Jewish Persecution was most prominent in the time period of 1932-1945. During this time, almost every two out of three European Jews were killed. In total, it is estimated that over six million Jews lost their lives. The following report is a reaction document that follows key events in the events that occurred during the holocaust.
November 10, 1938, 1:20 A.M., an urgent memo was sent out to all stations of the state police. It was sent by the head of the SS’s Security Service, Reinhard Heydrich. Enclosed were instructions to destroy Jewish synagogues and businesses’ and avoid damaging German property. It was a direct order to burn down Jewish establishments. However, this program was largely un-effective as the excess of violence displayed, drew protest from within Germany itself. This form of persecution is a very emotional one. It leaves the victim with feelings of grief, despair, and lost. If one were to put themselves in that position, you can infer a sense of true pain and suffering. All of your hard work, burned down to the ground. Even with all this however, this atrocity was only a small part of the Jewish Persecution.
When the SS captured and imprisoned the Jewish people, much damage was inflicted upon their physical selves, and emotional states. Perhaps though, in most concentration camps, more emphasis was placed on the physical inflictions. In Third Reich, medicinally wicked experiments took place in the death camps. Mainly, these actions were perpetrated unto the Jewish Children. Examples of these experiments are vast, such as: Nerve Regeneration, Bone Transplantation, Epidemic Jaundice, Incendiary Bombs and other Munitions, and most prominently, Mustard Gas. The main practitioners who committed these atrocities were Karl Brandt, Carl Clauberg, Aribert Heim, August Hirt, Johann Kremer, Maria Mandel, Josef Mengele, Herta Oberheuser, and Horst Schumann. These men had been under the Nazi regime and as such, they were willing to do anything for their cause. Murder without hesitance, was commonplace. Karl Brandt, perhaps the most famous Nazi in the medical field, was appointed Reich Commissioner for Sanitation and Health, ranked as the highest Reich authority. He was permitted to issue instructions to the medical organizations of the government, to the party, and the armed forces, in the field of health. This position was what allowed him to continue such monstrous tasks. His authority on the matter was fierce, and this confidence made his demands almost unquestionable, making him a figure that would not be taken down so easily.
The Einstazgruppen were mobile death squadrons, who were under the command of Reinhard Heynrich. They were tasked with expunging any enemies of the Third Reich. These included the Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses and many others. Following regular army advances into enemy territory, the Einstazgruppen collected political enemies and dispatched them. In total, they killed almost one million Jews.
Jewish Resistance to the Holocaust is a rather complex topic. Most people did not understand the situation well enough until they were already locked into the gas chambers.
Those who did fully understand, usually committed suicide, which in a way is a form of resistance. Although there were small armed resistances, much of it was done without weapons. Even amidst the despair, much of the Jewish culture sustained itself. Many content creators maintained small social gatherings in the home of their neighbors and families as there was a late night curfew in place at the time. They played cards, danced and even sang. Even some spirituality remained. Synagogue services, although condemned, were routinely conducted. Simple sabotage was one of the many ways the Jews had resisted the authority of the Nazi party. In many ghettos, armed resistance was plentiful such as in the Warsaw or Bialystok Ghettos. This wasn’t isolated to just the ghettos however; these incidents also
