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The Dangers Of Polish People In The Holocaust

Decent Essays

In the graphic novel The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman, the Polish people were conveyed as “selfish” and “ cruel” for the actions they chose to carry out, protecting themselves before the Jews. I do not necessarily believe the Polish people were as evil as the Germans during the Holocaust, but I believe that in this world no one is perfect. Everyone has done things that they are not proud of as human beings. I am convinced that the Poles are better than the Nazis because the Poles actually tried to assist some Jews by hiding them in their homes. As humans, we cannot really know what we would do in circumstances like the Holocaust unless we are faced with them. People may still judge the Poles for their actions however, they were humans beings making a human decision. During the Holocaust, there was a select few Polish people that were willing to risk their lives and provide refuge for Jews that were in need of harboring. In the article One million Polish rescuers of hunted Jews? by Hans G Furth, Furth discusses the number of rescuers that were executed as a result of hiding some Jews in their homes. According to Furth, “Thousands of Poles were executed for helping Jews”(Furth 230). The Polish people received the same punishment as the Jews when they were discovered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The Poles were murdered on the spot or burned alive with the Jewish victims. During that period of time, Jews were walking the streets disguised as Polish people. A

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