The holocaust

• What is Genocide?

  • Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group. Genocide often begins with dehumanization, treating people as less human.
• The Holocaust

  • Anti-Semitism: Hatred or prejudice against Jewish people, traceable back to ancient times, became extreme under Nazi Germany.
  • Aryans: Nazis claimed Germans and Nordic peoples were a superior race, considering Jews inferior.
  • Mein Kampf: Hitler’s manifesto declared Jews a threat to Germany.
• • Nuremberg Laws (1935): Stripped Jews of citizenship, voting rights, property ownership, job opportunities, and the right to marry or have relationships with non-Jews.
  • Star of David: Jews had to wear it on their clothing.
  • Kristallnacht (1938): Nazis attacked Jewish synagogues, homes, and businesses, killing at least 100 Jews and arresting 30,000.
• Jewish Ghettos

  • Ghettos: Over 400 ghettos were established, forcing Jews into segregated, overcrowded areas with high mortality rates due to disease and starvation.
  • First Ghetto: Set up in Łódź, Poland, on 8th February 1940.
  • Ghettos facilitated control and later deportation to concentration camps.
• The Einsatzgruppen and the Final Solution

  • Einsatzgruppen: Mobile killing squads followed the German army east, executing about 1.3 million Jews.
  • The Final Solution (1942): The Nazis' plan to exterminate Jews, led by Heinrich Himmler. Ghettos were emptied, and Jews were deported to concentration camps.
• Concentration Camps

  • Labor Camps: Since 1933, labor camps existed; the first was Dachau. There were 22 labor camps across Europe.
  • Extermination Camps: Six camps (Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor, Treblinka) were built for mass murder, primarily outside Germany.
• Life and Death in the Camps

  • Jews were transported in trains, separated, and had belongings confiscated. The unfit were killed immediately.
  • Living Conditions: Overcrowded barracks, forced labor, medical experiments, and gas chambers (using Zyklon B or carbon monoxide).
  • Death Marches: As Allies closed in, prisoners were forced on marches, many dying from starvation, exposure, or execution.
• Liberation of the Camps

  • Soviet Soldiers: First to encounter camps, liberating Majdanek on 23rd July 1944 and Auschwitz on 27th January 1945.
  • Western Allies: British, Canadian, American, and French troops liberated camps by May 1945.
• The Aftermath and Legacy of the Holocaust

  • Death Toll: Six million Jews were murdered, with millions of others, including Soviet POWs, Poles, Roma, LGBT+ individuals, and communists.
  • Jewish Diaspora: Many survivors emigrated to the US, Canada, and South Africa. The state of Israel was founded in 1948.
  • International Holocaust Remembrance Day: 27th January commemorates the victims of the Holocaust.
• Famous Jews from the Holocaust

  • Anne Frank: Died in 1945, known for her diary.
  • Viktor Frankl: Psychologist and Holocaust survivor, died in 1997.
  • Elie Wiesel: Holocaust survivor and author, died in 2016.

  Tomi Reichental: Holocaust survivor who moved to Ireland in 1959