The Holocaust

There were 9 million Jews located in the countries occupied by Germany during WWII By war’s end – 2/3 were dead as a result of the Holocaust.

Nuremberg Race Laws 1933 – Boycott of Jewish businesses and all Jews are excluded from Civil Service 1935 – being Jewish was defined as having 3 or 4 Jewish grandparents. Many who had not practiced the religion for years were penalized under the laws.

1937 – 38 – Jewish workers and managers dismissed from businesses. Jewish owned businesses were sold at bargain prices 1938 – Jews were required to carry identification cards

Kristallnacht November 9, 1938 – “Night of Broken Glass” 1,000 synagogues and 2,000 businesses trashed, looted and burned by the Nazi’s. Jews forced to follow curfews Jewish children expelled from public school

The Final Solution By 1938 – ¼ of all German Jews had fled the nation. Between 1940 – 45 – nearly 200,000 mentally and physically handicapped people were killed under the T – 4 program.

1941 Jews are forced to wear the Star of David in public on a yellow or blue armband Mobile Killing Squads – after the invasion of Russia, thousands of Jews were shot and dumped into mass graves In Eastern Europe – The Jewish population was rounded into marked off sections of the cites – known as the ghetto

The Camps By 1942 – Nazi’s discuss the planned genocide of the European Jewish population – The Final Solution Between 1942 – 44 – all ghettos in European cities are evacuated. Jews are sent to labor or concentration camps

The Camps Labor Camps Jews were forced to live and work in camps. They made supplies and products for the war effort. Conditions were horrible – workers slept on wooden bunk beds, food consisted of watery soup and bread. Camps were surrounded by electric fences and guarded watchtowers Some subjected to cruel punishments and medical experiments

The Camps Extermination Camps Jews were sent to these camps to be put to death. Jews were mass murdered in gas chambers that could hold up to 2,000 people. As the war was ending, all labor camps were evacuated to Extermination Camps, like Auschwitz