Holocaust Remembrance

Holocaust Remembrance

It is vital to preserve the remembrance of all who perished and suffered during the Holocaust, by stopping genocide in any feasible way, so we can try to make an end to all racism and religious hatred in the world. The design of the Holocaust was initially the solution towards Hitler's malicious hatred towards the Jewish population. Hitler used The Holocaust began roughly in 1938, and ended in 1945. Many speculate as to why no one stepped in and stopped the SS and the gas chambers earlier than what they did. It was known that the American government and many other nations knew what was happening, but they did not inform the rest of their nations. Most Americans heard about the torment that was going on in Europe from European Jews/Gays/Gypsies/Blacks in search of refuge. The Holocaust is the largest known genocide in the history of the humankind. Many consider the Holocaust one of the most significant events in history to be remembered. Remembering the millions of victims who lost their lives or suffered is essential for the future. What is meant by this statement? Some people consider "remembering" as just never forgetting what happened, but that is not enough. Genocide has happened since the Holocaust and it is present even today. Many nations are aware of current genocides throughout the world and rather than acting against these inhumane crimes, they simply turn away. By truly remembering and honoring the victims of the Holocaust, people and governments need to take steps towards finding a solution, as a opposed to just preserving the memory.

Hitler resented the Jews people and used their entire population as scapegoats for his bitterness. One theory claims that Hitler's prejudice began when his mother died from breast cancer while being treated by a Jewish Doctor, Dr. Bloch3. Many speculate this to only be a rumor, because when Hitler began his reign of evil, he never made an order for the arrest of Dr. Bloch. Some believe he passively helped him flee to America. Others feel it began when he tried to be accepted to a popular art school. After applying to the school, Hitler was denied while a Jewish boy, who in Hitler's mind was under qualified, was accepted and the door was shut in Hitler's face. During the years from 1907 to 1913 Hitler lived in Vienna. These years were known as the most difficult of his life. After being rejected to the art school, Hitler's new life goal was to become an architect. His only desire was to establish fame for himself in the field of art. He was twice rejected from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. The second rejection by the Academy was said to be one of the most traumatic experiences of his life. His dream was crushed3. Later he discovered that four out of seven professors that rejected him were Jewish, and he blamed the Jews for his failure. The fact is, no one truly knows who or what sparked his hatred, or if it was gradual build up from his past that caused his malicious hatred. Historians do know, however, how he got the German population to begin to hate the Jews. Germany, like most nations in the world, sank into an economic depression after World War I. Only one man seemed to have a solution to the financial woes of this country. In their desperation, Germans looked up to Hitler and hung on every word he had to say. He placed the blame of losing the war on the Jewish population and the depression on them as well. He used evidence of how most Jews were still wealthy, and suffered far less than everyone else. Jewish bankers stopped supplying money to the German army during WWI3. This caused Hitler to hold the Jews responsible for the loss of the war. Losing the war forced the German nation to sign the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles was devastating to Germany. The treaty only allowed Germany's army to contain 100,000 men, forbid them to have an air force, or submarines. The Treaty enforced by the allied nations, also made Germany give up many territories, territories with sufficient amounts of industries. These industries had greatly aided Germany's economy5. Hitler saw to it that the Jews became the scapegoat for all of Germany's economic problems. Finally, after he successfully brainwashed most of the German nation, he proclaimed his final solution; a solution that ended with approximately 11 million deaths, six million of which were Jews.

The Holocaust began in 1939, and ended in 1945. For seven years, innocent individuals were executed. Many people questioned humanitarian values when realization of the nightmare came to light. Most Americans did not know what was occurring. The American government knew of the Holocaust, but never released the information to the public. The only way some found out was from Jews who were able to escape from the tyranny of Hitler. Betty Fleck was enrolled at Indiana University at the time and was training to become a nurse. She was unaware of what was happening in Europe until approximately 19442. Mrs. Fleck recalled that once the war was over, there was a great deal of sympathy for all of the Holocaust victims and survivors. After Germany surrendered in 1945, many Americans came to the aid of those who suffered. A nation wide organization began to help aid those who had experienced the devastation or had lost a love one. During the five years after the war had ended, Marion, Indiana was able to donate an average of $50,000 annually to the victims of this tragedy2. Fleck's story was very similar to that of a man who lived in Cleveland, Ohio. Larry Rubinstein recalls some Jews at his synagogue initially did not believe what was happening in Europe; the idea that someone would or could ever do this was simply preposterous. Sadly, this man was wrong. When asked why nothing was done to help aid the Jews during the Holocaust, his answer was much like Fleck's that no one knew what was happening. The public was hidden from all of these horrific stories concerning the Nazi's actions7. The Holocaust might have ended earlier than it did if people were informed. For the government, it seemed easier to look away rather than getting involved.

It is a common misconception that the Jews willingly entered the trains which would lead to their deaths. The fact is there were numerous occasions where the targets of the Holocaust fought for their lives against the Nazi's. In April of 1941 the Nazi's faced one of the first and largest resistances, the Warsaw ghetto. Nazi's crammed 400,000 Jews into a ghetto, a city within a city that only had 27,000 one-roomed apartments8. They were also starved. However, instead of giving up, they were brave and fought as one. Thousands of Jews formed bunkers, purchased weapons, and actively helped the uprising. Initially, these rebels