The Holocaust

The Beginning of the end..

• Between 1933 and 1938, the Nazis implemented laws that weakened the power of the German-Jewish community.– Jews lost civil service jobs and Jewish youth

suffered humiliation in school.

– German Jews watched as their friends and relatives left the country.

“Aryanization”

• Throughout 1938, Hitler and his top officials accelerated their campaign against the Jews. – “Aryanization” was the first step. In this, Nazis

required that all Jewish-owned companies be sold to “Aryans,” at a fraction of its worth.

– In August 1939, a new law was required that all Jews must have a “Jewish first name.”Why do you think Hitler would mandate this?

Emigration

• Thousands of Jews tried emigrating only to find stumbling blocks wherever they turned. – Their passports were marked with the letter

“J” to identify them as Jew.– Their difficulty in leaving Greater Germany

couldn’t be blamed solely on the Nazis as they were eager to see them go.

Emigration vs. Immigration

Emigration is prompted by a variety of factors, as people leave their country in order to flee a war, find education or job opportunities, or join their family in another land.

Immigration is more or less tightly controlled by host countries, who may be concerned about the effects of a large population influx or wish to achieve some kind of mix of incoming residents.

Think about it…

“Can a state…arbitrarily withdraw nationality from a whole class of citizens, thereby making them stateless persons whom no country is compelled to receive on its territory?”

Arbitrary: having unlimited power; uncontrolled or unrestricted by law; despotic; tyrannical: an arbitrary government

Crisis Begins…

• On October 26, 1938- the Nazis expel Polish Jews living in Germany– totaling 70,000 men, women and children. – Poland refused to accept them.

• Other countries had very little interest in accepting thousands of “penniless Jewish refugees.”

Herschel Grynszpan

• 17-year old Polish Jew living in France– He became angry with his inability to help his

family, so he marched into the German Embassy in Paris on November 7, 1938 and shot a Nazi Official. He died two days later.

Can you imagine what happened NEXT….

“Night of Broken Glass”

• After the shooting, the Nazi’s made it their job to avenge his death.

• On the night of November 9, 1938, came to be known as Kristallnacht – Night of Broken Glass.

– This night the Nazis looted and then destroyed thousands of Jewish homes and businesses in every part of the country.

– They set fire to 191 synagogues, killed over 90 Jews, and sent 30,000 others to concentration camps.

Repercussions

• Two days later, the government fined the Jewish community one billion marks for “property damaged In the rioting.”

• This event marked a point of crisis for the Jews living in German-occupied Europe.

• Kristallnacht marked the beginning of government—sanctioned physical violence against the Jewish Concentration…different from prior discriminatory acts.

Following the Events of Kristallnacht

• Not all Germans acted as perpetrators or bystanders during Kristallnacht. – Many resigned their membership to the Nazi

Party.• Making it clear that they were not objecting to Anti-

Semitism, but to mob violence.

– Others still quietly brought Jewish families food and other necessities to replace items that had been destroyed.

WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?

The Six stages that Led to the Holocaust

Define HOLOCAUST

Define GENOCIDE

In your own words based off of what you know.

Definitions

Holocaust– A period of 4 years (1941-1944) when the

Nazis organized and carried out the murder of 6MILLION Jews, as well as millions of other innocent victims, such as Jehovah’s witnesses, Gypsies, and homosexuals.

Genocide– Acts committed with the intent to destroy an

ethnic, racial, national or religious group.

REFLECT…

Through the Six Stages Leading to the Holocaust, is it possible for these events to take place again? Explain.

Must there be a dictatorship or is it possible under a democracy? Explain.

Stage 1- Definition Jews are defined as the “other” through legalized

discrimination. - Through racism, the Nazis categorized

people into fixed categories.

- The Nuremburg Laws defined who was a Jew and who was not a Jew.

- Through propaganda- they portrayed the differences between Germans and Jews, and the inferiority of Germans.

Stage 2- Isolation Once Individuals are labeled as Jews, they are separated from

mainstream society

• Jews were not allowed to attend German schools or universities.

• Many people stopped being friends with Jews as they were not allowed to socialize.

• Through the economy, Jews were excluded from civil service and Jewish businesses were taken over by Germans.

A motorcyclist on a village outskirts takes in a sign proclaiming “Jews are not welcomed here,” circa 1935.

These storm troopers are outside Israel’s Department Store in Berlin. The signs read: "Germans! Defend yourselves! Don't buy from Jews."

The store was ransacked during Kristallnacht in 1938, then handed over to a non-Jewish family.

Stage 3- Emigration Jews are encouraged to leave Germany. With the beginning of World War II in 1939, the Nazis applied their racial

laws to the countries they invade and occupy. Thus, Jews in these territories also tried to

emigrate outside the Third Reich

• Through discriminatory laws; many educators left Germany due to the lack of jobs.

• New Immigrations Laws allowed Jews to obtain visas, and leave, but they had to leave behind all valuables.

• Kristallnacht encouraged many Jews to leave the area.

Imagine a Jewish household being ransacked. Items thrown on the floor, pictures smashed to pieces and all valuables are being stashed in bags by Nazi officials.

Are you…. A member of the Nazi youth tagging along with the Nazi’s? –OR- A Jewish adolescent who lives in this house?

HOW DO YOU FEEL? WHAT DO YOU DO? ARE YOU SCARED? PROUD?

Stage 4- Ghettoization Jews are forcibly removed to segregated sections of

Eastern European cities called ghettos

• Ghettos were walled off areas where Jews were forced to live. They were not allowed to leave without the permission from a Nazi official.

• Conditions were crowded and filthy. There were few jobs in the ghettos and since everyone had to give up their property and valuables, most of the residents were very poor. Food was scarce. Forced, unpaid labor was common.

Stage 5 Deportation Jews are transported from ghettos to concentration camps to

death camps• The Nazis first built concentration camps in 1933

as a place to detain those opposing the Nazi Platform.

• As WWII began, more were created to detain ‘enemies of the state’ including Jews, Gypsies, and homosexuals.

• Many concentration camps served as Lbor Camps where inmates worked until they either starved to death or died of disease.

Stage 5 Continued

• Because these camps were located away from major cities, victims had to be transported to them via train. Some rides lasted for several days leading to many deaths en route to the camps.

What are some of the reasons why Germans might have participated in transporting Jews to concentration camps and death camps?

Stage 6- Mass Murder

• It is estimated that the Nazis murdered approximately 11 million innocent civilians during WWII.

• People died mostly through shooting, suffocation in gas chambers, and imprisonment in labor and death camps.

• 2/3 of the entire Jewish population was killed by the Nazis.

Expectations of “Pair Share” Activity

1. Form groups- 2. Discuss questions each group member

answered. 3. Share with your group member your

responses/reactions/answers and share and compare thoughts.

4. Individually be familiar with ALL questions asked so you are prepared for discussion.

5. You are responsible for having all questions answered in journals.