Holocaust accounts often depict Jewish victims as passive, leading to the question, "Why didn't Jews resist?" Contrary to this narrative, Jews did resist, staging armed uprisings in ghettos and camps throughout Nazi-occupied Europe. This book aims to explain Jewish resistance rather than dispel the myth of passivity. Research on social movements indicates that protest arises when individuals have opportunities, resources, and self-belief, yet Jewish resistance movements often lacked these elements. So, what motivated them to fight back? Employing comparative-historical sociology, the book examines three Jewish ghettos during World War II: Warsaw (site of the 1943 uprising), Vilna (where plans for armed resistance were made but not executed), and Lodz (where no resistance plans emerged). The study reveals that resistance was influenced by Jews' assessments of their threats and their hope for survival. Ironically, armed resistance occurred when activists concluded they had no hope left and viewed fighting back as their best option. These findings resonate with other instances of resistance under extreme conditions, such as prison riots and the rebellions of enslaved people.
