One of the prevailing narratives about the Holocaust is that Jews went to their deaths like sheep to the slaughter. Running contrary to this portrayal is the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising—the largest and most well-known act of Jewish resistance during World War II. The film Resistance: They Fought Back forcefully counters this narrative, going beyond a single example to highlight numerous acts of Jewish resistance, both violent and non-violent.
The film is being screened by Jewish Call for Peace. By showcasing the strength, resourcefulness, and resilience of the Eastern European Jewish community, this screening is part of our effort to reclaim our Eastern European Jewish history and identity. It also stands in opposition to the dominant Israeli mythology that depicts pre-WWII European Jews as weak and in need of transformation into the armed, heroic Israeli figure.
The acts of bravery portrayed in the film serve as a powerful reminder of Jewish traditions of solidarity, comradeship, and resistance against oppression.
"To be a Jew means always being with the oppressed, never with the oppressors." — Marek Edelman, a leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Traditional European Jewish finger food will be served after the screening.
Recap of the event
We would like to thank the large number of people (nearly 80) who attended our screening on 6 May. The debate was rich and intense, testifying to both the emotions and reflections aroused by the film, with regard to a little-known history and a present in which this history resonates in many ways. The reception provided an opportunity to discover traditional finger-food from Eastern Europe and to extend the discussions.
Here is a written transcript of what the host of the evening had to say, minus the practical information.
Introduction to the film
As Jewish Call for Peace, and part of wider networks of European and worldwide Jewish organizations, we are trying to reclaim and celebrate a certain European Jewish identity and culture. We thought to focus on the topic of resistance, both cultural and violent resistance, because we want to learn and think about the subject. As well, following our recent conference concerning Israeli historiography and narratives around the holocaust, we want to give clarification on and discuss the official Israeli version of the story around resistance.
Despite some flaws, we believe that this film, and the stories within, are worth sharing because they demonstrate a vibrant Jewish culture together with the Jewish traditions of solidarity, comradeship, and resistance against oppression.
As a progressive association, with universalist and humanist values, we are choosing to stand with the oppressed and to identify with these traditions, and we hope that others will join us.
Post-film intervention
Before we begin the discussion, we thought it would be useful to add some context and make some clarifications.
The film falls into the trap of presenting the Jewish resistance as “unified.” Just in the Warsaw Ghetto, for instance, there were major conflicts between different factions. Major conflicts like this also exist today. There was never one unified vision in the Jewish communities, be it on religious aspects of Judaism, political thought, emancipation, or on Israel. What is important is that the different groups, today, talk together.
In the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the biggest separation was between the ZOB, often translated to English as the Jewish Combat Organization and composed of left-leaning Jewish political groups, and the ZZW, translated to the Jewish Military Union, which was right-wing in nature. Even among the left-leaning groups, there was a division of ideology: the film mentioned Hashomer Hatzair, which is a Labor-Zionist group. Not mentioned was the large presence of the General Jewish Labour Bund, which was largely secular and anti-Zionist, and more aligned with the Soviet Union.
As was discussed in our recent conference, “Exploiting memory,” the Israeli government often portrays the pre-WWII Jews as weak and in need of transformation into the Sabra, the armed and powerful Israeli figure. The purpose is to enforce a narrative of victimhood and to coral their people around Israeli nationalism, and against their Palestinian neighbours. Acts of Jewish resistance, both cultural and armed resistance, fly in the face of this description. However, we want to take note that the Israelis have also claimed the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising as inspired by the Zionist project, by the “thought of their companions across the Mediterranean, the happy people making the desert bloom in Eretz Israel.”
So, in summary, the official Israeli narrative is that the Jews were either 1) weak, or 2) brave, but acting as a Zionist entity. On the other hand, figures such as Marek Edelman, in public statements, have directly contradicted this narrative. There appears to be a fight over the historiography, and I hope that by showcasing a film like this and talking about all the different factions involved: zionist, anti-zionist communist, right-wing, orthodox, etc., we can all gain a deeper understanding.
The Holocaust is one of the most well-documented events in history. Over the past 40 years, there’s been a push to commemorate the Holocaust in a new way: to situate it among other tragedies and conflicts. By challenging crude distortions of narrative, and showcasing resistance, we hope that we can encourage people to take this universalist approach, and to show compassion and bravery and, especially in current times, to stand with the oppressed.
Additional information (not used at the screening)
The film is focused on Eastern European Jewish resistance specifically. We’d like to point out that there were many Jews involved in larger resistance groups. For example, in France, many Jewish fighters were attached to the France-Tireurs et Partisans Français (FTPF). In fact, at one point the FTPF in Paris was led by Joseph Epstein, a Polish-born Jewish communist and veteran of the Spanish civil war. On that note, it would have been nice for the film to highlight the participation of Jewish people who volunteered to fight against Franco’s Nationalist regime in the Spanish civil war.
Detailed Program
