Jewish Resistance in the Ghettos
The enormity of the Holocaust was such that no victim response to it would have stopped the Germans from implementing genocide. Jews under Nazi control faced various and overwhelming obstacles to effective resistance. Despite this, Jews repeatedly sought to oppose Nazi policy in various ways. While armed uprisings or partisan activities are often held up as examples of successful Jewish resistance, not all resistance was armed. Often the only course of action available was an act of unarmed resistance.
Successful acts of resistance took many forms, ranging from personal acts to preserve dignity; social acts to preserve the community such as organizing clandestine schools, soup kitchens and underground record keeping; political acts such as the sabotage of the German war industry; and eventually, armed uprisings. Nowhere was resistance more robust than in the ghettos where Jews last lived as families and communities and resistance activities occurred amidst extreme conditions and against enormous odds.
This year’s contest asked students to research the goals of and obstacles to Jewish resistance in the ghettos and to explore the experiences of one Jewish survivor affected by these circumstances.
8th - 9th Grade Finalists
Melody Brooks—Lansing High SchoolSponsoring Teacher: Maeve Bolin
Aaron Du—Harmony Middle School
Sponsoring Teacher: Hidie Henry
Molly Feldner—Lansing High School
Sponsoring Teacher: Maeve Bolin
Alex Gibson—Harmony Middle School
Sponsoring Teacher: Michelle Sutton
Gavriel Glickman—Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy
Sponsoring Teacher: R. Gina Renee
Egan Li—Aubry Bend Middle School
Sponsoring Teacher: Diane Robertson
Grace Miller—Harmony Middle School
Sponsoring Teacher: Hidie Henry
Emily Moser—Harmony Middle School
Sponsoring Teacher: Michelle Sutton
Lianna Shoikhet—Aubry Bend Middle School
Sponsoring Teacher: Carrie Razzano-McClain
Brynn Stasiulis—Harmony Middle School
Sponsoring Teacher: Jonathan Holsapple
10th - 12th Grade Finalists
Elissa Gafford, Lone Jack High SchoolSponsoring Teacher: Bailey Appleton
Warren Haralson, Lee’s Summit High School
Sponsoring Teacher: Christopher Bobal
Loren Limas, Lone Jack High School
Sponsoring Teacher: Bailey Appleton
Quintin McCannon, Lone Jack High School
Sponsoring Teacher: Bailey Appleton
Devin McCormick, Lone Jack High School
Sponsoring Teacher: Bailey Appleton
Coco Percival, Lone Jack High School
Sponsoring Teacher: Bailey Appleton
Jolie Quinn, Lee’s Summit High School
Sponsoring Teacher: Christopher Bobal
Ashton Stropes, Lone Jack High School
Sponsoring Teacher: Bailey Appleton
Riley Sutherland, Liberty North High School
Sponsoring Teacher: Kimberly Brownlee
Wyatt Titus, Lone Jack High School
Sponsoring Teacher: Bailey Appleton
Sponsors
Members of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education’s White Rose Chai Society (as of March 15, 2017):
Ann and Kenny Baum
Stan Bushman and Ann Canfield
Larry and Donna Gould Cohen
Katherine DeBruce
Ed and Sandi Fried
Mike and Karen Herman
Bill and Regina Kort
Morton and Estelle Sosland
Patricia Werthan Uhlmann
David and Ellice Vittor
Additional generous support is provided by MCHE’s White Rose Society Patrons and Benefactors.
The contest is named in memory of Hans and Sophie Scholl, German university students who, along with several friends and their professor, were arrested and executed for distributing leaflets denouncing the evils of the Nazi regime. The project commemorates the heroic efforts of these brave young people, members of the White Rose, who gave their lives for the causes of understanding, tolerance, and freedom. May their memories inspire us to reflect upon our own responsibilities as citizens in a democratic nation.