List of Tables, Maps, and Figures vii Note on Transliteration ix 1 Introduction 4 2 Setting the Stage: Jewish Ghettos during the Holocaust 21 3 What Did the Jews Know? 51 4 Cooperation and Collaboration 69 5 Coping and Compliance 98 6 Evasion 126 7 Resistance 159 8 Conclusions 191 Appendix 1 Data and Archival Methods 199 Appendix 2 Distribution of Strategies 208 Appendix 3 Beyond the Three Ghettos: Econometric Analysis of Uprisings 212 Notes 223 Abbreviations 245 Bibliography 247 Glossary 263 Acknowledgments 265 Index 269

"A political scientist turns fresh eyes on the problem of how European Jews responded to the Holocaust as it was unfolding... Of much interest to students of modern history but also to those engaged in humanitarian relief efforts, refugee relocation, and the like."--Kirkus "Instances of ... mass hysteria have been appearing on a weekly basis, revealing an historical illiteracy so vast that it could contain 1,000 books on the Holocaust. If the ignorant could read only one of them ... Ordinary Jews would be an excellent way to begin their education."--Stefan Kanfer, City Journal

"Why do only some people targeted in genocide fight back? In this sensitive and original investigation, Evgeny Finkel shows that resistance to violence is a function of the skills and habits at a community's disposal. Finkel reveals the pattern of constrained choices that drove communal behavior during the Holocaust and, in the process, returns the idea of agency to discussions of victimhood and survivorship."—Charles King, author of Odessa: Genius and Death in a City of Dreams"How do people react when they are targeted for genocide? Who cooperates with the killers? Who resists? Who flees and who simply tries to cope? In Ordinary Jews, Finkel's answer combines compelling historical evidence, convincing theory, and a moving narrative. This is a truly extraordinary book—rich with lessons for us all."—Nancy Bermeo, University of Oxford"In this arresting and important book, Evgeny Finkel explains why individuals choose different courses of action when targeted by genocidal violence. Skillfully merging a large body of testimonial evidence from the Holocaust with archival-based case studies and statistical analysis of new datasets, Finkel highlights the critical roles of prior political experience and broad social integration. Ordinary Jews is a landmark work, as moving as it is incisive."—Stathis Kalyvas, Yale University"Superb and pathbreaking, Ordinary Jews places victim agency at the center of its analysis. For too long genocide scholars have been concerned with uncovering the sources of perpetrator behavior while ignoring victim reactions as the genocide unfolded. The individual victim stories told here are heartrending yet fascinating in their complexity. The narrative was so compelling, I was reluctant to put the book down."—Manus Midlarsky, Rutgers University"This is a very important and fascinating contribution to our understanding of genocide and the choices made not only by the perpetrators and bystanders but also by the victims. In explaining the different types of strategies the targets of genocide might use to ensure their survival, ranging from compliance to resistance to evasion, this compelling analysis returns agency to the victims."—Anna Grzymała-Busse, Stanford University