What was global response to the Holocaust?

What was global response to the Holocaust? Sidney Vaught and Laura Nicklas

Retaliation • People would boycott German goods • American press printed sources and articles depicting the horrible conditions • In September 1944, the British bombed factories and the railroad lines of Auschwitz • The War Department insisted that photos of the camps while being liberated be withheld form the public

Why? • The world was shocked at the photographs released of the horror • People searched for the truth; what would permit this horrible incident to occur without anyone stopping it? • They questioned why nothing was done • Why was there silence?

Reactions • US citizens created programs helping Jew Refuges • The Central Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes started collecting evidence of what happened • US State Department policies made it very difficult for refugees to obtain entry visas.

Joint Distribution Committee • The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) • Served as the primary vehicle for relief operations • Helped Jews obtain false identity papers and sent food parcels to those still in concentration camps and ghettos • Brought refugees to Israel and established vocational training centers • Gave survivors and opportunity to rebuild their lives

What happened to the camps after they were liberated by the Allies?

How can we help? • British, Canadian, American, and French troops freed prisoners from the camps • Allied Troops attempted to provide nourishment for the surviving prisoners • Saved as many as they could

Liberation • Soviet soldiers were the first to liberate camps on July 23, 1944 in Poland • Germans retreated the camps upon hearing of liberation, and left behind hundreds of sick and dying prisoners • Germans had attempted to get rid of all the evidence; however, dead bodies upon bodies were evident • The British estimated that of the roughly 50,000 inmates still living, 20,000 were seriously or critically ill.

The Relief • Winston Churchill ordered for Auschwitz to be burned down; his plea was ignored • Medical relief efforts were done by British doctors; the job tended to be very psychologically deteriorating

Where do we go now? • 7-9 million displaced persons were scattered around Europe • Major organizations, such as the Red Cross, helped the displaced victims return to the most normal life possible • Many Jews suffered poverty and disease following liberation due to the terrible conditions they had endured for so long

How were the Jews transported to camps? What were the conditions?

Conditions • Water bucket served as a disposal for human waste • Many died due to inhumane conditions before they even reached the camp • Sometimes too dark to even see • Air entered only through the crack of the train walls

The Ride • Often took days • Treated like cattle • 70-80 people per car • No information on where they were going or how long their journey would be • Usually no room for everyone to sit • Forced to make room by standing with hands above their heads

Life on the Train • Width: 7.2 feet • Length: 26.8 feet • Extreme temperatures conditions depending on the season • Some people became psychologically insane due to claustrophobia

Sources • “American Response to the Holocaust.” History.com. A and E Television Network, LLC. 2013. Web. 16 May 2013. • “Deportation and Transportation..” Theholocaustexplained.org. London Jewish Cultural Centre. 2011. Web. 16 May 2013. • “German Railways and the Holocaust.” Ushmm.com. United States Holocaust Museum, Washington DC. 11 May 2012. Web. 16 May 2013. • “World response to the Holocaust.” Jewish Virtual Library. The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. 2013. Web. 16 May 2013. • “Liberation of the Concentration Camps.” Bbc.co.uk. BBC History. 17 February 2011. Web. 17 May 2013. • ‘1945: Liberation and Rebuilding.” Holocaustchronicle.org. The Holocaust Chronicle. 2009. Web. 17 May 2013.

What was global response to the Holocaust?