The 80th Anniversary of the “Zivia Conference” at Kibbutz Yagur: Testimony, Resistance, and Remembrance

This special Talking Memory program marks the 80th anniversary of the “Zivia Conference,” held at Kibbutz Yagur in June 1946, and explores the enduring power of first-person testimony in shaping our understanding of rescue, resistance, and moral responsibility after the Holocaust.

At the heart of the program is Zivia Lubetkin — a leader of the Jewish underground in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, a central figure in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and later a prominent voice in the postwar Yishuv. At the United Kibbutz Movement committee gathering at Yagur, Lubetkin delivered her searing testimony about the destruction of Polish Jewry, the struggle for resistance, and the human realities behind a history that was only beginning to be understood.

Our first speaker, Lori Weintrob, will present insights drawn from three decades of scholarship on women and the Holocaust. Her talk will explore ways of teaching about Zivia Lubetkin and other “heroines of the Holocaust,” whose words and actions continue to inspire new generations. Focusing on Lubetkin’s testimony as both a historical document and a moral legacy, the presentation will encourage educators, historians, and the broader public to reconsider approaches to Holocaust and genocide education, as well as contemporary efforts to confront global antisemitism.

Batya Brutin will examine how Zivia Lubetkin has been commemorated visually and culturally over the decades. Despite Lubetkin’s central role in the youth movements in Poland, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the founding of Kibbutz Lohamei HaGeta’ot, and her testimony at the Eichmann trial, her visual representation remains surprisingly limited. Her image appears in paintings, murals, stamps, and memorial works in both Israel and Poland — sometimes alongside her husband, Yitzhak (“Antek”) Zuckerman, sometimes as part of a collective of fighters, and at times as an individual figure. Across these depictions, artists consistently emphasize her determination, resilience, and inner strength.

Ruth Kupperberg will read selections from the words and testimony of Zivia Lubetkin, highlighting her resistance and heroism. The excerpts shared will illuminate the bravery of a young woman during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the enduring lessons of courage we can draw from her story today.

Register at the Zoom link below.