http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/holocaust.

htm/
ItbeganwithasimpleboycottofJewishshopsandendedinthegaschambersatAuschwitz
asAdolfHitlerandhisNazifollowersattemptedtoexterminatetheentireJewishpopulation
ofEurope.
InJanuary1933,afterabittertenyearpoliticalstruggle,AdolfHitlercametopowerin
Germany.Duringhisrisetopower,HitlerhadrepeatedlyblamedtheJewsforGermany's
defeatinWorldWarIandsubsequenteconomichardships.Hitleralsoputforwardracial
theoriesassertingthatGermanswithfairskin,blondhairandblueeyeswerethesupreme
formofhuman,ormasterrace.TheJews,accordingtoHitler,weretheracialopposite,and
wereactivelyengagedinaninternationalconspiracytokeepthismasterracefromassuming
itsrightfulpositionasrulersoftheworld.
JewsatthistimecomposedonlyaboutonepercentofGermany'spopulationof55million
persons.GermanJewsweremostlycosmopolitaninnatureandproudlyconsideredtheyto
beGermansbynationalityandJewsonlybyreligion.TheyhadlivedinGermanyfor
centuries,foughtbravelyfortheFatherlandinitswarsandprosperedinnumerous
professions.
ButtheyweregraduallyshutoutofGermansocietybytheNazisthroughaneverending
seriesoflawsanddecrees,culminatingintheNurembergLawsof1935whichdeprived
themoftheirGermancitizenshipandforbadeintermarriagewithnonJews.Theywere
removedfromschools,bannedfromtheprofessions,excludedfrommilitaryservice,and
wereevenforbiddentoshareaparkbenchwithanonJew.

Atthesametime,acarefullyorchestratedsmearcampaignunderthedirectionof
PropagandaMinisterJosephGoebbelsportrayedJewsasenemiesoftheGermanpeople.
DailyantiSemiticslursappearedinNazinewspapers,onposters,themovies,radio,in
speechesbyHitlerandtopNazis,andintheclassroom.Asaresult,Statesanctionedanti
SemitismbecamethenormthroughoutGermany.TheJewslosteverything,includingtheir
homesandbusinesses,withnoprotestorpublicoutcryfromnonJewishGermans.The
devastatingNazipropagandafilmTheEternalJewwentsofarastocomparedJewsto
plaguecarryingrats,aforeshadowofthingstocome.
InMarch1938,HitlerexpandedthebordersoftheNaziReichbyforciblyannexingAustria.
AbrutalcrackdownimmediatelybeganonAustria'sJews.Theyalsolosteverythingand
wereevenforcedtoperformpublicactsofhumiliationsuchasscrubbingsidewalksclean
amidjeeringproNazicrowds.
BackinGermany,yearsofpentuphatredtowardtheJewswasfinallyletlooseonthenight
thatmarkstheactualbeginningoftheHolocaust.TheNightofBrokenGlass(Kristallnacht)
occurredonNovember9/10after17yearoldHerschelGrynszpanshotandkilledErnst
vomRath,aGermanembassyofficialinParis,inretaliationfortheharshtreatmenthis
JewishparentshadreceivedfromNazis.
SpurredonbyJosephGoebbels,NazisusedthedeathofvomRathasanexcusetoconduct
thefirstStaterunpogromagainstJews.NinetyJewswerekilled,500synagogueswere
burnedandmostJewishshopshadtheirwindowssmashed.ThefirstmassarrestofJews
alsooccurredasover25,000menwerehauledofftoconcentrationcamps.Asakindof
cynicaljoke,theNazisthenfinedtheJews1BillionReichsmarksforthedestructionwhich
theNazisthemselveshadcausedduringKristallnacht.
ManyGermanandAustrianJewsnowattemptedtofleeHitler'sReich.However,most
Westerncountriesmaintainedstrictimmigrationquotasandshowedlittleinterestin
receivinglargenumbersofJewishrefugees.ThiswasexemplifiedbytheplightoftheSt.
Louis,ashipcrowdedwith930JewsthatwasturnedawaybyCuba,theUnitedStatesand
othercountriesandreturnedbacktoEurope,soontobeunderHitler'scontrol.

OntheeveofWorldWarII,theFhrer(supremeleader)publiclythreatenedtheJewsof
EuropeduringaspeechinBerlin:"InthecourseofmylifeIhaveveryoftenbeenaprophet,
andhaveusuallybeenridiculedforit.Duringthetimeofmystruggleforpoweritwasin
thefirstinstanceonlytheJewishracethatreceivedmyprophecieswithlaughterwhenIsaid
thatIwouldonedaytakeovertheleadershipoftheState,andwithitthatofthewhole
nation,andthatIwouldthenamongotherthingssettletheJewishproblem.Theirlaughter
wasuproarious,butIthinkthatforsometimenowtheyhavebeenlaughingontheother
sideoftheirface.TodayIwilloncemorebeaprophet:iftheinternationalJewishfinanciers
inandoutsideEuropeshouldsucceedinplungingthenationsoncemoreintoaworldwar,
thentheresultwillnotbetheBolshevizingoftheearth,andthusthevictoryofJewry,but
theannihilationoftheJewishraceinEurope!"
HitlerintendedtoblametheJewsforthenewworldwarhewassoontoprovoke.Thatwar
beganinSeptember1939asGermantroopsstormedintoPoland,acountrythatwashome
tooverthreemillionJews.AfterPoland'squickdefeat,PolishJewswereroundedupand
forcedintonewlyestablishedghettosatLodz,Krakow,andWarsaw,toawaitfutureplans.
Insidetheseovercrowdedwalledinghettos,tensofthousandsdiedaslowdeathfrom
hungeranddiseaseamidsqualidlivingconditions.Theghettossooncameunderthe
jurisdictionofHeinrichHimmler,leaderoftheNaziSS,Hitler'smosttrustedandloyal
organization,composedoffanaticalyoungmenconsideredraciallypureaccordingtoNazi
standards.
Inthespringof1940,HimmlerorderedthebuildingofaconcentrationcampnearthePolish
cityofOswiecim,renamedAuschwitzbytheGermans,toholdPolishprisonersandto
provideslavelaborfornewGermanrunfactoriestobebuiltnearby.
Meanwhile,HitlercontinuedhisconquestofEurope,invadingBelgium,Holland,
LuxembourgandFrance,placingeverincreasingnumbersofJewsunderNazicontrol.The
NazisthenbegancarefullytallyinguptheactualfiguresandalsorequiredJewstoregister
alloftheirassets.Buttheoverallquestionremainedastowhattodowiththemillionsof
JewsnowunderNazicontrolreferredtobytheNazisthemselvesastheJudenfrage
(Jewishquestion).

Thefollowingyear,1941,wouldbetheturningpoint.InJune,Hitlertookatremendous
militarygamblebyinvadingtheSovietUnion.Beforetheinvasionhehadsummonedhis
topgeneralsandtoldthemtheattackonRussiawouldbearuthless"warofannihilation"
targetingCommunistsandJewsandthatnormalrulesofmilitaryconflictweretobeutterly
ignored.

http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/lifeinnazioccupiedeurope/impacton
jewishcommunities/educationthejewishexperience/.VutOLzjMvIU

DuringApril1933,verysoonaftertheEnablingActhadbeen
passed,JewishteachersweredismissedfromGermanschoolsand
universities.DuringthesameyeartheproportionofJewish
studentsatuniversitieswasdecreasedtolessthan1percent,to
correspondtotheproportionofJewsinGermany.
However,althoughinsomeareasmanyJewishchildrenwere
removedfromschools,itwasnotuntil1938thatallJewish
childrenwerefinallybannedfromattendingGermanschools.
Discriminationandisolationwithineducation,asinallother
areasofsociety,wasgradual.
InGermanyeducationwasamajortoolbywhichtheNazisracial
policieswerepromotedandimplemented.Initially,manyteachers
ignoredthepoliticalchanges.However,verysoon,thoseGerman
teacherswhosupportedtheNazisorhadbeenconvertedtoNazism
begantodevelopnewdailyritualsandroutines.Manyofthe32
percentofteacherswhobecameNaziPartymemberswouldwear
theiruniformtoschool.
OnceteachersbegantoshowtheirsupportfortheNaziPartyin
schools,theatmospherewithintheclassroombecamevery

differentfromtheonestudenthadknownpreviously.Theteacher
wouldentertheclassroomandwelcomethegroupwithaHitler
salute,shoutingHeilHitler!Studentswouldhavetorespondin
thesamemanner,ofteneighttimeseachdayatthestartandend
oftheday,inadditiontothebeginningandendofeachlesson.

Abuseandisolation
ItbecamecommonforJewishchildrentobesubjectedtoverbal
andphysicalabusebyfellowstudentsandteachers.Textbooks
wererewritteninlinewithNaziideology,leadingtoJews
becomingthesubjectofincreasedantiSemitism.
Forexample,teacherswouldbegintopickoutJewishstudentsin
classroomstouseasexamplesofnonAryansduringbiology
lessonsaboutracialpurity.Jewishchildrenwouldbetoldtostand
atthefrontoftheclass,whilstteacherspointedtotheireyes,ears,
nose,mouthandhair;comparingthesetocharacteristicsonNazi
propagandasheets.Theymeasuredskullsizeandnoselength,and
recordedfeaturestodeterminewhetherstudentsbelongedtothe
trueAryanrace.Duringhistorylessons,whilsttheclasswastaught
abouttheFirstWorldWar,Jewswouldberidiculedandbrandedas
traitorsinfrontoftheirclassmates.
TheprocessofdenyingJewsastateeducationwasagradualone.
Jewishchildrenwouldbesenttothebackoftheclassroom,before
theireventualisolationfromtheschool.ButtheNazilawsdidnot
fullyexcludeJewsfromeducation;theyallowedJewishteachersto
setupseparateschoolsforJewishstudents.

Attacks

However,theexperienceofJewishchildrenattendingJewish
schoolswasalsonotwithoutitsproblems.Oftenmembersofthe
HitlerYouthwouldwaitoutsideattheendoftheschooldayand
setaboutbeatingJewishboysastheyleftschool.
Otherthanattemptingtofightback,therewasverylittlethatthese
boyscoulddotofendofftheirattackers.
Bernard(aGermanJewishkindertransportrefugee)remembers
beingbulliedinthiswayforoverthreeyearswhileatschool.Only
twononJewishstudentsrefrainedfrombullyinghim.
Steven(alsoakindertransportrefugee)remembersbeingbeatenbyHitlerYouth.Hepoints
outthat"theywouldneverattackyouiftheywereontheirown;theywerealwaysingroups."
Healsopointsoutthattheywouldneverattackthegirls.