Grammer 1 Greg Grammer Mr.

Neuburger English Composition 101-103 13 July 2011 Nazis views on Jews Anti-Semitism The Jewish people trace their origin back to around 2000B.C. with the historic figure of Abraham. Abraham set himself apart from others by his faith based belief system of worshiping only one God. His descendants would maintain their belief based identity through times of prosperity and turmoil, which included 400 years of slavery in Egypt. After the enslaved Hebrew peoples were delivered by Moses back to their former promised land of Canaan, they resumed their lives in developing and maintaining their own nation state which survived for the next 1500 years. From this nation state Jewish merchants conducted trade throughout the Mediterranean establishing small pockets of Jewish communities as they went. Rome would eventually take control of this small nation on the Eastern end of the Mediterranean. As subjects of Rome the day to day lives of the Israelites experienced change. Two major areas of change came in the form of taxes which had to be paid to Rome and the other was in the form of protecting and respecting the religious beliefs that Jews lived by. These points of contention eventually led to war with Rome by the Jewish nation. The outcome of this war was devastating for the Jewish people. Rome crushed the Jewish uprising in 70 A.D. completely leveling the main temple in Jerusalem. Hundreds of thousands of Jewish people were killed in the fighting and
Roman destruction of Jerusalem Source: http://bit.ly/ojJ5LV

punishment that followed their defeat. Thousands more were enslaved by Rome and forcefully

Grammer 2 relocated throughout the Empire. Still thousands more fled throughout the world including parts of Europe. This number would eventually grow to nearly twelve million by the start of WWII. Many Jewish communities throughout Europe had an almost independent existence from the rest of the population. Even though they interacted with those outside of their beliefs and supported the nation in which they lived, they maintained their own language, had their own schools, observed their own calendar and required their own specific foodstuffs. By the 1930s the largest populations of Jewish people were settled in Eastern Europe, with Poland having the highest number of over three million. Several occurrences had led to the large establishment of Jewish communities in Poland. Two of these very influential things occurred at roughly the same time. The first being Polands declaration as its own independent kingdom which occurred in 1025. This newly formed Polish kingdom encouraged Jewish settlement and supported tolerance of Jewish religious beliefs and practices. Poland also encouraged and benefited from the business and trade practices brought by the Jewish communities. The second big event that led to the immigration of Jews from throughout Western Europe into Poland was the beginning of the crusades in 1098. The major contributing powers during the crusades came from Western Europe and those individuals that were not of similar Religious beliefs were viewed with distrust and often times blamed for the development of the crusades. This increased intolerance of Jewish peoples often led to attacks and persecution which drove them to established communities in Eastern Europe. Rumors and misinformation about the Jewish lifestyle during the Black

plague of 1348-1350 led many to believe that Jews were

Crusades Source: http://bit.ly/dB0pJN

responsible for this mass death. Even foolish lies such as the practice called blood libel, in which Jewish Rabbis would sacrifice gentile children for their blood during Passover, led to an

Grammer 3 increase in Anti-Semitism feelings across Europe. Still a somewhat peaceful existence was had by Jewish communities in Eastern Europe but Anti-Semitism and its effects would eventually find them. In the latter half of the eightieth century the Patricians of Poland occurred in which the polish kingdom was fractured into smaller states. This along with the increased negative Russian influence of using riots to attack and blame Jews for national problems, the rise in power of the Roman Catholic Church and the emerging ideology of Germanys master Aryan race, all started to take a toll on Jewish communities in Poland. Why would the citizens of a modern country like Germany begin to accept the twisted beliefs of a lunatic dictator such as Hitler? Well primarily because of the conditions in Germany at the time of Hitlers political movement. The German people were hurting and left feeling inferior after their military defeat of WWI. The requirements of the Treaty of Versailles were taking a heavy toll on Germany, as well as pointing the finger of

Hitler support Source: http://bit.ly/no9H9a

blame at themselves for their conditions. Economic depression seemed inescapable with no hope of achieving

a better future. The German society was ready for change, people wanted reform in labor and government. Hitler and the Nazi party seized on this environment of change to accomplish its agenda in a very incremental systematic way. Reverend Martin Niemoller put the Nazi approach this way, They came first for the Communist, but I didnt speak up because I wasnt a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, but I didnt speak up because I wasnt a Jew. Then they came for the unionist, but I didnt speak up because I wasnt a Unionist. Then they came for the Catholic, but I didnt speak up because I was Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me. The Nazi agenda initially seemed very favorable,

Grammer 4 almost inspiring to a people in need. It spoke of German people not being losers but actually being a pure supreme biological race. Talk of an Empire that could be achieved to bring Germany back to her greatness of yesterday and beyond. Ideas of a healthy managed economy, social welfare reform, just wage and improved benefits for workers, as well as private property rights all contributed to the Nazi ideas gaining support. The Nazi party really went after and gained support from the working middle class of Germany. Economic advancement was made in quick leaps under Hitlers control. Germany went from economic depression with out of control inflation to prosperity in less than ten years. Once signs of this
Nazi ceremony Source: http://bit.ly/rv4uIL

progress could be seen more allegiance from the people

could be had, until complete devotion was obtained. Of course not all went along with this new direction for Germany at the hands of Hitler, as many as twenty five thousand became political prisoners opposing his rise and reign of power. Once the loyalty of the German people was won over and signs of progress were being seen, momentum for the other side of Hitlers plan for Germany could build to what was thought to be an unstoppable force. Anyone who was not with Germany, or of Germany had to be dealt with. No trust was given to those who were not considered to be of pure Aryan origin. All these inferior races were viewed as counterproductive to the Nazi agenda, and Jews were at the top of this list. They were considered unloyal, inferior and parasitic to the Nazi Empire. All those that could not posses or defend their own nation but instead lived off the progress of other legitimate nations had to go. Hitler and the Nazi party seemed very sincere in creating a strong Germany and protecting its perceived pure German citizens from all threats real or imagined. Upon coming to power the Nazi party immediately

Grammer 5 started encouraging Anti-Semitism by inciting riots and supporting economic isolation against Jewish peoples. Legislation was also passed limiting and restricting Jewish rights, all in hope of driving them from Germany. Hitler began to sink deeper and deeper into his beliefs that the Jews were the source of much trouble for not only Germany but for the world. He was convinced that the Jews had caused WWI and that they would try to topple Germany again with another world war, as they stood back and watched Germans die. This was viewed as a direct threat to the German people. Hitler promised if Germany was attacked it would be the Jews that suffered. After WWII began the Nazi agenda for the Jews became much more aggressive. Promises made about the fate of the Jews if Germany were to have to fight another world war had to be kept. Poland, with its large Jewish population already in place became the receiving center for the deported Jews from all over Europe. Ghettos were the first step in the plan to collect the Jews. Ghettos were a tiny section of an existing city that would be fenced off in order to contain a massive number of Jews. These areas were drastically over populated and in no way designed to support the needs of so many. Starvation was soon implemented by the Nazis. This
Life in the Ghetto Source: http://bit.ly/ecfSR4

only compounded the worsening conditions by weakening the

Jews and making them more susceptible to disease. Hundreds of thousands die while waiting in the Ghettos to be hauled off to one of six death camps built to handle the final solution for the Jews. Leo Bach was one of the lucky few to survive a selection such as this. In August of 1942 the final solution caught up with Leo and his family. At this time they were moved to the village of Vagilika West of Krakow, which it turned out was just a holding pen for the death camps, surrounded by Nazi and Polish police. After several days Leo and his father were fortunate

Grammer 6 enough to be selected and put on a work truck but his mother, sister and younger brother could not go. The driver of their truck said he would return the next day for them, Leo said After this I never saw my mother or sister again. Leo and his father were delivered to the Krakow ghetto were they lived with an Aunt and Uncle that were already there. Leos brother arrived a few days later having escaped the holding pen of Vagiliska just in time to avoid be shipped off. Leo learned later that when the truck showed up at the holding pen of Vagiliska the next day there was a panic and a mob tried to get on the truck, his mother and sister did not make it and were shipped to the death camps. Leo along with his father and brother were able to survive by finding their way to certain German work camps, escaping the liquidation of the ghetto. Upon arriving at the death camps the Jewish prisoners were often formed up in lines and then directed to go either left or right. This selection was based on whether or not you could be used as labor for the Third Reich. Those that were not needed for labor were unknowingly sent to their deaths in gas chambers. Joseph Morton along with his father, mother, five other siblings and a cousin experienced this horrific process. After arriving at Auschwitz everyone that had survived the train trip was lined up and then told to proceed left or right. Joseph, his father, one brother and a cousin were all sent in the same
Gas chamber at Auschwitz Source: http://bit.ly/nN4VGR

direction while the rest of his family went the other direction. This was the last time Joseph would ever see any of the other members of his family again. The next day they received information from other Jewish inmates that had been at Auschwitz for some time about the mass murder that was taking place. After a few days Joseph, his father, brother and cousin were selected to participate in a work detail within Germany. This selection ultimately saved their lives from certain death at Auschwitz. In Germany the group worked at several different

Grammer 7 locations performing various jobs for the Nazis. In the spring of 1945 Joseph contracted Typhus and was transported to a sick camp in Germany. This illness took a hug toll on Joseph who was already very weak from starvation. A friend in the sick camp encouraged Joseph to hold on for the impending liberation. One day the Nazis were to march everyone that could walk to another location. Joseph somehow found the strength to make the march, stating, I always knew and was always told never remain behind with the sick. He later learned that all those that could not travel were killed at the sick camp location by the Nazis. After arriving at the next temporary camp Joseph was so weak that he could only lie on the floor, he said I remember looking up and seeing a soldier but couldnt tell who was who. I think if it would have lasted another day or two, I would have been a goner completely. After liberation and recovering in a local hospital Joseph and his brother received travel authorization to Canada. In 1948 he and his brother were granted permission to relocate to the United States where they joined their father who had recently arrived in Chicago. Unfortunately six million other Jews did not survive the holocaust to be liberated. Those that did, however, still had to deal with the scars of what they had endured. Through this darkness came the eventual establishment of the Nation of Israel once more. After WWII the remaining displaced European Jews were eventually relocated by order of a United
Israel Independence 1948 Source: http://bit.ly/pMSnK7

Nations decision to a partitioned section of Palestine. On the 14th of May 1948 the Jewish people declared independence as a sovereign Nation.