Jews in Hiding
The Holocaust claimed the lives of approximately 6 million Jewish men, women, and children. There were about 1.6 million Jewish children, ranging from infants to teens, living in Europe at the start of World War II. Of these, only about 11 percent survived the war. Some left their homes to seek refuge in other countries. Many parents chose to hide their children in order to save them.
Hiding a child was much less difficult than hiding an adult. Unlike adults, children were not required to carry any forms of identification. In addition, they could easily blend in with the groups of non-Jewish children who became orphans of war.
In most cases, arrangements to hide these children were made through personal contacts. Some non-Jews, motivated by moral concern and good will, risked their lives in order to save the lives of Jewish children. They later became known as "righteous Gentiles.”
Hiding places for Jewish children included convents, boarding schools, and orphanages. These places were often located far from the children's homes. Being sent to these hiding places was a terrifying experience for children -- they were made to travel under difficult conditions to unknown destinations. Yet, they were aware that they were in danger, and leaving their families and homes would save their lives.
Those who were most visible had to give up their Jewish identities by changing their names and converting to Christianity, at least temporarily, to avoid being discovered by the Nazis. They had to be extremely cautious in their everyday lives, not speaking of their past or their families for fear they might reveal that they were Jewish.
About life and treatment in death camps and concentration camps
Hitler’s anti-Semitism grew out of resentment for the German loss of World War I. He blamed the Jews of Europe for Germany’s defeat in the war. Hitler also used the Jews as scapegoats for all the problems that Germany was facing in the 1920s and 1930s, such as unemployment, poverty, and starvation caused by massive inflation, and later, the Great Depression.
In order to deport the Jews, the Nazis often led them to believe that they were merely being moved to a different place where life would be better for them. The reality of the situation was that Jews were put on trains that sent them to either concentration camps or death camps. The trains were filthy freight and cattle cars and were horribly crowded. Many people died in the trains before they even reached the camps.
The Nazis built two types of camps: concentration/labor camps and death camps. In concentration camps, prisoners were forced to become hard laborers and were given very little to eat. They were forced to wear striped uniforms and armbands or labels to identify the type of prisoners that they were. The different colors of the bands represented different groups of people. Due to disease, starvation, and harsh treatment by the Nazis, most people died in the concentration camps or were deported to death camps where they met with the same fate.
The **Holocaust** was the systematic annihilation of six million Jews during the Nazi genocide - in 1933 nine million Jews lived in the 21 countries of Europe that would be occupied by Nazi Germany during World War 2. By 1945 two out of every three European Jews had been killed. The number of children killed during the Holocaust is not fathomable and full statistics for the tragic fate of children who died will never be known. Estimates range as high as 1.5 million murdered children. This figure includes more than 1.2 million Jewish children, tens of thousands of Gypsy children and thousands of institutionalized handicapped children.
The Nuremberg Law proclaimed Jews second-class citizens. Furthermore one's Jewishness, according to the Nuremberg Laws, was dependent on that of a person's grandparents, not that person's beliefs or identity. More laws passed between 1937 and 1939 exacerbated the problem further: Jews were more and more segregated and life was made much harder. Jews could not go to public schools, theaters, cinemas, or resorts, and furthermore, they were banned from living, or sometimes even walking, in certain parts of Germany. The Jewish population was less persecuted during the Olympics (Hitler wouldn't want to lose the Games to another city) of Berlin in 1936, however, no German Jewish athletes were allowed to compete.
The period between 1937 and 1939 also saw the economic hardship for Jews increase. Actions against Jewish businesses and properties escalated from boycotts and seizures to destruction of stores and synagogues. In November 1938, the Kristallnacht took place, in which Jewish buildings were destroyed, and Jewish men were arrested and murdered. The riot (or pogrom) came be to known as the "night of broken glass," thus the name Kristallnacht. Over 1000 synagogues were burned, 7,000 Jewish business were wrecked. It had all been very carefully planned by Dr. Joseph Goebbels and other Nazi officials. Thirty thousand more male Jews would be arrested the next morning for the "crime" of their religious beliefs. Some female Jews were arrested and sent to local jails. More restrictions were placed on the Jewish people, making it particularly tough for children, who were essentially housebound.
Jews were not the only target of Nazi persecution despite their status as the main "problem."
The Holocaust claimed the lives of approximately 6 million Jewish men, women, and children. There were about 1.6 million Jewish children, ranging from infants to teens, living in Europe at the start of World War II. Of these, only about 11 percent survived the war. Some left their homes to seek refuge in other countries. Many parents chose to hide their children in order to save them.
Hiding a child was much less difficult than hiding an adult. Unlike adults, children were not required to carry any forms of identification. In addition, they could easily blend in with the groups of non-Jewish children who became orphans of war.
In most cases, arrangements to hide these children were made through personal contacts. Some non-Jews, motivated by moral concern and good will, risked their lives in order to save the lives of Jewish children. They later became known as "righteous Gentiles.”
Hiding places for Jewish children included convents, boarding schools, and orphanages. These places were often located far from the children's homes. Being sent to these hiding places was a terrifying experience for children -- they were made to travel under difficult conditions to unknown destinations. Yet, they were aware that they were in danger, and leaving their families and homes would save their lives.
Those who were most visible had to give up their Jewish identities by changing their names and converting to Christianity, at least temporarily, to avoid being discovered by the Nazis. They had to be extremely cautious in their everyday lives, not speaking of their past or their families for fear they might reveal that they were Jewish.
About life and treatment in death camps and concentration camps
Hitler’s anti-Semitism grew out of resentment for the German loss of World War I. He blamed the Jews of Europe for Germany’s defeat in the war. Hitler also used the Jews as scapegoats for all the problems that Germany was facing in the 1920s and 1930s, such as unemployment, poverty, and starvation caused by massive inflation, and later, the Great Depression.
In order to deport the Jews, the Nazis often led them to believe that they were merely being moved to a different place where life would be better for them. The reality of the situation was that Jews were put on trains that sent them to either concentration camps or death camps. The trains were filthy freight and cattle cars and were horribly crowded. Many people died in the trains before they even reached the camps.
The Nazis built two types of camps: concentration/labor camps and death camps. In concentration camps, prisoners were forced to become hard laborers and were given very little to eat. They were forced to wear striped uniforms and armbands or labels to identify the type of prisoners that they were. The different colors of the bands represented different groups of people. Due to disease, starvation, and harsh treatment by the Nazis, most people died in the concentration camps or were deported to death camps where they met with the same fate.
The **Holocaust** was the systematic annihilation of six million Jews during the Nazi genocide - in 1933 nine million Jews lived in the 21 countries of Europe that would be occupied by Nazi Germany during World War 2. By 1945 two out of every three European Jews had been killed. The number of children killed during the Holocaust is not fathomable and full statistics for the tragic fate of children who died will never be known. Estimates range as high as 1.5 million murdered children. This figure includes more than 1.2 million Jewish children, tens of thousands of Gypsy children and thousands of institutionalized handicapped children.
The Nuremberg Law proclaimed Jews second-class citizens. Furthermore one's Jewishness, according to the Nuremberg Laws, was dependent on that of a person's grandparents, not that person's beliefs or identity. More laws passed between 1937 and 1939 exacerbated the problem further: Jews were more and more segregated and life was made much harder. Jews could not go to public schools, theaters, cinemas, or resorts, and furthermore, they were banned from living, or sometimes even walking, in certain parts of Germany. The Jewish population was less persecuted during the Olympics (Hitler wouldn't want to lose the Games to another city) of Berlin in 1936, however, no German Jewish athletes were allowed to compete.
The period between 1937 and 1939 also saw the economic hardship for Jews increase. Actions against Jewish businesses and properties escalated from boycotts and seizures to destruction of stores and synagogues. In November 1938, the Kristallnacht took place, in which Jewish buildings were destroyed, and Jewish men were arrested and murdered. The riot (or pogrom) came be to known as the "night of broken glass," thus the name Kristallnacht. Over 1000 synagogues were burned, 7,000 Jewish business were wrecked. It had all been very carefully planned by Dr. Joseph Goebbels and other Nazi officials. Thirty thousand more male Jews would be arrested the next morning for the "crime" of their religious beliefs. Some female Jews were arrested and sent to local jails. More restrictions were placed on the Jewish people, making it particularly tough for children, who were essentially housebound.
Jews were not the only target of Nazi persecution despite their status as the main "problem."