Brody Thomas

UWRT 1102-009
Mrs. Wertz-Orbaugh
February 2, 2015
Holocaust Inquiry Proposal
The topic that interests me the most from the ones that I chose to look into more was
Jewish resistance during the holocaust and World War II. During the Holocaust there were many
forms of Jewish resistance, whether it was in certain labor camps or death camps across Europe
or groups of resistance fighters consisting of Jews. I chose this topic because I have always had a
big interest in World War II, especially regarding combat and resistance against the Germans. I
thought of this particular topic because the project is supposed to be more related to the
holocaust thus inquiring specifically about the Jewish resistance.
When considering my background knowledge, I believe I know a fairly good amount
about World War II and the Holocaust. When I was younger, I read several books such as; Night,
The Boy Who Dared, The Book Thief, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Ive also watched a
few documentaries about the same topic and also a few movies, like I am sure most people have.
A lot of the reasons I have an interest in this topic is because I have read and learned about other
topics similar to this one, but never specifically the topic of Jewish Resistance. It interests me
because I feel like there is a lot to know when it comes to this topic regarding all forms of Jewish
resistance during the Holocaust.

Some things I already know about this topic are that there were acts of Jewish resistance
all across Europe during the time of the Holocaust. Resistance took place from the start of the
major event all the way to the end. Jewish resistance also came in different forms, such as;
resisting capture in the first place, resisting orders in camps, and going as far as revolts. Even
resistance fighters protected defenseless Jews from being captured by the Germans. I do not
know much about this topic, but I am very interested in specifically the Jewish resistance fighters
around Europe. I am sure there were a few too many groups who fought back against the
Germans and helped other Jews stay free during the time of the war. Some groups probably were
very successful and others not so much.
Two specific questions I already have regarding Jewish Resistance fighters are, what are
the most well-known groups of resistance fighters? And Where would have most of the
Resistance fighting occurred in regards to the Holocaust? Two angles that I could think about my
topic are through the eyes of the Fighters of the Jewish resistance or the Jews that they are
protecting because they cannot protect themselves. My first-draft Inquiry Question about my
topic is, what resistance group is the most well-known during the Holocaust? And what made
their story so well known?