Jewish Persecution: The Holocaust

Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust.

Adolf Hitler Nazi rule began in Germany in 1933 when Hitler became the country’s leader. At this time, German laws became a way of putting Nazi’s racist ideas into practice. The Nazi state in Germany idolized Hitler as their leader and all political power was centralized in his hands. Nazi propaganda focused on Hitler and created the illusion that he was all-powerful and could fix any problem.

Anti-Semitism Anti-Semitism is suspicion of, hatred of or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. Anti-Semitism dates from ancient times but was strengthened by the medieval church, which taught that Jews were to blame for the death of Christ.

Anti-Semitism The Nazis played on these fears and made the Jews a scapegoat, blaming them for their country’s problems. German propaganda portrayed Jewish people as cruel, greedy and controlling.

The Rise of Anti-Semitism Between 1935 and 1939 German Jews lost almost all of their civil rights. 1935: Jews forbidden to marry “pure” blood Germans; Jews forbidden to display national colors or flags; Jewish writers, musicians and artists forbidden to work; Jews can only sit on park benches marked “For Jews”. 1933: Jews no longer allowed to work as lawyers, judges, or civil servants; Jewish children often forbidden to play with “other” children. 1936: Jews had to hand in bicycles and typewriters; Jewish people who had converted to Christianity had their status changed back to “Jewish”. 1939: Jews forced to hand over all valuables to the police; Jews forced to leave their homes for no reason; Curfews were imposed on Jewish people. 1938: Jewish doctors forced to stop practicing; Jews forbidden to attend movies, theatre, opera, concerts or swimming pools; Jewish children expelled from German schools.

Ghettos Between 1939 and 1945 the Nazis created hundreds of ghettos in the Soviet Union (what is now Russia), the Baltic States, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Hungary. At first ghettos were used as a way to quarantine Jewish people, but as time went on they were mainly used by the Nazis as temporary holding centers before shipment to concentration camps.

The Final Solution The Nazis called their plan to exterminate Europe’s Jews as the “Final Solution”. They saw the Jews as a problem that had to be solved. They saw the removal and destruction of all Jewish people as the answer. By the time the Final Solution was introduced the Nazis had already killed more than a million Jews, but they still wanted to think of ways to kill them more quickly and efficiently.

The Final Solution Concentration camps were originally intended to imprison the people Nazis most despised. When WWII began, the purpose of the camps changed from forced labor to outright murder. By 1942, extermination through work was an official policy and all prisoners were literally worked to death.

Auschwitz The Auschwitz concentration camp complex was the largest of its kind established by the Nazi regime. More Jewish people were murdered at Auschwitz than at any other camp. This is where the story of Night takes place.

British Pathé News Archives

Sometimes we must interfere…wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe.

The only way to stop the next holocaust…is to remember the last one The only way to stop the next holocaust…is to remember the last one. If the Jews were singled out then, in the next one we are all the victims.