An Intro to the Holocaust

Adolf Hitler's Nazi party comes to power in Germany in Hitler begins his campaign against the Jewish people.

Aryan Race The name of what Hitler believed was the perfect race. These were people with full German blood, blonde hair and blue eyes. Anti –Semitism political, social and economic agitation against Jews. In simple terms it means ‘Hatred of Jews’ Lots of propaganda spread when Hitler came to power.

The Terror Begins The Nazis issued anti-Jewish decrees Forced to give their businesses to non-Jewish people Forced to wear the Star of the David to identify themselves as being Jewish

More Decrees placed… Not granted freedom of Speech The Secret Police (Gestapo) is established Jewish people cannot be teachers or lawyers Books written by Jewish people are destroyed Nazis at a Book Burning

Nuremberg Laws: Nazis’ Racist and Anti-Semitic ideas and actions The new laws state that: Jewish people are not citizens Jewish and non- Jewish people cannot marry one another Jewish people could now be arrested for being Jewish

For hundreds of years Christian Europe had regarded the Jews as the Christ -killers. At one time or another Jews had been driven out of almost every European country. The way they were treated in England in the thirteenth century is a typical example. In 1275 they were made to wear a yellow badge. In Jews were hanged in the Tower of London.

This deep prejudice against Jews was still strong in the twentieth century, especially in Germany, Poland and Eastern Europe, where the Jewish population was very large. After the First World War Jews were blamed for the defeat in the War. Prejudice against the Jews grew during the economic depression. Many Germans were poor and unemployed and wanted someone to blame. They turned on the Jews, many of whom were rich and successful in business.

The Terror Continues… Many are forced to go to labor camps, concentration camps, or live in ghettos Ghettos- fenced, worn down neighborhoods

Going into Hiding For many, hiding was the only way they thought they were “safe” Children were sent away to live with other families and pretend they were not Jewish

The CAMPS Jewish people were separated as soon as they reached the camp Group one sent for immediate death Group two a life or torment, starvation, and forced harsh labor Imagine being one of these children… starving, cold, separated from your family.

Between 1939 and 1945 six million Jews were murdered, along with hundreds of thousands of others, such as Gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, disabled and the mentally ill.

Nazi Death Camps

A Total of 6,000,000 Jews Percentage of Jews killed in each country

A MAP OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS AND DEATH CAMPS USED BY THE NAZIS.

A group of children at a concentration camp in Poland.

Part of a stockpile of Zyklon-B poison gas pellets found at Majdanek death camp. Before poison gas was used, Jews were gassed in mobile gas vans. Carbon monoxide gas from the engine’s exhaust was fed into the sealed rear compartment. Victims were dead by the time they reached the burial site.

Nazis sift through a huge pile of clothes of victims of the massacre. Two year old Mani Halef’s clothes are somewhere among these.

After liberation, an Allied soldier displays a stash of gold wedding rings taken from victims at Buchenwald. Bales of hair shaven from women at Auschwitz, used to make felt-yarn.

In 1943, when the number of murdered Jews exceeded 1 million. Nazis ordered the bodies of those buried to be dug up and burned to destroy all traces. Soviet POWs at forced labor in 1943 exhuming bodies in the ravine at Babi Yar, where the Nazis had murdered over 33,000 Jews in September of 1941.

Impact of WWII The impact of World War II took a huge toll in human lives. The economic impact was also tremendous. The United States spent the most money on the war, $341 billion, plus money distributed to other countries. Germany spent $272 billion, and Japan spent $56 billion. The USSR lost 30% of its national wealth.

Why Remember? There are good reasons why the Holocaust should be remembered. One is because nothing like the Holocaust must ever happen again. The killing and hate was unimaginable. It is difficult to imagine that one man could be responsible for the deaths of millions just because of their race or religion. People say that history repeats itself. Let us hope that nothing like this ever happens again.

This is only a portion of the events and the terror felt during the Holocaust. As we continue with our unit we will learn more about the history of the Holocaust and World War II. Based on the information you have been given, do a quick write on the feelings and thoughts with regards to the Holocaust.