Raoul Wallenberg Research Paper

While working at a bank, Wallenberg heard stories of German Soldiers taking Jews as prisoners. In the early 1940’s he took a job at a Jewish-owned food exporting company. The owner could not safely travel for business, so Wallenberg took his place. By going on these trips he become familiar with Stockholm,

The article ‘Teens against Hitler ', by Lauren Tarshis, Describes the hardships and courageous acts of Ben Kamm, a Jewish ‘Partisan’ or fighter against Adolf Hitler during the Holocaust, and all Jews who faced the challenges during that tragic time. The Jewish only wanted a normal life, but German leader, Adolf Hitler, wanted to make sure all Jew would perish. So, they began piling Jews into concentration camps to kill them, Hitler would work them to death, starve them, and even murder them in gas chambers. Then, The ‘Partisans’ began to fight against Hitler and his army. This act of courage, despite the challenges and risks they faced, help many Jews survive the most horrific event in history, The Holocaust.

Samuel Willenberg, the last survivor of Treblinka, the Nazi death camp where 875,000 people were murdered including his two sisters, has died in Israel at the age of 93. Treblinka is unlike other camps where some Jews were assigned to work before being killed. Nearly all Jews brought to Treblinka were immediately gassed. Usually only young men like Willenberg, who was 20 at the time were spared from immediate death and were told to work instead.

“The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people”. (Thought for Today) Napoleon spoke those exact words. Jews never deserved the punishment they received. Victor Rona was put in labor camps and received numerous punishments from the Jews during the Holocaust. Victor Roana had a loving family. His life dramatically changed from before the Holocaust to during the Holocaust. The life at labor camps was grueling. Many victims suffered from this devastating time.

My goal with my research is to look into the resistance of both the Jewish people and the others in European society who assisted in Jewish escapes. The perceived image of the Jews during the Holocaust is of “lambs to the slaughter.” The pictured painted of the rest of European society is one of either knowing accomplices or silent spectators. The Jewish people had many forms of resistance, some small and some large. While many of their neighbors were silent spectators, but many people were actively resisting the tyrannical Nazi government by assisting Jewish escapes. Each of these individuals risked their lives and the lives of their families and friends to aid these hunted individuals. They all deserve to have their stories heard and honored. In a time of complete chaos and destruction many people would not have the ability or fortitude to save the life of another person. The people that I will discuss in this paper were not only able to take that step, but put themselves and their families in real and eminent danger for the life, at times, of a complete stranger.

was a Nazi member who saved over a thousand lives during the Holocaust by employing

In December 1939, as the German-occupied Poland was being torn up by the events of the Holocaust, Schindler took his first steps in becoming a Holocaust hero. “If you saw a dog going to be crushed under a car,” he said later of his wartime actions, “wouldn't you help him?”(“Oskar Schindler,” Jewish Virtual Library).

Have you ever wondered what it took to be a hero? Elie Wiesel is an example of how you can be one. Wiesel wrote many books to spread the misfortune of the Holocaust. He also taught humanities at Boston University. Before he died he had the honor of being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, in his efforts to void the world of hate and violence. He impacted the world by keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive but omitting the idea of it. In the end, he helped many see the importance of uniting to overcome something so evil.

Eliezer Wiesel suffered greatly during the Holocaust. Many people were treated terribly and they couldn’t do anything. The Holocaust lasted for many years, but for some it will remain with them for the rest of their life.

“Forgetting is something time alone takes care of, but forgiveness is an act of volition, and only the sufferer is qualified to make the decision” (“Quotes”). Simon Wiesenthal took a stand in history by bringing to justice over 1,000 Nazi criminals after WWII (“About”). Although a silent protagonist, he helped the world realize how the Holocaust impacted the millions of Jews in concentration camps. In the short-term, his efforts brought hundreds of war criminals to trial and served justice to those involved in the violence of the Holocaust. While in the long-term, his efforts brought global awareness for the victims of the Holocaust.

As German concentration camps across Europe are being taken over by American forces, the death counts are high, especially for the Jew population. American soldiers are finding over 20,000 alive men at concentration camp Buchenwald alone, but with an estimated 50,000 plus dead. The world is marveling at how such a tragedy went in silence, and millions were killed in concentration, labor, and exterminations camps. The focus today is on one particular survivor, Elie Wiesel. When questioned about the matter, Elie believed that he survived by, “nothing more than chance” (Wiesel viii). Elie Wiesel (real name Eliezer), was born and raised in Sighet, Transylvania, a town mostly populated by optimistic Jews. The Jews, throughout the trials they faced with the Germans, and, “To the last moment [before being transported], clung to hope” (Wiesel 15).

Oskar Schindler rescued Jews from being deported to concentration camps by getting them to work for him. He treated them all very well and they were all exempt from Auschwitz. He got arrested on charges of irregularities and favoring Jews. He set up factories in Krakow, home of about 60,000 Jews. The factories primarily had Jewish workers. He got permission to keep his factories if he moved them to Brunnlitz. There were 700 men and 300 women deported to Auschwitz, when Schindler found out he got them released and sent to work for him. Oskar and his wife Emily both helped rescue Jews. Emily stopped a cattle car with 120 Jewish men in it and she convinced the SS officer that the men were needed for work. As a result the men were sent back to work for Oskar and Emily. Together they rescued over 1,000 Jews.

Elie Wiesel, a famous author and a memorable survivor of the Holocaust will forever go down in history as an important activist. Eliezer “Elie” Wiesel is best known for surviving the Nazi death camp, Auschwitz, and writing the internationally acclaimed memoir Night. Wiesel’s personal experiences motivated him to account for the horrors that occurred during one of history’s darkest times and thus opening the door to becoming a famous spokesman for defending human rights.

There are so many remarkable people who have gone before us and shaped the world into what it is today. With the passing of yet another Veterans Day, people were reminded of the extraordinary sacrifices made by ordinary men and women who were unfortunate enough to have lived during times when their nations were at war. Many ordinary citizens lost their lives as a result of the war, just as soldiers did. While some survivors simply lived out their post war lives, others survived and influenced the world. One person who survived the atrocities of the Holocaust during World War II and used his experiences to improve social, political, and religious conditions throughout the world, is Elie Wiesel. Through the words of Elie Wiesel, the public can witness the evils of war, keep these memories alive in the collective recall of future generations, and take action upon witnessing injustices of its kind.

[War] brings out the worst in people. Never the good, always the bad. Even in the midst the devastation of a national genocide, where one race turned against another in hate, good people existed and worked to counteract the hate through love and compassion. Oskar Schindler was one of these people. World War II provided him the means to become a very wealthy and powerful man, yet he did not exploit the Jews like many other businessmen during his time. He used his money and power to save thousands. Much can be learned from what happened during the holocaust and what Schindler did to save thousands of Jews.