Title: Exploration of the Art of Miriam Brysk for Lesson 2
Course: Holocaust Art & Remembrance > Section: Lesson 2: Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Toward the Final Solution

In order to place the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising within the historical context of events of the Holocaust, here is some background material definitions of the first German attempts at dealing with the “Jewish Problem.” These passages are taken from a "Lecture: Toward the Final Solution" in the online curriculum Life Unworthy of Life.

The First Solution: The so-called “first solution” to this problem was to remove Jews from the economy and to isolate them within Germany.  An example of this was the Nuremburg Laws of 1935 that defined the Jewish “race” as anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent.  These laws also designated Jews as “subjects” rather than “citizens” and forbad them from marrying non-Jews, have intercourse with non-Jews, or staying in hotels.  Previous laws forbad Jew from serving in any government jobs like lawyers, public school teachers, postal workers, fireman, policeman, etc.
The Second Solution: The “second solution” was to expel Jew from Germany.  In October of 1938, over 17,000 Jews in Germany were expelled to a Polish border town.  Many other deportations of this kind occurred before 1939.
The Final Solution: The third or “final solution” was adopted in January of 1942 at the Wannsee  Conference  when it was decided that all the Jews of Europe and elsewhere would be annihilated and six extermination camps would be built for this purpose-Majdanek, Treblinka, Sobibor, Belzec, Chelmno and Birkenau.

Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive. "Lecture: Toward the Final Solution." Life Unworthy of Life.

Collective Responsibility reading

When studying the Holocaust, students often ask why there were not more instances of resistance. Why didn’t the Jews fight back? One tool which the Nazis used against the Jews was the concept of “collective responsibility” whereby the whole community would be punished for any infractions of German regulations.  An additional example is described by Holocaust survivor Alexander Kimmel:

The Jews were persecuted as a group, and only as a group could they resist. Individual armed or violent resistance was made impossible by collective responsibility imposed and violently practiced by the Germans. For every German harmed thousands of Jews were killed.

One incident of individual resistance and the dire consequences for the community is told:

From a courtyard two porters suspected of smuggling were taken out to be killed, and with them was a friend named Israelite....There were two killers. The three candidates for death, however defended themselves. They were virile men with strength in their loins, and they did not want to die in spite of the Nazis. Thus in the dark of the night a terrible wrestling match began between those who were defending their lives and the killers. The porters fought with the strength of their bodies, without weapons; the killers were armed and confident of their superiority. Before the killers had time to act, the condemned men pounced on them and tried to size the pistols. One of the pistols went off and wounded the tailor in the leg. Than the porters grabbed the Nazis by the throat and tried to strangle them. The two sides wrestled until their strength waned, and in the end the killers, who still had their weapons, were victorious...On the morrow, the Nazis avenged the mutiny of the two porters with a hundred and ten Jews. They were put to death for the sins of men who had never laid the eyes on them.

Kimmel, Alexander. Holocaust Understanding & Prevention. July 2008.

First and Second Solutions

Based upon these passages and your initial examination of Miriam Brysk’s artwork, please answer the following series of questions. During the First and Second Solutions, would Jews be likely to conclude that the ultimate goal of the Nazis was to kill every Jew in Europe?  Why or why not?

Jim Crow comparison

What similarities and differences can be seen when comparing the First and Second Solutions to Jim Crow Laws of the United States before WWII?

Collective Responsibility question

Would the concept of “collective responsibility” prevent most Jews from rising up against their German captors?  Why or why not?

Acquiring historical background knowledge

You should next access the resources (articles and music) below from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) and then respond to the questions which follow:

- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Lyrics to “Our Town is Burning.”
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Resistance in the Smaller Ghettos of Eastern Europe.” Holocaust Encyclopedia.
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.” Holocaust Encyclopedia.

Alternate audio version of "Our Town is Burning" is available via YouTube.

Gebirtig’s advice

How did the residents of the Warsaw Ghetto follow Gebirtig’s advice?

Risks taken

What risks were taken by residents during the Warsaw Ghetto uprising of 1942? How did residents resist the Nazi onslaught physically and/or spiritually?

Duration of resistance

Approximately how many Jews made up the resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto and for how long were residents able to fight off their German captors during the uprising?

Symbolic action at end of uprising

What symbolic action on the part of the Germans signified the end of the uprising?

Casualties

How many Jews were killed during the uprising?  How can this be looked upon as an example of “collective responsibility?"

Fate of remaining Jews

What happened to the remaining Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto after the uprising?

Further uprisings

Would or should the actions of the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising encourage or discourage further uprisings by the Jews in other Ghettos?  Why or why not?

Other nations

Would or should the results of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising encourage or discourage actions by other nations, like the United States, to assist the Jews in the ghettos?

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