Essay On Ordinary People During The Holocaust

Words: 576
Pages: 3

Imagine being taken from your family and being stripped of all your privileges against your own will because of what you believe in. From 1933 to 1945 this was the horrific reality for the Jewish people during the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler believed that the Germans were superior to the Jewish and that they should be punished for it. As a result, an estimated 11 million people were killed during the Holocaust. Jews were arrested, sent to concentration camps and ghettos, and brutally murdered. But throughout all of these inhumane acts there were many who wanted to help. Rescuers were a very important part during the Holocaust, these people were brave ordinary individuals who chose to help while many decided to stay silent, too afraid of the consequences.

For instance, The small French village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon was the safest spot in Europe and sheltered over 5,000 Jews. Led by Pastor André Trocmé, Magda Trocmé and assistant Pastor Edouard Theis the village started sheltering in December 1940. It almost felt to good to be true for the ones that were sheltered there. The community hid and sheltered strangers in their private homes, schools, and farms and never denied a single person from help. According to Elizabeth Koenig-Kaufman, a former refugee at Le Chambon, “Nobody asked
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The village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, the Danish, and the underground organization of Zegota are just a few of the many that have helped during the Holocaust. All in all, while many people stood in the shadows watching these inhumane events feeling as if it is none of their business or they were just too scared of what would happen if they got caught. There were many people willing to go far out of their reach, risking everything to help save thousands of people, which many survivors were thankful