Holocaust Flashcards
Resistance in Ghettos
Underground movements in 100 ghettos, 87 armed. Uprising and escape for Jewish honor. 25,000 flee to forest to fight.
Minsk Ghetto
self rescue of 5000 jews
Treblinka resistance
August 2nd 1943, 1000 prisoners revolt and set the camp on fire. 200 escaped, but 100 were captured.
sobibor resistance
october 14 1943, prisoners kill 11 SS guards. They set the camp on fire. 300 escaped, but 100 were captured
Aushwitz II resistance
october 7 1944, prisoners rebel, blow up crematoria IV. all 600 escapes die. Same event mentioned in Primo Levi.
The Warsaw ghetto uprising
April 19-May16 1943, First urban struggle against Nazis. Jewish Fighting Organization (JFO) and Jewish Military Union rebel. Jewish council looses authority and people take actions into their own hands.
JFO and arms
Had a problem getting guns, polish home army was skeptical at first. Melted any metal for ammunition.
JFO’s first attack
Jan 18 1943, polish partisans deliver more arms.
SS clears ghetto
April 19 1943, the eve of passover. 2-5 thousand soldiers. Ghetto army responds with a systematic attack.
Obstacle for revolt
risk to families, isolation, coordination was difficult. Survival after escape was severly difficult.
The bielski partisans.
After December of 1941 when the parents of Bielski brothers are killed, they realize they must save their own selves and move in hidint to the forest. Build a community of 700-1,230 people.
Armed jewish resistnace
Involved in resistance movements. Finding their own arms was difficult so they joined other groups. 10,000 Jews survive war in partisan units.
Spiritual resistance
struggle to maintain humanity and dignity. Hundreds of forbidden ghetto schools, libraries, documentation of life. Emanual ringelblums Warsaw archive. 600 prayer groups in Warsaw.
Irena Sendler
Made rescue attempts. Smuggled children out of the warsaw ghetto and provided false identities.
Varian Fry
Journalist in France. Saves over 2,000 Berlin citizens.
Denamrk
great survival rate, only 100 perish of 7200 Jews. August 1943, start of deportation. evacuation of 7200 Jews to sewden on fishing boats.
Bulgarian Jews
1943-44, Bulgarian government resist deportation. 50,000 saved.
Italian Jews
More friendly relationship. fascism not based on racial and biological politics. Uncooperative partners of the final solution.
Vatican and jews
vatican allowed jews to be let in. considered a soverign nation, they have thei rown laws and postal system.
Pius XII
criticism the pope didnt do enough to help the jews. Subtle message of warning.
Le chambon sur lignon
french town in vichy france. hid 5,000 german and french jews. 3/4 jews saved.
Kindertransport
1938-40, many forgot they were even jewish.
Bermuda refugee conference
april 1943, deciding what to do with exiles and refugees. very little is done. discussion of those trapped in nazi europe.
- US allows them in
- lift british prohibition
Gerhart Reigner
World Jewish congress representative. Brought together all jewish organizations around the world. Telegram:Wasnt the only one to say theyre sending jews to the west.
Rabbi Stephen Wise
Feb 43, government shuts down channels for such cables. Polish underground reports on BBC june 42.
Jan Karski
july 1943, publicity mission to US. Meets FDR. Informs hollywood of what is going on. US changes opinion when secretary recieves memo to rescue jews with machinery.
Aushwitz/rail lines
400 US rabbis petition for rescue on October 1943. July 1944, American bombers strike buna-monowitz.
Jewish Joint distribution commitee(JDC)
existed since 1914, society for jews. fed 260,000 in ghettos. critical in postwar era.
world jewish congress
established 1936, umbrella group for jewish organizations. Headed by Rabbi stephen wise
Raoul wallenberg
july 44-jan 45, efforts to rescue jews. Saves thousands of jewish lives. Given honorary US citizenship in 1981.
Aftermath
750,000 prisoners still left in camps in early 45.
Death marches
about 50 marches, 250,000-375,000 die. Wasn’t considered a war crime if they died underway. Irrationaly marched them to exhaustion.
Liberation
Liberate camps and POWs, July 44-Dec 45. Soldiers didn’t know what to do when they got there. Doctors intervened to introduce them to healthy diets.
Displacement
50,000 Jews refuse to return home. Harsh camp conditions for DP’sApril-August 45. August 45-47 JDC and UNRRA cooperate to improve conditions.
Kielce Pogrom
July 1946, 42 Jews were killed. 50 wounded. Shocked eeryone that even after everything their is still a polish pogrom.
Beriha escape
movement of jews out of poland and eastern europe and illegal immigration to palestine. Jewish brigade run from end of war on. funded by JDC
Abba kovner
roots of the movemement of beriha in lublin 1944
Jewish brigade
15 palstinian jews created september 1940. brigade established 1944. fight under zionist flag. create dp camps for survivors. instrumental in beriha 45-47
refugee crisis
long term problem, 45-47. US immigration laws were stiff, Truman tries to ease up on survivors allowed in 46. Leads to the creation of the state of isreal.
establishing the state of isreal
Truman urges entry of 100,000 Jews into palestine. Nov 29, 1947, UN vote to divide palestine into 2 new states, jewish and arab. 48-50 mass exodus to isreal.
IMT trials at Nuremberg
Oct 18, 1945-Oct 1 1946. 22 major nazis tried, 12 hanged ,3 imprisoned for life, 4 got 10:20 years.
Nuremburg second trials
1946-47, 185 defendants. The doctors trial-doctors who were acused of experimentation. Discussion of cold war and its impacts.
Controversy of nuremberg trials.
Cant make the law after the fact-designed law in order to prosecute people. “crimes against peace” was vague.
Nazi fate
Escape through ‘rat line’ . ODESSA arranges escape routes.
Alouis Hudal
Bishop, sheltered jews. saved eichmen and mengele.
operation paperclip
1600 Nazis join US military, R & D.
Failure of denazification
west germnay, legacy of war torn country and need of expertise.
Trial of Adolf Eichmen
captured in 1960, after he escaped to argentina. First televised courtroom trial in 1961:world awareness of the holocaust. Execution June 1 1962.
Klaus Barbie trial
France, 1987-88. Involved in thousands of deaths and torture. Conversation on complicity.
