On october 14, 1943, prisoners in the sobibor killing center killed 11 members of the camps ss staff, including the camps deputy commandant johann niemann. Jews captured by the ss during the suppression of the warsaw ghetto uprising are forced to board a truck that will likely take them to a labor camp. A promise at sobibor a jewish boys story of revolt and survival in nazioccupied poland philip fiszel bialowitz, with joseph bialowitz bialowitz heard the leader call out, if you survive, bear witness to what happened here. The germans simply murdered many civilians and destroyed almost 14 of warsaws buildings. The 1987 madefortelevision movie escape from sobibor, based on the book. I find this to be one of the most interesting books that i have read about the warsaw ghetto uprising of 1943.
Thousands of jews refused to obey german orders to report to an assembly point for deportation. Here are five things to know about the warsaw ghetto uprising. Semyon rozenfeld, last known survivor of death camp escape. Sobibor camps killing centers operation reinhard jewish resistance under the most adverse conditions, jewish prisoners initiated resistance and uprisings in some nazi camps. The uprising did not take place when the ghetto was filled with hundreds of thousands of jews, but only after nearly all had been transported to. Irena sendler and the children of the warsaw ghetto.
Sobibor is one of those books that grips you from the very first sentence and never lets you go. Sobibor books and videos last update 30 december 2005. Sobibor the forgotten revolt, by thomas toivi blatt. The first story is about a notorious nazi death camp in poland called sobibor. The intermountain jewish news is a weekly independent newspaper founded in 19, covering the jewish communities of the front range. Thomas blatt is a survivor of sobibor, the nazi extermination camp, where he took part in the most successful revolt and escape from any nazi camp during world war ii. The others, including the prisoners in camp 3 the area of the gas chambers who had taken no part in the uprising, were shot on the following day when the chief of staff of operation reinhard, hermann hofle, arrived in the camp from lublin.
A history of a nazi death camp jules schelvis, bob moore on. The bialystok ghetto uprising was an insurrection in the jewish bialystok ghetto against the nazi german occupation authorities during world war ii. Between 1942 and 1943, 250,000 innocent jews were systematically murdered at the nazi death camp sobibor blatt. Thomas blatts powerful and passionate narrative honors the memory of sobibors victims. Of 600 prisoners left in sobibor on this day, 300 escape during the uprising. In the end the nazis burned the ghetto to the ground to force the jews out. At the bialystok ghetto, following deportations in which 10,000 jews were led to the holocaust trains and another 2,000 were murdered locally, the ghetto underground staged an uprising resulting in a blockade of the ghetto which lasted for a full month.
The untold story of the warsaw ghetto uprising paperback by. She began the diary soon after she and chaim engel escaped from the sobibor killing center during the prisoner uprising. The story of sobibor ijn intermountain jewish news. Escape from sobibor is a 1987 british television film which aired on itv and cbs. By the spring of 1942, reports had confirmed that the nazis were conducting a campaign to exterminate all of european jewry. The aftermath of the sobibor revolt jewish virtual library. Sep 07, 2018 in warsaw there was abraham gancwajch, head of the gestaposupported police, who tried to snatch the leadership of the ghetto from the head of the judenrat, adam czerniakow, and who believed in the final nazi victory. The bravery of the men, women and children of the warsaw ghetto uprising has inspired a number of books, songs and films. By october 1943, approximately 150,000 people had been murdered there. This riveting memoir, a primary source for the nbc miniseries uprising, tells the story of the jewish resistance fighters in the warsaw ghetto who defy the nazis against impossible odds. The revolt in the death camp sobibor is another of example of jewish courageous resistance. In his book vernietigingskamp sobibor jules schelvis counts 47, including the five men who escaped from the waldkommando on 27 july 1943. The uprising october 14, 1943 model of sobibor by alexander pechorsky the sobibor prisoners knew what fate awaited them. After trying to escape in may 1942, he was taken to borisov, where a medical examination exposed him as being of jewish extraction.
Unlike many holocaust books, which deal primarily with the concentration camps, this book focuses on jewish life before jews lost their autonomy and fell totally under nazi power. Hundreds of jews fought the germans and their auxiliaries in the streets of the ghetto. Gustav franz wagner 18 july 1911 3 october 1980 was an austrian member of the ss with the rank of staff sergeant oberscharfuhrer. An unlaundered relic of a sobibor hero jewish world. The warsaw ghetto uprising in the spring of 1943 is one example.
Thomas blatt has written a remarkable book that tells two stories. The very names of these nazi camps evoke unspeakable cruelty. Sobibor the forgotten revolt selected material by thomas toivi blatt. A lieutenant in the red army, he became a prisoner of war in october 1941.
In celebrating holocaustera bravery, authorities highlighted the warsaw ghetto uprising and other cases that did not carry sobibor s complex mixture of heroism, passivity and treachery. Belzec, sobibor, treblinka the operation reinhard death camps bloomington and indianapolis. Alexander pechersky was born on the 22 february 1909 in kremenchuk, in the ukraine. Jews have often been accused of going to their deaths during the holocaust like sheep to the slaughter, but this simply wasnt true. As he was an officer in the red army, he took command of the camps underground. The new gas chamber building had six chambers, three on each side of a corridor that ran through the centre of the structure. The warsaw ghetto uprising took place from april 19 to may 16, 1943, over a year before the warsaw uprising. Among those pictured in the front row are yosef ertman second from the left, zelda kelberman third from left, esther raab second from the right, the person on the far right has been identified both as chaim povroznik and yehuda lerner. List of books and articles about jewish resistance during.
Of the 600 inmates who were in sobibor on the day of the uprising, 300 managed to escape. Most inmates were deported to auschwitz in june 1943. Sobibor the forgotten revolt from the ashes of sobibor. Popular holocaust warsaw ghetto books showing 144 of 44. Because he was jewish, the nazis sent him to sobibor. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read sobibor. Wagner was a starter deputy commander of the sobibor extermination camp in germanoccupied poland, where more than 200,000 jews were gassed during operation reinhard. The ghetto was liquidated two months later, following an unsuccessful uprising, a final act of defiance of its underground organized by the youth. How the warsaw ghetto uprising inspired rebellion in a. Because of sobibor s planned expansion the nazis selected 40 jews to work in the camp.
Two weeks later, in hiding in a barn, selma began her diary describing their escape, their fears in hiding, and their love for each other. An excerpt from auschwitz commandant hoes memoirs concerning the. The warsaw ghetto uprising in the spring of 1943 was the largest single revolt by jews. Any book covering the holocaust is going to leave a bad taste in the readers mouth, quite rightly so. The warsaw ghetto uprising by israel gutman chronicles the famous 1943 revolt. The ghetto was established between october and november 1940. Ive read a few books on this subject matter and each time, i. Prisoners in the ghetto vowed to take arms against the nazis after the first wave of deportations from the ghetto occurred in 1942. Bialystok ghetto uprising wikimili, the best wikipedia. The germans crushed the polish uprising killing around 16,000 members of the polish resistance home army plus more than 100,000 polish civilians. He was sent to sobibor death camp on the 22 september 1943 as a jewish pow, along with some other soldiers and approximately 2,000 jews from minsk. There are important things to keep in mind about this event, which gutmans stresses throughout this work.
When the construction work on the railway was completed, transports started arriving again, at the sobibor death camp. Sobibor, nazi german extermination camp located in a forest near the village of sobibor in the presentday polish province of lublin. May 19, 2019 the sobibor foundation was founded in 1999 by jules schelvis, the only survivor of the 14th transport to the sobibor extermination camp originating from the netherlands. October 14, 1943 prisoners carry out a revolt in sobibor, killing nearly a dozen german staff and trawnikitrained guards. Warsaw ghetto uprising last attempt at resistance of nazi deportations by the jews of the warsaw ghetto. The ijn is a member of the american jewish press association, colorado press association and national newspaper association. The jews fought back for nearly a month when the nazis tried to close down the ghetto. Aufstand im warschauer ghetto was the 1943 act of jewish resistance in the warsaw ghetto in germanoccupied poland during world war ii to oppose nazi germanys final effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to majdanek and treblinka. Why a gory holocaust film is a blockbuster in russia. Leon feldhendler, a man in his early thirties who had been chairman of the jewish council in zolkiew. Read belzec, sobibor, treblinka the operation reinhard death camps by yitzhak arad available from rakuten kobo. In her new book, the warsaw ghetto in american art and culture, samantha baskind, a professor of art history at cleveland state university. The general assumption is that there are fewer than fifty.
In the history of jewish resistance movement under the german occupation, the revolt in sobibor ranks the second in magnitude after the warsaw ghetto uprising. An underground movement, composed of a select few courageous individuals, plotted and executed a plan of escape to avoid the otherwise. Escape from sobibor ebook written by richard rashke. Jews are rounded up in the ghetto for deportation to treblinka. Planning the revolt in sobibor jewish virtual library. Established in germanoccupied poland, the camp at sobibor began its dreadful killing operation in may 1942. The uprising in sobibor represented one of the most heroic pages in the antifascist resistance in world war ii, as well as in holocaust history as a whole. A secret note carried by the sonderkommando prisoner from belzec, who had been transported to sobibor only to be killed on the railway platform there, hinted at what would happen to the prisoners if the camp were dismantled. In october 1943, six months after the warsaw ghetto uprising the previous april on passover, the 600 or so slave labor prisoners of the sobibor death. Voices from the inferno holocaust survivors describe the. Though apfelbaum is listed in many books and articles devoted to the revolt in the warsaw ghetto as one of the commanders of the jewish military union see.
A story of survival jewish lives blatt, thomas toivi, browning, christopher r. On april 28, 1943 a transport of polish jews from the town of izbica arrived at sobibor. Alexander pechersky the revolt and escape from sobibor. Among the survivors is alexander pechersky, the soviet prisoner of war who played a key role in planning the revolt. This death camp achieved the awful task assigned to it by the nazis. The ss drew upon staff and experience gained in the mass murder of patients with disabilities in the euthanasia program in germany for the killing operations at sobibor and the other operation reinhard camps. It was located in the forest next to the railway station of sobibor within the semicolonial territory of the general government in occupied poland. On october 14, 1943, the jewish resistance in sobibor launched an uprising during which some 300 prisoners escaped. The treblinka revolt wasnt the only death camp uprising. The largest single jewish revolt occurred at the lodz. Built in march 1942, it operated from may 1942 until october 1943, and its gas chambers killed a total of about 250,000 jews, mostly from poland and occupied areas. Voices from the inferno holocaust survivors describe the last months in the warsaw ghetto this exhibition brings together excerpts from many hours of video testimony given by the survivors of the warsaw ghetto and former combatants in the uprising. Aug 15, 2007 established in germanoccupied poland, the camp at sobibor began its dreadful killing operation in may 1942. The uprising was launched on the night of august 16, 1943 and was the secondlargest ghetto uprising organized in nazioccupied poland after the warsaw ghetto uprising of aprilmay 1943.
Warsaw ghetto uprising news newspapers books scholar jstor april 2017 learn. It was the biggest and most successful uprising hi all of the nazi camps, where jews were able to escape en masse. Jews captured by the ss during the suppression of the warsaw. It was led by the antifascist military organisation, a branch of the warsaw antifascist bloc. Most of the people captured during the ghetto uprising were deported to treblinka, however, some were sent to either trawniki or poniatowa. During the sobibor prisoner uprising, selma wijnberg and chaim engel, who had fallen in love at the camp, escaped together.
Group portrait of participants in the uprising in the sobibor. Treblinka i, the forcedlabor camp, continued operations until late july 1944. It is the story of the mass escape from the german extermination camp at sobibor, the most successful uprising by jewish prisoners of german extermination camps uprisings also. The story, gripping, inspiring, and heartbreaking at the same time, is of the uprising of october 14, 1943.
The facts presented on this website are the historical research and firsthand account of holocaust survivor thomas toivi blatt, who escaped from the nazi death camp sobibor during the prisonerled revolt on october 14, 1943. The german soldier holding the gun is the infamous frankenstein who, according to jewish survivors, terrorized the ghetto inhabitants by. After having been transferred to several camps, the nazis, during a strip search, had discovered that sasha was circumcised. However, the individual attacks and the individual escapes lacked the zest of defiance and craving for life that others, looking back in time, expect and want to see. He had been sent to the front in october 1941 but had been captured near viazma. It was led by the antifascist military organisation antyfaszystowska.
It was unique in its plan and execution and in successfully eliminating most of the ss staff in the camp. Aufstand im warschauer ghetto was the 1943 act of jewish resistance in the warsaw ghetto in germanoccupied poland during world war ii to oppose nazi germanys final effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to majdanek and treblinka concentration camps. Sobibor uprising united states holocaust memorial museum. Critical essays by simhah rotem, kazik simha rotem, barbara harshav book description. In some instances, where a slight chance to fight the germans did exist, jews did resist. The term is particularly connected with the holocaust and includes a multitude. They were among the fewer than 60 escapees to survive the war. Remembering the sobibor uprising the national wwii. Its leader was leon feldhendler, a thirtythree year old. Holocaust forgotten or revisited international research center. The revolt began upon the german announcement of mass. Chronicle of the warsaw ghetto uprising a centennial book yitzhak antek zuckerman, barbara harshav on.
Group portrait of participants in the uprising in the sobibor death camp. The bialystok ghetto uprising of world war ii, was a jewish insurrection in the bialystok ghetto against the nazi german occupation authorities, launched on the night of august 16, 1943. Uprising rumours that the camp would be shut down started circulating among its inmates in spring of 1943, after a drop in the number of incoming prisoner transports. In may 1943, transports containing survivors of the warsaw ghetto uprising. Alexander palfinger was the first official in charge of the transferstelle in the a rapid dying out of the jews is for us a matter of total indifference, if not to say desirable. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read escape from sobibor. He had arrived following the violent clearance, of deported slovakian jews and the few remaining polish jews, from the rejowiec ghetto on august 9, 1942. The warsaw ghetto uprising was an uprising of the jews of the warsaw ghetto against the german troops when germany decided to begin the mass deportation of jews to the extermination camps of majdanek and treblinka. A story of survival is an invaluable, firsthand account of a childs survival in a nazi concentration camp in poland during world war ii. Those jews brought to the hermetically isolated prisoners of sobibor the stunning news about the warsaw ghetto uprising.
For slavelabour in the drainage works in the vicinity of sobibor they were taken to krychow. This important and deeply moving book, written by one of the heroes of the legendary 1943 sobibor uprising, recounts one of the greatest escape stories in the annals of human history. We would like to thank the crown and goodman family and the abe and ida cooper foundation for supporting the ongoing work to create content and resources for the holocaust encyclopedia. Not just about the escape, also some other important, relevant stories.
Warsaw ghetto uprising, resistance by polish jews under nazi occupation in 1943 to the deportations from warsaw to the treblinka extermination camp. Semyon rozenfeld, left, and alexander pechersky, who led the uprising at the sobibor concentration camp in poland. Sosnowiec ghetto or sosnowitz ghetto was a world war ii ghetto established for jews by nazi german authorities in the province of upper silesia in occupied poland during the holocaust. It was led by the antifascist military organisation, a branch of the.
All the work of the sobibor foundation is done by volunteers and is only possible with your financial support. In this harrowing firstperson account, the author fulfills the promise he. This book is about the warsaw ghetto uprising of april 19, 1943. You feel unable to take your eyes off the pages, nor hide what you are feeling by closing the book. Jewish resistance in germanoccupied europe wikipedia. These essays concern various aspects of jewish daily life and governance, such as the judenrat, the warsaw ghetto uprising, religious life, housing, death, smuggling. The most forceful form of resistance was the armed resistance groups organized in over 100 ghettos throughout russia and poland. Alexander pechersky the revolt and escape from sobibor death. Arad reports as a controlled and effective witness for the prosecution mr. The sobibor revoltjewish retaliation during holocaust. The uprising was launched on the night of august 16, 1943 and was the secondlargest ghetto uprising organized in nazioccupied poland after the warsaw the bialystok ghetto uprising was an insurrection in the jewish bialystok ghetto against the nazi german occupation authorities during world war ii. Jewish resistance under the nazi rule took various forms of organized underground activities conducted against german occupation regimes in europe by jews during world war ii.
Sobibor is less well known, and this book discloses the horrors perpetrated there. The uprising was the second largest ghetto uprising organized in nazi occupied poland after the warsaw ghetto uprising of january 1943. Participants in the sobibor uprising the holocaust encyclopedia. While the killing center was in operation, some of the arriving jews were selected and transferred to treblinka i, while jews too weak to work at treblinka i were periodically sent to treblinka ii to be killed. This film, a clip from the bbc series on auschwitz. Sobibor nazi extermination camp, poland britannica. The raw images and situations are laid in front of the readers eye for himher to discover what heshe never dared think about and try to understand. Many hid in the ghetto during the fighting but did not actively fight the germans. Sobibor is not well documented, and were it not for an extraordinary uprising in october 1943, we would know little about it. According to historian yehuda bauer, jewish resistance was defined as actions that were taken against all laws and actions acted by germans. The other 42 are survivors of the 14 october 1943 uprising.
1104 1293 1542 52 704 773 25 536 942 26 792 101 863 72 887 125 494 143 103 1250 1401 691 882 356 213 1475 986 500 1157 1336 683 1255