The Historiography of the Holocaust

Jewish Leadership in Extremis 333
only until the headships were established, but subsequently too. They were not
abolished and kept their administration, including their boards and rabbis.
Thus these organizations fulfilled traditional leadership functions, but they
lost their importance after the establishment of the headships, which were
backed by the occupation authorities, and gradually became dependent on
them. (The headships also took over some of the formal functions of the traditional
organizations.) Literature on these organizations and their leaders is
scarce, and information about them is usually to be found in studies on the
headships. 48
Of special interest is the assistance extended by social welfare organizations
and the social leadership thus conducted for the perpetuation of Jewish life in
the deteriorating circumstances, including hunger, in Poland during the first
period of German occupation (before the Final Solution). The branch of the
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (the ‘Joint’) was already of
major importance in the 1930s, but became central after September 1939. The
Joint supported a series of Jewish aid and welfare organizations (CENTOS, TOZ,
ORT, 7TOS), which looked after orphans and organized vocational training,
schools, public kitchens, and so on. For a while these organizations, being
independent of the Jewish Councils, competed with them to some extent. In
the General-Government a Jewish Self-Help Organization (Yiddishe Sotsiale
Aleinhilf, YISO), officially recognized by the German authorities for all Jews in
the area, operated from the end of 1939 until July 1942. The organization,
headed by Dr Michael Weichert, functioned directly under the German administration
of the General-Government in Cracow. Weichert, whose activities
caused controversy during and after the Holocaust, thus also competed with
the Jewish Councils. 49
Religious leadership
Jewish religious leadership is traditionally identified with rabbis, although in
modern times some non-rabbinical Jewish thinkers – philosophers and educators,
such as Martin Buber – have also attracted followers and are thus spiritual leaders.
However, this latter form did not play a significant role during the Holocaust.
On the other hand, one has to be aware that the term does not pertain only to
a person serving as ‘minister’ of a community. ‘Rabbi’ is a title used since
ancient times to describe a recognized scholar of the Halakha (oral law). During
the early Middle Ages the process of ordaining rabbis declined, but was
renewed and anchored in the fourteenth century. The criterion for ordination
is knowledge of certain authoritative chapters. Some rabbis serve the community,
others are heads of Yeshivas (higher institutions for Talmudic learning); however,
not all ordained rabbis fulfil functions in the community or in a certain social
circle. Thus, the overall term ‘rabbi’ represents a variety of functions. This has
become even more complicated in modern times because of the emergence of