Choiceless choice: the leadership of the Jewish council in the Shavli ghetto, Lithuania
ENThe term “choiceless choice” was coined by Lawrence Langer in reference to critical decisions made by individuals during the Holocaust. He spoke of the choice between “one form of· 'abnormal' response and another, both imposed by a situation that was in no way of the victim's own choosing.” 3 Langer wrote about individuals. However, this term can also describe the choices made by groups such as the Jewish Councils (Judenräte) as they faced ethical and practical dilemmas and were forced to make unthinkable decisions under unimaginable circumstances. The following is an attempt to understand the conditions that forced the Jewish ghetto leaders to take actions, which tested and challenged their own moral standings, by examining the case of the Shavli (Šiauliai) ghetto Judenrat in Lithuania (1941-1944). The Shavli ghetto survived longer than any other ghetto in Lithuania. The last Jews from Shavli were deported to camps three days before the Red Army entered the town. On one hand, the Shavli ghetto was created and functioned under the same conditions as other ghettos in Lithuania and Nazi-occupied Europe. On the other hand, the Shavli ghetto existed longer than the other ghettos, and for the duration of its existence, managed to avoid mass starvation and major epidemics among its residents. What was different in the case of the Shavli ghetto? What was it that allowed the Shavli ghetto to survive for so long? What role did the Jewish Council play in this? We may find some answers by looking at the actions taken by the Jewish leadership in Shavli during the Nazi occupation.We may find some answers by looking at the actions taken by the Jewish leadership in Shavli during the Nazi occupation. The following is neither a comprehensive history of the Shavli ghetto, nor a biographical portrait of its leaders. 4 In the space of this article we will look at the survival strategies, tactics, and initiatives employed by the ghetto leadership in its struggle for stabilizing and prolonging existence of the Shavli ghetto and the challenges the Shavli Judenrat had to overcome in order to achieve these goals.
