Anti-Semitism During The Holocaust

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest," a quote by Elie Wiesel. In history we always make sure that we remember what was important, and even some of the things that weren't. This may seem like it doesn't matter, like it's utterly irrelevant, but I promise it is actually very important. The Holocaust was a exceedingly important event in history, it should be known by everybody and every generation, while never being forgotten. This is because it is a significant example of what cruel people can do in this world, it shows us what mistakes not to make again, and it helped our world believe that people can be different without being killed.

Anti-Semitism is known as the hostility and prejudice towards the Jewish religion and Jewish people. Known as anti-Judaism, Jews have been targeted and still are targeted for their beliefs and practices. Jews have been discriminated against for years on end and are often referred to as “the oldest hatred”. In certain times and places worldwide, Jews have been evolved into rules of political, economic and social isolation and have had times of exclusion, degradation and attempted extinction. The degradation of Jews did not begin in the Nazi era, but much earlier and certainly did not end at the end of The Holocaust.

Throughout history, the Jewish people have been continuously at the center of numerous persecution and hatred. In countries all over Europe the Jewish people countless acts of hate have occurred for centuries. During the time of the Holocaust, over twelve million people were exterminated and it is believed anywhere from five and a half million to six and a half million of these people were Jewish. The Jewish people were repeadelty targeted for a number of various reasons.

The Holocaust not only affected the areas where it took place, it affected the entire world. Even though Jewish people were the main victims in the Holocaust, it also left lasting effects on other groups of people. Both, the Nazi and Jewish decedents, still feel the aftermath of one of the most horrific counts of genocide that the world has ever encountered. The cries of the victims in concentration camps still ring around the globe today, and they are not easily ignored. Although the Holocaust took place during World War Two, the effects that it had on the world are still prominent today.

Hate and intolerance cause many bad things, but the Holocaust takes hate and intolerance to a different level, leading to the destruction of nearly sixty-six percent of the Jews in Europe and about five million other people. Hate and intolerance caused families to be torn apart from each other and it killed. Thoughtless actions driven by hate and intolerance have caused many conflicts that lead to the deaths of many people. And, recently, it has even affected the world around us. Hate and intolerance have changed people and the world around them, led millions of people to their death, made millions of innocent people fight against the hatred, and resulted in the spread of awareness and remembrance for those who were affected.

Imagine a world where hatred driven by acts of intolerance completely overflow the earth; in such a world, people would be judged by race, belief, sexuality, and other characteristics that people have. People would not tolerate each other due to such differences, causing hatred to spread. A world like this is truly horrible, as simple acts of intolerance eventually lead up giant catastrophes. One major example of this is the Jewish Holocaust, a terrible, disastrous event that left its enormous mark in history. Simple bigotry and prejudice between people when left unchecked and completely ignored will be reason for immense, destructive events.

If one hates someone or something that means they have an intense dislike towards them. Sometimes this hate can be so large it can be an influence for mass destruction. We have learned, or even have seen examples of hate turning into something bigger throughout our history. These examples include the multiple wars, terrorist’s attacks, and genocides. Many of these incidents were drove by hate, and did not end well. What drives this hate? How can people turn on one another with just feeling hate towards them? The Holocaust being one of the many genocides in our history was indeed influenced by an intense dislike. That intense dislike was towards certain types of people it ended up taking multiple lives.

From 1933 through 1945 was a period of history called the Holocaust. During the Holocaust, people were being killed for their looks, race, and disability. About 11 million people were killed in brutal and tragic ways. Adolf Hitler, the leader, wanted to create a pure race. Racism helped Hitler organize the population into the way he wanted. He wanted people to support the cause of making a pure race. If people opposed, they would be persecuted. Racism allowed Hitler to influence the German people into following his leadership even if it meant genocide.

When WW2 started Jewish people were the first to be targeted and thought to be inferior to others. “The Nazi Party portrayed Jews as dangerous people who were trying to take over the world”(Gale Student Resources,”Holocaust”

Hatred towards the Jews didn’t start with the Holocaust. There is evidence that hostility towards the Jews as far back

Imagine yourself as a seven year old child, playing hide and seek in the neighborhood streets with your mischievous friends and enjoying life without a care in your mind. Where you go to school with a smile on your face excited about what the day has to bring, messing around and cracking jokes with your friends at lunch time, and later on getting picked up by your nurturing parents to go home and do homework and have some family time with your parents and siblings and finally going to bed in your warm and comfortable bed. Now imagine if all those wonderful things just disappeared and the world around you changes in one instant and turns into a fiery pit of hell, where evil men roam those streets you found refuge. All you hear is an unending sound of screaming, crying, and gunshots as mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters are forever separated not knowing where they are going. Anti-Semitism is the hatred of Jews, and it reached its pinnacle during the Holocaust. It’s known world wide as the genocide of approximately six million European Jews. Strikingly, there is a decent number of people in the world who don 't entirely believe that the Holocaust happened as it is documented by witnesses, survivors, and those tasked with rescuing those who survived, and burying those who did not. These people are known as Holocaust Revisionists; or in another term, “deniers.”

The history behind anti-semitism dates back to the early Christian Church in the first millennium. The Catholic European leaders created a doctrine stating that “Jews were responsible for the crucifixion of Christ” and the destruction of the temple by the Romans(holocaust encyclopedia). The Catholics believed that the Jews were being punished for their past sins and for not leaving their faith and accepting Christianity. Ever

Anti-Semitism in Europe did not begin with Adolf Hitler. Though use of the term itself

Hitler and his parties rise to power were not as swift and decisive as many people think it to have been. Hitler’s political career started as a spy in a Munich Beer hall. According to “The Rise of Adolf Hitler” , Hitler went to a meeting in a beer hall in Munich thinking he was going to stamp out a communist uprising he actually ended up being persuaded to join the group after and outburst impressed several members( Hitler Joins German Workers Party). Although unimpressed by its disorganized and small workings, Hitler saw the party as something that could become a movement and agreed with there doctrine(Hitler Joins German Workers Party). After making many changes the party and its meetings grew in size. In 1921 Hitler was named the leader of the Nazi party. However this and the 55,000 members of the party were not enough. In 1923 on the cusp of a terrible inflation and mass hatred for the government Hitler planned a putsch to overthrow the new government and mimic Mussolini’s march on Rome(The Beer Hall Putch). It failed miserably and Hitler was imprisoned. In prison is when he wrote Mein Kampf. After serving 9 months of a 5 year sentence Hitler was released from prison with the goal of not making the same mistakes. He publicly stated that the only way the Nazis would seek power would be through the system(A New Begging). This would earn him much support and as future elections would ensue the Nazis soon gained a large seat in

The Holocaust not only affected the areas where it took place, it affected the entire world. Even though Jewish people were the main victims in the Holocaust, it also left lasting effects on other groups of people. Both the Nazi and Jewish decedents still feel the aftermath of one of the most horrific counts of genocide that the world has ever encountered. The cries of the victims in concentration camps still ring around the globe today, and they are not easily ignored. Although the Holocaust took place during World War Two, the effects that it had on the world are still prominent today.