The Holocaust: A Quest for Meaning

1. The Holocaust: A Quest for Meaning

2. https://www.ushmm.org/confront-antisemitism/european-antisemitism-from-its-origins-to-the-holocausthttps://www.ushmm.org/confront-antisemitism/european-antisemitism-from-its-origins-to-the-holocaust

3. Holocaust was Catharsis but was preceded the Shoa? • The history of the Holocaust shows that targeting an entire group has far-reaching consequences. • It can lead to an increase in xenophobia, racism, and extremism throughout society, with potentially devastating consequences for individuals, communities, and nations.

4. Answer the following questions… • Why watch this film? • How have Jews been affected by antisemitism? What impact does antisemitism have on others? • What is the meaning of “scapegoat”? What do people gain from scapegoating? • What is the effect of hateful images and speech? Do images and words reflect existing attitudes or create them? • (How has antisemitism changed throughout history? What are some differences among religious, political, and racial antisemitism? • Why would political or religious leaders espouse antisemitic ideas? • How is antisemitism similar to or different from other forms of group hatred?

5. Intro into Judaism Ashkenazic Sephardic Descendants of Jews from Spain, Portugal, North Africa and the Middle East Mizrachi: Descendants of Jews from North Africa and the Middle East Other subgroups are Yemenite, Ethiopian and Oriental • Descendants of Jews from France, Germany and Eastern Europe

6. Split • It's not clearwhen the split began, but it has existed for more than a thousandyears, becausearound the year1000 Rabbi Gershom ben Judahissued an edictagainst polygamy that was accepted by Ashkenazim but not by Sephardim. .

7. Slight Difference • The beliefs of Sephardic Judaism are basically in accord with those of Orthodox Judaism, though Sephardic interpretations of halakhah ( Jewish Law) are somewhat different than Ashkenazic ones. • The best-known of these differences relates to the holiday of Pesach ( Passover) .

8. Sephardic Jews may eat rice, corn, peanuts and beans during this holiday, while Ashkenazic Jews avoid them. • Although some individual Sephardic Jews are less observant than others, and some individuals do not agree with all of the beliefs of traditional Judaism, there is no formal, organized differentiation into movements as there is in Ashkenazic Judaism.

9. Sephardic Jews • Historically, Sephardic Jews have been more integrated into the local non-Jewish culture than Ashkenazic Jews. • In the Christian lands where Ashkenazic Judaism flourished, the tension between Christians and Jews was great, and Jews tended to be isolated from their non-Jewish neighbors, either voluntarily or involuntarily. • In the Islamic lands where Sephardic Judaism developed, there was less segregation and oppression. • Sephardic Jewish thought and culture was strongly influenced by Arabic and Greek philosophy and science.

10. Assimilation • Sephardic Jews have a different pronunciation of a few Hebrew vowels and one Hebrew consonant, though most Ashkenazim are adopting Sephardic pronunciation now because it is the pronunciation used in Israel.

11. Sephardic prayers services are somewhat different from Ashkenazi ones, and Sephardim use different melodies in their services. • Sephardic Jews also have different holiday customs and different traditional foods. • For example, Ashkenazic Jews eat latkes ( potato pancakes ) to celebrate Chanukkah , Sephardic Jews eat sufganiot (jelly doughnuts).

12. The Yiddish language, which many people think of as the international language of Judaism, is really the language of Ashkenazic Jews. • Sephardic Jews have their own international language: Ladino, which was based on Spanish and Hebrew in the same way that Yiddish was based on German and Hebrew.

13. Other Jewish Subcultures • There are some Jews who do not fit into this Ashkenazic/Sephardic distinction. • Yemenite Jews, Ethiopian Jews (also known as Beta Israel and sometimes called Falashas), and Asian Jews also have some distinct customs and traditions. • These groups, however, are relatively small and virtually unknown in America.

14. Evolution of Hatred :Life before the Holocaust Kielce's Market: Kielce Museum, Jewish artist P.Schultz

15. What is Anti-Semitism? • Simply put, Anti-Semitism is hatred of the Jews. • The term Anti-Semitism did not exist until 1873 C.E. The term was coined by Wilhelm Marr.

16. The History of Anti-Semitism • The history of Anti-Semitism can be broken into 3 main periods of history: • Ancient/Roman times • Christian/Medieval period • Modern Anti-Semitism

17. Why have people always hated the Jews? • The Jews have always been monotheistic • The Jews have always lived according to their laws and not mixed with others • The Jews are blamed for killing Christ

18. Ancient/Roman Times • Jews were persecuted by the Romans for not accepting their gods • Jews refused to support the Roman government • Jews revolted against the Romans • Rome crushed the rebellion and forced the Jews out of Palestine in 70C.E.

19. Anti-Semitism • Jew as ‘the Other’ under Rome & early Christianity • Persecution during the Crusades • Creation of the ghetto (Venice 1517) • Blood libel charges • Martin Luther • Emphasis on conversion • Issue of Usury ( Jews were allowed to lend money at unreasonably high rates of interest) • Mass expulsions throughout Europe (1500-1900) • Prominence of the Other (professional accomplishments) • Change from Anti-Semitism based on religion to ethnic discrimination

20. Christian/Medieval Era • Jews were hated by Christians • Blood Libel– using the blood of Christian children • Host desecration “blasphemous behavior; the act of depriving something of its sacred character; "desecration of the Holy Sabbath » • Black Death

21. Pale of Settlement in Russia • Est. 1791 by Czarina Elizabeth II, under pressure to rid Moscow of Jewish business & ‘evil’ influence • 90% of Jews lived in 4% of land

22. Pogroms (E. Europe) Yiddish/Russian term for ‘devastation’

23. Jewish Reaction • Sought complete assimilation • Fought to be accepted at local and national levels (e.g. WWI service) • Maintained separate Jewish lifestyle Excerpt: Norman Salsitz, A Jewish Boyhood in Poland: Remembering Kolbuszowa

24. Four-tiered Social Structure Eastern Europe • Poles (Catholic) • Ukranian peasant (Russian Orthodox) • Volksdeutsch/Ethnic German – descendant of German settlers brought in during 18th century • Jews (Yiddish)

25. After World War I • Largest Jewish community was in Poland • Ukraine: Petlura Gang – 60,000 Jews killed • Germany: Weimar Constitution = democracy • Walter Rathenau, Minister of Reconstruction • Jews blamed for Germany’s humiliation • National Socialist German Workers’ Party

26. 25 Point Program • (Munich, 25 February 1920) • Creation of a Greater Germany • Return of Germany’s lost colonies • POINT FOUR: • None but members of the Nation may be members of the State. None but those of German blood, whatever creed, may be members of the Nation. No Jew therefore may be members of the Nation.

27. Adolf Hitler • 1920 #7 in the Nazi party • 1925 jailed for treason • 1925 first installment of Mein Kampf • Marxism & Judaism greatest threats • Redefined Aryan and Semitic • Excerpt: Mein Kampf • 1933 Chancellor of Germany

28. 1925-1933 Germany • Military organization within Nazi party established (SA, SS, Gestapo) • 1926 Hitler Youth • Inflation & unemployment began to rise • 1931 Rosh HaShanah – attack on Jews returning from synagogue; symbolic

29. 1933 • 5 February 1933 Emergency Decree • 27 February 1933 Reichstag fire • 28 February 1933 Emergency Order • March 1933 Dachau opened • 23 March 1933 Enabling Act • Einzeloperationen“individual operations” • Boycott of Jewish shops • Windows marked with Star of David or Jude • 7 April 1933 Order retirement (all non-Aryans) • Sachsenhausen & Esterwegen camps • Jews expelled from Universities (Einstein) • 10 May 1933 book burning, Berlin Opera House • October 1933 Law of Revolution at Dachau (hanging)

30. Jewish Reaction • Despair • Suicide • Some left Germany to W. Europe • 5000 emigrated to Palestine • Others waited

31. 1934-1935 • Intensified campaign to create Judenfrei villages • May 1934 Der Sturmer

32. Attempted legislation to prevent sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews • Redefinition of who is Jewish • New term: Christian non-Aryans • 15 September 1935 Nuremberg Laws • 1. Citizenship only belong to a national of German or kindred blood • 2. Jews were not of German blood; intermarriages forbidden • 3. forbid relations outside marriage between Jew and German • 4. Jews forbidden to fly German flag

33. 1936-August 31, 1939 • Assassination of Wilhelm Gustloff, head of Nazi party in Switzerland, THUS all police power centralized under Gestapo • One of events later used to justify Kristallnacht • March 1936 Przytyk pogrom, s. of Warsaw • Poles would be accustomed to such actions • Palestinian Arabs begin General Strike • Because British allowed Jews to emigrate in Palestine • Hitler into Rhineland (violating Versailles) • half of German Jews find refuge • Polish Jewry (c. 4 million) too extensive

34. The Eternal Jew 8 November 1937

35. 1938 • March 1938 Austria annexed (Anschluss) • Buchenwald opens • June 1938 burning of synagogues • 6 July 1938 International Conference at Evian – issue of refugees & avoid having a Jewish problem • September 1938 Sudetenland to Germany

36. Kristallnacht • 9 November 1938 • Impetus: Grynszpan affair (Paris) • 191 synagogues damaged • Jews fined for damage done Berlin, Germany Dortmund, Germany

37. December 1938 first train to Britain with German Jewish children • 3 May 1938 second ‘Jewish Law’: Hungary • Forbid Jews to be judge, lawyer, teacher … • 17 May 1939 Palestine White Paper • 75,000 Jews to Palestine in next 5 years • May 1939 plight of the St. Louis • 23 August 1939 non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany & Soviet Union • If invade Poland, Soviet Union would do nothing 1 September 1939: Germany invades Poland: World War II begins