Research Paper Holocaust Overview

Kearsten Jones

Composition 102, Section 102 Mr. Neuberger 18 November 2011

Jones 2 Intense slave labor, malnutrition, unregulated surgical experiments, human extermination; these heart wrenching realities help paint the tragic event of the Holocaust. To most people the Holocaust is nothing more than a series of facts, a number of lives lost and a tragic event which occurred once upon a time in history. However, to the people who actually experienced and survived the Holocaust, this was an event that means so much more than a place holder in a history book. This event forever changed the way they view, not only themselves, but the rest of the surrounding world. The Holocaust was made up of various events, all of which were tragic and all of which changed the world forever. More than eleven million people lost the battle, and ultimately their lives, to the Nazi regime. It is not only important for the world to know what happened, but also how it happened. Anti-Semitism Like various forms of racism that have been displayed throughout the world, the Nazi views of Jewish people are among the most famous. For years, the Nazis of Germany saw the people of Jewish descent as crooks or dirty useless people that did nothing but bring down the world and its economic state. The website Yad Vashem states, Nazi ideology used elements of traditional Christian anti-Semitism although, it mainly centered on racist anti-Semitism, which portrayed Jews as an inferior and destructive race. (Anti-Semitism and Racism) This type of mindset, which encompassed the minds of the most powerful Germans, was enough to help decide the fate of the Jewish people. The racism against the Jews started

Jews marching against anti-semitism bit.ly/eQUJCZ

out very subtle but as the Germans obtained more and more power, the restrictions that were forced upon the

people grew more and more dramatic. Yad Vashem goes on to say, Anti-Semitism reached its

Jones 3 peak in Nazi ideology, which depicted human history as a struggle between races. (AntiSemitism and Racism) To the people of Germany, it was about so much more than just the hatred of a certain type of people; it was everything that made up the Jewish community: their heritage, ideas of worship, and even way of life. Some may say that fate has been sealed for them since the beginning, but it is hard to believe that anyone could have anticipated the dramatic events that were going to take place in their near future. Nuremberg Laws During the establishment of the Nuremberg Laws, life for the Jews had not changed dramatically. There were a few adjustments that had to be made as far as everyday living went but nothing that this group of people could not handle. This famous event, which took place annually, was a major turning point for the members of the Jewish community. According to an article at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) website, The laws excluded German Jews from Reich citizenship and prohibited them from marrying or having sexual relations with persons of German or related blood The article went on to say, Ancillary ordinances to the laws disenfranchised Jews and deprived them of most political rights. (Nuremberg Race Laws) After the Nuremberg Laws were passed, the Jewish community lost any kind of status that they may have had or had built up over their lifetime. According to these laws, they were not people

Announcement of Nuremberg Laws bit.ly/v9BMvy

anymore and it was as though the German-Jewish population was nothing more than a social liability. It no

longer mattered how successful their business was or how wealthy their family had been, everyone had been reduced to equal status.

Jones 4 Since these groups of individuals were limited to the places they could go and the things that they could do, the way they lived their lives stayed relatively the same, but minor areas had to be altered to fit the rules given primarily to the Jews. Everything from where they shopped to the areas that they were allowed to walk down the street was included in these rules. The website, Middle State Tennessee University (MTSU), stated, Hitler began promulgating legal actions against Germanys Jews. It went on to say, In the first half of 1938, numerous laws were passed restricting Jewish economic activity and occupational opportunities. (Kristallnacht) Actions that are second nature to us today had to constantly be kept in the back of the minds of the Jews. Keep in mind however, that it was not only the basic activities that were restricted; the type of person that they chose to marry or have children with also had restrictions. It may have seemed, at that time, as though their freedoms were slowly being taken away, but little did they know, the worst was yet to come. Kristallnacht When looking at the bigger picture of the Holocaust, Kristallnacht was another tragic event that took place. This occurrence, also known as the Night of Broken Glass, took place in November of 1938. It did a great job at showcasing how bad the racism and hatred toward the Jewish people was at that time. Kristallnacht was performed by young supporters of the Nazi party and their goal was to destroy anything that represented the people of Jewish decent. The Nazi supporters did not want to leave any stone unturned when it came to the Jewish communities; anything that was owned or supported by the Jews was destroyed. The places that became targets to this rally were Jewish owned stores or shops, churches and even homes. MTSU described this event by saying, gangs of Nazi youth roamed through Jewish neighborhoods breaking windows of Jewish businesses and homes, burning synagogues and looting. In

Jones 5 addition, 101 synagogues were destroyed 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed. 26,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps, Jews were physically attacked and beaten and 91 died. (Kristallnacht) If it had not been clear to the Jewish people before, that the Nazis were out for blood, it was extremely apparent after this night. In addition to ruining the community of the Jews, the perpetrators of this event tried to pass the blame off to the Jews themselves. They were not going to be held responsible and they hoped to make the, already detested, even bolder target for future attacks. MTSU stated, Accordingly, a fine of 1 billion marks was levied for the slaying of Vom Rath, and 6 million marks paid by insurance companies for broken windows was to be given to the state coffers. (Kristallnacht) A result such as this helped show just how much power the Nazis had and how little Jewish people now obtained. The Jews were again in a position to defend themselves. Receiving no help or sympathy from an outside group of people, the Jewish community was more alone than ever and had to solely rely on the hope and support of one another to make it through these harsh and cynical times. Although racism had taken an ugly turn at this time, the Jews could not even anticipate how quickly their lives would be coming to an end. Rounding up Jews- ghettos Shortly after Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, members of the Jewish community were distributed to various areas throughout the country known as ghettos. These ghettos were typically small measured off areas of town that usually had a barrier from the outside world. This ensured the German SS officers that the Jews would not escape. The ghettos

The Results from Kristallnacht bit.ly/UX99

Jones 6 were not pleasant places to live; they were poverty stricken and dirty areas. The total amount of space consisted of no more than a few miles and was filled with thousands of people. As one could gather from this description, health and sanitary conditions were very poor and the number of malnutrition citizens and deaths continued to rise day after day. The most famous ghetto was the Warsaw Ghetto, which was established in October of 1940. In the Warsaw Ghetto, citizens were restricted from the outside world by a large wall that enclosed them in their designated space. This was one of the smallest areas that held some of the largest numbers of people. According to Rabbi Eliyahu and Rabbi Shmuel Silinsky, on the website Aish, These Jews were thrown into the slum area of town, 2.3 75,000 people died of disease and starvation. (The Ghettos)Conditions were so bad, at this time, that the

Children of the Ghetto bit.ly/rV9Z5T

Warsaw Ghetto could have been easily compared to the conditions of a third world country. A person had to live very inhumanly if they wanted any chance of survival, which seemed unlikely. Keep in mind, however, that the traditions and everyday actions that were performed by the Jews went on as they normally would, had they been living in their own homes. According to Aish.com, they made sure to place an emphasis on events that were important to their culture and to their families, which helped give them hope in a time of darkness (Aish). Wannsee Conference- The Final Solution The Germans had been successful with seizing control of the Jewish communitys way of life. They had also been successful in segregating an entire race to one specific area of town. The Germans needed to find a way to get rid of the Jewish problem permanently and the answer was made clear at a meeting known as the Wannsee Conference. The fate of the Jewish community

Jones 7 was decided, in January of 1942, by the top officials that held Germanys power. USHMM described this conference by saying, The Final Solution was the code name for the systematic, deliberate, physical annihilation of the European Jews. Moreover, Hitler authorized this European-wide scheme for mass murder. (Wannsee Conference) In the eyes of the Germans, the cause of their countries problems, economic or otherwise, was strictly because of the Jewish people. They thought there was no better way to fix the problem than to get rid of the problem itself. Another factor that helped fuel the Nazis plan of termination was Hitlers desire for the perfect Arian race, which meant pure blooded citizens that essentially had blonde hair and blue eyes. Most Jews, if any, did not fit this description,
The Men from the Wannsee Conference bit.ly/twGbAp

therefore they needed to be done away with. Keep in mind, however, that Hitlers plan did not only illustrated

the extermination of Jews, but extended to members of the gypsy and polish communities as well as Turkish prisoners or anyone else who did not fit Hitlers ideal criteria. All of these things combined helped put the Final Solution into motion. The German officials eventually came up with the idea that these unsuitable citizens would be sent to work at various camps. USHMM described this decision by proclaiming, In large labor columns, separated by gender, ablebodied Jews will be brought to those regions to build roads, whereby a large number will doubtlessly be lost through natural reduction. (The Wannsee Conference) This decision, which was stated so simply, was the final straw in the lives of the Jewish people. From that point on they had to endure all of the torture that was brought about by the concentration camps. Selection

Jones 8 Upon arriving at the concentration, or labor camps, the Jewish people were separated into various lines. The women, children, and elderly were in one line and the men and young boys were in another. German SS officers determined who would go where by whether or not the person was in good health or if they could perform intensive labor tasks. It was this selection process that determined whether or not the members would live or die and people lost their lives almost instantaneously. A website titled The Holocaust Explained described this event by saying, Usually, those aged over fourteen years of age and deemed fit for work were sent to one side Furthermore, The elderly and women with children were sent directly to the line of prisoners who were condemned (Selection) Additionally, an article on the Holocaust-Education website states, Those unable to work-the old, women and children- were immediately sent to the gas chambers

Selection lines formed upon arrival bit.ly/goObzM

or shot in the camp hospital. (Extermination Camps) Unable to choose whether or not they wanted to stay with

their families or to live, the fate of the Jewish people was sealed. The citizens whose lives were taken would hopefully be remembered forever and those lucky enough to survive began their journey as labor slaves and awaited the day when their number would be called and their life would end. Extermination Methods If the idea of exterminating an entire race was not inhumane enough, the ways in which they killed the people was even worse. Instead of allowing the enabled workers to die peacefully, the German SS officers chose to make the Jews suffer as much as possible. They even took death one step further because after the bodies were killed, in many cases, they would all be brought to

Jones 9 a designated area where their bodies would then be burned. The Nazis wanted it to seem as though the Jewish people never existed at all. Holocaust-Education noted, The Nazis and their helpers used the most terrible methods of murdering Jews, gypsies, and other undesirable population groups. (Methods of Mass Murder) The Jewish people were often tricked into death. For example, the Nazis would tell the people that they would be going to take group showers. When the group would arrive in the enclosed area, the Germans would ignite various chemicals through the shower heads, killing the Jewish people very painfully. Holocaust- Education illustrated this event by saying, The Jews were herded into the gas chambers, then the camp personnel closed the doors, and either exhaust gas or poison gas in the form of Zyklon-B or A
Death by cremation bit.ly/s3Ss0r

was led into the gas chamber. Furthermore, The use of

gas chambers was the most common method of mass murdering the Jews in the extermination camps. (Killing Methods) Whether their death came about by suffocation, mass shooting, cremation, or simply being worked to death, the Jews all suffered tremendously. Millions of innocent people had their lives taken at the expense of someone elses jealous rage. The Death Camps In addition to the concentration camps, the Nazis decided to take extermination one step further by building death camps. In order to have enough areas that would accompany the large amounts of people that were within the concentration camps, the Germans built a total of six death camps. Although all of the death camps hold a special place in the story of the Holocaust, each one has its own characteristics that helps set it a apart from all of the other camps. The four death camps that are the most well-known are Belzec, Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Sorbibor.

Jones 10 Sobibor. One of the most well-known death camps is Sobibor. This camp was developed in March of 1942 and could be classified as one of the most aggressive death camps of the Holocaust. Sorbibor carried out its functions from May 1942 until October of 1943. Although this death camp operated for only a little over a year, the extensive number of lives that were taken make up for its short operation time. An article from Death Camps Info (DCI) website described this location by stating, Sobibor operatedfor only one purpose: to kill as many Jews including children as quickly as possible. Moreover, victims were brought to the camp in cattle cars and all but a handful were gassed immediately after arrival. (Death Camp Sobibor) It was apparent that the German SS officers did not look at the Jewish prisoners as people or even had empathy for them. Instead, they just saw them as a problem that needed to be gotten rid
The Corpses of the death camps bit.ly/rNrtQO

of. According to the article Death Camp Sobibor, this

death machine took the lives of an estimated 260, 000 individuals (Death Camps). The end of this death camp came from a resistance group of Jewish individuals in October of 1943. Auschwitz. Auschwitz is probably the most well-known of all of the death camps. Death Camp noted that one of the most famous events that took place at Auschwitz is the actions performed by Oscar Schindler, in which he was able to save numerous women from termination (Death Camps). It was established in April of 1940 and had direct instruction from Hitler to perform as many killings as possible. DCI proclaimed, mass gassing of Jews using Zyklon-B began at Auschwitz, where extermination was conducted on an industrial scale with some estimates

Jones 11 running as high as three million persons eventually killed through gassing, starvation, disease, shooting, and burning. (Auschwitz-Birkenau) Auschwitz was a death camp in which many variations of extermination were used and although many people were killed at this location, there were individuals that were able to survive because of their ability to work and continue pushing forward. Treblinka. Established in 1942, Treblinka is another major death camp for Jews that were kept in the Warsaw ghetto. It was unique in the fact that, unlike the other camps, it was actually enclosed from the outside world. DCI stated, The camp was surrounded by a high barbed wire fence camouflaged with interwoven greenery to hide what was happening inside. In addition, rolls of barbed wire were placed outside the fence. Watch towers were additionally positioned around the camp. (Death Camp Treblinka)There was no way of getting out once they were brought into the camp. The people of this camp were closely monitored and would pay the ultimate price (death) for disobeying the German SS officers. It has been estimated that about 850, 000 people were killed here. (Death Camp Treblinka) Belzec. One of the smaller, but equally aggressive, death camps was known as Belzec. It was located in Lublin and was established in April of 1940, in which labor was the primary focus at that time. Belzec is known distinctively for its methods of gassing using the exhaust from a motorized vehicle. This form of extermination was inspired by the leader of the camp, SS colonel General Christian Wirth. Although it was smaller compared to the other death camps, an exceptional amount of deaths occurred at this location. According to DCI, It is estimated that about 600,000 Jews were murdered at Belzec and thousands of Gypsies. Furthermore, Those

Jones 12 remaining when the camp ceased to function were transported to the Sobibor death camp and murdered. (Death Camp Belzec) Joseph Mengele. Joseph Mengele was an intelligent doctor who was a supporter of the Nazi party and who eventually became an officer in the SS. With the desire to take a part in the events of the Holocaust, Mengele was an active member at the death camp Auschwitz. While here, he obtained the nickname the Angle of Death because he had a huge impact on whether prisoners of the camp would be kept for labor purposes or if their life would end. He is also well known for the various experiments that he performed on the individuals of the death camps, primarily sets of twins. An article on the website History Learning Site described Mengeles experiments by saying, Mengele was fascinated by the study of genes and he wanted to find out if he could change identical sets of twins by operating on

The Angel of Death bit.ly/viT8vR

them and performing experiments on them that had no scientific basis. (Joseph Mengele) The Angel of Death did what he could to make his experiments not seem as bad as they were and somewhat bribed the children that were to serve as his next victims. The History Learning Site states, Before they were experimented on, Mengele did all in his power to calm them. The children were given clean clothes and sweets. Moreover, They were then subjected to appalling experiments- surgery without anesthetics, blood transfusions from one twin to the other, the deliberate injecting of lethal germs into the twins, sex change operation. (Joseph Mengele) If the twins did not die immediately after the test or experiment was performed, then many of them suffered from various illnesses and diseases in their later lives. Although their

Jones 13 lives were spared during the Holocaust, these diseases and illnesses that were obtained from the experimentation of Joseph Mengele, still took them from the Earth too early. Joseph Mengele will continue to be remembered, throughout history, as a monster that destroyed the lives of many innocent people at a time when they could have really used a savior. Liberation Being saved from the concentration camps was the prayer that the prisoners had wanted answered for so long. Their prayers were finally answered by members of the Soviet, United States, and British troops. After being tortured for several months, the prisoners finally got a chance at freedom. An article from the Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) website noted, When Allied troops began a number of offensive strikes in Nazi-occupied Europe, they began to uncover the concentration camps. (Liberation, Resistance, and Rescuers) It took a few years for all of the camps to obtain liberation. Sobibor, Belzec, and Treblinka were among the first death camps to be freed in 1944 by members of the Soviet Army and later saved the prisoners of Auschwitz in January of 1945. The Nazis began to fear the armies that were closing in on their solution. They did not want exchange for the life-altering months that the Jews, and other minority groups, had to face. HMD described this by saying, - the Nazi attempt to destroy evidence of their

Survivors after liberation bit.ly/foBwqF

crimes against humanity. (Liberation, Resistance, and Rescuers) The perpetrators of the Holocaust could not own up to their plan and did not want to take credit for all of the success that had come from their final solution. At a time when a cause for a celebration was due, the members of the Nazi party were cowering behind their actions.

Jones 14 After Liberation Although this was an exciting time for the former prisoners of the concentration camps, a new world seemed to have formed while they were being held captive. Many of their family members had been killed at the concentration or death camps and the survivors had no family to go home to following the Holocaust. This posed a major problem for troops who were responsible for freeing the camps and also for the prisoners themselves. An article on the Holocaust- History website stated, Hundreds of thousands of people were homeless and seeking new life. These were known at the time as displaced persons. (What Happened) Many Jews found that if they tried to return to the place that they had originated, hate groups of many kinds would again try to take their lives. Displaced persons camps were set up throughout the country as the survivors of the Holocaust

Members of a displaced persons camp bit.ly/v5rH7z

tried to return to normal. Matt Rosenberg, author of Displaced Jews in Europe noted, Thousands of

survivors died in the days and weeks following liberation, the military buried the dead in individual and mass graves. Moreover, the Allied armies rounded up concentration camp victims and forced them to remain in the confines of the camp, under army guard. (Displaced Jews in Europe) Eventually, the survivors made new lives for themselves, whether it was in the United States or Israel, they found a way to carry on. The Holocaust was the worst genocide in the history of the world. Innocent people were killed at the expense of one groups hatred. For the victims, life will never be the same. The nightmares they had to endure are engraved into their minds forever. Luckily the survivors have been able to share their experiences and stories with the world. The events of this mass murder

Jones 15 will forever baffle the minds of any normal person since we are unable to comprehend how a human being can take the life of a complete stranger. A face, nor the innocent eyes of a child, had any meaning to Hitler and the Nazis. A number on a piece of fabric was all that these humans had been reduced to. However, to the rest of the world, it is these faces that we will forever look to for inspiration and that help keep us humble throughout our lives.

Jones 16 Works Cited "Anti-Semitism and Racism." yadvashem.org. 5 Nov. 2011. Web. "Auschwitz-Birkenau." Gates to Hell - The Nazi Death Camps. 2008-2010. 7 Nov. 2011. Web. "Death Camp Belzec." Gates to Hell - The Nazi Death Camps. 2008-2010. 7 Nov. 2011. Web. "Death Camp Sobibor." www.deathcamps.info. 2008-2010. 7 Nov. 2011. Web. "Death Camp Treblinka." Gates to Hell - The Nazi Death Camps. 2008-2010. 7 Nov. 2011. Web. Ellis, Rabbi Eliyahu, and Rabbi Shmuel Silinsky. "The Ghettos." Aish.com. 2011. 7 Nov. 2011. Web. "Extermination Methods." The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. 2002. 2 Nov. 2011. Web. "Joseph Mengele." History Learning Site. 2000-2011. 2 Nov. 2011. Web. "Killing Methods." The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. 2002. 2 Nov. 2011. Web. "Kristallnacht." Middle Tennessee State University.2 Nov. 2011. Web. "Liberation, Resistance and Rescuers." Home - HMD Trust. Aug. 2011. 2 Nov. 2011. Web. "The Nuremberg Race Laws." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 2 Nov. 2011. Web. Rosenberg, Matt. "Displaced Jews in Europe." About.com: Need. Know. Accomplish. 2011. 2 Nov. 2011. Web. "Selection at the Concentration Camps." The Holocaust Explained - Homework & Online Education Tool for Students. 2011. 2 Nov. 2011. Web. "Wannsee Conference and the "Final Solution"" United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 2002. 2 Nov. 2011. Web.

Jones 17 "What Happened to the Jews After the Holocaust?" The Holocaust History Project Homepage. 7 Sept. 1998. 2 Nov. 2011. Web.