A forum promoting best practice in Holocaust instruction

Hep Cats

I am looking for some help. Our presenter this year of the Shoah Commemoration will Maurice Rafowicz, who as a four year old was rescued and hidden during the Val D'Hiv, July 1942. While do some background study on the various issues surrounding French cooperation and participation in the rounding up of Jews I ran across something that intrigued me. On a French Website two questions were raised by teenagers concerning "How could such a thing happen with no one protesting?" The respondent said there was some protest, one of the strongest and most resourceful was that of the Parisian 'hep cats", young people who were into swing. There were groups of young people in Germany, most notably i believe in Hamburg, who were "swing kids", made more popular by the movie of the same title. Two questions: Does anyone know of any information or resources that deal with the subject of youth culture and resistance to Nazi ideology? Second, resistance through music, in particular the subculture groups formed by "swing"?

I know there has been writings defining the 'swing culture' as very minor in anti-Nazi ideology. But, that there were groups in France bathed in "swing" raised my curiosity as to the power of music as a means of resistance.

And a confession - I have not checked the site for quite a while - but when it comes to moments like this - I am glad it is here.

Looking forward to the meeting in June.

Thanks all.

▶ Reply to This