The Holocaust Why Were the Jews Targeted? What did the Holocaust mean? Why the devastation and destruction?

Holocaust (hol·o·caust): n 1. Great destruction resulting in the extensive loss of life, especially by fire 2. Greek word that means burnt whole or consumed by fire SLIDE 4 – HOLOCAUST (FIRE)   Holocaust – 11 million people were killed Term comes from a Greek word that means burnt whole or consumed by fire The term Holocaust refers to the specific period in history dating from 1933 – 1945 and not to any other mass murder or genocide.

Why were the Jews Targeted??? 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 1287 269 Jews were hanged in the Tower of London. Jews were a SCAPEGOAT 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 hundreds of Jews were blamed for the defeat in the War. Prejudice against the Jews grew during the economic depression which followed. 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.

Introduction As part of their vision for Europe, the Nazis proposed a new racial order. They proclaimed that the Germanic peoples, or Aryans, were a “master race.” The Nazis claimed that all non-Aryan peoples, particularly Jewish people, were inferior. This racist message would eventually lead to the Holocaust, the systematic mass slaughter of Jews and other groups judged inferior by the Nazis.

The Holocaust Begins Hitler knowingly tapped into a hatred for Jews that had deep roots in European history. Jews as scapegoats for personal failures. Germany’s defeat in World War I Targeting Jews government policy 1935 Nuremberg Laws made it illegal to marry a Jew. Other laws limited the work of Jews.

How did the Nazi decide who was Jewish? At the Wannsee conference it was decided that if one of person’s parents was Jewish, then they were Jewish. However, if only one of their grandparents had been Jewish then they could be classified as being German. In 1940, all Jews had to have their passports stamped with the letter ‘J’ and had to wear the yellow Star of David on their jacket or coat. Some historians believe that Hitler’s grandfather was Jewish. His Grandmother used to work for a rich Jewish landowner in Austria and it is believed that she had an affair whilst she worked as his house keeper. He later helped his son get a job as a civil servant. Some Psychologist but this down as being one of the possible reasons why Hitler hated Jews. However, it is interesting to note that the Jewish doctor who helped his mother whilst she was dying of cancer was dropped off at the Swiss boarder by the SS in 1940!

A Flood of Refugees By the end of 1939, a number of German Jews had fled to other countries. At first, Hitler favored emigration as a solution to what he called “the Jewish problem.” After admitting tens of thousands of Jewish refugees, France, Britain, and the United States abruptly closed their doors to further immigration.

Isolating the Jews Hitler then ordered Jews in all countries under his control to be moved to designated cities called ghettos. After 1941, all Jews in German controlled areas had to wear a yellow Star of David patch (pictured).

The “Final Solution” Hitler’s plan called the “Final Solution” was a genocide plan to systematically kill an entire people. Hitler wanted to purify the “Aryan” race. He tried to eliminate other groups he viewed as “subhuman.” Roma (gypsies), Poles, Russians the insane the disabled the incurably ill Homosexuals

The Killings Begin As the Nazis moved across Europe the SS killing squads rounded up men, women, children, and even babies and shot them in pits where they were buried. Other Jews were rounded up and herded into concentration camps where they were slave labor. Inmates would work seven days a week for the SS or for German businesses. Food consisted of thin soup, scraps of bread, and potato peelings. Most inmates lost 50 lbs quickly.

The Final Stage In 1942 the Germans built huge exterminations camps equipped with gas chambers that could kill as many as 6,000 people in a day. Committees of Nazi doctors separated the strong (mostly men) from the weak (women, children, and elderly). The weak went to their deaths in the gas chambers usually that day. The victims were told to undress and head into the gas chambers under the guise they were taking showers. Cyanide gas from Zyklon B granules came through the fake showerheads.

Holocaust Victims… 11 MILLION KILLED 1.5 million children under 12 6 million Jews 1.5 million children under 12 “Other Undesirables” 5 million 11 MILLION KILLED SLIDE 5 – HOLOCAUST VICTIMS

Crowded Conditions SLIDE 29 - LIVING CONDITIONS WITHIN THE CAMP   The young, the healthy, and those with skills needed by camp officials were sent to a camp. In the camp, their heads were shaved and they were herded into overcrowded barracks. They were assigned a number and a uniform that looked like a black and white striped pajama. In Auschwitz, a number was tattooed on the prisoner's forearm. Men and women were assigned to different barracks. Everyone had a job. Many prisoners were assigned jobs in factories built near the camps. The factories produced items essential for the war effort. Hair that was shaved from victims was used to stuff mattresses or pillows; gold removed from both living and dead prisoners was melted into bricks; any other metal was sent to the factory to be made into bullets. Camp rules were strict - a prisoner has to obey or he was punished or killed. Many times the guards were sadistic - they could punish a prisoner any way they chose and nobody cared. When prisoners were fed, they were given bread made from sawdust and one bowl of vegetable broth made from rotten vegetables. All punishments were cruel and inhumane. Some prisoners were whipped, others were hung by their arms and left for long periods of time.

SLIDE 30 - OLDER MAN WITH TATTOO This is a photo of a survivor, showing the tattoo with which he received while at Auschwitz.

Zyklon B granules on display at Auschwitz Empty Zyklon B canisters found by the Allies at Auschwitz at the end of World War II Zyklon B granules on display at Auschwitz

Auschwitz Death Camp, Poland

“Work will set you free” Entrance to Auschwitz “Work will set you free” SLIDE 27 - CAMP ENTRANCE: "ARBEIT MACHT FREI“ – “Work Will Set You Free”  Above the gated-entry into the camp was a slogan - "Arbeit Macht Frei" which means "Work will set you free." While the Nazis did use some prisoners as slave laborers, killing was the major goal of this camp. Another mind game example. Once they were separated by sex, the victims waited in long lines to be checked by a doctor. He decided who would go to the gas chambers. Old people, sick people, women with children under 14, and all pregnant women were told to remove their clothing and then they were led to the shower rooms which were actually the gassing chambers. Guards threw canisters into the "showers" which exploded. At the end of 15 minutes, if the guard saw no one standing, doors were opened, bodies removed and an exhaust fan cleaned the bad air before the next group of people were brought in. Before the bodies were taken to the crematorium, a person's head was shaved and all dental work was removed. Then the bodies were placed in the ovens to burn.

This wheeled table helped transport the bodies of the gassed victims to the ovens for cremation.

This mechanism rotated the table upon which the bodies of the gassed victims were transferred to the ovens for cremation.

There was once a building standing here, but this is the area where the Nazis themselves burned this building down to attempt to destroy evidence of the death camps.

inmate barracks

These are burned down barracks where the Nazis again tried to destroy evidence of atrocities in the Auschwitz camp.

Jews Killed Under Nazi Rule* Original Jewish Population Jews Killed Percent Surviving Poland 3,300,000 2,800,000 15% Soviet Union (area occupied by Germans) 2,100,000 1,500,000 29% Hungary 404,000 200,000 49% Romania 850,000 425,000 50% Germany/Austria 270,000 210,000 22% *Estimates Source: Hannah Vogt, The Burden of Guilt

The Survivors About six million European Jews were killed during the Holocaust. Less than four million European Jews survived. Some Jews were helped by non-Jews who risked there lives, hid Jews in their homes, and helped them escape to neutral countries.

Conclusions of the War… War Technology: Bombs increase in power (nuclear weapons) Rockets invented by Germans Remote attacks (distance fighting) Political Repairs: Rebuilding of Europe and Japan Humanitarian efforts to heal from Holocaust horrors. Cold War Begins between USSR and USA Democracy vs. Communism

Have Any Genocides Occurred Since the Holocaust? Holocaust refers specifically to the Jewish/Undesirables Genocide we have presented today Genocide - mass murder of a group of people 1988 Kurdish genocide in Turkey and Iraq 1990 Rwandan genocide in Africa 1991 – 1995 Bosnian genocide in Europe May we never let it happen again… SLIDE 48 – GENOCIDE   Definition - Mass murder of a group of people. This presentation focuses on the Jewish genocide, named the Holocaust. Left click to make the last 3 bullets appear. There is and will only ever be one Holocaust, however, there have been other genocides, even some in recent times such as the Kurds in Northern Iraq, the Muslims and Serbs in Bosnia and the Rwandan genocide in Africa. Death tolls in these genocides are not clearly documented – reports widely vary. Some reports claim the death toll in Rwanda to be as high as a half a million dead.