Abstract This paper contains an analysis of the main arguments and the issues they raise in Martin Gilbert's book about the Holocaust. The paper focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of the points made in the book and includes the author's opinion of those arguments as well.
From the Paper "The author employs a vast number of sources in order to make his book more complete, and to illustrate the suffering going on all over Europe in Jewish communities. He interviews hundreds of Holocaust survivors, who tell compelling and unbelievable stories of violence, hatred, and viciousness so appalling, they tend to run together into a vast cauldron of denial. It is quite clear the author used any avenue available to him to complete his research and find sources for his book. The most compelling sources are those survivors who recount the unspeakable horrors that continued around them until the Jews' liberation in mid-1945. The book is crammed with horrible testimony to the cruelty and inhumanity of the Nazis."
Abstract This paper critically reviews Wyman's book about the United States' failure to help the Jews during WWII. The author of the paper argues that Wyman draws incorrect conclusions from the facts gathered and compares Wyman's book to other books on a similar subject, which the author suggests are much more accurate accounts.
From the Paper "For the past decades, there has been a knee-jerk conviction in the United States that among all of America's many failings was an almost savage and planned program of refusal to help the Jews being slaughtered in Hitler's Germany. It seems a specious argument, at best. Or at least, it begs the question"and one relevant for today, one might add""Who died and left the U.S. in charge of the good of the entire universe"? It seems likely that the same people who abhor our entrance into Iraq, ostensibly to do two things"root out weapons of mass destruction and save the Iraqis from their own leader"have strong parallels with this continuing, albeit low-key, debate about whether the U.S. should have, could have or would have done more to save the Jews. We are regarded, internationally and at home, as outlaws for our activities in Iraq. Positing that we should have acted in a similar manner might well have evoked the same response in the 1940s. It would be difficult to see where the qualitative difference in "shredding" a citizen as Saddam Hussein is said to have done to dissidents and members of the other sect of Islam (not his own) and gassing them is very much different. A monster is a monster is a monster?and a victim is a victim is a victim."
Abstract This paper presents an insight into the Nazi youth movement and illustrates how these children were used by the German military machine. The paper describes how the youth were initially lured into joining Hitler's youth movement and, ultimately, forced by law to join. The paper discusses the role played by the youth in the war.
Outline
Introduction
When Did the Movement Evolve and Why?
Youth Group History
What Was Hitler's Involvement?
How Did They Lure in the Youth?
Who Ran the Clubs?
What Role Did the Youth Play in the War?
Conclusion
From the Paper "In hindsight, we now know that Hitler was obviously not thinking of the young German children as he suggested but instead he was focused on an objective of achieving the ultimate power for himself and his supporters. With all that power in his hands, one question comes to mind in regard to the Hitler Youths: Did Adolf Hitler actually control the Nazi youth movement? Because Adolf Hitler is considered today as having been an absolute ruler or tyrant over the Nazi Party and the German People, it is hard to imagine that he did not institute the programs that led to the youth movement."
Abstract This paper describes the treatment of the Holocaust in Elie Wiesel's "Night", Art Spiegelman's "Maus: A Survivor's Tale", Roberto Benigni's "Life is Beautiful", and Alain Resnais's "Night and Fog". The paper shows how each of these different works provides a unique and important look at the Holocaust, while also illustrating that different genres and approaches can be effective in conveying an event as important and profound as the Holocaust.
From the Paper "Elie Wiesel's book, Night, tells the semi-autobiographical tale of fourteen year old Eliezer Wiesel who is sent to Holocaust concentration camps. Throughout the novel, the author struggles to find meaning in the horror of the events that surround Eliezer. The death camps consume his family, and Eliezer is left with the horrific guilt of survival. He tries desperately to understand how God could have allowed these terrible events."
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes the book,"Night", by Elie Wiesel. Specifically, this paper summarizes the main ideas in the book, the author's thesis, and then provides an evaluation of the book.
From the Paper "The author's thesis and reason for writing this book is quite clear. He wanted the world to know what he saw and experienced as a young boy, and how it colored his world forever. He lost his entire family to the Nazis, and came away from the concentration camps a survivor, but a bitter and disenchanted one, and it is difficult to blame him for his bitterness. Throughout the book, there is a dark feeling of hopelessness and unreality. It seems difficult to believe that anyone could be so vile and so utterly devoid of conscience as to send millions of Jews to their deaths."
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes the topic of survival and the holocaust in literature. Specifically, it contains the response of the paper's author to Dina Pronicheva's account of surviving the massacre at Babi Yar.
From the Paper "Reading about any Holocaust survivorship is demanding at best, because the images of suffering, cruelty, and misfortune are so difficult to comprehend, and to believe. It is hard to believe that anyone could cause so much misery without any conscience, and even justify it by race. It is difficult to believe that an entire race of people was so passive they allowed themselves to be manipulated by a few. It is difficult to believe that women, children, and the elderly were all summarily reduced to bodies and ash, and it just kept happening. The Holocaust was a nightmare for the Jews, it is still nightmarish to read about, and Dina Pronicheva's account is as demanding as any other is, because it is true, and because it signifies the deaths of so many thousands of others."
Abstract A discussion of how Singer portrays the Holocaust and the personalities of Holocaust survivors in his book, "Enemies - A Love Story". It tells the story of the entangled fates of several people who have survived the Holocaust and made it to the United States and to New York City. It explains how Singer manages to keep the book sufficiently neutral so that it is suitable for both Gentile and Jewish readers.
From the Paper "Indeed: in the author's note to Enemies: A Love Story, Singer writes that ?(a)lthough I did not have the privilege of going through the Hitler holocaust, I have lived for years in New York with refugees from this ordeal.? He goes on to state that having said this, he wants the reader to understand that the experiences of the characters in the novel are far from representative of the "regular" refugee, but that, in the end, no one is ?regular,? and everyone inflects the experience of severe trauma with his or her own personality and fate. In other words, while there is no one way that anyone got through the Holocaust, there are ways to speak to and of the experiences of many survivors in such a manner that they are representative and, therefore, resonant of and for large numbers of people, including those who have never experienced such a thing."
Abstract This paper examines the experiences of Allied prisoners of war during World War II. It compares the POWs of the Japanese with those of Germany and gives special attention to the Australians who were imprisoned by these forces. It starts with a general discussion of the circumstances of the war followed by a comparison in the areas of facilities, diet, healthcare, labour, recreation, torture and female prisoners. This comparison is made by looking at examples of the experiences of individual POWs and POW camps and its purpose is to show the reader the variety of experiences and it does not purport to be an assessment of the complete POW experience of the two nations.
From the Paper "Fought on a number of fronts between 1939 and 1945 World War 2 can be separated into three conflicts. The Middle East and the Mediterranean between 1940-42. The Eastern front from June 1941 and the Japanese Pacific from December 1941. The war originally started when the Germans invaded Poland, causing France and the UK to declare war, while the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour incited the USA to declare war on Japan. Australia's involvement has generally been contributed to a widespread political and emotional commitment to Britain. The need for defence from the Japanese if they chose to move south was also a factor and in total 550,000 Australian men and women served in the armed forces."
Abstract Two great examples of far-reaching human rights violations that have been studied extensively are the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany, as well as the violations in Chechnya. These two major human rights violations have been viewed quite often throughout the international community. There have been many hours of investigation put into finding and understanding the origins, dimensions, and outcomes of both of these ruthless acts of violence. By comparing the two, this paper provides insight into how these violations first began and all the dimensions associated with the two. It also provides insight into how the human rights movement began and how it has looked to solve these problems.
From the Paper "The combat between federal forces and Chechen rebels has for the most part ceased over the last few years yet the disappearances, torture, and summary execution of detainees continue. The type of fighting has changed from the classical war and has turned into a "dirty war, where human rights violations and not the conquest or defense of territory are the main goals" (Denber). Criminal investigations into disappearances have been very ineffective and poorly enforced and innocent people continue being severely tortured and killed, and the perpetrators easily get away with it."
Tags: United, Nations, WWII, Hitler, Soviet, rebel
Abstract This paper examines one of the minority groups targeted by Hitler, the "Pink Triangles", or thousands of homosexuals, the vast majority male, who were imprisoned, tortured, and murdered in Hitler's concentration camps. In particular, it looks at how they never received the same recognition as the Jews and other groups and how they were never offered apologies or reparations from the West German government.
From the Paper "In addition, gay men were disproportionately chosen for cruel, non-anesthetized medical experiments, including amputation of limbs, abdominal surgery, and experiments to study the effects of phosphorous burns. Also, the most arduous work in the camps was often reserved exclusively for the homosexual prisoners. At Dachau, gays were assigned the job of pushing and pulling a road-impaction roller through the streets from morning to night. At Sachsenhausen, homosexuals made up most of the work force for the Klinker Brickworks, which was known as a "human death mill" (Rector, p. 136)."
Abstract Nearly everyone knows what is meant by the term "the Holocaust" and about the horrors faced by the Jews inside and outside of concentration camps during this time. There are, however, other facets to this nightmare of history about which relatively few people seem aware. This paper argues that homosexuals, who wore the pink triangles and who were imprisoned, tortured, and murdered in Hitler's concentration camps, are entitled to the same attention from historians, researchers, and the general public.
From the Paper "An informal survey conducted by the author revealed that while all respondents were familiar with the concept of the Holocaust and knew that Jews were among the persecuted, only 2% had heard of or read about homosexual involvement. Statistics such as these are somewhat surprising, considering that as early as 1933, years before mass numbers of Jews were interred in concentration camps, homosexuals were a principal category of prisoners in Sachsenhausen, Dachau, and Buchenwald. Among the first citizens arrested after Hitler was elected chancellor were directors of homosexual rights organizations (Friedman)."
Abstract The paper goes into great detail over whether or not the Grand Mufti Haj Amin El Husseini actively participated in the systematic elimination of Jews in Europe and in Palestine through the 1930s and 1940s. The paper is divided up into three sections that outline events during the Grand Mufti's life. The first section discusses his role in organizing anti-Zionist movements in Palestine upon his appointment of Grand Mufti by the British Mandate. The tactics of workers' strikes and actual attacks on Jews were committed under orders from Haj Amin. The second section deals with his role in Nazi Germany after the British reasserted their control over Palestine at the outbreak of World War II. Specific examples are given from radio transcripts and personal diaries that discuss the Mufti's ideas and rhetoric during this time period. These clearly point to his support of Hitler's "Final Solution" plan to eliminate the Jews in Europe. Finally, there is a discussion of Haj Amin's guilt and the level to which he knew what his actions were doing. Testimony from the Nuremberg Trials are given, as well as aides to former Nazi Leader Adolf Eichmann, who pointed to Haj Amin's actions of drumming up anti-Jewish sentiment as key to the Holocaust.
From the Paper "Appointed as the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem in 1921 by British authorities, Haj Amin el Husseini spent the majority of his life struggling to create a Pan-Arabic state in the Middle East and limit Jewish influences in Palestine. His ideas and philosophies continue to exist in modernity, and his legacy exists in the Middle East as an individual who stood up to the West and attempted to bring together the teachings of Islam with a strong degree of nationalism in Palestine. Notable adherents to the Grand Mufti's teachings were the Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who was particularly appreciative of what Haj Amin had accomplished for the Palestinian people in his lifetime. Haj Amin el Husseini died in Lebanon in 1974, and after his death there was a massive outpouring of support for the work that he had done to bring Muslims together in the region against the West and the Jewish state of Israel. Despite this support by many Muslims after his death, the most dubious interval of Haj Amin's life deals with his support of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime during World War II."
Abstract This paper provides an overview and background of how accusations of Blood Libel against Jews during the High Middle Ages in the European and Islamic worlds were used to persecute them. It also identifies what was the catalyst for charges of Blood Libel against the Jews in the High Middle Ages. A summary of the research is provided in the conclusion.
From the Paper "Throughout their history, the Jewish people have experienced periodic episodes of persecution based on the differences, both perceived and otherwise, between themselves and others, without the need to add any fuel to these cultural fires. When the Jews became implicated in the execution of Jesus Christ, however, they also assumed the unfortunate additional mantle of being responsible for the death of the Son of God, in what many Christians term "Christ-killers." This additional burden has been supplanted by the Jewish people's "blood libel," reflecting the Jews' alleged sacrifice of Christian children at Passover in order to obtain blood for unleavened bread. These charges, and others, were used at times during the High Middle Ages to justify Christian persecution of the Jews."
Abstract This paper explains that people who cannot distinguish between civil obedience and blind obedience to authority can have a huge negative impact on society. The author points out that, when people do not obey the laws, anarchy is created and there is a total lack of organization and control. The paper relates that sometimes obeying authority can get out of hand and become too much, such as a police state, when a country's government uses police to exercise strict or oppressive control over the population, denying citizens their civil freedom as in the case of Germany during Hitler.
From the Paper "As a free thinking society, we also learn when we should not obey authority. The idea of having to obey authority is ingrained in our minds at a very young age. We were always taught to obey and respect our parents, teachers, and other family members. If you want to show them respect and show them that you care, you behave in accordance with their rules and regulations. Learning to show respect to those of a higher authority at such a young age is how we develop into respectful adults. A parent's failure to teach the values of obedience and respect for others is failure on their part to help us grow up to be respectful, obedient people. This can lead to negative results in our future when we have to start being sociable and work with others in school, in the work force, and all other aspects of our everyday lives."
This paper examines three excerpts from the "Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust" by Yaffa Eliach to determine the impact of the Holocaust on the spiritual survival and modern consciousness of the Jewish people.
Abstract This paper explains that addressing the events of the Holocaust from both an imaginative and realistic perspective allows for a better understanding of the experience from the people who were most affected: The six million Jews who were murdered, the survivors and the legacy of the Jewish heritage in the State of Israel. The author points out that the religious legacy of devotion to God and the sacrifices of the Jewish people, from a time-oriented, linear perspective, are described by Yaffa Eliach in the chapter, "Who Will Win This War?" in which she narrates the sufferings of Jewish prisoners doomed to Nazi labor battalions in Poland. The paper relates that the value of a religious education for the devout Jews at Bergen Belsen is reflected in the chapter, "What I Learned at My Father's Home," in which the author describes the sacrifices of one mother in an attempt to educate her children in Jewish law and tradition, even under these deprived circumstances.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Time Orientation of Narratives
Concepts and Treatment of Death
The Value of a Religious Education for the Devout Jews at Bergen Belsen
Primo Levi's Reaction to the Concept of Time during the Holocaust
The Survival of Primo Levi in Auschwitz
A Blessing on the Moon
Conclusion
From the Paper "When the group of Jews refused the commandant's alternative of breaking their observance of Yom Kippur by repeatedly sliding down the mountain on the stomachs, the scene was described as, "At midnight, as the rains abated, the performance was stopped. The men were given food and drink. They lit small campfires, trying to dry their clothes and warm their shivering bodies. Their faces shone with a strange glow as they sat around the small campfires at the foot of Bornemissza. It seemed as if the campfires reflected the glow of their shining faces and burning eyes" (p. 105). This observance of an ancient religious ceremony in the face of such brutality prompted one young Nazi officer to tell the group of exhausted Jews: "I don't know who will win this war, but one thing I am sure of -- people like you, a nation like yours, will never be defeated, never!" '
Tags: observance, education, narrative, time, surviva
