Chiam Rumkowski Essay

Submitted By valerielm
Words: 696
Pages: 3

A Heroic Tragedy September fourth, nineteen forty two, Chaim Rumkowski is given the most difficult task imaginable, the sacrifice of humans for the salvation of a population. He is forced to make a “choiceless choice” of either giving up three thousand of his people each day for a week or having authorities come in and taking them themselves (Smith 32). Reluctantly, he accepts the task. Now he must convince his people to willingly give up their children, their parents, and their grandparents, in attempt to keep hope alive for the preservation of a people, the Jews. As the chair in the Jewish Council Chaim made the most difficult decision that can possibly be assigned to someone; he sacrificed twenty-four thousand Jews for the salvation of one-hundred thousand. A gruesome task, yet a heroic one, “The order could not be undone; it could only be reduced.” and that is exactly what he did; he reduced the amount of victims and had probable reasoning. (Rumkowski). Therefore, faced with this decision Rumkowski made the most logical choice for his people in hopes of doing the best for them. He began with a struggle against the authorities to reduce the amount of victums, this alone should show he had the best intensions. After the reduction the choice came down to probable reasoning. Given that ghettos were a work unit for the Nazis the preferred people was the stronger ones. It may appear harsh that Rumkowski asks for the children and the sick but this situation was a catch twenty two and he managed it to the best of his ability. The choice he made was the best possible one out there, giving the authorities what was asked of him, a choice that must be made for the best of the Jews. To emphasize, this was done to help the Jewish population to continue because otherwise the Nazis may have invaded them and killed many who could be salvaged to reproduce. It sounds appalling but it is the best way to keep the population striving. It is in the best of their interest to sustain value in order to prolong the existence of their race and although it is difficult to give up their little ones, sick ones, and wise ones, their endurance is low and it must be done. Rumkowski is no villain and he proves that “I reach out to you with my broken, trembling hands and beg: Give into my hands the victims!. . . and a population of 100,000 Jews can be preserved!” (Rumkowski). This shows that he is hurt as well but is trying as hard as he can to keep them going. Unluckily the crowd does not see this heroic act as it is, they do not see that he is doing what is right. They only see a villain who is