Triumphant Spirit

the Triumphant Spirit Portraits and Stories of Holocaust Survivors... Their Messages of Hope and Compassion Created and Photographed by Nick del Calzo I NTRODUCTION he Holocaust, the planned execution of millions of people by the German government, was not an T accident. It happened because people and governments made choices that allowed prejudice and hatred to determine their actions. The civil rights in that society were destroyed and the result was the horrific death of so many people. Only by learning and understanding the event can we become aware of the value of tolerance and diversity and be sure that nothing like that ever happens again. s you read this special newspaper supplement, you will come to know some of the survivors of this A dark period of history. From their inspiring stories you will learn about courage in the face of unbelievable horror. You will also read some of the history of this period, from 1933 to 1945, so that you can begin to understand what happened. The study of the Holocaust raises hard questions and there are no easy answers. The issues are complicated. You may want to check your library or the Internet to read more about what you learn. P REFACE One highly acclaimed witness to mankind’s most days after reaching our shores, they became grotesque episode in recorded history said it best: productive citizens. These new Americans established careers, built successful businesses, rebuilt their “People can live without pleasure but not without hope.” families, and made many positive contributions to Holocaust survivor and celebrated author Nechama the social and economic fabric of our community. Tec summoned these poignant words from the depths These inspiring examples also underscore of her soul after half a century of living with the important values that have begun to fade, but which memories of humanity’s darkest hours. need to be embraced again by all Americans, regardless Yet these nine words have a renewed, powerful of age, religious beliefs, or social and ethnic origin. meaning for the youth of our nation, many of whom These commemorative portraits and stories illuminate have jettisoned any possibility of living a full, abundant the American Dream. As it came true for them, so it life in pursuit of their dreams. Instead, they feel can for the youth of our nation, too. Each person can oppressed, disheartened, angry, and vengeful. Amid truly fulfill his or her constitutional guarantee of “life, this emotional and spiritual fog, significant numbers of liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” today’s youth fail to grasp that they live in The Triumphant Spirit is more than a reminder about a free society, and that within America’s borders reside the Holocaust a half century ago. These images and vast educational resources and opportunities. stories transmit a unified theme of present-day hope, Out of the depths of mankind’s darkness compassion, and tolerance. emerge inspiring messages from individuals Self-fulfillment is achievable for those who had every reason who embrace a not to have hope. personal vision, These extraordinary possess an unswerving individuals are bright determination, take beacons for all humanity, advantage of and their stories rekindle educational resources, the human spirit in each and never abandon of us. hope. These values These portrayals form a rich palette of present Holocaust opportunities from witnesses who came which everyone may to America, spiritually begin to create his or ignited by Miss Liberty’s her own dreamscapes. torch of freedom. Within — Nick Del Calzo 2 T HE H OLOCAUST – A SUMMARY his is a specific event in world history – the planned killing of Jewish people in Europe by Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945. Although millions of other Tpeople were also murdered, including Poles, Gypsies, homosexuals, the handicapped, and others, Jews were the main target and six million of them died. Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933. He changed the way the government there worked and did away with many of the freedoms people had, giving more power to himself and his political party – the National Socialist German Workers Party – "Nazi Party," for short. The Nazis believed they were better than people of other races and ethnic backgrounds and they began to spread hatred about other groups. They blamed these people for many of Germany’s economic problems, and they planned to murder and torture them because of that. H A TRED S PREADS The spread of hatred led, in November 1938, to an attack against synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses, the arrest of many Jewish men, the destruction of many of the homes of Jews, and the murder of some people. This riot became known as Kristallnacht, which is German for "Night of the Broken Glass," referring to all the windows that were destroyed in the turmoil. Part of the diabolical German plan involved scientific experimentation to "improve" the human race. People who were considered inferior – those of other races or the handicapped – were sterilized so that they could not have children. At the same time, the Nazis began to arrest people they thought to be "enemies of the state." They locked people up in concentration camps. The first of these roundups of people began just after Kristallnacht. Many Jews left Germany, moving to Palestine (what is now Israel), the United States, Latin America, or other countries in Europe (where many of them would later be caught by the Nazis anyway). Some Jews did not wish to leave, not wanting to give up the country they had loved and not wanting to lose their families. Some people stayed but sent their children to live with friends and family in other countries, where they thought they would be safe. They did not know what horror was ahead for them and most never saw their children again. THE EVENTS IN HISTORY Some people went into hiding, often helped by non-Jewish friends. They hoped that they could stay hidden from the Nazis until they were safe. Some A DOLF H ITLER hid in attics or barns, closets, or even in holes in the ground. One of the most famous of these people was a little girl named Anne Frank, who hid with her family until they were found by the Nazis. Anne wrote a diary that survived the dolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933. That made him the Holocaust even though she didn’t, and her book has been read by millions of Amost powerful man in Germany’s government. He was the head of the people. She wrote of her time in hiding and of her thoughts that mankind was political party known as the Nazi Party. He immediately ended Germany’s still basically good. democratic form of government and began changing laws to restrict many freedoms, including freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and the freedom to gather in groups. These changes in the laws made life very difficult for Jews. They could not go to public schools or visit certain sections of Germany. Jewish children were not allowed to participate in sports or social events with German children. They couldn’t go to movies, parks, museums, or playgrounds where German children were playing. At this same time, Hitler began to publicize his prejudiced and racist views. He preached that Germans, who he referred to as the Aryan race, were superior to people of other ethnic and racial backgrounds. Soon that hatred spread throughout Germany. Germans claimed themselves to be the "master race" and saw the Jews and others as threats to their power and their plan to rule Europe. Propaganda, or misinformation about Jews, spread throughout Germany, fueling the fire of hatred against the Jews and the others. The new German laws led to boycotting (refusing to engage in any commerce) of Jewish businesses, and many Jews had to quit their jobs. In 1935, laws known as the Nuremberg Laws were passed, declaring Jews to be second-class citizens. Between 1935 and 1939, more and more laws were passed restricting the freedoms for Jews. 3 W O RLD W AR II G ERMANY A TTACKS orld War II began in September 1939, when Germany Wattacked Poland. Thousands of Poles, including Jews, were sent to concentration camps. Thousands of Polish children were kidnapped by the Nazis and sent to Germany to be adopted by German families. Later, when it was decided that was not a good idea, many of those children were killed. As the war began, Hitler ordered many people killed. Those ordered to death were sent to specially built gas chambers where they breathed in a gas that choked them and resulted in their death. These chambers were later used for the planned mass murder of millions of people in the camps. The Germans continued to conquer much of Europe. They succeeded in taking over Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and the Netherlands. In June 1941, the German army attacked the Soviet Union. By that time, the Germans had been joined in their fight by Italy, Romania, and Hungary. This group of countries was known as the Axis Powers. Fighting against them were the Allied Powers of Britain, Free France, the United States, and the Soviet Union. M ILLIONS D IE T HE F INAL S OLUTION ore and more Jews were killed, not just in the camps, but etween 1942 and 1944, the Germans moved millions of Min mass executions. More death and labor camps were Bpeople into the "extermination" or "death" camps to achieve formed throughout Eastern Europe. Underground resistance what was called "The Final Solution." The Final Solution was the organizations, people fighting against the Nazis in occupied plan to kill all the Jews.

Load more