1. Deaf People In Nazi Europe Powerpoint by Patti Durr, NTID

2. Nazism 1933 – 1945 Adolf Hitler (Fuhrer) Goal: Create a perfect empire
No unfit people
Aryan race

3. The Law for the Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Diseases ‘33 Congenital feeblemindedness Schizophrenia Manic depression Hereditary epilepsy Huntington’s chorea Hereditary blindness Hereditary DEAFNESS Serious physical deformities Alcoholism

4. Information from “Crying Hands” by Horst Biesold

5. Experiences
Deaf girls and boys suspected of having hereditary deafness received notice they must show up to the hospital for sterilization
Ages 9 years old to 50 were sterilized
Deaf schools helped the Nazis by reporting and sometimes delivering children for sterilization

6. Sterilization and Abortions
17,000 non-Jewish deaf people were sterilized in Germany in the 1930's
Of 662 female respondents, 57 report being forced to terminate a pregnancy
23 women aborted during or after the sixth month

7. Methods of Female Sterilizations
Crushing, severing, or removal of Fallopian Tubes
Removal of Uterus
Sterilization by X rays

8. Comments of Victims
“It was an extremely painful torture, the doctor bored around in the sensitive part of my vagina with his finger. I suffered terrible pain…Almost always I have pain during intercourse.”

9. Comments of Victims
"lifelong incompleteness of marital relations" (spouses should be counted as victims)
"My fiancé backed out of the marriage because I could no longer have children. That happened to me three times, so that I withdrew more and more from life."

10. Comments of Victims
About three months after the operation, my fiancé said to me that we had to break up;
he couldn’t be expected to keep a wife with a ‘Hitler cut’ for the rest of his life"

11. Abortion and Sterilization
“Killing my baby and the sterilization operation that was carried out at the same time took from eight o’clock in the morning until one in the afternoon. I will never forget the screaming and swearing of that awful woman doctor; it is stamped into my memory.”

12. Fransziska Schwarz’s Experience
"I won't go," I cried. "I want to be able to have babies."
Father looked sad. "If you don't go, the police will drag you to the hospital.“
I screamed all the way to the hospital. The nurse locked me in a room with two other deaf teenagers. The three of us cried all night. When the nurse came to give us tranquilizers, I tried to fight her off. She held me down and gave me the injection. In the morning, I woke up in a room full of beds. My stomach hurt. I touched the bandages and started to cry.

13. Franny’s words continued
The nurse who brought me water was crying, too. "I'm sorry, there's nothing I could do to help you. With Hitler, you have to be quiet." Her finger pointed to the portrait of Hitler hanging over the bed. She tapped her temple with her finger, to indicate, "He's crazy."

14. Other female Deaf victim
Sterilized at 15
Younger Deaf brother called up for sterilization but when he reported to the hospital near the end of the war all beds were taken with injured soldiers
Told to return in 2 weeks but the war was over. He later had hearing children
Later the woman met a Deaf German who was also sterilized so they married. Husband had been sterilized without any anesthesia to punish him for disobeying orders to show up for sterilization 2 x

15. REGEDE
Reich Union of the Deaf of Germany - a Nazi organization of Deaf men and women

16. A Deaf Female REGEDE member volunteered to be sterilized to serve her country
Deaf girls were pressured to join Deaf Hitler Youth group

17. Deaf Jewish People 6 Millions Jewish People were killed in WW II
1.5 million of them were children
Estimates from Israel that 6,000 Deaf Jews were killed
It was extremely hard of Deaf Jewish people to survive

18. Other Victims of the Holocaust Badges
Political Prisoners (red),
Jehovah Witnesses (purple)
Gypsies (black),
Homosexual (pink)
Criminal (green)
A Deaf person who was also
any of the above usually was
Automatically killed.

19. Israelite Institute for the Deaf in Berlin where 146 Deaf Jewish children were removed and murdered in 1942.

20. Difficulties emigrating to the US
The US would not accept “unfit” people
Deaf people were classified as unwanted
Many Deaf Jews were denied entry into the US

21. Hilda R., Nelly, and Lilly
Deaf mother with two Deaf daughters and a Deaf brother
Born in Vienna, Austria
Raised as an orthodox Jew
Nelly and younger sister kicked out of school when Nazi’s took over Austria
Separated from Deaf husband before the war, he was deported right away because Polish Jew
Hilda’s older brothers in U.S. help to get passports

22. Hilda R., Nelly M., and Lilly
Nelly witnessed Nazis beating Jews in the street
Park signs saying “No Jews”
Family left on the last train out of Vienna

23. Hilda, Nelly and Lilly continued
Stuck on Ellis Island for FIVE month
US would not accept a family of 5 who had 4 Deaf members – too much of a “burden”
Hilda and her brother sew and sell clothes while held on Ellis
Social worker (Nash) from NYSD helps convince INS to admit the family. Simon Osserman of NYC, father of Beatrice and grandfather of Jimmy Stern (both Deaf) becomes their guardian / sponsor.

24. Marion S. Student at the Israelite School
taken by Superintendent Dr. Reich with several other young Deaf children to England in 1939
She experienced bombings in London
It took 4 years to find her family in the US
Marion traveled on war ship with soldiers alone to the US
She had difficulties being admitted into the US due to her deafness

25. Ruth S. Born in Germany Attended the Israelite School
Difficulty emigrating to the U.S. with parents and brothers due to her deafness
Hid during Krystallnacht
Able to leave Germany in 1938 at age 11

26. Lore F. Born in Germany Wealthy Family Attended the Israelite School
Hiding when Jews were being gathered up
Obtained false papers by bribing
Not allowed to talk for fear Nazis or US immigration would suspect Deafness (left for US at age 6)

27. Persecution of Women in the camps
Raped and sexually abused
Used as prostitutes
Experimented on
Forcible sterilized
Taken from children
Forced to watch children be killed
Used for forced labor
Exterminated (killed)
Show Slides

28. Humiliations in the Camps
Bodily changes:
No undergarments
Hair shaved
Body parts tattooed with numbers
From starvation:
Menstruation stops
Breasts shrunk
Pregnancies lost

29. Miriam R.
Born in Germany but later lived in Austria and Czech for education purposes while her father emigrated to Palestine and her mother and sisters to the US
Deported to Auschwitz and later to a slave labor camp in Germany
Survived in the woods for 12 days without food and water
Not reunited with her family in the US until 1946

30. Rose R. From Russia and Poland Deaf husband, Max,
Could have left Europe
But would not leave without Rose
Later Max was deported to Birkenau and did not return

31. Rose Continues Rose went into hiding in 1944
Her daughter Esther was given to a Christian friend to care for until the war was over

32. Rose continued
Rose had to submit to force labor in a fur company. They were given 5 needles a day to use with their sewing machines on the thick fur.
If all 5 needles were broken by the end of the day, the person would be shot in front of the others
Rose survived 2 years of this slave labor

33. Hertha’s story
Czech Deaf Jewish girl with Deaf parents and hearing sister, Renee
Sent to hide on Deaf friends’ of her parents farm.
Returned to be with parents– found they were deported.
She and her sister are deported.

34. Hertha’s story Parents taken to Auschwitz – did not survive
Hertha saw death and devastation in Bergen-Belsen
SS tried to take Hertha for experimentation but sister, Renee, stopped them
Moved to US with sister.
Hertha married and had
three Deaf children

35. Meta N. Born n Germany Witnessed Krystalnacht
Brothers emigrated but Meta and mother waited too long and could not get out once US joined the war in 1941
Deported in cattle car

36. Meta Continued
They were told Riga would be a good place for them to work – they lied
Nazis beat prisoners for no reason
Hearing girl helped Meta to survive
Hid her deafness in all 4 camps she was in
Saw another Deaf person – would not join because knew they would be killed

37. Meta continued Labor included: Sewing of uniforms and shoes
Digging ditches
Moving rocks
Heavy labor

38. Meta Continued
Experienced beatings
Shaved head
Zebra uniform
Forced to watch hangings
Witnessed inhumanity
Forced march in the snow
Reunited with hearing friend
Russian soldiers liberated them
but abused the women too
Married Deaf man – later when pregnant, Meta would have reoccurring nightmares that the Gestapo was coming to take her baby

39. Other Deaf Women Survivors
Lotte F. left Germany in 1938
Frieda W. from Czech - survivor of forced labor camps
Tilly Edinger – German Scientist, escaped to England in 1939
Doris and Esther R. from Poland and Germany, went into hiding
Esther was a baby and given to orphanage. Mother had a difficult time getting Esther back. Doris would later marry a Deaf survivor – Fred F.

40. Sources The Other Victims by Friedman Crying Hands by Horst Biesold
Jewish Deaf Community Center
Gallaudet Today
Lexington Center
Yale Fortunoff and Shoah Foundation Collection
Deaf People in Hitler's Europe by Ryan and Schuchman
And other sources