The Jewish resistance and their use of the subterranean dimension in the Będzin and Sosnowiec ghettos

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article frames the historical question about the Jewish organized resistance in the Będzin and Sosnowiec ghettos in geographical terms. Jewish youth groups utilized the subterranean dimension in these ghettos for rescue, storage, arms collection, and hiding. Most of these groups failed to utilize the underground spaces effectively in military terms. The complicated relations among the Jewish youth groups, the larger ghetto communities, and the ghetto administration further hindered effective resistance efforts. Employing geographical tools this article analyzes the activity of the Jewish resisters during the liquidation of the Będzin and Sosnowiec ghettos, and locates most of the resisters’ hideouts.