicted heavy casualties. Unable to dislodge the Jewish resistance fighter the Nazis put the Ghetto to flame. Thousands perished in the ensuing conflagration, either burning to death in the attics and hideouts or shot fleeing the flames. Edelman and a small number of insurgents escaped through the sewers to join the Polish partisans.

The Ghetto Fights is at times a harrowing read. What lifts it are the tales of individual acts of heroism, the final passages a testament to the kind of courage that is beyond imagining. It’s an important book and deserves to be more widely known. show less