1. Holocaust The And The Lessons It Teaches Cal Mirowitz

2. The Holocaust was a horrifying and shameful event in the history of man, in which part of an entire people accused minorities of causing all of the bad, and all of the misfortune in their lives. These victims included Communists, Jehova’s Witnesses, prisoners of war, Jews, Polish people, homosexuals, handicapped people, and any political opponents of the Nazis. Millions of helpless individuals perished in concentration camps, work camps, ghettos, and even in people’s own hometowns on the very streets of their own houses. Nothing could’ve been more wrong. Additionally, most of these people, the victim’s of this terrible act of genocide, had almost nothing to hope for. This is why during the holocaust, many individuals committed suicide. In the historical fiction book Daniel’s Story, Oma Miriam kills herself by saving up her sleeping pills and finally taking them all at once to put herself to sleep eternally. She felt that there was something very wrong about her situation, as did many people during the Holocaust, and decided that she would be better off dying peacefully than seeing how it would all end in the hands of the Nazis or the rest of the world. A total of 11 million people were murdered during the Holocaust. Holocaust

3. Though there were many that were too helpless to fight against the evil Nazi forces, some did. Many individuals, like the victims, did not think the Holocaust was “right” as the Nazis did. They felt the wrong, the evil in the Nazis’ and bystanders’ actions, and a portion of them did something about it. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the very heroic character of Hans Hubermann does exactly that – he defies the Nazis. While marching prisoners of of a nearby work camp pass him, he suddenly walks out into the street and hands a loaf of bread to an old man at the back of the group. What I find amazing about this is that he knew of the consequences, that he would be severely punished and ultimately shunned by even his friends, but he did it anyway. I deeply admire all of the people like Hans Hubermann, who refused to stand by and watch as innocent humans are tortured.

4. Why We Must Not Forget It was truly one of the most fatal, sickeningly cruel, and unbearably painful mistakes in the history of man. I cannot even comprehend how people’s beliefs could be corrupted so intensely that an event such as the Holocaust could occur. One of the most essential things that people today can do is to remember. First of all, when forgotten, history has proven to repeat itself. People must not forget the devastating effects of something like this, and we must not let it happen again. Janet Applefield’s story really reminded me about how many endless perspectives there were, and of how many absolutely average individuals that the Holocaust strongly effected. Second, we must remember the true reasons why the Holocaust occurred. One very critical reason is that the citizens of Germany, at the time, were in a horrible situation. They were weak and very vulnerable, which is why many German citizens were so quick to put the blame on other people. We must not forget the Holocaust and the things that caused it, so that when we are weak and vulnerable, we do not make such careless decisions, but we acknowledge our current position and find our own way around it. Third, remembering the Holocaust assists us in really grasping the true power of the human race, and how much damage or how much greatness a few people can cause. Hans, with his loaf of bread, is a great example of the good we can accomplish. Oma Miriam’s suicide, on the other hand, is the result of the extremely negative power of the human race.

5. Another very important reason that the Holocaust occurred also taught one of the most crucial lessons. It was that the power of the Nazis was so great, and the fear of them was so strong that thousands of people did just stand by and watch. Thousands of people refused to assist the dying and tortured victims, and they did this because of their fear of the entire situation, and what would happen to them as people. This seemingly unimportant decision was exactly what killed those millions of innocent people. To conclude, it is all of our responsibilities, as human beings and as residents of the Earth, to stand up for one another. If that isn’t enough, there are many other extremely critical reasons for standing up for others. If one simply chooses not to care, if one avoids getting involved, seriously devastating things may occur. The Holocaust is proof of this. I believe that if any person, no matter who they are, is in need of help, you are obligated to assist them in any way possible, no matter how small.

6. Thank You