Before Deportation
Before WWII, anti-Semitic feelings were present in Europe. The Nazi government stripped the Jews (and minorities) of their legal/moral rights piece by piece. Meanwhile, many of their countrymen discriminated against them. For most Jews, the process was gradual. Rights were slowly taken away, and suddenly, it was too late to escape.
Madeline Deutsch describes how her family's rights were slowly taken away.
“Little by little, it became just worse and worse. But within weeks…it was...a matter of weeks. It was the beginning of April. I think we were invaded around the end of March…and in April already we were in the ghetto.”
-Madeline Deutsch (ushmm.org)
After two weeks in the ghettos, Madeline was shipped to Auschwitz.
The year 1938 was bleak for the Jews and minorities. In addition to having more restrictions placed upon them (had to wear the yellow star, weren't allowed in schools/hospitals, etc.), on November 9th/10th, thousands of Jewish establishments were vandalized/destroyed. This massive pogrom became known as Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass.
Marga Randall describes the scene:
"There on the streets I saw brown shirts, volunteer fire people, boy scouts - Hitler Youth they were called - carrying a flame in one hand and a brick in the other. They were coming to my house…bricks were flying, windows were shattered."
-Marga Randall (youtube.com)
Madeline Deutsch describes how her family's rights were slowly taken away.
“Little by little, it became just worse and worse. But within weeks…it was...a matter of weeks. It was the beginning of April. I think we were invaded around the end of March…and in April already we were in the ghetto.”
-Madeline Deutsch (ushmm.org)
After two weeks in the ghettos, Madeline was shipped to Auschwitz.
The year 1938 was bleak for the Jews and minorities. In addition to having more restrictions placed upon them (had to wear the yellow star, weren't allowed in schools/hospitals, etc.), on November 9th/10th, thousands of Jewish establishments were vandalized/destroyed. This massive pogrom became known as Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass.
Marga Randall describes the scene:
"There on the streets I saw brown shirts, volunteer fire people, boy scouts - Hitler Youth they were called - carrying a flame in one hand and a brick in the other. They were coming to my house…bricks were flying, windows were shattered."
-Marga Randall (youtube.com)
Justification
What led to the mass murder of millions during the 1930s-40s? How could anyone bring themselves to support the genocide? The inhumanity of the Nazis was horrific and inexcusable, but there were reasons for their actions. Since none but the Nazis will ever really know, all we can do is speculate. One reason was that many of the Nazis, including Hitler, genuinely believed it was their responsibility to rid the population of its minorities. Some believed that their religion called for the exterminations
Walter Buch, former Head of the Nazi Party Court, claims the Bible called for the Nazis, during Europe's economic crisis which the Nazis blamed the Jews for, to implement National Socialist protocols, some which involved the extermination of Jews.
"Public need before private greed.... So important and meaningful is this phrase that Jesus Christ placed it in the center of his religious teaching. However, since Christ was not a politician, since his Reich was not of this world, he put the calling into other words. He taught: love your neighbors as yourself! National Socialism is therefore nothing new, nothing that a person after much consideration would not come upon as the solution to the economic plight of the Germans. "
-Walter Buch (nobeliefs.com)
When Buch refers to neighbors, it's important to remember that the Nazis didn't consider Jews neighbors, or even humans.
It's difficult for people today to believe they'd ever be capable of supporting something so horrific. The millions of Nazis/supporters weren't inherently bad people. Many (if not most) knew exactly what was going on and for some reason, (Jew did something bad to them, they were raised anti-Semitic, etc.) they still supported/contributed to the genocide. They believed it was their responsibility to take basic rights from the Jews.
Walter Buch, former Head of the Nazi Party Court, claims the Bible called for the Nazis, during Europe's economic crisis which the Nazis blamed the Jews for, to implement National Socialist protocols, some which involved the extermination of Jews.
"Public need before private greed.... So important and meaningful is this phrase that Jesus Christ placed it in the center of his religious teaching. However, since Christ was not a politician, since his Reich was not of this world, he put the calling into other words. He taught: love your neighbors as yourself! National Socialism is therefore nothing new, nothing that a person after much consideration would not come upon as the solution to the economic plight of the Germans. "
-Walter Buch (nobeliefs.com)
When Buch refers to neighbors, it's important to remember that the Nazis didn't consider Jews neighbors, or even humans.
It's difficult for people today to believe they'd ever be capable of supporting something so horrific. The millions of Nazis/supporters weren't inherently bad people. Many (if not most) knew exactly what was going on and for some reason, (Jew did something bad to them, they were raised anti-Semitic, etc.) they still supported/contributed to the genocide. They believed it was their responsibility to take basic rights from the Jews.