Spiritual Resilience in Yad Vashem Studies, Volume XV

The Soul of Our Childhood - Spiritual Resilience in Holocaust Literature

Despite the limitless depravity and bestial degradation practiced by the Nazis, many survivors remained impressively human. The object of life in extremis is to stay alive, often at the expense of moral values. Yet, the struggle for life was waged on both the physical and spiritual level. The Holocaust artwork and the music of the doomed are triumphs of spiritual resistance. Compassion and generosity between prisoners occurred. The strong helped the weak on work details. The sick were supported at roll calls. The camp undergrounds tried to save children. Personalities such as Janusz Korczak, David Shapiro, and Chaim Kaplan actively resisted dehumanization. The writings of Elie Wiesel and even those of Primo Levi demonstrate the crucial importance of human relationships.