Holocaust Notes

Definition of Jew (according to Nazi Party)

• An individual with three or more Jewish grandparents was classified as a full Jew.

• An individual with two Jewish grandparents was considered a Mischling of the first degree, or half Jew

• Someone with one Jewish grandparent was considered a Mischling of the second degree, or quarter Jew.

Mischlinge• Mischlinge of the first degree were broken down into two sub-

groups:• 1) Individuals who were married to a Jew or had been members

in the Jewish community were referred to as Geltungsjuden. These people were treated as full Jews and subject to the same persecution and restrictive laws. They could only marry other Jews or other Geltungsjuden.

• 2) Individuals with two Jewish grandparents who were baptized into the Protestant or Catholic tradition were known simply as Mischlinge. Under the original Nuremberg Laws, Mischlinge were able to keep their citizenship; however, eventually their rights were taken away and they were treated like the Geltungsjuden.

Hitler’s rise to power• Began campaigning for new members of group• Highly charged speeches attracted attention & raised membership numbers• Denounced Treaty of Versailles

-agreement after WWI• Blamed communists & the Jewish for Germany’s defeat

in WWI-he said that these groups stabbed Germany in the back

Beer Hall Putsch• Germany refuses to pay reparations

-money from WWI• Nov. 8, 1923-Hitler gives a speech at a beer hall• Told the crowd that a Nazi revolution or “putsch”

underway• Hitler was arrested for treason

Treason-disloyalty to your nation• Sentenced to 5 years in jail

-writes “Mein Kampf”-released after 9 months

Nazis begin to take over Germany

• Hitler gets 2/3 of Parliament as Nazi Party- legally• Nazis suppressed political rivals

-Used propaganda and terror to influence people• Begin replacing local government officials with Nazi

officials• Political enemies were arrested and put into camps

-communists, socialists and anyone perceived as a threat

Hitler as leader of Germany• Turned his personal anti-Semitism into nation’s policy• Under Hitler Jews were:

-forced to leave schools/universities, profession or managerial positions-excluded from sports-excluded from the arts-Nazis organized boycotts of Jewish businesses-took away right to vote-lost right to citizenship

Nazi Party

• Hitler promised to bring greatness back to Germany

• Party changes name to National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi)

• 1920-swastika becomes party symbol

Jewish lose rights under Hitler• Nazis take over Jewish businesses• Could not attend public school• Could not go to the theater• Could not use parks• Could not use public swimming pools• Forced to wear Star of David• Segregated from certain sections of cities

• Jewish who could afford to, moved out of Germany

Jewish refugees

• Between 1933 – 1937 129,000 Jewish fled from Germany

• More would have left but there were not always welcome in other countries

Why???

Plight of the St. Louis

• ship with more than 900 Jewish refugees on board– 22 passengers were accepted into Cuba– US refuses admission to remaining on board – Sent back to Germany– Majority later die in the Holocaust

Nuremberg Laws

• September 15, 1935 • laid the official grounds for the persecution of Jews.• took away German citizenship from all full Jews and

Geltungsjuden• prohibited Jews from flying the German flag (in

December 1936 this was extended to any Germans married to Jews)

• prohibited Jews from employing Germans as domestic servants

• prohibited marriage between Aryans and Jews

Kristallnacht- The night of broken glass

• Young German Jew protests his family’s forced removal from their home• Shoots a German diplomat in Paris• In retaliation: Nazis arrange violent demonstrations against Jews

-homes wrecked-stores looted-synagogues burned-Jews killed

• 20,000-30,000 Jews arrested and sent to concentration camps

Ghettos• After the beginning of World War II, Nazis began ordering all Jews to

live within certain, very specific, areas of big cities, called ghettos. • Jews were forced out of their homes and moved into smaller

apartments, often shared with other families. • Nazis would then order deportations from the ghettos. In some of

the large ghettos, 1,000 people per day were loaded up in trains and sent to either a concentration camp or a death camp. To get them to cooperate, the Nazis told the Jews they were being transported to another place for labor.

• When the Nazis decided to kill the remaining Jews in a ghetto, they would "liquidate" a ghetto by boarding the last Jews in the ghetto on trains.

Holocaust Facts• After Kristallnacht in 1938, the persecution of Jews became more organized. • This led to the exponential increase in the number of Jews sent to

concentration camps. Life within Nazi concentration camps was horrible. • Prisoners were forced to do hard physical labor and yet given tiny rations• Prisoners slept three or more people per crowded wooden bunk (no

mattress or pillow). • At a number of Nazi concentration camps, Nazi doctors conducted medical

experiments on prisoners against their will. • Prisoners transported to these extermination camps were told to undress to

take a shower. Rather than a shower, the prisoners were herded into gas chambers and killed.

• Auschwitz was the largest concentration and extermination camp built. It is estimated that 1.1 million people were killed at Auschwitz.

Condemned• Jewish• Political opponents• Journalists who spoke out against Hitler• Gypsies• Jehovah’s witnesses• Homosexuals• Beggars• Drunkards• Conscientious objectors• Physically disabled• Mentally disabled

Camps

1. Transit -Set up in occupied areas-Holding place until prisoners were sent to

extermination or work camps2. Work

-14 million people forced to work-Men and women who were fit to work

3. Extermination-6 camps all on Polish soil

The Final Solution

• Code name given for the murder of all Jews in Europe

Survivors

Open Awareness• Openly admitted to being a

Jewish person or other condemned individual

• Survived in the camps

Closed Awareness• Hid the fact that they were

Jewish or other condemned individual

• Needed the assistance of other citizens

Victims, Perpetrators, Bystanders, Rescuers

Victims• Millions were victimized by the Nazis

Perpetrators• Hitler created an atmosphere of terror that was maintained by force

Bystanders• Throughout the world, many stood by and watched – did nothing

Rescuers• hid victims, helped them escape

Holocaust by the numbers

• 2/3 of all Jewish people living in Europe were killed

• 1.1 million children were murdered• 11 million people were murdered – 6 million

of that was Jewish people

Survivors

Free writing exercise

“Survival is both an exalted privilege and a painful burden”

Gerda Weissmann Klein