The Holocaust:
A Tragedy
1933 - 1945
(a.k.a. “The Shoah”)
u gh” Definition: “fo
pro llowe
ced d ru
“th o ro ure les
s” an
d
The Holocaust was the “harassed,
systematic, bureaucratic, marginalized,
murdered”
state-sponsored persecution
and murder of approximately
eleven million people by the
German Nazi regime and its
“H
i tl e collaborators.
r’s
go
ve
rn
me
nt” We will focus on the stories
of the 6 million Jews
killed, although Slavs,
Gypsies,
“friends of socialists,homosexuals and
the Nazis”
the handicapped were also
targeted.
Watch the stories of these three
Jewish survivors of the Holocaust.
How did they feel toward Germany before
the Holocaust?
• John Graham (1:00)
• Henry Sinason (1:50)
• Margaret Lambert (2:00)
What is a “stereotype”?
A “stereotype” is an
oversimplified generalization
about a person or group of
people without regard for
individual differences.
(List a few examples of both
positive and negative
stereotypes)
Some stereotypes are very hurtful,
but even “good” stereotypes can
cause harm..
“Girls a
re bette
r at c o o k
ing tha
n boys.
”
a n c ers .”
are good d
peo ple
“Bla ck
“Asian p
e ople are
s marter
than ev
eryone
else.”
Nazi ideology had a racial
hierarchy.
(Best)
“Aryans” (Anglo-Saxon/Germanic/Nordic)
“Latin” types (Italians/French Greeks/Spaniards)
Slavs (Russians, Poles, Czechs)
Asians (Japanese, Chinese)
(Worst) Jews/Africans/Blacks
Antisemitism is a name for
stereotyping Jews, an ancient
people from the Middle East who
migrated to Europe during the
Middle Ages.
(The Nazis were anti-semitic and blamed much of
Germany’s problems on Jews. This would lead to the
Jewish Holocaust.)
Common anti-semitic stereotypes
in Europe before the rise of Hitler:
Jews are ugly
and have big Jews are
noses! greedy!
Jews secretly control
the world from an
underground location!
Jews bake bread with
the blood of Gentile
(Christian) children!
“The Jewish Nose is Wide and Looks Like the Number 6”
“The Eternal Jew”
Watch the next three clips. What types
of “stereotypes” and “antisemitism” did
these Jews experienced before the
war?
Henry Sinason (4:40 – 6:50)
Henry Laurant (6:50 – 9:16)
Judith Becker (9:16 – 12:29)
(Why do you think the Nazis
targeted young people with their
racist ideology?)
Read handout:
“Summary of Antisemitism”
end
Event
Year
1933 Nazis open a concentration camp at Dachau to punish political opponents. This is the
first camp in a system that will grow to include slave labor camps, prisoner-of-war
camps, and “death camps”.
1933 Nazis institute a national boycott of Jewish businesses and define who is to be
considered Jewish.[1] Jews can no longer own land, operate newspapers, or
participate in the arts.
1933 Nazis pass a law allowing them to sterilize people with physical and mental defects
1933 Nazis pass laws to send criminals, the homeless, alcoholics, the unemployed,
homosexuals, and beggars to concentration camps like Dachau
1934 Jews are banned from joining political organizations, working as lawyers, or
receiving national healthcare.
1935 Jews are banned from military service. In the Nuremberg Laws, Jews are denied
German citizenship.
1935 Germans force women to abort babies who might have hereditary defects
1938 Nazis encourage Germans to destroy Jewish property in a frenzy known as
“Kristallnacht” (Night of Broken Glass). Jews are blamed for the outburst and fined.
1938 Jews are forced to adopt the names “Sarah” and “Israel” on official documents, “J”
is stamped on their passports
1938 Jews are banned from owning or operating businesses
1938 Top Nazis begin discussing a “final solution” to Germany’s Jewish “problem”. Plans
for Jewish genocide begin.
1939 German Jews are sent to Poland, where they and millions of other Jews are forced
to live in special Jewish neighborhoods called ghettoes.
1939 Jews are required to wear yellow stars for identification
1940 Huge Jewish ghettoes in Lodz, Warsaw, Krakow and elsewhere in Poland are sealed
to the outside world.
