Believers lost their faith when those who had shared their beliefs and their struggles betrayed them and their principles. Nonbelievers had become believers when they saw the “merits” and benefits of faith.
“The story of the Danish Jews is sui generis, and the behavior of the Danish people and their government was unique among all the countries of Europe--whether occupied, or a partner of the Axis, or neutral and truly independent. One is tempted to recommend the story as required reading in political science for all students who wish to learn something about the enormous power potential inherent in non-violent action and in resistance to an opponent possessing vastly superior means of violence... It is the only case we know of in which the Nazis met with open native resistance, and the result seems to have been that those exposed to it changed their minds. They themselves apparently no longer looked upon the extermination of a whole people as a matter of course. They had met resistance based on principle, and their 'toughness' had melted like butter in the sun; they had even been able to show a few timid beginnings of genuine courage.”
― Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil
― Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil
“The sun shone, we were warm. We sat and relaxed on the grass. We were very hungry, but the joy of survival strengthened our spirits. The hunt in the forest was still on, we had to wait here.”
― Defiance: The Bielski Partisans
― Defiance: The Bielski Partisans
Gregory’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Gregory’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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