The Holocaust “Survival is both an exalted privilege and a painful burden.” -Gerda Weissmann Klein During the Holocaust, Hitler’s Nazis kill 6 million Jews and 5 million other “non-Arayans.”

1933: Thousands of Jews leave Germany Why didn’t France and Britain accept as many German Jews as they might have? France and Britain didn’t want to fuel more feelings of anti-Semitism in their countries

1939: U. S. Coast Guard prevents Jewish refugees on the St 1939: U.S. Coast Guard prevents Jewish refugees on the St. Louis from landing in Miami Why didn’t the United States accept as many German Jews as it might have? Widespread anti-Semitism Desire to avoid greater competition for jobs during the Depression Fear of “enemy agents”

The Holocaust Begins Racist Beliefs Hitler and Nazis say Aryans—Germanic peoples—are “master race” They launch the Holocaust—systematic murder of Jews and others Anti-Semitism Nazis tap into long-held feeling of many Europeans against Jews 1935 Nuremberg Laws take away rights of German Jews “Night of Broken Glass” Kristallnacht—“night of broken glass,” November 9, 1938 Jewish homes, businesses, synagogues attacked; 100 Jews killed

Stars, Triangles, and Markings Those prisoners who were targeted by the Nazi’s and sent to the camps were required to wear one of these on their uniform. The yellow star of David was worn by Jewish prisoners.

The Holocaust Begins A Flood of Refugees Fearing more violence, many German Jews flee to other countries Hitler favors emigration but other countries limit Jewish refugees Isolating the Jews Hitler has all Jews moved to designated cities They are forced to live in ghettos—separate Jewish areas Hitler hopes that Jews in ghettos will die of disease, starvation Despite bad conditions, Jews survive in these areas

The “Final Solution” Hitler Seeks New Answer “Final Solution”—Hitler’s final plan for treatment of Jews Chooses genocide—systematic killing of an entire people The Killings Begin – “Einsatzgruppen” Nazis in Eastern Europe and Soviet Union create killing squads They shoot men, women, children in mass executions Other Jews sent to concentration camps or slave labor prisons

continued The “Final Solution” The Final Stage By 1942, Nazis building huge, efficient extermination camps Camps separate strong from weak people Weak (mostly women, children, elderly, sick) killed immediately The Survivors Nazis kill about six million European Jews during the war Fewer than four million survive

1941: Nazis build 6 death camps in Poland What groups did the Nazis single out for extermination? All non-Aryans, Jews, Slavs (Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, etc) communists, socialists, liberals, gypsies, Freemasons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, LGBT population, developmentally disabled, mentally ill, physically disabled, the incurably ill The Nazi’s ultimate goal: to create an Aryan “super race”

First They Came - Pastor Martin Niemoller (Confessing Church) First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me

“Righteous Persons” of World War II Oskar Schindler (German industrialist) Aristides de Sousa Mendes (Portugese diplomat) Raoul Wallenberg (Swedish diplomat) Sempo Sugihara (Japanese diplomat) “Righteous Persons” of World War II Many people risked their lives to save Jews from the Nazis. In recognition, the “Knesset”, or Israeli Parliament, bestowed on these individuals the title of “Righteous Persons”. By 2001, 18,269 individuals had been honored with this title.

Japanese War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity Rape of Nanking Torture/murder of POWs Battaan Death March Unit 731 (medical experiments on living subjects) Sexual slavery of over 200,000 “comfort women” Many members of the Japanese high command were sentenced to death or life imprisonment for war crimes.

Allied War Crimes – Virtually All Unprosecuted The London “Cage” Civilian Air Raids Mistreatment, Torture and Murder of POWs (Dachau, Normandy invasion) Use of nuclear weapons and murder of non-combatants Mass rape of German and Austrian women during Allied occupation Many people would argue that comparing Allied war crimes with Axis war crimes is a “false equivalency”, however it is important to remember that Allied forces committed war crimes during World War II as well, for which no one prosecuted. “People should be understanding if a soldier who has crossed thousands of kilometers through blood and fire and death has fun with a woman or takes some trifle”. -Joseph Stalin

The Nuremberg Trials “I was only following orders”. 24 high-ranking Nazi officials, ministers, military leaders and industrialists put on trial (12 sentenced to death and most of the rest were imprisoned for 10 years to life) Nearly 200 more lesser leaders also found guilty in later trials Crimes: Crimes against the peace (planning and waging an aggressive war) War Crimes (acts against war customs, Eg. Killing hostages/prisoners, plundering of private property, destruction of civilian areas) Crimes Against Humanity (murder, genocide, unlawful deportation or enslavement)

Japanese War Crimes Trials November 4, 1948: 25 out of 28 high-ranking Japanese officials found guilty by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East 7 executed, including Hideki Tojo and most of the rest received life in prison Additional tribunals outside Japan found almost 5000 other Japanese military officials guilty of war crimes, more than 900 executed Some believed that Emperor Hirohito should have been tried as well, but U.S. authorities protected him, seeing him as a symbol of Japanese unity and continuity The Nuremberg Trials and the Japanese War Crimes Trials set a legal precedent that would be used later for the development of a body of international law. (United Nations, International Criminal Court (ICC)