Parker Schmidt

12/16
Period 2
Holocaust Essay(Revised)

The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was a tragic time in history that occured
from 1933 to 1945, which resulted in the mass extermination of Jews in Germany under
the rule of dictator Adolf Hitler. This was a time in history that over 6 million people,
mostly Jews, were put to work in concentration camps in Germany. Usually during hours
in the concentration camps, the Nazi would force the Jews to do back breaking labor for
most of the day. Overall, the Holocaust will be remembered as on of the worst time
periods in world history.

Morning was a horrible part of the day for Jews in concentration camps. In the
morning, Jews were forced out of bed and made to stand out in the harsh natural elements
for many hours, with harsh, brutal treatment from the guards (Rowland). They were also
randomly chosen to be brutally punished. The prisoners abilities to work in the field did
not matter in the selection. So every 14 days, all prisoners walked out, stood in a line, and
the guards picked out a random number of prisoners for harsh punishment. (Rowland).

Midday was back-breaking labor for the prisoners. This was the part of the day that the
prisoners would work. The camp routine was composed of a long list of orders and
instructions, usually given to all but sometimes aimed at individual prisoners. the
majority of which were familiar yet some came unexpected (Vashem).Most of these jobs
were outside the camp, such as farms and coal mines, owned by different German
companies. The Sonderkommando (Special Works Unit) was made up of Jewish

Parker Schmidt
12/16
Period 2
Holocaust Essay(Revised)
prisoners who were selected to work in the crematoria at Auschwitz-Birkenau for their
strength and fitness (Millan).

The evening was a much better time in the day compared to the morning and afternoon.
However even with that, sometimes after a hanging, all the prisoners had to march in
front of the gallows to look at the hanged prisoner, as a warning (Safra). After the
prisoners ate dinner it was lights out at 9 o`clock. After they called everybody to bed,
they were not allowed to leave under any circumstances. If any prisoner left, they would
be shot on immediately by SS guards in the towers (Rowland).

Overall, during World War II, the daily life in the concentration camps were a
brutal and cruel place to be if you were a Jew during the Holocaust. This date in history
will be remembered forever as one of the dark ages in worlds past. There were even more
casualties in the Holocaust and Mongol rule and conquest, as they conquered over half of
Asia and the massive genocide of the Jews was mainly in Germany.

Works Cited

Parker Schmidt
12/16
Period 2
Holocaust Essay(Revised)

Hille, Rowland. Majdanek Camp Daily Life

Http://Www.HolocaustResearchProject.org. Majdanek Camp Daily Life
Http://Www.HolocaustResearchProject.org, H.E.A.R.T, 2012,
www.holocaustresearchproject.org/othercamps/Majdanek%20Daily
%20life/majdanekdailylife.html.

Just a Normal Day in the Camps. Just a Normal Day in the Camps,
www.jewishgen.org/ForgottenCamps/Camps/DayEng.html.

Millan, Mrs J. Work. In the Concentration Camps, The Wiener Library, 2016,
www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/the-final-solution/auschwitzbirkenau/work/#.WBK1nuErJuU.

Safra, Edmond J. Just a Normal Day in the Camps. Just a Normal Day in the Camps,
JewishGen, 2016, www.jewishgen.org/ForgottenCamps/Camps/DayEng.html.

Vashem, Yad. The Holocaust. Holocaust History, The World Holocaust Remembrance
Center , 2016, www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/holocaust/about/06/daily_life.asp#!
prettyPhoto.

Parker Schmidt
12/16
Period 2
Holocaust Essay(Revised)