On this night, we also remember a fifth child. This is the child of the Holocaust who did not survive to ask, "Why was the night of Passover, 1943, different from all other Passover nights?" And so, we ask for that child.

Pesakh 1943 is a historic date in modern Jewish history. A shot on Nalevki Street at dawn of April 20, 1943, the first day of Pesakh, was the signal for the revolt to start in the Warsaw Ghetto.

The Jews fought for 42 days. The fighting units, concealed in nearby bunkers, attics and cellars, began firing at Nazi patrols. The Germans retreated. On that day Mordecai Anielevitch, the Commander of the Jewish Fighting Organization, wrote: "The dream of my life has come true. I have had the good fortune to witness Jewish defense in the Ghetto in all its greatness and glory."

The Jewish fighters knew in their hearts that it was an impossible struggle, but the kept on fighting.. One by one the defense positions were wiped out. On May 15th the leadership of the Jewish resistance perished in the bunker at 18 Mila Street, no one had surrendered.

But for weeks thereafter small groups battled the Nazis from behind rubble and wreckage. Several hundred Jews escaped, they made their way to the woods and forests and joined Partisan bands. Similar acts of resistance took place in Minsk, Vilna, Bialystock, and in cities and towns in Poland.

Each uprising is a shining light in our history as a fight that was waged for the honor and dignity of our people. We were slaves in Egypt... and we were slaves in the death camps of fascism.


haggadah Section: -- Four Questions