:02:00
The first instinct of the Jewish
community was to accommodate.
:02:07
To find a way of preserving life
amidst that terrible situation.
:02:12
Jews tried to have theaters,
social evenings.
:02:17
They tried to sustain their lives as
though they were an intact community.
:02:22
Let's take our neighbor.
:02:27
They were very poor people.
:02:29
This woman did not think
that she's a hero. . .
:02:34
. . .and her daughter didn't think
she's a hero. . .
:02:37
. . .but they were conducting
illegal classes for children. . .
:02:43
. . .knowing that if a German patrol
catches them. . .
:02:47
. . .they'll be not only arrested,
but also killed.
:02:50
It may have been passing on
traditions, a bar mitzvah. . .
:02:54
. . .or kids smuggling food, where
1 87 calories was the allotment. . .
:03:01
. . .per person, per day.
Not enough to survive.
:03:04
Adam Czerniakow
is in an impossible situation.
:03:08
As head of the Judenrat. . .
:03:10
...a council established by the Nazis
to run the ghetto...
:03:13
...he is responsible for
both Jewish needs and Nazi decrees.
:03:18
Fearing greater harm
to his community...
:03:21
...he actively opposes
any acts of armed resistance.
:03:26
Czerniakow's view
was that resistance. . .
:03:30
. . .was a path to disaster.
:03:33
He had no doubt the Germans were
murderous and he thought. . .
:03:38
. . .it might provoke
more vindictive action.
:03:41
They had a doctrine
of collective responsibility.
:03:45
They'd find the 1 00 closest Jews
and execute or imprison them.
:03:49
For any one act, many would pay.
:03:54
They were anything but passive.
They were as active as they could be.