THE pioneering Zionist youth movements in Warsaw played a decisive role in the organization and implementation of the ghetto's armed revolt against the Germans. Members of movements such as Dror, Hashomer Hatsa'ir, and Gordonia were the driving force behind the active and passive resistance of Warsaw's remaining Jews. The resistance led by these young leaders was not, however, fortuitous. It was rather the result of the continuous development and maturation of the youth movements during the previous years.

The period between the outbreak of the Second World War and the fall of 1941, when the first rumours of mass murder reached Warsaw, was an important time for the youth movements. Unable to foresee the coming extermination of the Jews, youth leaders first attempted to foster the values and goals of the movements by means of traditional activities. As time progressed, the reality of life under Nazi rule forced them to redirect their energies into new activities that better fulfilled the needs of both their members and, eventually, the general population. Despite these changes, however, the values and principles held by the youth movements remained the same, enabling them to adapt and go on to lead Warsaw's Jews in revolt.

The education of youth played a crucial role in this process. Always central to the youth movements’ activities, education became essential not only as a means to continue and ensure the movements’ existence, but as a value in itself. The movements’ leaders became increasingly aware of the importance of education and intellectual activity as a means to withstand the degradation of life under Nazi rule. Education was a form of defiant resistance to Nazi aggression and the demoralization of ghetto life. Responding to changing circumstances, the movements broadened their educational activity as their understanding of the need for resistance grew. With time, it became clear to the leaders that education was a tool that could actively prepare members for the future and sustain the movements and their ideologies. ‘We must not quietly witness decisions and events,’ wrote one member of Hashomer Hatsa'ir, ‘we must not sit, watch, and wait for redemption.