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The Holocaust A Nightmare in History Taken from the book A Nightmare in History by Miriam Chaikin Adolf Hitler Two core aims: 1) Win power/territory for Germany 2) Create a master race Believed Germans to be superior and pure blooded Blue eyed, blond haired ideal People of mixed blood are racially impure/worthless Pathological hatred of Jews – wanted a world “Judenrein” (without Jews Hitler Comes to Power 1933 – Elected Der Fuehrer Begins to put his plan into action: 1) Begins a march across Europe Organizes powerful war machine (soldiers, tanks Europe to start WWI 2) Launches racial plans Initiates Nazi party Army, air force Of 9 million Jews, only 3 million survived Attacks against Russians, Poles, Slavs The Biggest Part of the Nightmare Some called Hitler mad The people around him were not! Germany was one of the most advanced nations in the world! “Our words pale before the frightening spectacle of human evil unleashed upon the world…But, we must strive to understand, we must teach the lessons of the Holocaust, and most of all we ourselves must remember.” -Former President Jimmy Carter Holocaust Remembrance Day 1979 Origins of Anti-semitism Bible teaches that Noah and his family were good, all others were evil Noah builds the ark Floods sent by God Noah’s three sons populate different areas of the world: Ham – Egypt/Ethiopia Japheth – Northern lands Shem – Jews and Arabs (Shemites = anti-Semitism) Abraham and his wife Sarah of Ur – first to worship God They go to Canaan and find Hebrew people Their grandson was named Jacob (an angel changes his name to Israel) Israelites have several great kings: David and Solomon Moses was their prophet Israelites Conquered Israelites were conquered by the Greeks, then Romans: They could still practice their religion In the 1st century BC there were three groups of Jewish leaders: Sadducees (wealthy) – strict to Torah Essenes – studied; lived in the desert Pharisees – teachers/preachers (rabbis) Jesus Spoke out against unfair Roman practices Encouraged compassion Gets followers who call him Christ/messiah – sent by God; son of God His claims were contrary to Jewish belief; Jews had lost their independence to the Romans. They were hoping for a messiah to put the world right again. Romans in Judea saw Jesus as a “rabble rouser”. His followers were calling him King. Jewish court met to try Jesus. He was turned over to Pontius Pilate for execution in AD 29. The Split Judeans (Jesus followers) Jewish Christians During time of Nero, Rome was hostile to them; threw them to the dogs. AD70 – Jews revolted Roman soldiers kill Jews and destroy their temple Jews banished Gospels written around this time AD 70 – AD100 Christians – believe in Gospels; New Testament •Traditional Jews – non-followers of Jesus •Jews believe in Old Testament Constantine Legalizes Christianity Christianity legalized 4th century AD New laws separate Christianity/Judaism Christians can’t marry Jews Couldn’t visit synagogues Marrying Jews = death Sabbath changed to Sunday, not Saturday Easter celebrated instead of Passover Suggested Jews be degraded until accepting Jesus as son of God Examples: badge of shame = yellow Special hats to identify Jews Special clothing Barred from schools of higher learning Threatened with death to convert to Christianity Ghettos Reminiscent of Exodus (Egypt) Persecution existed from AD 500 – 1500 Hitler’s Anti-Semitism Hitler said Jews wanted to take over Germany Excellent public speaker Germany lost WWI Massive unemployment Put blame on Jews for losing war Germans master race/Jews a force for evil Jews taking over Germany (1% of population) Hitler an atheist Created Storm Troopers (SA) – brown shirts Created Nazi flag with swastika (ancient symbol of good luck) Created a Nazi salute Nazis were told to beat up Jews Hitler spoke of a war of revenge against France/Russia/US By 1932, the Nazis were the second largest political party in Germany By 1933, Der Fuehrer (supreme leader) of Germany Once Hitler was in Power…. Abolished freedom of speech/assembly Bans all but Nazi party All political enemies were murdered GOERING Gestapo Secret police Murdered political enemies Spied on public Power over courts GOEBBELS In charge of propaganda Control over all media : newspapers, magazines, movies, radio HIMMLER Schutzstaffel (SS) – Security Squad Professional elite Symbol – skull and crossbones Door to door for enemies SD department – spied on themselves looking for traitors! The Beginning First concentration camp built at Dachau Second camp built at Buchenwald Nazi SS began beating Jews, mocking them, humiliating them, looting and boycotting Jewish stores and homes Some Jews left and went to America, some to Palestine 1935 – Anti-semitism becomes part of German law – Nuremberg Laws of September 1935 expelled Jewish professionals, expelled Jews from their schools, all Jews had to have a “J” stamped on their papers, and had to change their names Hitler gave Jewish jobs and businesses to Germans – many were grateful. Goal to deport all Jews from Germany Annihilation March 1938 Germany takes over Austria Made Jews run until they fainted, climb trees, twitter like birds, etc. Many deported to Germany and Czechoslovakia. Hitler wanted to start a huge war, but his country did not support it. One Polish Jew shot a German official, the chance Hitler was waiting for…triggers Kristallnacht in Germany and Austria. Synagogues, homes, stores looted. March 13, 1939 Hitler invades Czechoslovakia September 1, 1939 invades Poland. Britain and France have treaties with Poland. They declare war on Germany, beginning World War II Polish Jews and refugees from conquered countries try to flee Hitler has Polish Jews wear a 6 point star Forced to obtain Jewish ID cards Must step off sidewalks for Germans Forced to do push ups, dig ditches, clean latrines with hands, dragged Jewish men off to work The New Problem Jews were everywhere in Poland – about 3.5 million He couldn’t arrest and ship them elsewhere anymore New Plan = Vernichtung (annihilation) Spoke about it in code = final solution Reinhard Heydrich – forms Einsatzgruppen (special duty group) In chage of creating ghettos for 3 ½ million Jews Build near RR tracks for easy transporting 1940 – Germans conquer Denmark, Holland, Belgium, and France SS come and set up ghettos or concentration camps Jews go into hiding, take new identities, walk to other countries. Germans offer rewards for information about Jews. SS busy searching for other methods of mass killing Organized 50+ ghettos) slums) around Poland Christians were moved out Slums were prisons controlled by armed Nazis Warsaw Ghetto The story of all ghettos 100 square city blocks Made Jews build a brick enclosure Around 400,000 Jews packed inside Most were children/orphans under 15 years Parents mainly in concentration camps or died of hunger/disease/ 15 people living in one apartment Little heat Not enough water Dirty, crowded streets People in rags Kill as many as possible by natural means Typhus Corpses Jews sold what they owned to buy food Use of terror to keep order German factories were opening to satisfy war requirements. Ghettos = labor reservoir Repair roads and RR tracks Repair buildings Haul brick/cement Workers beaten with whips Warsaw Uprising Underground groups forming in all major ghettos One German shot, 4,500 Jews shot in retaliation Underground tried to learn German plans Make underground tunnels Acted as court for Jews collaborating with Germans Found out about death camps Stole and bought guns/ammunition Feb. 1943 Himmler orders destruction of Warsaw ghetto. April 19, 1943 (Passover) celebrating the story of the Exodus – Jews win the battle! Fought off two more times Bombs dropped on ghetto Fire set to it Held out 40 days – longer than Poland and France Jewish underground killed each other rather than surrender to Nazis Many buried diaries in hopes that Germany would lose the war Stage 2 First death camp Chelmno – December 1941 1941 – Germans invade/occupy Russia Einsatzgruppen = form Aktion groups – machine gunning masses of people into graves all around Russia Jews also rounded up for “resettlement” out of town. Dig pit, shoot them. Women/children loaded into gas vans – diesel fuel pumped out of shower heads. 2 days of shooting, killed 33,771 Jews (2 million by war’s end) News of massacres reaching ghettos. December 1941 – Jews in Kolo told they were being sent to work camps Gassed at Chelmno -700/day War spreading at the same time. December 7, 1941 – Pearl Harbor US declares war on Japan December 8th. Japan, Germany, Italy (Axis powers) – declare war on US on December 11th US, England, Russia (Allies) July 19, 1942 – Annihilation plans leap forward. More death camps built. All Polish ghettos ordered emptied. Treblinka opens 7/23/42, 1 day after Tisha b’Au – 200 years before Rome destroys Jerusalem and temple Round-ups Trains = cattle cars/comfortably = 40 people – Nazis fit a hundred Used guns and tree trunks to push Doors bolted from outside Auschwitz/Birkenau Death and labor camp “Arbeit Macht Frei” - Work makes a person free Routines in death camps similar Most death camps = all killed on arrival About 20% kept for slave labor/factories set up in camps for war supplies Auschwitz had one killing unit; Birkenau had four Consisted of: Undressing hall Gas chamber Crematorium (3 ovens) Improvement ?? Hitler was getting nervous as Russian army was moving closer. Wanted mass graves dug up and burned. Jewish prisoners were used for the job. Made piles of 3,500 which were burned. Hoess appointed by Hitler to identify flaws with Treblinka death camp. Victims knew about the gassing and their “kicking and screaming slowed down the process.” Hoess set up an “improved” situation at Auschwitz: Planted fruit trees/prisoners played orchestra music Used fast acting poison rather than monoxide Capacity to kill 2,000 at a time Incinerate 4,756 people in a 24 hour time period Efficiency at Auschwitz Men sent to the right, women to the left Mengele was the chief medical officer in the SS Helping Hitler to create the master race Injected dye into brown-eyed people to make them blue Experimented on twins to try to double the German population Made selections as trains came in (Right = death, Left = work) Luggage sorted and shipped to Germany Strongest chosen to work Weak sent to the showers Constantly dark smoke coming from chimneys Jews would whisper warnings To the Right Showers/disinfect Luggage sorted Cut hair (sold to stuff mattresses, coat linings, slippers) Led to gas chamber Gas pumped from shower heads Locked doors Corpses came out the other side Sonderkommando (Jewish prisoners) removed bodies Ashes buried or used as fertilizer Auschwitz a museum today To the Left Sent to factories/mines/construction projects Gassed when no longer able to work Sonderkommando were isolated and periodically gassed Prisoners tattooed on the forearm in blue ink Hair shaved Given uniform Slept 8 to a bunk (in straw) Beaten regularly Forced to walk on glass, run, jump, crawl, etc. Always hungry – SS guards often stole rations to send home to their families! Pulled out fingernails/water poured down throat to torture Allies Get Closer 1943 – the German army surrenders in Russia!! July 1943 – the Allies invade Italy Still, by the end of 1943, with the exception of Auschwitz, the surrounding areas were Judenrein. The War Ends 1944 – the war turns to favor the Allies Soviet troops entered Poland British and American planes were bombing all over Allies were planning D-Day invasion, led by Dwight D. Eisenhower. Problem for Hitler: About one million Hungarian Jews were still alive Hungary was a war partner with Germany Hungary reluctant to take the last step of deportation; Germany appeared to be losing the war and they were getting uncomfortable about being Allies Hitler got impatient and invaded in March 1944 June 6 – Normandy invasion – Allies start to push Germany out of western Europe. Soviets are doing the same in the East Elie Wiesel deported from Hungary – later wins Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 September 1944 – Anne Frank’s family arrives from Holland As Allies get closer, Sonderkommando stage a revolt and blow up the Auschwitz crematorium. The Nazis start covering up and dismantling the gas chambers. Grew grass over burial pits Burn corpses Anne and Margot – taken as workers to Bergen Belsen January 1944 – Warsaw falls to the Soviets Germans start death marches- marching to German work trains. 8,000 sick prisoners left behind January 27, 1945 – Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz (Otto Frank) The War Ends (part 2) Allies found “skeletons in striped rags” April 11th – 28th – US and Britain liberate Buchenwald, Dachau, and Bergen Belsen (Franks had died of typhus 2 mos. earlier) Eisenhower said it left him “a bit sick” but looked so it could never be called propaganda George Patton refused to enter May 7, 1945 – GERMANY SURRENDERS What Happened to Hitler? Hitler committed suicide in Berlin a few days prior to Germany’s surrender Himmler and Goebbels did, too Goering and Hoess arrested Other Nazi leaders escaped to the Middle East, Canada, and the US Guilty Nazis are still being found today Japan surrendered August 14, 1945 Jews “awoke from their own horror” Many were refugees Some went to former death camps as displaced persons Many went to British-controlled Palestine Some of the Heroes Quakers British and USA originally closed doors to Jewish refugees Italy and Japan helped Jews, yet allied with Germany! Least help came from countrymen (Poles, etc.) People of Holland were occupied, but most showed support of Jews (Frank informant earned $1.40) Denmark publicly opposed anti-Jewish laws King Christian X refused to deport Jews Danish people hid many Jews Neutral Sweden helped to hide Danish Jews Finland refused to help Nazis Germany was forced to honor the passports of neutral countries Bulgaria fought with Germany but saved the lives of Jews Nazis executed all who spoke out Schindler – German-owned factory in Poland – saved many from death Raol Wallenberg saved Hungarian Jews Bought buildings and flew the Swedish flag over them – neutrality. Saved ½ of the Hungarian Jews Gestapo tried to assassinate him – disappeared! Went into Soviet headquarters after liberation. Jewish legend says 36 good souls exist in every generation of people – called lamed vav niks – many believe Wallenberg to be lamed vav nik After the War Reports filtered out to the free world Churchill – “There is no doubt that this is probably the greatest and most horrible single crime ever committed in the whole history of the world.” Holocaust was a destruction of an entirety, a whole. So unprecedented that a new category of crime was created, the “crime against humanity.” Many Nazis brought to trial in Germany (Nuremberg!) Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson – representing US at Nuremberg said, “The wrongs we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant, so devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored because it cannot survive their being repeated.” May 14, 1948 – Jewish state created (Israel) Invaded by Arabs but Israelis won Yom Ha Shoa Late March/early April remembrance of the Holocaust So large a figure as six million people hard to grasp Some Jews, after the Holocaust, questioned “Where was God?” Some felt that a better question would be, “Where was man?”