-
Beginning of the Persecution
Shortly after Hitler took power in Germany, he ordered all "non-Aryans" to be removed from government jobs. -
The Condemned
After taking power in 1933, the Nazi had concentrated on silencing their political opponents- communists, socialists, liberals, and anyone else who spoke out against the government. Once the Nazis had eliminated these enemies, thy turned against other groups in Germany. -
Jews Targeted
The Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews of their German citizenship, jobs, and property. To make it easier to identify them, Jews had to wear a bright yellow Star of David attached to their clothing. Worse was yet to come. -
Period: to
Kristallnacht
November 9-10, 1938, is known as the "Night of Broken Glass" or Kristallnacht. Nazi storm troopers attacked Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues across Germany. Around 100 jews were killed, and hundreds more were injured. Some 30,000 Jews were arrested and hundreds of synagogues were burned. After ward the Nazis blamed the Jews for the destruction. -
The Plight of the St. Louis
Official indifference to the plight of Germany's Jews was in evidence in the case of the ship St. Louis. This German ocean liner passed Miami in 1939. Although 740 of the liner's 943 passengers had U.S. immigration papers, the Coast Guard followed the ship to prevent anyone from disembarking in America. The ship was forced back to Europe. More than half the passengers were later killed in the holocaust. -
The Final Solution
Jews also were ordered into dismal, over-crowded ghettos, segregated Jewish areas in certain Polish cities. The Nazis sealed off the ghettos with barbed wire and stone walls. Finally, Jews in communities not reached by the killing squads were dragged from their homes and herded onto trains or trucks for shipment to concentration camps, or labor camps. Families were often separated. -
Death Camps
The Germans built six death camps in Poland. The first, Chelmno, began operating in 1941. Each camp had several huge gas chambers in which as many as 12,000 people could be killed a day. -
The Final Stage
When prioners arrived at the biggest camp, Auschwitz, they had to parade many SS doctors. With a wave of the hand, the doctors separated those strong enough to work from those who would die that day. Both groups were told to leave all their belongings behind, with a promise that they would be returned. Those who were destined to die were then led into a room outside the gas chamber and were told to undress for a shower. Then led into the gas chamber and poisoned with cyanide gas.