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História Ilustrada da 2ª Guerra Mundial #4
Genocide: the Jews in Europe 1939-45
This is an account of the progression of German treatment of the Jews from commonplace antisemitism which was part and parcel of the National Socialist Party dogma from its inception, to the ruthless application of what Hitler called the "Final Solution."
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
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December 6, 2023
GENOCIDE: THE JEWS IN EUROPE 1939-45 gives a brief history of the prosecution against Jews throughout history, culminating with the Nazis crimes against humanity.
Before proceeding with the review, some relevant background should be mentioned. The question may be asked: are the Jews a race or religion? According to the Bible and, ironically, the Nazis, they were a religion based race. The Bible tells us of God's promise to Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the grains of sand. In time God led them to the Promised Land by way of His prophets. They were told that when they obeyed they would prosper and when they didn't they would be punished by drought, famine, pestilence, and foreign conquerors. Some of these conquerors transported portions of the Jewish inhabitants to foreign lands, but in time, probably after repenting, many of them were returned to their homeland. Human beings being what they are, this cycle was repeated over and over again. Among the punishing conquerors were the Assyrians, Babylonians, and eventually the Romans. Unfortunately for the Jews, after their repeated revolts against Roman rule, their country was systematically destroyed and their people that survived driven to foreign lands where they eventually tried to become citizens, for their homeland was gone. For many of them, this was the beginning of The Diaspora. The dream of many was to someday return to their homeland once again.
As they lived in these foreign lands they tried to assimilate with the other inhabitants, but try as they may, eventually they were persecuted because of their religion. They weren't the only ones in history who were persecuted for their beliefs, but according to the author, they were the only ones hated by everybody. They weren't Germans living in Italy or French people living in Poland. They weren't just a nationality, they were a race. They were German Jews, they were Russian Jews, wherever they went, they were the Jews! The author covers the worst of these persecutions through history. As everyone knows, the worst of all was carried out by the Nazis, who tried to exterminate them as a race, not just in Germany, but the world as well.
The author made some interesting observations about their persecution through history.
They were thought as the Christ-betrayer.
The hatred of the Jews usually came from the top (leaders) down.
The Jew haters usually charge Jews with the things they themselves are doing. In Germany it was claimed that the Jewish merchants were charging customers excessive prices. This was not so and once the Jews were driven out of business the German shop keepers could charge excessive prices as their competition was gone.
In a day before social media and flash mobs, Hitler's Stormtroopers were the main source of the 'instantaneous' outrages committed against innocent Jews. They smashed shop windows, burned synagogues, staged protests, attacked and even killed Jews on the street. One such 'instantaneous' response was to the assassination of a minor German diplomat in France by a young Jew that led to the Night of the Broken Glass, known as the Kristallnacht.
These acts of terror against the Jews were carried out at street level by Rohm's thugs in the SA. To quote the author, "The SS were plainly more disciplined, more formal in procedure, in a word, more gentlemanly. Nonetheless, many people realized that in Himmler and Heydrich they had a couple more devious and in the long term, more dangerous than the candidly savage Rohm." Hitler eventually had Himmler's SS kill off the top leaders in the SA, including Rohm. It was the SS, under Heydrich, that eventually ran the extermination camps and the Einsatzgruppen that followed the army executing any and all Jews found in conquered territories.
Continuing with the author's observations.
Jews were often forced into ghettos by restrictive and oppressive laws.
No one from Germany, Poland, and Romania, wanted to accept the Jews, not even their children. Roosevelt called for a conference of 32 nations at Evian, in Switzerland, to try to figure out what to do with these unwanted people, but it was in vain.
The French Foreign Minister said they were thinking of sending 10,000 French Jews to Madagascar but nothing came of it.
Italy had more compassion on the Jews fleeing Germany than Britain.
It was openly declared that should war come the Jews in Germany would be annihilated.
To give an idea of the horror of this Nazi German efficiency of how to kill some 4 to 6 million people, consider the following.
Besides the pogroms and race laws they had to endure, the Jews were forced into ghettos where they were sealed off to prevent the spread of disease. In reality they were to be starved to death. Jewish Councils were set up to keep order and help carry out German instructions in an orderly and efficient manner. The able bodied were sent away to labor until they dropped dead from starvation, sickness, exhaustion, and cruelty by guards. Those they left behind, the women, children, and elderly, were to be transported to the east for 'resettlement.' They were packed in cattle cars so tight they couldn't move. Babies and small children were then thrown in on top of them. Many died on the trip to the death camps for they weren't given any water or food and ventilation was poor. Upon arrival the survivors were sorted out. The ones selected for work or human experiments were the only ones not sent immediately to the gas chambers. Upon entering the gas chamber buildings they were told to strip and neatly stack their clothing and belongings to be retrieved after they showered. They were then packed in as many as 2000 in a chamber. Once the doors were sealed the Zyklon B crystals were dumped down into the chambers. After 15 minutes or so the chambers were ventilated and the crews moved in to remove the bodies. Gold teeth were pulled and the bodies burned in the ovens. All the while the inmate orchestra played pieces by the masters.
The strange thing is, for the most part people must have suspected something sinister was going to happen but they went like lambs to the slaughter. There were a few notable exceptions such as the Warsaw Uprising, but for the most part they didn't resist their fate.
Some of the camps are still there, horrid reminders of what man can do to man. A friend who visited one of these camps said that she felt extremely uncomfortable there. Tour guides usually don't stay on the job for any length of time.
After the war many of the Jewish camp survivors began to migrate to their former homeland. Maybe they no longer trusted those in their adopted countries. Whatever their reason, they were determined to never let it happen again. And neither can we.
Before proceeding with the review, some relevant background should be mentioned. The question may be asked: are the Jews a race or religion? According to the Bible and, ironically, the Nazis, they were a religion based race. The Bible tells us of God's promise to Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the grains of sand. In time God led them to the Promised Land by way of His prophets. They were told that when they obeyed they would prosper and when they didn't they would be punished by drought, famine, pestilence, and foreign conquerors. Some of these conquerors transported portions of the Jewish inhabitants to foreign lands, but in time, probably after repenting, many of them were returned to their homeland. Human beings being what they are, this cycle was repeated over and over again. Among the punishing conquerors were the Assyrians, Babylonians, and eventually the Romans. Unfortunately for the Jews, after their repeated revolts against Roman rule, their country was systematically destroyed and their people that survived driven to foreign lands where they eventually tried to become citizens, for their homeland was gone. For many of them, this was the beginning of The Diaspora. The dream of many was to someday return to their homeland once again.
As they lived in these foreign lands they tried to assimilate with the other inhabitants, but try as they may, eventually they were persecuted because of their religion. They weren't the only ones in history who were persecuted for their beliefs, but according to the author, they were the only ones hated by everybody. They weren't Germans living in Italy or French people living in Poland. They weren't just a nationality, they were a race. They were German Jews, they were Russian Jews, wherever they went, they were the Jews! The author covers the worst of these persecutions through history. As everyone knows, the worst of all was carried out by the Nazis, who tried to exterminate them as a race, not just in Germany, but the world as well.
The author made some interesting observations about their persecution through history.
They were thought as the Christ-betrayer.
The hatred of the Jews usually came from the top (leaders) down.
The Jew haters usually charge Jews with the things they themselves are doing. In Germany it was claimed that the Jewish merchants were charging customers excessive prices. This was not so and once the Jews were driven out of business the German shop keepers could charge excessive prices as their competition was gone.
In a day before social media and flash mobs, Hitler's Stormtroopers were the main source of the 'instantaneous' outrages committed against innocent Jews. They smashed shop windows, burned synagogues, staged protests, attacked and even killed Jews on the street. One such 'instantaneous' response was to the assassination of a minor German diplomat in France by a young Jew that led to the Night of the Broken Glass, known as the Kristallnacht.
These acts of terror against the Jews were carried out at street level by Rohm's thugs in the SA. To quote the author, "The SS were plainly more disciplined, more formal in procedure, in a word, more gentlemanly. Nonetheless, many people realized that in Himmler and Heydrich they had a couple more devious and in the long term, more dangerous than the candidly savage Rohm." Hitler eventually had Himmler's SS kill off the top leaders in the SA, including Rohm. It was the SS, under Heydrich, that eventually ran the extermination camps and the Einsatzgruppen that followed the army executing any and all Jews found in conquered territories.
Continuing with the author's observations.
Jews were often forced into ghettos by restrictive and oppressive laws.
No one from Germany, Poland, and Romania, wanted to accept the Jews, not even their children. Roosevelt called for a conference of 32 nations at Evian, in Switzerland, to try to figure out what to do with these unwanted people, but it was in vain.
The French Foreign Minister said they were thinking of sending 10,000 French Jews to Madagascar but nothing came of it.
Italy had more compassion on the Jews fleeing Germany than Britain.
It was openly declared that should war come the Jews in Germany would be annihilated.
To give an idea of the horror of this Nazi German efficiency of how to kill some 4 to 6 million people, consider the following.
Besides the pogroms and race laws they had to endure, the Jews were forced into ghettos where they were sealed off to prevent the spread of disease. In reality they were to be starved to death. Jewish Councils were set up to keep order and help carry out German instructions in an orderly and efficient manner. The able bodied were sent away to labor until they dropped dead from starvation, sickness, exhaustion, and cruelty by guards. Those they left behind, the women, children, and elderly, were to be transported to the east for 'resettlement.' They were packed in cattle cars so tight they couldn't move. Babies and small children were then thrown in on top of them. Many died on the trip to the death camps for they weren't given any water or food and ventilation was poor. Upon arrival the survivors were sorted out. The ones selected for work or human experiments were the only ones not sent immediately to the gas chambers. Upon entering the gas chamber buildings they were told to strip and neatly stack their clothing and belongings to be retrieved after they showered. They were then packed in as many as 2000 in a chamber. Once the doors were sealed the Zyklon B crystals were dumped down into the chambers. After 15 minutes or so the chambers were ventilated and the crews moved in to remove the bodies. Gold teeth were pulled and the bodies burned in the ovens. All the while the inmate orchestra played pieces by the masters.
The strange thing is, for the most part people must have suspected something sinister was going to happen but they went like lambs to the slaughter. There were a few notable exceptions such as the Warsaw Uprising, but for the most part they didn't resist their fate.
Some of the camps are still there, horrid reminders of what man can do to man. A friend who visited one of these camps said that she felt extremely uncomfortable there. Tour guides usually don't stay on the job for any length of time.
After the war many of the Jewish camp survivors began to migrate to their former homeland. Maybe they no longer trusted those in their adopted countries. Whatever their reason, they were determined to never let it happen again. And neither can we.
October 2, 2025
While I was perusing this at the bookstore alongside another customer I heard his moll say, "not that one, honey. too depressing". What I felt was great respect for the victims and the awful feeling, that never goes away, that human beings, not monsters, not others unlike ourselves, were capable of organizing such horror. Rutherford introduces the reader to a world familiar from the old newsreels and yet strange in its awful truth; the organized campaign to wipe out the Jewish people in Europe, a deed without parallel or precedent in modern history. This is a guide to hell, and the few brief shining moments when resistance was possible.
March 28, 2016
On the concluding page of the book the author warns us that this could happen again:
"It is merely futile self-deception to try to believe it was all the fault of the system. Men pre-dated the system; but for them it could not have been inaugurated. If there was a system at fault it was older than the Nazis. It was the ancient human system of complacency, apathy, moral cowardice, of taking the line of least resistance."
"What men had done, what they had been once, they could do and be again.... The Final Solution has left us permanently suspicious and fearful, for the racial theories which could lead to the Jews being the chosen victim of one persecution could lead to another group being selected for the next."
"It is merely futile self-deception to try to believe it was all the fault of the system. Men pre-dated the system; but for them it could not have been inaugurated. If there was a system at fault it was older than the Nazis. It was the ancient human system of complacency, apathy, moral cowardice, of taking the line of least resistance."
"What men had done, what they had been once, they could do and be again.... The Final Solution has left us permanently suspicious and fearful, for the racial theories which could lead to the Jews being the chosen victim of one persecution could lead to another group being selected for the next."
September 13, 2022
Me leí este libro en castellano e impresiona
May 24, 2025
another good book by Ballantine
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews