Revenge and the End

enter the building and ambushing them would yield the least casualties. Zivia, Antek and forty other barely armed men and women took up positions in areas around their bases and waited. At Zivia’s position, Nazis entered and stormed past a comrade pretending to read and opened up the door to the room where the rest of her group was hiding, seemingly awaiting death. As soon as they peered in, the comrade who had been reading shot two Nazis in the back while the rest fled to a stairwell for cover. Zivia and her comrades sprang into action and killed more with whatever weapons they had, with some comrades taking time to gather weapons from the Nazis who had been shot down.

They had won in their first attack—having gained more weapons—but there was little time to celebrate as the Nazis were sure to send a second wave. Two more Nazi attacks were pushed back by the Jews, and in total there had only been one injury and no casualties within the comrades. Now ZOB had time to become more organized, more groups were taking up better positions throughout the ghetto, and Nazis were coming less often and being less thorough in their building searches for fear of being shot at. Many other Jewsih attacks had been successful, and the Nazis had only been able to collect half of their quota for the Aktion. What should have taken the Nazis two hours was stretched to four days, and eventually they had to retreat. The Jewish community throughout Poland was amazed: it was now proven that the right resistance could stop an Aktion and save lives.

Yet still there could be no celebration. They had stopped this Aktion, but it did not mean that the Nazis would leave them alone. Impressed by their successful uprising, they now had the support of “adult-run” resistance groups who supplied the ZOB with 50 pistols, 50 hand grenades, and several kilograms of explosives. At the same time, workshops had been set up to produce more ammunition and explosives; with ZOB taking control of the ghetto, they also taxed rich Jews who had sided with the Nazis in order to get the funds they needed to buy supplies and food. An underground layout of bunkers had been mapped out for safety of retreat when necessary, and also included the sewage canal systems that led to different parts of the area. Combat training was proceeding at a fast pace, traps and bombs were being prepared; ZOB wanted to make sure they did everything they could possibly do to prepare for the Aktion that would be coming soon.

Now, months after their successful rebellion, the Nazis were back with what could be called an army. If their lives were not at stake, it would have been an amusing observation that the Nazis were prepared for war against a much smaller force of emaciated, poorly armed (in comparison) Jews. Two thousand Nazis arrived with panzer tanks and machine guns to fight against 22 groups totaling 500 ZOB combatants. The tanks were allowed to pass through the front gate of the ghetto, and then a switch was pressed. “A thundering blast. The mines they had planted under the main street went off. Severed arms

(left) A Jewish comrade prepares to shoot Nazi officers while they are distracted by Zivia’s group in hiding; they conceal their weapons and wait for the right moment to attack.

Zivia’s guilt over the hundreds who died in the bunkers never went away. When she was safe in hiding, she urged other members of resistance groups to prioritize finding safety over fighting back. and legs went flying into the air. A new group of Nazis marched in. Now Zivia and her comrades threw hand grenades and bombs, a rain of explosives. The Germans scattered; the Jewish fighters chased them down with guns... No Jewish fighter was injured” (Batalion 198).

Zivia’s tactics were still being used to great success until the Nazis decided to change their approach. Now instead of entering buildings to search for Jews, they burned the buildings they were hiding out in and waited at a distance. Those who ran out to save themselves were shot down, and those who stayed inside burnt to death. Zivia and other leaders did their best to save as many as they could: non-combatant Jews were moved to underground bunkers, attacks were pushing the Nazis back everywhere they could, tanks were being bombed, Nazis were being shot. But keeping hundreds of people in small bunkers with limited food, water, and ventilation made conditions even more unbearable than before. The Nazis were now hunting for the bunkers and taking Jews hostage for information, and despite Antek and some few courier girls venturing outside the ghetto to ask for help, not much was going in their favor anymore.

Zivia and a few other scouts decided to look for an escape route out of the ghetto where they could take large groups discreetly. The guide she was given was able to help find them a map of the canals and a route to get out of the ghettos, however, when they returned to the bunker they were protecting, the worst had occurred. Nazis had found the bunker and attempted to break in. The bunker’s 120 occupants were unsure whether or not to escape out a back entrance or stay under the assumption that they would be too afraid to actually break down the door. Eventually they stopped trying to break down the door and started infusing gas into the bunkers to suffocate them slowly. Except for a few that went out the back door, all bunker occupants died. Zivia blamed herself for the deaths and not being able to come up with a better plan, but she had no time to mourn. Gathering as many Jews as she could from various shelters, she led them back through the sewage canals in hopes of escaping outside the ghetto.

Earlier as she had been returning to her bunker, she had sent another group to verify the way out through the sewers; they had been able to meet up with Kazak, another comrade who went outside the ghettos to ask for help, who had been able to procure a truck that would get them to safety once they reached their destination. Together, they trekked through sludge and sewage, which at some points flowed neck-high, for hours until they reached the manhole outside the ghetto where their ride would be. When their ride was delayed, they had to wait in the heat and filth for an entire day until Kazak could get them a new one. Of the 60 Jews that had made it through the sewers, 20 left on foot to alleviate some space and find somewhere safe to lie low. When the truck arrived and they were nowhere to be seen, Kazik made the decision to leave them behind—he would have to send another truck to fetch them. Zivia argued strongly that they should wait, she did not want to lose anyone else,

but Kazik was adamant they had to leave immediately. Zivia relented for fear of putting more people in danger, and the truck sped off. Once they reached a safehouse, they cleaned themselves up as best as they could and dispersed: they would have to live as best they could in hiding.

There were many more acts of rebellion throughout Poland in the ghettos: women had been bringing in weapons, information, and fake identifying documents to help as many Jews as they could. Nazis were killed, and there were attempts to stop many of the Aktions throughout the ghettos. However, starvation and disease had taken a great toll on Jewish morale, it was hard to find people to trust. Smugglers often betrayed the Jews to the Nazis and their collaborators. It was only until the Russians and European Allied forces came to liberate Poland that the Jews were freed from the tyranny and suffering they had spent years enduring. Emaciated Jews in death camps cried with their liberators once they both realized what was happening when they saw each other: only 300,000 Polish Jews had survived, a mere 10% of the pre-war population. The Jewish people had fought bravely to live, but the effects of the Holocaust would always be felt through their lingering fear and loneliness— and the pain of those they lost.

(above) Kazik leads Zivia’s group through the sewage canals; the air was stagnant and filled with methane, and the sludge they waded through worsened the fatigue they had been forced to endure for years.