The Holocaust

1
The Holocaust

• Examining the Depths of Humanity

2
OVERVIEW

• In the following lesson, you will examine
• Background of anti-Semitism
• Steps leading towards The Final Solution
• Consequences and impact of the Holocaust

3
Reasons for anti-Semitism

• The Jews in Europe traditionally faced
  persecution for various reasons
• Responsibility for Christs crucifixion
• Jewish customs appeared evil and mysterious
• Belief in the Jewish conspiracy
• Association with greed and destructive
  industrialism
• Propagators of communism

4
Forms of anti-Semitism

• Throughout European history, Jews were
• Discriminated against and libeled in society
• Prevented from certain occupations, universities
  or residence
• Murdered in anti-Semitic campaigns (pogroms) in
  Russia

5
Beyond pogroms

• State-sponsored anti-Semitism took various
  forms
• Boycott of Jewish businesses
• Nuremburg Laws
• Social exclusion
• Krystalnacht (Crystal Night)

6
The Jewish Question

• Jews, Gypsies, prisoners of war and the unfit
  were hunted by the SS Einsatzgruppen (Death
  Squads)
• Labour camps
• Ghettoes
• Machine guns, CO exhaust, explosives, fire, axes
  or cavalry charges

7
The final solution

• Auschwitz, Chemlo, Treblinka, Sobibor and Belzec
• Gas chambers using Zyklon B could kill 12,000
  people per day
• Clothing, hair, teeth, and valuables were
  recycled
• Bodies were burned in mass crematoriums

8

• First they came for the communists,I did not
  speak outbecause I was not a communist.
• When they came for the social democrats,I did
  not speak outbecause I was not a social
  democrat.
• When they came for the trade unionistsI did not
  speak outbecause I was not a trade unionist.
• When they came for the JewsI did not speak
  outbecause I was not a Jew
• And when they came for me,there was no one left
  to speak out.
• Pastor Martin Niemöller (translated from German)
  1976

9
Liberation and uncertainty

• Nearly 6 million European Jews and other enemies
  of the Nazi regime had been killed
• Nazi leaders were put on trial and crimes against
  humanity were defined by the United Nations
• Many Jews began to leave Europe towards their
  spiritual homeland of Palestine

10
SUMMARY QUESTIONS

• What were the sources of European anti-Semitism?
• In what ways did historical anti-Semitism differ
  from Nazi anti-Semitism?
• What factors pushed the Nazis towards
  implementation of the death camps?
• In what ways did the people seek peace and to
  prevent future genocide?