TheHolocaust

ThewordHolocaustmeansdestructionorslaughteronamassscale.
TheworldknowstheHolocaustasthemassmurderofJews.Manydont
knowthebackgroundfactsorthesufferingtheJewishpeoplewent
through.TheHolocausthadaverylargeimpactontheJewishcommunity.

TheHolocaustwasthemassmurderofJewsundertheGermanNazi
regimeduringtheperiodof19411945.Morethan6millionEuropean
Jews,aswellasotherpersecutedgroupslikeGypsiesandhomosexuals
weremurderedintheHolocaust.

BeforetheHolocaustJewswerelivingineverycountryofEurope.
NinemillionJewslivedinthecountriesthatwouldbeoccupiedbyGermany
duringWWII.ThemajorityofJewslivedinPoland,SovietUnion,Hungary,
andRomania.ManyJewshadtheirowntownsandvillagescalledShtetls.
TheyspokeYiddish,acombinationofHebrewandGerman.Jewsworked
asfarmers,tailors,seamstress,factoryhands,accountants,doctors,
teachers,andsmallbusinessowners.Somefamilieswerewealthy,many
werepoor.EasternEuropeanJewslivedaseparatelifeasminorities
withinthecultureofamajority.TheJewishchildrenworemoderndressing,
buttheolderpeopledressedtraditionally.Menworecapsorhats.Women
coveredtheirhairwithwigsorkerchiefs.Manykidsendedtheirschooling

earlytoworkinacraftortradeothercontinuedsotheycouldgotoa
university.Bythe1930stheyallbecamepotentialvictimsoftheNazis.

OnFebruary8,1940JewishpeoplewereorderedintoGhettos.
GhettosaretownsinGermanythattheNaziforcedtheJewishpeopleto
livein.Theghettoswereoverlypopulated,unsanitaryandunbearableto
livein.Severalfamilieslivedinoneapartment.Contagiousdiseases
spreadrapidlyinsuchcrampedhousing.Plumbingbrokedown,human
wastewasthrownintothestreetswithgarbage,peoplewerealways
hungry,theNazisstarvedthem,andtheywereonlyallowedtobuyasmall
amountofbread,potatoes,andfat.Sometradedtheirvaluablesforfood,
begged,orstolefood.Manychildrenbecameorphanedeveryday.They
livedonthestreets,beggedforbitsfromothersthathadlittleornoneto
giveandinthewintersomefrozetodeath.Ghettoswereveryunsteady,
unsanitaryanddeadlyplacestolive.Manydiedthere,butsoontheywould
movedintoconcentrationcampswherethingswereevenworse.

JewsweremovedtoconcentrationcampsinGermanyfrom
19331939.TheconcentrationcampswerecampsthattheJewishpeople
weredetainedandconfined.Theywereheldthereagainsttheirwilland
forcedtoworkinharshconditionsandfeedverylittle.TheNaziguards
killedmanyJewsfornoreason.WhentheWWIIstartedtheconcentration
campsstartedtofillwithmoreprisonersandgotmuchmoreunbearableto
survivein.JewsandnonJewsbegantoentertheconcentrationcamps.
Moredisease,lessfood,andmoredeathsoccurred.

Haveyoueverwonderedifanyonetriedtohelpthesituation?
DuringtheWWII.WitaloPeleckytriedtohelpwhenhelearnedabout
Auschwitzconcentrationcamp.Hegothimselfimprisonedonpurposeso
hecouldworkfromtheinside.Hefoundedasecretgroupinthecamp
calledZOW.Theygotnewfood,clothing,andtaughtprisonershowtofight
incasetheyevergotcaught.HeescapedwithasecretGermandocument.
HegotarrestedandspenttherestofWWIIintheGermanjail.butsome
onetriedtohelp.Ratherthanbeingscaredandafraidtospeakup.

TheNaziskilled5.9millionJewishpeople,and5millionotherswith
gaschambers,fire,starvingthemanddisease.In1945Americanand
SovietUniontroopsenteredtheconcentrationscamps.Soldiersfound
thousandsofsurvivorJewsandnonJewssufferingfromstarvationand
disease.AfterliberationsmanyJewswereafraidtoreturntotheirformer
homesbecauseofthehatred.Peoplewhodidreturnsufferedfromthreats
andviolentantiJewishriots.ThousandsofhomelessHolocaustsurvivors
headedwestwardtotheirEuropeanterritoriesliberatedbytheAllies.They
werehousedinhundredsofrefugeecentersanddisplacedpersoncamps.

OnNovember29,1947theUnitedStatesNationGeneralAssembly
voted33to13with10abstentionsinfavorofthepartitionplancreatingthe
stateofIsrael(JewsinthelandofIsrael).TheBritishrelinquishedtheir
mandateoverPalestine.In1948warbrokeoutbetweentheArabsand
Jews.The1948ArabIsraeliWarestablishedthestateofIsraelasan
independentstate.

TheHolocaustisaveryimportantpartofourworldhistoryanditis
anotherexampleofthestruggletheworldhashadtogothroughbecause
ofhatred..AlthoughtheHolocaustwasadisturbingevent,somegoodalso
camefromit.ManypeoplehaveusedtheimpactthattheHolocausthadon
theJewishcommunityasanexampleofhowourworldhaschangedsince
then.