Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Setting the scene

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began on April 19, 1943, when Jewish resistance fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto attacked German troops attempting to deport the remaining Jews to death camps. The Warsaw Ghetto, established in 1940, had held 450,000 Jews in 1.3 square miles. By 1943, 300,000 had been deported to Treblinka, leaving 60,000. Two resistance groups—ZOB (Jewish Combat Organization) led by Mordechai Anielewicz, and ZZW—had smuggled weapons and built bunkers.

What happened

When Germans entered the ghetto on April 19, the eve of Passover, to liquidate it, they were met with gunfire and Molotov cocktails. About 750 poorly armed fighters held off 2,000 German troops with tanks and artillery for nearly a month. The Germans, commanded by SS General Jürgen Stroop, systematically burned the ghetto block by block. The fighters held out in bunkers until May 8, when Anielewicz and 80 fighters committed suicide at their command bunker at Miła 18 rather than surrender. The uprising ended May 16 when Germans blew up the Great Synagogue.

Why it still matters

The uprising killed 13,000 Jews (6,000 burned alive) and sent 50,000 to death camps. Only a few dozen fighters escaped through sewers. It was the largest Jewish revolt of World War II and the first urban uprising in occupied Europe. Though militarily doomed, it demonstrated Jewish resistance and dignity in the face of genocide. The uprising inspired other revolts and became a symbol of fighting against impossible odds. Stroop's report, with photos, was used as evidence at Nuremberg. The uprising is commemorated annually in Warsaw and Israel as a testament to courage.

Background

Nazi forces crushed the resistance brutally.