Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Rebecca Caudill 2021 Book
Age
Never let it be said that the young are powerless or incapable. Never let it be said that youth is a liability. p57
Legacy
We are fighting for our three lines in history just so that it will not be said that our youth went like sheep to the slaughter. p58
If they would not fight for millions of living Jews, perhaps they would fight for the memory of a single dead poet. p82
Prejudice
"He is the enemy, Chaya! The war will end one day and the Germans will go back to their own land. But here we must live alongside thousands of people like that man. If we can't stop his hatred, this will happen again and again and again!" p104
"No, the Fuhrer of Germany has declared war on you and me, on all of us!" p137
"No, Chaya. As much as the Nazis want to take our lives, they want to take our faith, too." p139
"The hatred. I remember my father saying that he'd finally come to believe the world had moved past its hatred of Jews, and then this happened." p160
"... I need you to know... Helena, it took a long time for me to realize what was happening to the Jews, and there are still far too many of us who don't understand it, because it's not happening to us. Does that make sense?" p174
How could these soldiers commit such atrocities on this day, all while wearing an emblem that suggested God supported their actions? p339
Trauma/ Fear
"Because it's not possible to be afraid all the time!" I hissed, "I feel it, but I keep it in the background." p113
"The Nazis murder us many times over. They take our ability to worship properly-- a spiritual death. They separate our families-- another death there. They kill our dignity, our will to live, and finally they take our lives." p228
Before the Nazis could kill the Jews, they had to break us down. To save the Jews, we had to build them up again. Was that still possible here? p264
Action/ Inaction
Passive resistance wasn't enough anymore. It wouldn't stop the ghetto liquidations, the deportations to death camps. It wouldn't shut down the showers at Auschwitz-Birkenau that rained down poison and genocide. p158
They didn't help us, but they believed that at least ignoring our situation caused no harm. They were wrong. If there was any difference between causing a man to drown and failing to throw him a rope, it certainly didn't matter to the man in the water. p172
"At some point it has to be about winning, about surviving. Dolek talked about three lines of history. Well, someone must be around to write those lines!" p239
"What more must happen for them to help us?" p330
They wouldn't help. Not when the American president spoke of "spreading the Jews thin" and dismissed the atrocities against us as "sob stuff." When Canada responded to the question of how many Jewish refugees they would accept with "none too many." p330
Age
Never let it be said that the young are powerless or incapable. Never let it be said that youth is a liability. p57
Legacy
We are fighting for our three lines in history just so that it will not be said that our youth went like sheep to the slaughter. p58
If they would not fight for millions of living Jews, perhaps they would fight for the memory of a single dead poet. p82
Prejudice
"He is the enemy, Chaya! The war will end one day and the Germans will go back to their own land. But here we must live alongside thousands of people like that man. If we can't stop his hatred, this will happen again and again and again!" p104
"No, the Fuhrer of Germany has declared war on you and me, on all of us!" p137
"No, Chaya. As much as the Nazis want to take our lives, they want to take our faith, too." p139
"The hatred. I remember my father saying that he'd finally come to believe the world had moved past its hatred of Jews, and then this happened." p160
"... I need you to know... Helena, it took a long time for me to realize what was happening to the Jews, and there are still far too many of us who don't understand it, because it's not happening to us. Does that make sense?" p174
How could these soldiers commit such atrocities on this day, all while wearing an emblem that suggested God supported their actions? p339
Trauma/ Fear
"Because it's not possible to be afraid all the time!" I hissed, "I feel it, but I keep it in the background." p113
"The Nazis murder us many times over. They take our ability to worship properly-- a spiritual death. They separate our families-- another death there. They kill our dignity, our will to live, and finally they take our lives." p228
Before the Nazis could kill the Jews, they had to break us down. To save the Jews, we had to build them up again. Was that still possible here? p264
Action/ Inaction
Passive resistance wasn't enough anymore. It wouldn't stop the ghetto liquidations, the deportations to death camps. It wouldn't shut down the showers at Auschwitz-Birkenau that rained down poison and genocide. p158
They didn't help us, but they believed that at least ignoring our situation caused no harm. They were wrong. If there was any difference between causing a man to drown and failing to throw him a rope, it certainly didn't matter to the man in the water. p172
"At some point it has to be about winning, about surviving. Dolek talked about three lines of history. Well, someone must be around to write those lines!" p239
"What more must happen for them to help us?" p330
They wouldn't help. Not when the American president spoke of "spreading the Jews thin" and dismissed the atrocities against us as "sob stuff." When Canada responded to the question of how many Jewish refugees they would accept with "none too many." p330
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