Jody - # 4 Bauer

Title:

Bauer, Yehuda. The Death of the Shtetl (New Haven & London: Yale, 2009)

Question:

Mainly questions concerning life in the kresy shtetl and inhabitants' reactions to events from interwar through Holocaust are scrutinized. There is a whole section [!] of questions for exploration on page 6. But, in typical Bauer form, he states: "I would like to know what the Jewish reaction to the unexpected onslaught was before the Jews were murdered. I know that they died. I want to know how they lived" (6).

Method:

Employs historical analysis with testimonies - since this is "the story of real people in real situations" (vii).

Sources:

Most shtetl documentation was destroyed, but he relies on what scant survived as well as testimonies, diaries, letters, memoranda, and of course historical analysis. But Bauer opines, "documents are rare, and there are many postwar testimonies" (11), but of course those are from those who survived.

Summary of Argument:

Bauer focuses upon the under-researched kresy [the Eastern Marches of interwar Poland] shtetlach [a township with 1,000 to 15,000 Jews, who formed at least a third of the total population, and their life was regulated by the Jewish calendar and by customs derived from a traditional interpretation of the Jewish religion (3)] from, mainly, interwar through Holocaust and its aftermath. He employs his term "Amidah" [unarmed resistance (7)] throughout [as well as corruption] and shows how this mattered in the kresy region especially. In the end though, with [a majority of] Amidah and [a minority of] Jewish-partisan action, the occupations - Soviets destroyed shtetlach historically/socially/culturally, but Germans however annihilated it - brought about the death of the shtetlach in the Eastern region of, then, interwar Poland.  

Comment:

Overall, this is a great work, since it highlights the scantily-researched western front shtetl through the Holocaust, but, admittedly being a student of Bauer's, I have heard most of this argument before. I would actually prefer a breakdown of those shtetls involved in a more thorough and individual manner rather than by theme. Moreover, I must make two major observations that pushed me immediately to comment and disagree [this is why I love Yehuda - he is very opinionated!]: 1. Bauer's argument that A/S plays major role in WWII (57) and that Barbarosa proves this [Barbarossa = Ideology = Economy = Kill Jews] is a rather weak one. While it is true that at the time the Soviets would have given the Germans anything between '39-'41, they would not have allowed the Soviets to continue (for eternity) to just give them everything forever. Why "take" when they could control Soviet territory? And especially at that time [1941] when Nazi Germany controlled most all of Europe and the rest was expected to fall easily into their control; 2. Local population determines fate of Jews (120), states Bauer. Yes, again true, but this would be AFTER German occupation, AND would matter to those who were not killed en masse. As the case with Poland in September 1939 - neighbors worked together not separately until a time. FURTHERMORE, does Bauer really want us to believe that "[ambiguous]neighbors" would have stopped the Nazi genocidal plans [once they were decided upon]? Nazis (and Germans) play the major role NOT neighbors!

Argument (Chapter Outlines):

I. Background

II. The Thirties

III. The Soviet Occupation

IV. The Holocaust in the Kresy

V. The Shtetl Community and Its Leadership, 1941-1943

VI. The Neighbors

VII. Rebels and Partisans

VIII. The Death of the Shtetl

Notes:

• By 1930s - 1/3 of Jews lived below poverty (14)
• Polish A/S embodied in Dmowski (exclusivist) - Piłsudski (inclusivist) ruled [til '35] (15)
• Poles as minority in kresy (20) PPS supports minorities
• Catholic church role in government [Hlond/Sapieh] (21)
• Little industry = Few Bund/Zionism prevailed in kresy (24)
• External help: 12-14% of budgets came from outside, mainly U.S., help (28)
• Easier for German in Poland due to separate society. Even Jewish communities (all over Europe) were not united (29)
• Most witnesses are from middle/upper class & were young or children (30-31)
• Russian occupation about "liberation" of Ukr/Bel (31)
• Religious schools prohibited under Soviets but synagogue acceptable (41-42)
• August 1941 - Poles released from Soviet camps (46)
• A/S was pushed underground (51)
• 1939 - agreement for German/S.U. ethnic cleansing strategy (54-55)
• Barbarossa = Ideology = Economy = Kill Jews (57)
• A/S plays major role in WWII (57) ***Weak Argument -> see comments
•  Barbarossa - men flee, women stay (61)
• Murder M.O. and local reaction (70-71)
• Most kresy shtetlach remained summer 1941 to fall/winter 1942 (73)
• No generalization of Judenrat - > leaders and luck made difference (91)
• When dealing with surrounding locals - must look at place/time, context (93)
• Neighbors - long relationship of tensions and religious difference (93)
• Poles exterminated by Ukr neighbors by 1943 (95)
• Rescue was varied in villages (chpt. 6) - focus on rescuers but there were very few
• Belorussian peasants were a little better than Ukr neighbors (115)
• Local population determines fate of Jews (120) ***Weak argument - see comments
• Only 2,500 Jews joined Soviet partisans - only 1,500 survived - very small % (126)
• Holocaust & Israel (153)
• East was very Zionist (154)
• 1st the Soviet occupation then 2nd the German occupation (154) = disaster for shtetlach
• Germans murdered, not Nazis (155) = ordinary men [!?!?!]
• In essence, Soviets destroyed shtetlach historically-socially-culturally, Germans however annihilated it (160)
• Shtetl reactions - situational - and differed from one to another (162)
• character, chance, & luck mattered (163)
• Partisans -> not ideologically driven reasoning, but revenge and survival (167)

5 Main Points:

1. In essence, Soviets destroyed shtetlach historically-socially-culturally, Germans however annihilated it (160)
2. Shtetl reactions - situational - and differed from one to another (162)
3. Most kresy shtetlach remained summer 1941 to fall/winter 1942 (73)
4. Local population determines fate of Jews (120) and there was a long relationship of tensions and religious difference
5. A/S plays major role in WWII