Nerd post.

I almost jumped off the couch when I saw the commercial for the new Daniel Craig movie Defiance. I wasn't excited because I am a 007 fan -- I am indifferent to Daniel Craig as an actor. I am uber-excited because I am kind of a Holocaust and WWII history nerd. I knew almost immediately what the film was about and I desperately hope the movie does this true story justice. If you do anything this year, please find some time to educate yourself on the Jewish Resistance Movement during WWII. Learning about this forgotten aspect of history changed my life forever and I am so very proud and willing to share the limited knowledge I have. I hope to some way keep the memory of those who needlessly died alive, and to showcase the bravery and power of those who chose to flee to the forests and fight battle. I would like to provide you with some references that are great reads and great movies.

The first of many books I have read about the Jewish Resistance movement. It is an incredible book that is a fast and easy read. You will learn so much and will be motivated to learn more once you read this.
Excerpt from the blurb: "When the ghetto is liquidated, these three flee to the forests and fight alongside Russian and Polish partiasan groups -- dynamiting bridges, derailing trains, and destroying power plants and waterworks. Their actions eventually lead them down a winding path to Palestine, where a struggle for independence awaits the weary yet fiercely indomitable avengers."
Amazon reference: http://www.amazon.com/Avengers-Rich-Cohen/dp/0375705295

Don't get turned off by the fact that this film was a made for television miniseries. Don't let the fact that David Schwimmer has a small role in it discourage you -- he is incredibly good in this drama. This excellent film based on a true story shows the lengths that Jews went to "die with honor". It is simply an amazing movie and very much worth the rental. Plus, if you live in Columbus I will loan it to you.
IMDB Reference: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250798/


I also have 3 book reads to suggest if you would like to know more about the people portrayed in the film Uprising.

Resistance: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Israel Gutman.
Amazon reference: http://www.amazon.com/Resistance-Warsaw-Uprising-Israel-Gutman/dp/0395901308
Excerpt from back blurb: "A riveting history of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, informed by the renowned author's personal experience, Resistance is a behind-the-scenes story of how a group of relatively unarmed, untrained ghetto inhabitants managed to lead a military revolt against the Nazi war machine. A survivor of the battle, Israel Gutman draws on diaries, letters, and underground press reports to bring this epic event to life, showing, too, how a vibrant culture shaped the young fighters whose defiance would have a far-reaching implications for the Jewish people."

The Warsaw Diary of Adam Czerniakow edited by Raul Hilberg, Stanislaw Staron, and Josef Kermisz.
Amazon Reference: http://www.amazon.com/Warsaw-Diary-Adam-Czerniakow-Prelude/dp/1566632307
Excerpt from the back blurb: "Adam Czerniakow was a Polish Jew who killed himself on July 23, 1942 -- on the face of it not an uncommon occurance in those times. But there is more to the story than the tragic death of one man amoung so many millions. Czerniakow was for almost three years the chairman of the Warsaw Judenreat -- a Jew, devoted to his people, who served as the Nazi-sponsored "mayor" of the Warsaw Ghetto ... This secret journal is not only the testimony of an unbearable personal burden but the documentary of the Ghetto's terminal agony."

Ghetto Diary by Janusz Korczak
Amazon Reference: http://www.amazon.com/Ghetto-Diary-Janusz-Korczak/dp/0300097425
Excerpt from the back blurb: "A successful pediatrician and well-known author in his native Warsaw, he gave up a brilliant medical career to devote himself to the care of orphans. Like so many other Jews, Korczak was sent into the Warsaw Ghetto after the Nazi occupation of Poland. He immediately set up an orphanage for more than 200 children. Many of his admirers, Jewish and gentile, offered to rescue him from the ghetto, but Korczak refused to leave his small charges. When the Nazis ordered the children to board a train that was to carry them to the Treblinka death camp, Korczak went with them, despite the Nazis' offer of special treatment. His selfless behavior in caring for these children's lives and deaths has made him beloved throughout the world; he has been honored by UNESCO and commenorated on postage stamps in both Poland and Israel."