The Holocaust

1. The Holocaust Auschwitz “arbeit macht frei” — “work sets you free”

2. Holocaust • The systematic state-sponsored murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II. • The word itself is Greek in origin meaning “burnt whole.” • In Hebrew, the word is “holokauston” literally meaning “that which is offered up”.

3. Why Do We Study the Holocaust? 1. It is a major historical event 2. It makes us look at the fragility of democracy. 3. It shows us the dangers of indifference. 4. It is a prime example of man’s inhumanity to man.

4. Judaism and the Holocaust • In 70 A.D. there is a break between Judaism and Christianity after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. • Roman responsibility for the murder of Jesus gradually diminishes with more emphasis placed on the Jews as the murderers. • Jews became known as rebels against God – a Race of Vipers.

5. Verbal/Situational Irony • Verbal Irony – when a character says or believes something that the audience know is not true. A character may or may not be aware that his or her statement is ironic. • Example: A slave owner stated, My slaves respect and love me when I discipline them with beatings and starvation. • Situational Irony- when a scene or action occurs that implies a meaning. • Example: A man who is an inept failure in life, envisions himself a hero while he stands in front of the Vietnam War Memorial.

6. Dramatic Irony • When the audience/reader knows more than the character does • Example: In “Oedipus Rex,” we (the reader) know that Oedipus indeed did kill his father and marry his mother, but he does not.

7. Jews in the Middle Ages • Increased anti-Semitism; Jews are accused of the “blood libel” – murdering Christian children as an act of ritual worship at Passover. • Increased acts of violence against Jews in the spring, particularly around Good Friday. • Jews were expelled at various times from England, France, and in 1492 – Spain. • At the heart of the hatred – the Jews killed Jesus.

8. Jews in European Society • Jews lived on the fringes of society. • Anti-Semitism continues to the Protestant Reformation and improves during the Enlightenment Period. • France – the most liberal country in Europe toward Jews in the 1830s.

9. 1933 Germany • Economic depression, massive unemployment, social unrest, loss of national confidence. • Nazis - Nationalist Socialist Party - became a significant minority party only in 1930. • Tactics based on terror, street brawling and thuggery , as well as intimidation.

10. Adolf Hitler • Attracted a wider following as economic conditions worsened in Germany. • Spell binding orator • Skilled organizer • Named chancellor in 1933 with the hope that he would become more moderate in his tactics.

11. The Nazi Assault on the Jews • April 1, 1933 - Boycott of Jewish businesses. • April 7, 1933 - Burning of books. • January, 1934 - Sterilization of those considered abnormal. • 1935 - Nuremburg Race Laws - Jews persecuted not for religion, but for race. • 1938 - Jewish businesses taken over. • 1939 - Census taken to identify Germans and used against the Jews. • 1942 - Jews deported and sent to concentration camps.

12. Existentialism • Philosophical movement that developed in Europe in the 1800s and early 1900s. • Interested in the nature of existence or being. • Grew out of the work of two thinkers: Nietzche and Kierkegard. • Argues that certain knowledge no matter who you are, is an unattainable goal. Nietzche Kierkegard

13. Existentialism • Everyone is a limited human being. • Stresses the importance of choice in creating values. • Human beings can have laws, rules, traditions, and customs to guide them, but in the end, the individual is free to choose what he/she believes. • Emphasis is on freedom and choice. • We are free to choose our own attitudes.