Resistance: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

This book begins with Jewish life in prewar Poland, and with Warsaw Jewry being one of the largest Jewish communities in the world. It then proceeds to the German-Nazi conquest of Poland, followed by the early German occupation, the eventual shipments of Warsaw's Jews to the gas chambers of Treblinka, the growing decision of the remaining Jews to resist, the preparations, the January 1943 resistance, and then the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising itself. Maps and many photographs are included. Gutman sees the Nazi extermination plan against Jews not as something that went back to the early days of Nazi ideology and power, but something that developed gradually, and wasn't decided on until about mid-1941. (p. 71). Simultaneously, Jewish thought evolved from seeing Nazism as just another persecution of Jews to belated realization of its unfolding exterminatory policies. This work includes seldom-mentioned information. For instance, Gutman praises Polish smugglers for bringing food to the starving ghetto, notwithstanding the fact that most of them did it for money. (p. 92). He also discusses members of the Polish Underground, notably Iwanski (e. g., p. 169) and Wolinski (e. g., p. 171), and their involvement in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Despite its comprehensiveness and easy readability, the book has a number of shortcomings. For one, while it mentions the ZZW (Z.Z.W.), it overemphasizes the ZOB (Z.O.B.). Gutman acknowledges the fact that almost none of the ZOB fighters had any military training whatsoever. (p. 204). (In contrast, the ZZW offered stronger resistance, as it had experienced soldiers and several hundred firearms provided by the Polish Underground.) Unfortunately, Gutman hints at the myth of the Polish Underground being well-armed. (p. 173). As a historian, he should know better. For proof of the shortage of arms, consider another bloody event at this time (Spring 1943). The Ukrainian fascist-separatist OUN-UPA was conducting genocide against the Poles of prewar eastern Poland, and only a handful of Polish villages had even a half-adequate supply of arms for defense. Gutman repeats his rejection of the authenticity of early Jewish-Polish Underground contacts, as reported by Bor Komorowski, the Polish Underground leader. (pp. 171-172). In actuality, the events are compatible with the veracity of Bor Komorowski. (see the Peczkis review of FORGOTTEN HOLOCAUST). Oddly enough, Gutman is careful to avoid anti-Polish generalizations (e. g., p. 39. 174), but then he turns around and lays some whoppers. He rattles off a number of unsubstantiated assertions, such as the one about some Poles being more upset about the destruction of property than of the Jews during the Uprising. (p. 232). He discusses the Polish-Underground AK (A.K.) group of Captain Joseph Pszenny and its unsuccessful attempt to explode a hole in the Ghetto wall. (pp. 217-218). Without a shred of supporting evidence, he dismisses it as "improvised", a "symbolic gesture", and someth

This work [review based on 1994 edition] begins with Jewish life in prewar Poland, and with Warsaw Jewry being one of the largest Jewish communities in the world. It then proceeds to the German-Nazi conquest of Poland, followed by the early German occupation, the eventual shipments of Warsaw's Jews to the gas chambers of Treblinka, the growing decision of the remaining Jews to resist, the preparations, the January 1943 resistance, and then the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising itself. Maps and many photographs are included. Gutman sees the Nazi extermination plan against Jews not as something that went back to the early days of Nazi ideology and power, but something that developed gradually, and wasn't decided on until about mid-1941. (p. 71). Simultaneously, Jewish thought evolved from seeing Nazism as just another persecution of Jews to belated realization of its unfolding exterminatory policies. This book includes seldom-mentioned information. For instance, Gutman praises Polish smugglers for bringing food to the starving ghetto, notwithstanding the fact that most of them did it for money. (p. 92). He also discusses members of the Polish Underground, notably Iwanski (e. g., p. 169) and Wolinski (e. g., p. 171), and their involvement in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Despite its comprehensiveness and easy readability, the book has a number of shortcomings. For one, while it mentions the ZZW (Z.Z.W.), it overemphasizes the ZOB (Z.O.B.). Gutman acknowledges the fact that almost none of the ZOB fighters had any military training whatsoever. (p. 204). (In contrast, the ZZW offered stronger resistance, as it had experienced soldiers and several hundred firearms provided by the Polish Underground.) Unfortunately, Gutman hints at the myth of the Polish Underground being well-armed. (p. 173). As a historian, he should know better. For proof of the shortage of arms, consider another bloody event at this time (Spring 1943). The Ukrainian fascist-separatist OUN-UPA was conducting genocide against the Poles of prewar eastern Poland, and only a handful of Polish villages had even a half-adequate supply of arms for defense. Gutman repeats his rejection of the authenticity of early Jewish-Polish Underground contacts, as reported by Bor Komorowski, the Polish Underground leader. (pp. 171-172). In actuality, the events are compatible with the veracity of Bor Komorowski. (see the Peczkis review of Forgotten Holocaust). The author is careful to avoid anti-Polish generalizations (e. g., p. 39. 174), but then he turns around and lays some whoppers. He rattles off a number of unsubstantiated assertions, such as the one about some Poles being more upset about the destruction of property than of the Jews during the Uprising. (p. 232). He discusses the Polish-Underground AK (A.K.) group of Captain Joseph Pszenny and its unsuccessful attempt to explode a hole in the Ghetto wall. (pp. 217-218). Without a shred of supporting evidence, he dismisses it as "improvised", a "symbolic

I find this to be one of the most interesting books that I have read about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943. I really liked the way Professor Gutman told us about the events, and at the same time explained why and gave us additional information. I made a lot of notes while reading this book. And I have to disagree with another reviewer, because I don't find it boring at all.

A to-the-point explanation of what happened and why. And more importantly, 'how' did a group of relatively unarmed, untrained captives lead a military revolt against the Nazi war machine?