Homosexuals were not only singled out for “special treatment” by the guards they were also persecuted by their fellow inmates. Those who surived were often sent back to prison to finish their original sentences.
Wheren’t the disabled also a target? (Both mentally and physically?) (Mentally ill, mentally retarded, etc) For example, those with Downs Syndrome, or someone born with a severe physical deformity?
Gee, this anti-atheist whining is better disguised than usual. Why do you do this, Champion?
The Nazis had and promoted a euthanasia program for the seriously physically and mentally ill, as well as encouraging sterilization for those people with serious hereditary disorders.
Bonhoeffer, in particular, was not executed as a part of any holocaust. It was because he was part of several conspiracies to assassinate Hitler. An admirable bit of activist theology, but he knew what would happen should it fail.
Yes, but they could renounce their religion.
Jews could not renounce their ethnicity.
Which makes the inclusion of Polish clergy even more spurious, no?. The clergy weren’t targeted, all leaders were, and ultimately all Poles were to be targeted. IOW it’s as silly and pointless as a post highlighting that Orthodox Rabbis were victims of the Holocaust.
Which simply highlights the bravery of the sacrifice and the depth of the commitment. Someone who dies because of a refusal to aid the Nazi cause and for his pacifist principles, when at any time he could renounce that position, is far more praiseworthy than someone who was murdered with no choice.
While 90% of the Polish Jewish population was exterminated by the Nazis, the non-Jewish Polish civilian loss was quite extensive–about 2 million people. At least that’s what Wikipedia has. When I was growing up, the number was given to me as 3 million non-Jewish Poles, 6 million Poles in all. It was common knowledge in my family, but we were Polish, grew up in a Polish parish, and had a close family friend who spent time in I believe Auschwitz (she had a serial number tattooed on her arm, and I think Auschwitz was the only place that did that, right?) and survived. Of course, I suppose it matters how we’re counting those two milliion. According to the article above, about 200,000 ethnic Poles died in concentration camps, as opposed to at least 10 times that many Jews.
The definition of the Holocaust that the National Holocaust Museum uses is esentially in keeping with what Blake has described. But I remember learning about the bravery of the student dissenters in Munich – a small group called the While Rose. They were put to death for speaking out against Hitler and the Nazis. And I first learned about them at the Holocaust Museum. I’m glad that their exhibits are more encompassing than the definition.
As far as I am concerned, it is unreasonable to draw a line and say that this man who was incinerated at the death camp died in the Holocaust, but this woman who died exactly the same way or who was gassed on a truck or shot at the edge of a ditch or who had her head cut off was not a victim of the Holocaust because she was trying to alert the public to the dangers.
Freemasons also.
I’m not sure who it is, that knows anything about the era anyway, that doesn’t know many Christians died for their beliefs. The term “The Holocaust” itself usually refers specifically to genocide against the Jews though.
You should research the French Revolution- that’d really make your head roll. Robespierre flat out couldn’t care less about spilling the blood of the clergy and in fact enjoyed it. On July 17 1794 alone he ordered and oversaw the beheading of 14 nuns and their two servants before breakfast.
“Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest”- Diderot
Not completely correct. Jews who had converted to Christianity (or their ancestors had) before the start of the German Empire (defined as 1871, 3 generations before the Nazis came to power) were accepted as Christian and officially not considered as Jews under the Nuremberg Laws and similar anti-Jewish legislation.
But that’s officially. Apparently, where such families were known, local Nazi officials sometimes managed to find ways to catch them violating some wartime regulation, and ship them off.
And Jews who had served as soldiers in WW I were also exempt from anti-Jewish legislation. (This exception as insisted upon by President Hindenberg; but Hitler rescinded it after he died.)
My relatives complained bitterly that nobody mentioned the millions of Austrians, Hungarians, Romanians, and Serbians killed by the Nazis. Some Roman Catholic, some Eastern Orthodox, and some Islamic.
Perhaps the massacre of the Polish clergy during WWII would be better known today if Pope Pius XII had not been so quiet about it during the war.
In fairness it sounds way prettier and less gross in French.
Doesn’t everything?
I cannot remember what was taught in polish schools, but here in Australia they alwasy taught that “so and so million jews were killed”. There’s never a mention of the number of other groups killed. I know that at least on one occasion my dad was unhappy about the proclemation of “jews were killed” mythology (I call it mythology, in the context that it was not only jews that were killed off).
My belief if that the reason that the “jew” resonates in the western countries, is becasue …
- A huge number of them were indeed jewish.
- The american media culture is (or was) hugely influenced by jews. And a lot of tv in the western world come (and still comes) from america.
All in all, Hitler hated alot of people… he wanted pure aryan. This meant starting off at the weakest point - the jews (they weren’t liked by communists either)… then the poles… then slavs (yes I know poles are slavs)… then communists… then asians (yup, that treaty with japan would have been broken once japan wasn’t needed anymore - hitler was known to break treaties)… then the muslim world… then the rest of the world.
Also, an idea that just came to me. A lot of poles that were marked to be killed off for “being poles” might have been hiding/not following their “jewish ancestry”. When this death data was tabulated these poles were put into the jews category.
But, but, how can Christians feel like they are being persecuted if Hitler didn’t hate them? It’s hard to feel persecuted when you are the majority religion. You guys just aren’t being fair.
I’m glad you said this because I know it is true but I can’t find a cite. That is, I can’t find it now; I have found it before.