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THE HOLOCAUST
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Dear Students,
You will shortly be visiting the Jewish Holocaust Museum and Research Centre, or you may
have already visited.
The Holocaust is vast topic. Thousands of books have been written about it, and many continue
to be written every year. There are numerous websites which contain thousands of pages of
information about the Holocaust. There have been hundreds of films and documentaries about
the Holocaust. The amount of information available is overwhelming.
Some of you already know about the Holocaust, whilst for others your visit may be your first
opportunity to learn about this tragedy. To help prepare you, and so that you all can make the
most of your visit, or to reinforce what you learned during your visit, the following questions and
answers about the Holocaust are provided. If you are viewing this on a computer you will see
that there are website links for you to access.
I hope that your visit to the Jewish Holocaust Centre will add to your knowledge and
understanding.
Zvi Civins
Director of Education, the Jewish Holocaust Museum and Research Centre
[email protected]
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1. What was “The Holocaust”?
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, holocaust literally means burnt whole, from holwhole + kaustos, burnt.
The dictionary includes these definitions: 1: a sacrifice consumed by fire; 2: a thorough
destruction involving extensive loss of life especially through fire, as in "a nuclear holocaust”.
When the word is capitalized, and preceded by ‘the’, as in The Holocaust, it refers to
the attempted genocide, unique and unprecedented, of European Jews during World War
II by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, which resulted in the deaths of approximately
six million Jewish men, women and children. (The Hebrew term Shoah, meaning a
complete sacrifice, is also used.)
Genocide was first coined in 1944, and refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction
of a racial, political, or cultural group.
2. Who are Jews, and what is Judaism?
Judaism and Jews possess characteristics of a nation, an ethnicity, a religion, and a culture.
Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. Its core belief is ethical monotheism. However,
while many Jews are religious, one doesn’t have to practice the religion to still be a member of
the Jewish people.
Jews are members of an ethnic group, born into a Jewish family (strictly speaking, to a Jewish
mother), or who have converted to the religion of Judaism. Jews trace back their national and
ethnic roots to the period of the Bible, and are regarded as being descendants of Abraham.
Jews are mistakenly called a “race”, as the concept of race is much disputed. Although one is
born a Jew, one can also become a Jew by converting. Thus, the Jewish people is comprised
of individuals from what are commonly referred to as different “races”, such as of African
descent, Asian, or other.
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Judaism also is regarded as a culture. Jews share certain traditions, beliefs and the language,
Hebrew, though not all Jews can actually speak Hebrew.
Jews trace their historical roots to the land of ancient Israel. After 2000 years of being
stateless, in 1948 the modern independent State of Israel was born. Today, approximately 13
million Jews live throughout the world. Approximately five and a half million live in Israel, six
million live in the U.S.A. and the remainder in communities outside of Israel and the U.S.A.
3.
What is anti-Semitism?
Anti-Semitism means hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or
racial group.
The degree of hostility may vary, and the reasons for anti-Semitism may also vary. While
historically anti-Semitism had a religious basis, it had a different basis during the Holocaust.
The word Semite or "Semitic" is an adjective derived from Shem, one of the three sons of Noah
in the Bible (Genesis 5.32, 6.10, 10.21). It may refer to any of various ancient and modern
peoples originating in southwestern Asia, including the Akkadians, Canaanites, Phoenicians,
Hebrews, and Arabs.
Anti-Semitic , is always used to specifically mean "anti-Jewish". It was first used in modern
times in 1879 when German political agitator Wilhelm Marr used the phrase Judenhass (hatred
of Jews) in his book "The Victory of Judaism over Germanicism. Observed from a non-religious
perspective." In his next book, "The Way to Victory of Germanicism over Judaism", published in
1880, Marr developed his ideas further and coined the related German word Antisemitismus anti-Semitism.
Anti-Semitism has existed for over two thousand years. The Holocaust is arguably the most
terrible example of anti-Semitism, but there have been other tragedies that the Jews have
experienced which are attributable to anti-Semitism.
4.
What was life like for the Jews of Europe before the Holocaust?
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Jews lived throughout Europe ever since the time of the Roman Empire, some two thousand
years ago. In the twentieth century, Jews were integrated into many European countries. While
many Jews were traditionally observant, orthodox Jews, many were also quite secular, that is,
not very religious at all. Jews served in the German, French and other European armies in
World War One. Jews were doctors, lawyers, merchants, writers, architects, farmers and more.
In 1933, the Jewish population of Europe was about 9.5 million United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum. This number represented more than 60 percent of the world's Jewish
population at that time, estimated at 15.3 million.
The majority of Jews in prewar Europe resided in Eastern Europe. The largest Jewish
communities in this area were in Poland, with about 3,300,000 Jews (10% of the population);
the Soviet Union, with 2,525,000; Romania, with 980,000; and the three Baltic states, with a
combined Jewish population of about 255,000 (95,000 in Latvia, 155,000 in Lithuania, and
5,000 in Estonia).
In prewar central Europe, the largest Jewish community was in Germany, with about 525,000
members (1% of the population). This was followed by Hungary with 445,000, Czechoslovakia
with 357,000 and Austria with 250,000.
In Western Europe the largest Jewish communities were in Great Britain, with 300,000 Jews;
France, with 220,000; and the Netherlands, with 160,000. In southern Europe, Greece had the
largest Jewish population, with about 73,000 Jews. There were also significant Jewish
communities in Yugoslavia (70,000), Italy (48,000), and Bulgaria (50,000).
Poland was the centre of Jewish life in Europe. More Jews lived in Poland prior to the Holocaust
than anywhere else in the world, and their society was a vibrant, varied one. Poland was the
centre of Jewish religious life, with numerous yeshivot, institutions dedicated to Jewish learning
and study. Many more Polish Jews were traditional, but not orthodox Jews. Some were Zionists
who supported the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in ancient Palestine.
There were those who were not Zionist, but who were involved in the Bund, a Jewish, secular
socialist workers party.
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Map:
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The
United
States
Holocaust
Memorial
Museum
5.
Who were Adolf Hitler and the Nazis?
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian who became the leader, or Fuehrer, of Germany. He fought for
Germany in World War One. Following the war, he became active in a small political party
known as the German Workers’ Party. This party was renamed the National Socialist German
Workers’ Party (in German, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterparte, or NSDAP,
commonly known as the Nazi Party).
Nationalism, race and racism- particularly anti-Semitism- were cornerstones of Nazi political
ideology. The political and national ideology is stated in the party’s 25 Points. One of the key
goals of Germany was to rebuild itself following its defeat in World War One by regaining
territory it had lost in the war, and to expand its borders beyond that through annexation of lands
which included ethnic German speaking populations, such as in Austria and Sudetenland. This
need for more ‘living space’, and for the natural resources these lands would provide, was
called in German, ‘lebensraum’.
Hitler tried to take control through a putsch, or violent overthrow of the government, in 1923 (the
Beer Hall Putsch). This failed, and Hitler was imprisoned. While in prison he wrote Mein Kampf,
(My Struggle), which clearly articulated his hatred of Jews.
Hitler and the Nazi party gradually rose to power following a number of elections and political
maneuverings. In January, 1933, Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany. On the night of
February 27th, the Reichstag (German parliament) building was set on fire. It was claimed that a
communist had started the fire, and the event was used by the Nazis to get rid of potential
opponents. The Enabling Act was passed in March 1933, which gave the government (and thus
effectively the Nazi Party) legislative powers and also authorized it to deviate from the
provisions of the constitution for four years. With these powers, Hitler removed the remaining
opposition and turned the Weimar Republic, which had been established in Germany after
World War One, into the "Third Reich". Germany eventually became a one party state.
6.
Why were Jews targeted by Hitler?
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There is no simple answer to this question. As he had written in Mein Kampf and elsewhere,
Hitler blamed Jews for the loss of World War One; he found the Jews to be physically repulsive;
he blamed them for the Great Depression; he accused them of being capitalists as well as
communists. He also accused Jews of seeking to dominate society; he accused Jews of
‘defiling’ other races by raping women. On the one hand, he disliked the fact that Jews retained
their traditional ways of life, and stood apart from the society in which they lived. On the other,
he claimed they blended in too much.
Hitler used the Jews of Germany as a scapegoat, and used them as a means of gaining more
political power for himself and the Nazi party.
He and many Nazis were clearly influenced by the writings of Charles Darwin. Darwin explained
evolution in terms of “survival of the fittest”, that is, a species survives because it has best
adapted to fit the environment in which it lives. However, the Nazis interpreted this phrase to
mean that it is the destiny of powerful, i.e., ‘fittest’ races to subdue and eliminate weaker races.
The Nazis were also influenced by the philosopher, Nietzsche, who wrote about the
Übermensch, the superior, “ideal race” which was, according to Hitler and the Nazis, the Aryan
race: blond haired, blue eyed people, also known as the ‘herrenvolk’. The most inferior,
dangerous group was the Jews. In fact, in his and the Nazis’ view, Jews were not even human
at all.
Eventually, Hitler and the Nazis believed it to be their duty to rid the world of the Jews, much like
one would get rid of pests and vermin, or viruses and diseases. Thus, Jews were ultimately
targeted for genocide, their complete extermination.
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7.
When did the Holocaust start? When did it finish?
There is no precise date which defines the beginning or end of the Holocaust.
World War Two officially commenced with the German invasion of Poland, September 1, 1939.
The war in Europe ended on May 8, 1945; the war against the Japanese, in the Pacific, ended
on August 15, 1945, with the formal signing of the surrender documents taking place on
September 2, 1945.
However, the persecution of the Jews (and other minorities) which would eventually come to be
known as “the Holocaust”, although occurring in Europe, where the war was waged, and
perpetrated by Nazi Germany, which waged war against the Allies, and occurring more or less
around the same time as the war, was a distinct series of events in its own right.
Some would say that the Holocaust began when Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, in
January 1933. Others have said that it began in September 1935, with the passing of the
Nuremberg laws, which stripped German Jews of all rights and protection as citizens. Still
others say that it was November 9, 1938, with the nationwide riots initiated by the Nazi party
and destruction of Jewish property known as “Kristallnacht, The Night of Broken Glass”, which
signifies the start of the Holocaust. Others might say that the Holocaust began in earnest with
the start of World War Two, in September 1939.
When did the Holocaust end? Some say that with “liberation” of the concentration camps the
Holocaust ended. However, liberation took many months: the first camp liberated was
Majdanek, in July 1944; Auschwitz was liberated January 27, 1945; others later that year. Even
after liberation and Germany’s surrender, there was still the challenge of resettling the hundreds
of thousands of displaced people and survivors of the camps, and this took a number of years.
Therefore, there are no precise dates for the beginning and end of the Holocaust.
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8.
Did Jews try to escape?
At first, German Jews were not convinced that Hitler would actually carry out his threats. After
all, anti-Semitism was not a new phenomenon, and it is only with the benefit of hindsight that we
can see the tragedy unfolding. For Germany’s Jews, it was not so clear or obvious that a
tragedy that would eventually be known as the Holocaust was actually on the horizon.
Jews had lived in Germany for centuries and many were quite patriotic. Jews had fought for
Germany in World War One. So, despite the anti-Semitism that was very real, the response of
the Jews of Germany was not uniform, and not all tried to leave Germany.
As their situation became more and more difficult once Hitler came to power, German Jews tried
to emigrate. However, this was very difficult. The world was suffering from the aftermath of the
Great Depression. Unemployment was very high and thus most, if not all countries did not want
to accept refugees or migrants, who would only add to their economic problems. Visas and
travel permits were very hard to come by. Great Britain did not allow many Jews to enter the
British Mandate of Palestine; America also was unwilling to accept refugees.
At the Evian Conference in July 1938, the world’s powers attempted to deal with the refugee
crisis in general, but did not specifically address the Jews who were trying to escape Nazi
Germany. This conference was a failure, as no solution to the refugees was found. Only one
small Central American country, the Dominican Republic, offered to help Jewish refugees.
9. What actually happened during the Holocaust?
The Holocaust is often described in terms of a number of ‘stages’, with the final stage commonly
referred to as ‘The Final Solution’. However, these ‘stages’ did not occur in distinct periods of
time, and one stage didn’t begin when one was finished. There was considerable overlap.
Nevertheless, this is a useful way to view and learn about what happened during the Holocaust.
Commencing with Hitler becoming the Chancellor in 1933 and then Fuehrer (leader), German
Jews were increasingly persecuted economically, socially and politically. However, since the
Holocaust affected millions of more Jews throughout Europe, the first stage is usually regarded
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as beginning when Jews outside of Germany began to suffer persecution at the hands of Nazi
Germany, following the outbreak of World War Two.
This included identification and ghettoization of Jews, commencing in 1939. With the outbreak
of the war and the conquest of Poland, Nazi Germany found itself in control of 3.2 million Polish
Jews. These Jews were forced to wear distinct badges identifying them as such. They were
forcibly transferred into ghettos in cities or large towns and used as forced labourers. Life in
ghettos was very difficult, with many Jews dying of disease and malnutrition, since the ghettos
were terribly overcrowded and food and medicine were scarce. Jews were also murdered by
shooting, and many more were deported.
There were mass killings as well. The Nazis had four squads of ‘special action forces’ known as
‘Einsatzgruppen’ . These squads moved through Poland and Eastern Europe, with the main
goal of finding, rounding up and murdering Jews who were living in small villages and
throughout the countryside. Communists were also murdered by the Einsatzgruppen. Mass
shootings occurred in many places, usually in forests, where Jews were forced to strip before
being shot.
“The final solution” was the establishment of extermination camps, camps designed for one
primary purpose: to murder all of Europe’s Jews. There were six such ‘death camps’, or
extermination camps (although the largest, the Auschwitz complex, also included labour subcamps). There were many other labour camps, where Jews and others were literally worked to
death as slave labourers by the Nazis, and transit camps as well.
10. What were ghettos?
The ghettos the Nazis established were areas in which Jews were forced to live. They were
often separated by fences and gates from the surrounding city, and were usually in the poorer
parts of major cities and towns. They were established as Nazi Germany conquered Poland and
Eastern Europe. Jews were forced to relocate from the countryside, or wherever they lived, to
these ghettos. Many ghettos had small workshops or factories where Jews worked producing
various goods needed by Nazi Germany, particularly for the war effort.
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The first ‘ghetto’ was established in Venice, Italy, in the 1500s for Italian Jews (the word is
derived from ‘ghetto nouvo’ the ‘new foundry’ area of Venice where a foundry had been). In
1555, a Papal Bull was issued which gave official sanction to the ghettoization of Jews.
Unlike the Nazi ghettos, however, Jews in the 1500s were able to live and work, and practice
their religion, although they had to return to the ghetto in the evening. It was hoped that life in
the ghetto would encourage Jews to eventually convert to Christianity. At this time Jews were
not considered inherently ‘evil’, as the Nazis would later view them, and a Jew who converted to
Christianity was welcomed by Christians.
The Nazis, of course, viewed Jews as inherently evil, and eventually attempted to annihilate
them. Conversion to Christianity would not save them from their fate.
Map: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
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Life in ghettos was very difficult. Many died due to the incredibly overcrowded conditions which
led to disease and malnutrition. Many others were simply shot or murdered by the Nazis.
Jews who survived the ghettos were eventually deported to the various concentration camps
where they either continued to work under appalling conditions, or where they were murdered,
often within hours of their arrival.
11. What were the concentration camps?
Concentration camps
were detention centres, some small, others vast, which included transit
camps, labour camps and extermination camps. The first concentration camp was Dachau, in
Germany, established in 1933 for Hitler’s political opposition. However, as stated, with the
outbreak of World War Two, Nazi Germany conquered Poland and Eastern Europe, France and
most of Western Europe, too. Millions of Jews were now under German domination. As Nazi
ideology ultimately called for the genocide of the Jews, concentration camps were built in which
Jews, along with other minority groups, were imprisoned, used as slave labourers, and
murdered.
The six ‘death camps’ , those camps which had the primary purpose of murdering Jews, were
located in Poland. (The largest, Auschwitz, included labour camps as well as the death camp
known as Auschwitz II, or Auschwitz-Birkenau). Many thousands of other camps were located
throughout Europe.
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Map: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Jews were murdered by gassing in gas vans, gas chambers, shootings and beatings. Other
minorities who suffered in such camps were Poles, prisoners of war, Sinti and Roma (‘gypsies’),
homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and communists, amongst others.
12. Did Jews resist?
Jewish resistance to the Nazis and their plan of genocide took different forms. There was
spiritual resistance: Jews would try to continue observing the Jewish religious traditions despite
the difficultly and risks this involved. To teach Judaism secretly; to observe a Jewish holy day; to
pray: all are examples of spiritual resistance. Other forms of ‘passive’ resistance included
maintaining Jewish schools, newspapers, theatre groups and other forms of cultural life.
There was also armed resistance, in which Jews fought the Nazis and their allies. They often
fought in groups known as partisans, where young men and women would fight side by side.
However, the obstacles to armed resistance were significant. It was extremely difficult to obtain
weapons or explosives. Other underground resistance movements were naturally reluctant to
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give any of their own weapons to others, including Jews, even though both were fighting a
common enemy. Most Jews had little experience with weapons and warfare by the time such
resistance was most needed. As well, most Jews were weak from malnutrition and disease.
Nevertheless, there were numerous examples of armed resistance.
Probably the best known example was the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising . The Nazis had planned to
liquidate the ghetto in April, 1943 and did not expect this task to take long at all. However,
Jewish fighters in the ghetto fought the Nazis for almost a month. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
was one of many such revolts and acts of armed resistance, whether in ghettos or concentration
camps.
13. What did the world do about the Holocaust? Did anyone try to help Jews?
The Allies fought Nazi Germany in an effort to defeat Nazi Germany and win World War Two.
Many world leaders believed that the best way of helping Jews and responding to the Holocaust
was by fighting and defeating Nazi Germany.
However, there is still a huge controversy as to whether the Allies did, in fact, do enough to stop
the Holocaust whilst trying to win World War Two. For example: Why didn’t the Allies bomb
Auschwitz? is frequently asked. Answers vary. Some historians contend that the Nazis hid the
true extent of their actions and, by the time the world knew about the true extent of the deaths
and suffering, many had already died. Others believe that helping Jews would jeopardize the
war effort itself.
Many individuals and groups did help Jews. There are many incidents when individuals hid
Jews, at great risk to their own lives. Others issued them with visas and other important
identification papers. Certain countries, most notably Denmark, went to great lengths and
succeeded to protect its Jews.
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14. How many Jews died? How do we know this?
The accepted number of Jewish victims of the Holocaust is approximately six million. This
number was reached only after the end of the war, by comparing pre-war population figures
throughout Europe with the number of survivors. Nazi figures and records were also used to
help determine the final figure.
15. Were Jews the only targets of the Nazis?
Jews were the primary focus of the Nazis, and the only group targeted for complete annihilation.
Other minorities
were also targeted, but not for genocidal extermination: homosexuals,
Jehovah’s Witnesses, communists, Freemasons and the Sinti and Roma people (often referred
to as ‘gypsies’.)
The Sinti and Roma suffered enormous losses, with some estimates as high as 25% of their
pre-war population.
16. What happened to survivors of the Holocaust?
Holocaust survivors endured years of suffering even after the Holocaust and the war had
ended. Many were the sole survivors of their entire family, and to begin a new life was a huge
challenge. To help the survivors, new camps called D.P. (Displaced Persons) Camps were
established to provide temporary housing and medical care.
There were still immigration quotas in place for many countries, and it was not a simple matter
for survivors to emigrate. Nor was it possible for survivors to simply ‘return home’, as their
property had either been destroyed or confiscated. Anti-Semitism was still very prevalent, and
thus it was very difficult for the survivors.
Many Jews wanted to immigrate to Palestine, to what would become the State of Israel in 1948.
However, the British, who then still governed Palestine according to the British Mandate, did not
allow survivors to enter. Some succeeded in breaking through the blockade the British had set
up to prevent their entry. Following the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, many survivors
went there.
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Eventually, survivors did manage to build new lives in other countries such as the United States,
Australia, Canada, and elsewhere.
17. Why should we learn about the Holocaust?
There are numerous reasons for learning about the Holocaust. As the Jewish Holocaust Centre
and Museum’s mission statement reads:
“The Jewish Holocaust Museum and Research Centre is an institution dedicated to the memory
of the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933
and 1945.
We consider the finest memorial to all victims of racist policies to be an educational
program which aims to combat anti-Semitism, racism and prejudice in the community
and foster understanding between people.”
Thus, reasons for learning about the Holocaust are:
To learn how an ideology can, and did result, in the deaths of millions of innocent
victims.
To help ensure that we protect and preserve the tolerant, democratic society in which we
live.
To ensure that we treat each other fairly and respectfully, regardless of our colour, ethnic
origins, or beliefs.
To understand the dangers of racism.
Hopefully, the lessons you have learned as a result of your visit to the Centre will be of value to
you in the years to come.
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GLOSSARY
•
The Holocaust
From the Greek word ‘burnt whole,’ (complete destruction) it is used to describe the
destruction of European Jewish people under the Nazis. The Hebrew word is Shoah.
•
Anti –Semitism
Prejudice and discrimination against Jewish people.
•
Aryan
A Nazi racial term used to describe certain northern Europeans who they claimed were a
‘super- race.’
•
Nazi
A term used to describe a German political party (Nationalist Socialist German Workers’
Party)
•
Propaganda
Brainwashing the public in an attempt to persuade them to follow an ideology or policy.
•
Scapegoat
Someone who is blamed for the mistakes and crimes of others.
•
Stereotype
A generalization used to describe the characteristics of a whole group of people without
considering individual differences.
•
Ghetto
A section of town where Jews were segregated from others and kept in overcrowded, slum
- like environments without any basic rights.
•
Nuremberg
A German town well known for Nazi rallies from 1933 onwards. The 1935 anti-Jewish laws
became known as ‘The Nuremberg Laws.’
In 1945 - 6, an international military tribunal tried 22 major Nazi war criminals there. These
were known as ‘The Nuremberg Trials.’
•
Pogrom
An organized attack on Jewish people. It comes from the Russian term meaning, ‘like
thunder, devastation.’
•
Deportation
The forced removal and transportation of Jewish people from their homes to labour and
death camps.
•
Concentration Camps
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There were over 10,000 concentration camps (labour camps) in which people were
enslaved and forced to work for the Nazi war machine. Conditions were so brutal that few
survived.
•
•
Gestapo
The Nazi secret police, which had enormous power to imprison torture and kill people
without trial.
•
S.S.
Initially Hitler’s bodyguards, who later became the controlling organization of all police
forces. They held administrative roles in occupied territories and camps. They had their
own military forces and controlled huge industrial projects.
•
Genocide
The systematic extermination of a people and their culture.
•
‘The Final Solution’
This was the term used by the Nazis for the genocide of the Jewish people of Europe.
•
Death Marches
As the Eastern Front collapsed and as the Soviets advanced (1944-5), the S.S. marched
Jews on long treks, often for several months retreating into Germany and Austria.
Over 250,000 people died of hunger and exhaustion or were shot if they walked too slowly
or fell down.
•
Auschwitz-Birkenau
A town in southwest Poland where the Nazis built a complex of 3 major camps and 36
sub-camps. The complex comprised labour camps, concentration camps and the death
camp at Birkenau.
•
Kristallnacht
On 9 November 1938, a so-called ‘spontaneous attack’ was mounted throughout Germany
and Austria against Jewish people and their property. It was called ‘Kristallnacht,’ Night of
the Broken Glass. Police and firemen stood by as 92 Jews were murdered. Between 20
and 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. 400 synagogues
and 7000 shops were looted, set ablaze and destroyed.
In 1939 the Jewish population was forced to pay 1 billion marks to the German
government for damage caused by the German mob.
•
Death Camps
6 Death camps were built exclusively for the murder of Jews. They were: AuschwitzBirkenau, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka.
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Statistics of The Holocaust
%
Number of Jews
Estimated Killed Alive After The
Holocaust
Country
Initial
Jewish Estimated
Population
Killed
POLAND
3,300,000
91%
3,000,000
300,000
USSR*
3,020,000
36%
1,100,000
1,920,000
HUNGARY
800,000
74%
596,000
204,000
GERMANY
566,000
36%
200,000
366,000
FRANCE
350,000
22%
77,320
272,680
ROMANIA
342,000
84%
287,000
55,000
AUSTRIA
185,000
35%
65,000
120,000
LITHUANIA
168,000
85%
143,000
25,000
NETHERLANDS
140,000
71%
100,000
40,000
BOHEMIA/ MORAVIA
118,310
60%
71,150
47,160
LATVIA
95,000
84%
80,000
15,000
SLOVAKIA
88,950
80%
71,000
17,950
YUGOSLAVIA
78,000
81%
63,300
14,700
GREECE
77,380
87%
67,000
10,380
BELGIUM
65,700
45%
28,900
36,800
ITALY
44,500
17%
7,680
36,820
BULGARIA **
50,000
0%
0
50,000
DENMARK
7,800
.8%
60
7,740
ESTONIA
4,500
44%
2,000
2,500
LUXEMBOURG
3,500
55%
1,950
1,550
FINLAND **
2,000
.03%
7
1,993
NORWAY
1,700
45%
762
938
TOTAL
9,508,340
63%
5,962,129
3,546,211
*Killings occurred in western area of occupied USSR by the Nazis. Therefore the percentage of people
murdered in this area was very much higher.
**Although both countries were Nazi allies, they refused to participate in the murder of Jews.
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Websites
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
http://www.ushmm.org/
Yad Vashem
http://www.yadvashem.org/
Jewish Virtual Library
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/
Museum of Tolerance
http://www.museumoftolerance.com/site/c.juLVJ8MRKtH/b.1580483/k.BE32/Home.htm
A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust
fttp://fcit.usf.edu/Holocaust/default.htm
Books
The War Against The Jews, Lucy Dawidowicz (Bantam 1986)
The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939-1945 Saul Friedlander
(Harper Perennial 2008)
The Destruction of the European Jews, Raul Hilberg (Holmes & Meier 1985)
Atlas of the Holocaust, Martin Gilbert (Michael Joseph Ltd. 1982)
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