Maggie's Farm

By Bruce Kesler -

A friend whose relatives valiantly served in US forces in World War II, and lost relatives in combat and concentration camps, credits me with similar heroism for volunteering to serve in the Marine Corps in Vietnam.  She said to me recently that she thought of me when she saw the movie Defiance, which I had not yet seen, that I would have been one of those partisans fighting back against the Nazis and locals exterminating the Jews in the Byelorussia where my family came from and the film takes place.

I replied that she gives me too much credit.  There is a big difference between my experience and theirs.  I was trained by and part of an elite armed service of the most powerful nation on earth.  They found themselves running into the forest alone or in a small group, most untrained and devoid of experience in the harsh decisions of survival or war, and fought back against the overwhelmingly powerful occupying Nazis and their local collaborators.

I told my friend that I have asked myself often over the years whether I would or could have had the sense and guts to do what they did, still with no firm answer.

I’ve now seen Defiance, and still am little closer to that personal answer, but a few other questions are answered.

None of us really know what we’ll do under stress or threat until we do, despite whatever our self-image or the guesses we may make.  However, experience tells us that being prepared in attitude and training is essential to rising to any challenge, and qualified, decisive, courageous leadership acting with integrity is essential to cohering in an effective organization. Otherwise, we are subject to the whims and follies of others, sometimes fortunately well but often not.  When our very lives are at stake, or even our or our children’s financial security, standing around awaiting someone else’s choice of our fate is less likely to be practical.

Relatively few American Jews of my generation chose to serve in our armed forces, and most have adopted near-pacifist attitudes.  Many are even conflicted about our brethren in Israel taking the measures necessary in the jaws of survival threats.

Hopefully, as if hope were enough, American Jews will not have to make those decisions for themselves, as did those in Defiance.  But, to believe in or counsel being ill-prepared or weak-kneed or effete for those Jews who do have to make those life-saving decisions is dangerously suicidal.  To engage in wishful thinking or to evade training or service here in the US is just as dangerous in being unschooled and unprepared for those training to or attacking us as Americans or Jews.

For a discussion of the existential decisions and consequences in the film Defiance, I recommend this review. Then don’t miss seeing the movie.