The Holocaust “Shoah”

Holocaust Defined as the systematic state-sponsored killing of approximately six million Jewish men, women, and children and millions of others by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during WWII Germans called it the Final Solution

Holocaust Over 11 million murdered About 6 million were Jews 2/3 of all Jews in Europe, 1/3 of ALL Others included gypsies (Romas), Jehovah’s Witnesses, mentally & physically disabled, homosexuals, POWs, other enemies of the state

The UNITED STATES - Kentucky 1912: city bldg. permits issued for housing must be in designated areas of the city for certain races 1915, 1932: separate schools for different races 1918: separate prisons for different races 1932: different races may not live in the same apt bldgs. 1932: different races not allowed to marry; includes Native Americans 1948: Blacks are not allowed to obtain a post graduate degree in health care (no doctors)

Persecution Begins April 4, 1933 first action against Jews-boycott of Jewish businesses 1935- Nuremberg Laws Denied all Jews citizenship Denied other civil liberties Prohibited marriage between Jews and Germans

Persecution Begins Other anti-Jewish laws the next few years included: Exclusion from public places like parks Fired from government jobs Register property Prevented Jewish doctors from working on anyone not Jewish

Persecution Kristallnacht- November 9-10, 1938 Night of violence, physical attacks on Jews Pillaging/burning synagogues Breaking windows/destroying Jewish businesses, looting stores 30,000 Jews arrested, sent to concentration camps 1939 Jews ordered to wear yellow Star of David

Ghettos Most run-down section of a city where the Jews were forced to live Many had barbed wire or walls preventing escape Jews were deported from all over Europe to live in the ghettos

Ghettos Life in the ghetto was regulated by a “Judenrat” (Jewish Council) Major ghettos in Lodz, Minsk, Riga, Vilna, and Warsaw (largest) Warsaw population of the ghetto estimated at 400,000 (about 1% died each day)

Ghetto Trains brought in to “liquidate” ghettos, transport to camps, as many as 1000 per day Warsaw Ghetto Uprising April 1943, Nazis attempting to “liquidate” ghetto Held out for 28 days, longer than some countries

Nazi Camps Nazi Germany had many types of camps- concentration, labor, POW, extermination, transit One of the first, Dachau, opened March 20, 1933 1933-1938 most camps were concentration for political prisoners

Nazi Camps Most people transported in cattle cars (RR) No food, water, toilets, ventilation Longest transport took 18 days Often too crowded- had to wait in open for next train for days

Nazi Camps After Kristallnacht, persecution of Jews more organized, many sent to camps-transit and concentration Eventually Jews sent straight to extermination camps Extermination camps designed to kill quickly and efficiently

Concentration Camps Prisoners subjected to hard work Given little food Crowded-sleep 3-4 per bunk, no mattress or covers Torture common Medical experiments conducted- Dr. Josef Mengele (“Angel of Death”) Death frequent

Extermination Camps Nazis built six extermination camps-Chelmno, Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Auschwitz, Majdanek- all in Poland All used gas chambers except Chelmno (used vans)

Extermination Camps Prisoners told they needed to shower and be disinfected Undressed and then entered the chamber Gas (Zyklon-B) was originally an insecticide

Extermination Camps Gas enters lower layers of the chambers, rose toward the ceiling Took about 20 minutes to kill Chambers held as many as 2000 Bodies relieved of any valuables, then cremated either in ovens or open pits

Extermination Camps Estimated Jewish deaths Auschwitz 1,100,000 Belzec 550, 500 Chelmno 340,000 (1st Jew) Majdanek 380,000 Sobibor 250,000 Treblinka 870,000

Miscellaneous More than half Jewish victims were female Medical experiments included putting twins together to make Siamese twins, using human skin as lampshades, ways to stop bullet wounds from bleeding out

Miscellaneous First camp liberated by Western Allies was Bergen-Belsen on April 15, 1945 liberating 41,000 General Eisenhower ordered every citizen of Gotha (nearby town) to tour Buchenwald-mayor hanged himself

Miscellaneous Between 1945-1985 approximately 5,000 convicted Nazi war criminals were executed January 20, 1942 Wannsee Conference-Nazis discussed how to complete exterminations-stepped up frequency