Introduction to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: The Ghetto Fights Back - Uprising and Resistance

The second session centers on the psychological shift from individual survival to collective defiance. In the wake of the 1942 deportations, primarily young healthy Jews remained in the ghetto. Despite their total despair, some continued to participate in political movements and planned armed resistance. We will chronicle the changing attitudes over the winter of 1942-43 and the shock of April 1943, when German forces attempted the complete destruction of the ghetto. A small contingent surprised the Germans with a forceful fight. Finally, this lecture will confront the complex, painful history of the “Aryan side” of Warsaw, examining the actions of Polish underground networks who provided aid, the passivity of the surrounding population, and the geopolitical isolation of the fighters.