Politics and religion in the Warsaw Ghetto : beyond the Labor Zionist narrative

ArticleThe Jewish uprising against the Nazis in April 1943 in the Warsaw Ghetto has achieved legendary status in the remembrance of the Holocaust. But how has the revolt been portrayed and interpreted by historians both Jewish and non-Jewish? In Israel—where Labor Zionism under David Ben-Gurion dominated the society and politics of the first thirty years of the Jewish State—the ideology of the founders has been selective in its understanding of the Holocaust, specifically the revolt in the Warsaw Ghetto. Political ideology has distorted the understanding of past events. Both Revisionist Zionism and the Jewish religion played a major role in the life and fiery end of the ghetto, yet the Labor Zionists have ignored both phenomena in their telling of the story of the Holocaust. With the rise of post-Zionists in Israel, the triumph of right-wing Zionists in the political realm, and the religious revival of Judaism in the Jewish State, new narratives that have been ignored are now coming to the fore. The roles of Revisionist Zionism and Orthodox Judaism are finally being explored in an attempt to overcome the skewing of the past by the dominant political ideology in the State of Israel. The Revisionist followers of Jabotinsky were bold fighters against the Nazis in Warsaw—their role in the rebellion deserves to be investigated and revealed. As well, religious Jews rebelled against the Nazis through their commitment to their faith. Menachem Ziemba, the last rabbi in the Warsaw Ghetto, overturned centuries of martyrdom, advocating military resistance as a demand of Jewish law. This essay explores new narratives that deserve to see the light of day, providing a more accurate picture of the events of the Shoah and the role of religion in the modern world