Holocaust Christian Silva

My understanding of the Holocaust is a tragic point in time for the Jews. They were put to death just because of their religion. Parents tried saving their children by baptizing them but to the eyes of the Nazis, they were still Jewish. I knew that these people were sent to camps to work and later be put to death. The leader of the group in charge was Adolf Hitler, who was part Jewish himself. Jewish peoeple were humiliated in public, forced out of their homes, and separated from their families. After watching these videos I understand what kids went through. The diaries they wrote gave me and insight of how they lived and what they did to escape.

How has the Holocaust impacted the Jewish community?

Six million Jews died in the Holocaust. The Jewish population of Europe was about 9.5 million in 1933. In 1950, the Jewish population of Europe was about 3.5 million. The Jewish population of eastern Europe dropped dramatically. In 1933, Poland had three million Jews. By 1950, the Jewish population of Poland was about 45,000. Romania's Jewish population was nearly 757,000 in 1930 and fell to approximately 280,000 (1950). Most of these losses were due to the Holocaust. The Jewish population of central Europe also dropped dramatically. Germany had a Jewish population of 565,000 in 1933 and just 37,000 in 1950. Hungary had 445,000 in 1933 and 190,000 in 1950. Czechoslovakia's Jewish population dropped from about 357,000 in 1933 to 17,000 in 1950 and Austria's from about 250,000 to just 18,000. In southern Europe, the Jewish population fell dramatically. In Greece from about 100,000 in 1933 to just 7,000 in 1950, in Yugoslavia from about 70,000 to 3,500; in Italy from about 48,000 to 35,000; and in Bulgaria from 50,000 in 1933 to just 6,500 in 1950.

Rolf was arrested by a German soldier and was taken away for interrogation. He was locked in a cell by the Gestapo and whipped for hours to reveal his hiding place and the whereabouts of his brother. Rolf held his own, and he was on a train to Auschwitz the next day. Rolf grabbed a pair of pliers from a toolbox in the van that transported him to the train station. He used them to work himself out of his handcuffs. Rolf and his fellow prisoners were able to break a plank away from the side of their cattle car and jump from the train. But Rolf wasn't free yet. On the way to Berlin, he was betrayed, the Gestapo arrested him again. He was beaten so severely that he developed epilepsy. But Rolf was unbreakable, and he had a plan. When he was left alone, he scratched himself and convinced his guards that he was suffering from scarlet fever. The Germans, fearful of catching something, moved Rolf to a hospital. A guard stood outside Rolf’s third-floor room, so he jumped out of the window. Even though breaking part of his spine, Rolf crawled through the city to his old hiding place. His brother was there, and the old woman who had taken them in moved them to some land she owned in Berlin. The brothers were liberated by the Soviets in 1945, and Rolf went on to become an engineer.

I picked Rolf, because his story displayed true courage. He knew the consequences if he got caught, but he risked his life anywhere. It takes real courage to escape from the Nazis, he even succeeded. Even though he hurt himself pretty severely, he crawled his way to safety. He believed that the pain was worth the reward.

When I think of the reign and take over of Hiter, the first thing that comes to mind is Fidel Castro. He was the dictator of Cuba and treated the people there terribly. My dad and both sides of my grandparents are from there, were first hand victims of the power of Castro. They were forced to give him everything they had in order to leave. My grandfather was sent to prison for taking oranges from his own farm in order to help his daughter get better. Even though Castro wasnt responsible for the death of millions, he was still an awful dictator and ruin the lives of the people in Cuba.


Created with images by billium12 - "ja1935aa" • Luiz Fernando Reis MMF - "Fidel cor 09"

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