1. THE ROLE OF PERSONALITY OF WOMEN’S RESISTANCE DURING THE HOLOCAUST
By
Emma
Durocher,
Jacqueline
Jimenez-­‐Maldonado,
Odile
Zuzu
Irakiza
On
the
topic
of
resistance
in
contexts
of
genocide
and
other
mass
killings,
it
is
clear
that
some
individuals
choose
to
engage
in
resistance
while
others
do
not
and
those
forms
of
resistance
vary
greatly.
Given
that
individuals
in
extraordinary
situations
(ex.,
Jewish
prisoners
in
the
Warsaw
Ghetto)
make
different
decisions
about
whether
or
not
to
resist,
the
question
of
the
role
of
personality
comes
to
the
forefront.
However,
there
is
remarkably
little
research
relating
to
the
role
of
personality
in
the
decision
to
resist
in
the
most
extreme
of
circumstances.
Some
existing
research
emphasizes
contextual
and
environmental
factors
and
spends
less
time
on
individual
traits
(Einwohner,
2003).
According
to
Suedfeld
&
de
Best
(2003),
“the
decision
to
engage
in
either
rescuing
or
resistance
behavior
was
inRluenced
by
a
number
of
complex,
interacting
situational
and
personality
factors”,
suggesting
that
personality
must
be
studied
in
conjunction
with
an
analysis
of
situational
factors.
Our
project
endeavors
to
explore
potentially
signiRicant
personality
characteristics
that
arise
frequently
and
are
of
importance
in
the
testimonies
of
survivors
who
engaged
in
collective
resistance
and
other
resistance
in
concentration
camps.
INTRODUCTION
Freda
Teitelbaum
Elizabeth
Etinger
Sara
Hauptman
Shulamit
Lack
Elly
Avidor
“IF RESISTANCE IS POSSIBLE EVEN IN THE MOST UNFAVORAVBLE AND UNEQUAL OF CIRCUMSTANCE, THEN IT
SHOULD BE POSSIBLE ANYWHERE” (REICHER 2012)
METHOD
We
utilized
oral
testimonies
from
Holocaust
survivors
who
were
part
of
a
collective
resistance
effort
(ex.,
a
partisan
group,
underground
resistance,
etc.)
and
attempted
to
identify
personality
characteristics
that
may
have
inRluenced
their
decision
to
resist.
The
testimonies
have
been
archived
by
the
Shoah
Foundation,
accessible
through
Clark
University.
The
Shoah
Foundation
contains
video
interviews
with
over
50,000
Jewish
Holocaust
survivors,
around
2,000
of
whom
engaged
in
collective
resistance.
As
a
group,
we
selected
Rive
relevant
testimonies
that
we
watched
individually
and
analyzed
together
for
key
personality
traits.
Our
sample
consisted
of
women,
born
during
or
prior
to
1925,
who
participated
in
resistance.
Of
these,
two
were
born
in
Poland,
one
was
born
in
Germany,
one
was
born
in
Hungary,
and
one
was
born
in
Ukraine.
PRIDE / DIGNITY
“”If
they
see
that
you
have
your
own
dignity,
then
they
will
treat
you
with
dignity…I
saw
that,
even
with
the
Germans.”
-­‐Shulamit
Lack
“I
came
here
you
should
shoot
me
out
of
this
misery.
But
he
didn’t
instead
the
SS
solder
gave
me
a
job.”
–Elly
Avidor
“I
sat
here
to
live
and
to
come
home
to
then
see
my
family.
That
is
what
kept
me
going.”
–Sara
Hauptman
“I
kept
quiet
and
did
not
react
when
they
SS
soldiers
tormented
me.”
–Shulamit
Lack
AGENCY / LOCUS OF
CONTROL
“I
was
stubborn
as
hell
and
I
refused
to
follow
orders
from
the
soldiers
when
I
knew
that
I
did
nothing
wrong”
–Sara
Hauptman
“When
you’re
young
you
believe
in
everything.
I
believed
my
mother
and
father
were
watching
over
me
and
God
did
not
let
me
save
myself
just
for
nothing.
That
is
how
I
lived
through.”
–Freda
Teitelbaum
“Had
to
play
a
role
because
people
did
not
know
I
was
Jewish
when
I
worked.”
–Freda
Teitelbaum
This is defined as the
participants’ belief that they can
affect their environment.
RESULTS
In
our
analysis,
we
found
that
the
concepts
of
“agency”
and
“decision-­‐making
ability”
came
up
in
all
Rive
interviews.
All
Rive
participants
felt
that
they
were
capable
of
both
acting
on
their
own
behalf
and
were
able
to
make
well-­‐reasoned
decisions
in
the
face
of
extreme
oppression
and
dehumanization.
The
concept
of
“responsibility”
came
in
three
of
the
interviews.
These
three
participants
felt
a
sense
of
responsibility
towards
those
by
whom
they
were
surrounded.
The
concept
of
“external
locus
of
control”
came
up
in
two
of
the
interviews.
These
participants
felt
that
they
were
capable
of
impacting
their
environment
with
their
actions.
LIMITATIONS
Our
sample
size
is
in
no
way
representative
of
the
entire
group
of
Shoah
foundation
interviewees
who
engaged
in
resistance,
let
alone
of
the
entire
group
of
Holocaust
victims
who
engaged
in
resistance.
The
Shoah
Foundation
interviews
were
largely
conducted
in
the
early
1990s,
meaning
that
over
45
years
had
passed
since
the
events
being
discussed
had
occurred.
Not
only
is
it
possible
that
participants
may
no
longer
remember
their
exact
thoughts
and
feelings,
but
these
thoughts
and
feelings
may
have
been
inRluenced
by
45
years
of
reRlection
on
the
events.
Additionally,
failing
memory
may
also
be
an
issue.
RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS
OTHERS
“Don’t
lose
your
faith.
We
will
be
free.
Do
everything
you
can
to
help
free
yourself”
–Elizabeth
Etinger
“The
longer
we
stay
alive
the
more
chances
we
have
to
be
free”
–Elizabeth
Etinger
“I
looked
for
a
job
in
the
kitchen
to
gather
the
scraps
after
the
Germans
ate
to
give
to
my
family.”
–Elizabeth
Etinger
“A
guy
told
me
to
get
gone
from
here,
but
I
said
“How
can
I
go
I
have
19
of
our
people
here.”
I
could
not
leave
them
here.
He
said,”
You
will
die
here.”
I
replied,”
I
don’t
care
we
all
have
to
go
or
no.”
–Sara
Hauptman
“The
SS
soldier
was
going
to
beat
the
girl
because
she
stole
a
piece
of
food.
I
went
up
to
him
grabbed
his
hand
and
looked
at
him.
He
was
so
shocked
that
he
stepped
back
and
forgot
to
hit
her.”
–Shulamit
Lack
DESCISION-MAKING
ABILITY
“
The
longer
I
stayed
alive
in
a
concentration
camp
the
more
chances
I
had
to
get
a
good
job
that
will
give
me
better
contact
with
people.”
–Elizabeth
Etinger
“
I
asked
the
SS
soldier
to
let
prisoners
say
goodbye
to
their
brothers
or
husbands
that
were
being
sent
away.”
–Elizabeth
Etinger
“
We
didn’t
go
to
work
and
stayed
outside
and
as
a
result
we
got
more
bread.”
–Elizabeth
Etinger
h"p://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Verzetsgroep_Dalfsen-­‐Ommen-­‐Lemelerveld.png
Professor
Johanna
Vollhardt