The Defiant Few: Jews and the Czech “Inside Front” 1938-1942
The German annexation of Czechoslovakia aimed at depriving the Czechs of their nationhood. Jewish enterprises were to be Aryanized and transferred to German hands. The terror practiced by the Germans was reined in as the factories of Moravia and Bohemia were to serve as the arsenal for the Wehrmacht and the fields were to be the granary of the Reich. The role of Jews in the Home Resistance is incomplete. It is known that they were in the front ranks of resistance activities. Their belief in the justice of their cause was unwavering. They were able to maintain contact with the outside world and hide from the Nazis. They functioned reasonably well until the summer of 1942. But after the deportations commenced, their participation in the Czech Home Resistance movement was drastically reduced. Those in hiding became homeless, totally dependent on friends and acquaintances. They preferred to die proudly if unable to live with pride.