It begins. On April 1, 1933, the Nazi’s carried out a boycott of all Jewish businesses for one day. They painted a yellow Star of David across the doors.

Hitler takes power in 1933. He puts the Nazi Propaganda Ministry in control of all communication. In the spring a list of books that were to be banned was created. Schools were provided new textbooks to teach (indoctrinate) Germany’s youth.

Jews lose voting rights. Nuremberg Race Laws Jews lose voting rights. Prohibited Germans from marrying or being “intimate” with Jews. Defines being Jewish as having 3 or 4 Jewish grandparents.

Kristallnacht The “Night of Broken Glass.” Over 2 days, 1,000 synagogues, 7,000 businesses, and many Jewish homews were burned or trashed. This is the start of rounding up Jewish men, arresting them, and sending them to labor camps. Jewish children were banned from public school.

The Ghettos Once Germany invades Poland and the Western Soviet Union, they have 5 million Jews to deal with. They forced the Jewish population to live in marked-off sections of towns called ghettos. Barbed wire fences kept the residents inside the ghettos.

Clearing the Ghettos In 1942, the Nazis began transporting Jews out of Ghettos and to death camps, mostly located in Poland, with Auschwitz being the most infamous. They were told they were being resettled and they were packed onto trains. They were packed into rail cars until there were no more room. There were no seats or toilets.

Carrying out the Final Solution When people arrived at the death camps they went through a selection process, men were separated from women and children. A Nazi doctor would inspect them to the left or right, the healthy getting to live, pregnant women, babies, young children, handicapped and sick were all put in the death line. They were ushered into a gas chamber where poisonous gas was piped in and they all died within minutes.

Auschwitz 1 million people were killed at Auschwitz. It had 4 chambers, each able to hold 2,000 people at a time. A sign above the entrance read “Work Makes One Free.” Prisoners lived in barracks that had no windows or heat. No toilet, just a bucket. Bunkbeds made of wooden planks, 5-6 to each bed. “Medical experiments” were done on the prisoners.