The Holocaust Survivor And The Survivors Of The Holocaust

According to the texts and eyewitness accounts, the Holocaust had horrendous effects on the people who lived through it. During this time Jews were being rounded up and put into concentration camps by order of the German government. Writings and testimonies from survivors of the Holocaust are around even to this day. According to these sources, Holocaust survivors suffered tremendously since they were treated as less than human , they lost loved ones, and were constantly abused.

People that survived the Holocaust were optimistic and/or hid but today most are guilty. They have guilt in them because they survived while others were dying amongst them.Surviving World War II meant freedom but many did not get to that point, unfortunately. They were brutally murdered or died either from working too much , starvation, and/ or diseases that spread like wildfire. Unbelievably, smells from the gas chambers, where victims were poisoned with gasses, are still present at concentration camps locations . Many survivors have never been able to get over this horrific event that took place because of the terrifying memories from the camps. Memories of how ruthlessly people were being killed, disgusting food, and the hard work, haunt

From 1933 to 1945, millions of lives were thrown into chaos because of the Holocaust. Families were ripped apart and values were washed away as citizens were forcefully placed in concentration camps to either be immediately killed or to work until they died. Every person within the camps faced unthinkable trauma. Once everyone was released, the prisoners began to search for lost loved ones and a sense of normality. However, the anguish did not end with the end of the Holocaust. Following the Holocaust, first generation survivors developed abnormal values, societal dependence, and a need to avoid the topic of the Holocaust as an effect of their trauma; these side effects were then passed down to future generations

It was extremely difficult for survivors to rebuild their lives back in their home town. This is because “Jewish communities no longer existed in much of europe”(United States Holocaust Museum). And when the survivors tried to return to their houses most “just didn't feel welcome”(United States Holocaust Museum); “ they found that in many cases, their homes had been looted or taken over by others”(United States Holocaust Museum). On top of their houses often being stolen from their possession, there had been “anti-Jewish riots [that] broke out in several Polish cities” (Levine). Struggling with PTSD and attempting to find their lost relatives and friends that were more times than not killed in the holocaust, survivors really did not have a place to call

The Holocaust was a system established by the Nazis in World War II as a means to exterminate all of the people which they considered undesirable or subhuman. This included gypsies,minorities,cripples, the mentally ill, homosexuals,communists,and anyone who opposed the Nazi regime. The main target of the Holocaust was however the Jewish people. They were the main target because the leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, believed that they were the reason for Germany losing World War 1 and thus was the reason that the German economy was in a bad state. Vladek Spiegelman and Elie Weisel were to people who were both survived their experiences in the Holocaust and both told their story in books. These books are Night by Elie Wiesel and Maus by Vladek Spiegelman.The Holocaust shaped these two different men's lives in the same way. Through their losses and experiences in this horrific point in time they learned what it meant to truly struggle and this ultimately turned them into better people.

It is amazing to hear from the people who have actually survived the Holocaust. It shows us how much we still have to learn about the world and the civilizations and how hard it is to understand the reason why we do such things to our fellow human beings. "By 1945, two out of every three European Jews had been killed and the survivors continued to be oppressed." (Telles 51) In addition, thousands of political and religious dissidents such as communists, socialists, trade unionists, and Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted for their beliefs and behavior and many of these individuals died as a result of maltreatment.

Elizabeth Feldman –de Jang and Nathan Nothman are both survivors of the Holocaust, but just like every individual survivor, they share different stories. One of the few things that may unite them is the specific fact that they are both Jewish and despite all odds, they managed to survive and share their stories.

Many people believed that the Jews would never survive the concentration camps. However, the Jews managed to stay alive physically and spiritually by working with all the strength they could muster, making the best with the rations they were given, believing in family’s promises, and having faith that they would be free once again. Therefore, people should always stay strong even when it seems like all hope is lost.

During the Holocaust, about six million Jews died. Some were taken to concentration and execution camps, such as Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, and Chelmno. Others were kept in ghettos with terrible living conditions in order to segregate them from the rest of society. Regardless of the suffering, these people miraculously managed to keep their head up and look on the bright side. To some, it may be a mystery of how they stayed strong. However, it is clear that love, nature, and humor allowed human spirit to triumph during the Holocaust.

Many European Jews could make it and remain alive, but in reality, most of them are not really still alive from their inside. It is true that their bodies have healed; however, their minds are still psychologically sick. It is hard for many people to see their beloved ones dying because of the hanger or even the harsh treatment. Imagine how hard was for Vladek and Anja to see their little son Richu dying, and they could not do anything to him. Many survivors had this sense of regret about why they were the ones who get to survive while others died. They could see the images of dead people who were lying above each other. Aaron Hass from California State University, Dominguez Hills, California talks about a woman called Rose who was in her 19th year of age during the Holocaust. In his interview with Rose F., he explains how the Holocaust has shaped her life and personality. For example, Rose states that “I felt guilty for many years that maybe I should have run back and tried to get her [he sister] with me or stay with her. Maybe I didn’t do enough to stay together. Maybe I was too selfish about saving myself” (Hass 163). This shows how Rose could not and still can not get over the loss of her sister, and she keeps blaming herself for her sister’s death. The Holocaust and its brutality are hard to be forgotten by Jewish

In Elie Wiesel's book, Night, the overlap of optimism and will for survival and faith kept many people in the Holocaust alive, including Elie Wiesel. The Holocaust was an agonizing time for many people. It was a mass persecution and murder of 6 million jews and 5 million non-jewish people. Some people targeted in the Holocaust were Jewish People, Homosexuals, the disabled, Gypsies, Jehovah Witnesses, Communists, and Socialists. They were sent to camps most of the time. Those who were deemed fit to work normally would be anybody over the age of 14 and appearing to be healthy, anybody else was sent to be executed. The Elderly and Women with Children had no chance of being deemed fit to work.

To keep your life in this period would be by being able to do hard labour or pure luck. Neither factor of which the victims had any control over. The victims of the holocaust were men, women, children and babies,

Many Jews who survived the Holocaust were forced to change. From the beatings, starvation, and other physical and emotional tortures, the survivors would never be the same. Survivors of the Holocaust tell their stories so we all remember that what Hitler did to the Jews was unforgivable and should never be repeated.

Holocaust: Survivors The Holocaust was a very tragic and memorable experience for Jewish people and others around them. However, between 1945 and 1952 more than 80,000 survivors from the Holocaust managed to immigrate into the United States (Life After The Holocaust, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). A few people include Thomas Buergenthal and Blanka Rothschild. These people were to live each one of their lives successfully even after experiencing the torture of the Holocaust which was like experiencing the pain of death for eternity.

Jewish Holocaust survivors enduring horrendous treatment of the Holocaust, and it impacted the aftermath of the event as well. Because of the emotional and physical trauma after liberation, Jewish Holocaust survivors struggled with rebuilding their lives and adapting to live a “normal life”.