Guest Blog Writer: Rose – Daniel Boone Regional Library staff member & Americans and the Holocaust docent
Our library is one of 50 U.S. libraries selected to host Americans and the Holocaust, a traveling exhibition from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) and the American Library Association (ALA), where we see what Americans did in the face of the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis. It’s easy for us to look back on those actions and think Americans and Europeans should have done more, especially now that we know just how terrible the Holocaust was. We want to think we would have made better choices, but would we have had the courage to do so? Let’s look at the choices some people made during the Holocaust (and some books where you can learn more!):
Branded by the Pink Triangle by Ken Setterington
Although many groups, including queer people, Roma and Sinti, Jehovah’s Witnesses, people of color, Communists and Socialists, and people with disabilities, were targeted during the Holocaust, Jews were the primary targets of the Nazis.
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Some Jewish families made the decision to go into hiding, like Anne Frank’s family. Although Anne had to go along with what her family decided, one choice she was able to make herself was to write down her experiences. Anne did not survive the war, but her words and her story did.
Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust by Doreen Rappaport
Other Jews, especially those who did not have the ability to hide, staged acts of resistance against the Nazis. They orchestrated uprisings in Jewish ghettoes, escape attempts from concentration camps, and created underground organizations that helped Jews get what they needed, escape Europe, or hide.
The Girl Who Fought Back: Vladka Meed and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Joshua Greene
One such act of resistance was the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. When the Jews learned they were going to be “resettled” by the Nazis, they knew they would be killed, so they managed to fight back against the Nazis for 29 days.
Defying the Nazis: The Life of German Officer Wilm Hosenfeld by Hermann Vinke
While many non-Jewish people went along with Hitler’s plan, there were also many who worked against Hitler. Wilm Hosenfeld was a Nazi officer who originally believed in Hitler’s message, but started working against the Nazis from the inside once he learned the extent of Nazi injustice.
The Hiding Place: A Graphic Novel by Corrie Ten Boom
Corrie Ten Boom was a Christian worked in the Dutch Resistance to hide Jews and obtain ration cards for them to get food, among other things.
The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Protestant pastor who preached against the horrors of the Nazis, became a spy for the British, and helped with a plot attempting to assassinate Hitler. The plot failed, he was sentenced to death, and he turned down an opportunity to escape before he was executed for fear of his family being held responsible.
In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry by Carla Killough McClafferty
Varian Fry was an American who secured documents to get Jews and other people the Nazis deemed enemies of Germany out of Europe at the expense of his job and his marriage.
We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler by Russell Freedman
Young people made up an important role in resisting the Nazis. The White Rose organization was an anti-Nazi activist group, many of whom were former Hitler Youth or current Nazi soldiers, who distributed a newspaper around Germany detailing how Hitler was lying to the Germans. Unfortunately, a janitor at their university chose to turn in the White Rose members, leading to their execution.
Hitler Youth Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Helmuth Hübener was originally a member of the Hitler Youth, but turned against them to distribute anti-Hitler newsletters. Although several of Helmuth’s friends worked with him, Helmuth chose to take the blame, which saved his friends but led to his execution.
Flowers in the Gutter: The True Story of the Edelweiss Pirates, Teenagers Who Resisted the Nazis by Kristina Gaddy
The Edelweiss Pirates and other similar groups of leftist teenagers in the Rhineland took anti-Nazi actions like distributing leaflets and graffiting anti-Nazi slogans, but also by wearing subversive clothing and hairstyles and changing Nazi song lyrics to be anti-Nazi.
Storming the Tulips by Ronald Sanders
We Must Not Forget: Holocaust Stories of Survival and Resistance by Deborah Hopkinson
“Storming the Tulips” and “We Must Never Forget” are two books that show many different decisions families made, including going into hiding, sending their children away, hiding others, joining the Nazis, joining resistance movements, and more.
Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman
The “Maus” series gives an account of one man, Vladek Spiegelman, and his experience in the Holocaust. Through this account, we can see the numerous choices he made to save himself, his family, and others.
There are far more people who made choices than I’ve been able to include here. There were gay resistance groups, Jehovah’s Witnesses who refused to fight for Hitler, diplomats from as far away as Iran, Japan, and China who were able to help people leave Europe, and many more people who made the choice to help others. It’s important that we think about the choices we make, whether they are in easy or difficult situations. If we can make a habit of helping our community members and speaking up for people when something isn’t right, we can better prepare to make good choices even when times get hard. Holocaust survivor Rachella Velt said that the one thing that she wanted people to know was that “regular people like them let it happen. Young people have a duty to not sit back and be bystanders, but be active in government and realize what goes on.” What choices will you make when you see injustice?
If you are interested in more information about this traveling exhibit, please visit dbrl.org/holocaust-exhibit.
