http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU6HoDP0YJE&bpctr=1360538605
The author of Night, a book documenting the horrible and gruesome events of the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel expresses his experiences and observations in which he and his fellow Jews were dehumanized while living in concentration camps (a hell on earth). All Jews, as a race were brutalized by the Nazis during this time; reducing them to no less than objects, positions which meant nothing to them, belongings that were a nuisance. Nazis would gather every Jew that they could find and bring them to these infernos, separating the men and women. In these camps, babies became target practice, being tossed in the air like an object with no significant value and shot at with no remorse. The more mature could be sentenced to execution, tossed into pits of fire while fully conscious burning them alive. In addition, the ones who passed inspection received treatment as if they were slaves and dogs, making them follow any command, any disobeying of these demands would consequence them to be shot without hesitation. These dehumanizing crimes were the punishments forced on the Jewish race by the Nazi influence.
One of these unique dehumanizing crimes committed against the Jewish persuasion, included making the Jewish people dig trenches, which would eventually become their deathbed and killing the infants by throwing them into the air converting them into targets. This was a story told to young Wiesel by Moishe the Beatle (a town homeless) who was abducted by the Hungarian police. He was sentenced to the same fate, forced to dig his own grave, but by a miracle managed to escape and returned to warn the town for what was in store for their future. He explained to Wiesel in detail what had occurred there, “Without passion or hast, they shot their prisoners, who were forced to approach the trench one by one and offer their necks” (Wiesel 6). Moishe also explained how the infants were executed, “Infants were tossed into the air and used as targets for the machine guns” (6). To kill people without compassion is cruel, but to murder innocent infants who are new to the world, that is beyond cruelty, that is having no human regard toward the people you are murdering.
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The Nazis had no consideration of this right at all. If one thought about it where could someone find people to do such things? "I was nothing but a body. Perhaps even less: a starved stomach" (Wiesel 56). This quote explains how Elie felt towards himself. For a young boy to feel this way, he must have gone through a lot of degrading treatment. The Nazis had no heart to do such things without even thinking twice about it. Another example of inhuman punishment is when they had to run twelve miles in thirty below weather. It seems unreal for a human- being to run that long on just a piece of bread and soup. Also when Elie became a number instead of his real name is really degrading. No wonder why he felt like he was only a body.
Looking at the National Holocaust museum can really change someone's perspective on life. "The minute the gates opened up, we heard screams, barking of dogs." This quote explains what the people heard when they arrived to a camp. Of course they weren't speaking literally. They explain people as dogs and that is very degrading. Helen Lebowitz describes families getting separated, she says "you see these mothers coming down with little kids, and they're...and they're trying to pull these kids out of their mother's hands. And you know, when you try to separate a family, it's very difficult. It's very difficult. People put up fights. It...it, there was so much screams." To read this, one can only imagine how brutalizing this was, to be separated from your family is unimaginable.
Yadvasehm describes the Holocaust in great detail. It explains the murder by Nazi Germany of six million Jews, which is basically a small state. The website also explains the last Jews in the last few months of the German Reich. During the last months the Jews had to go on long marches. During these marches between 200,000-250,000 Nazi concentration camp inmates perished. This was very automating to the Jewish race, forcing them to go on long marches with little or no food or shelter.
The Holocaust was a horrible time that no man could ever forget. Babies, women, men, and children were killed and dehumanized during these times. This was a hard time for Jews but they somehow came together to get through a mass murder of their race. For the people who survived those hard times can tell you that they will never be the same again.
Darrion Finn
Works cited:
"Holocaust victims at Buchenwald." Image. National Archives. World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 7 Feb. 2013
"Buchenwald slave laborers." Image. National Archives. World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 7 Feb. 2013.
"Donate Now." Yad Vashem. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2013.
"Night [Paperback]." Night: Elie Wiesel, Marion Wiesel: 9780374500016: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2013
"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UDHR, Declaration of Human Rights, Human Rights Declaration, Human Rights Charter, The Un and Human Rights." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2013.
"Holocaust History." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2013
One of these unique dehumanizing crimes committed against the Jewish persuasion, included making the Jewish people dig trenches, which would eventually become their deathbed and killing the infants by throwing them into the air converting them into targets. This was a story told to young Wiesel by Moishe the Beatle (a town homeless) who was abducted by the Hungarian police. He was sentenced to the same fate, forced to dig his own grave, but by a miracle managed to escape and returned to warn the town for what was in store for their future. He explained to Wiesel in detail what had occurred there, “Without passion or hast, they shot their prisoners, who were forced to approach the trench one by one and offer their necks” (Wiesel 6). Moishe also explained how the infants were executed, “Infants were tossed into the air and used as targets for the machine guns” (6). To kill people without compassion is cruel, but to murder innocent infants who are new to the world, that is beyond cruelty, that is having no human regard toward the people you are murdering.
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The Nazis had no consideration of this right at all. If one thought about it where could someone find people to do such things? "I was nothing but a body. Perhaps even less: a starved stomach" (Wiesel 56). This quote explains how Elie felt towards himself. For a young boy to feel this way, he must have gone through a lot of degrading treatment. The Nazis had no heart to do such things without even thinking twice about it. Another example of inhuman punishment is when they had to run twelve miles in thirty below weather. It seems unreal for a human- being to run that long on just a piece of bread and soup. Also when Elie became a number instead of his real name is really degrading. No wonder why he felt like he was only a body.
Looking at the National Holocaust museum can really change someone's perspective on life. "The minute the gates opened up, we heard screams, barking of dogs." This quote explains what the people heard when they arrived to a camp. Of course they weren't speaking literally. They explain people as dogs and that is very degrading. Helen Lebowitz describes families getting separated, she says "you see these mothers coming down with little kids, and they're...and they're trying to pull these kids out of their mother's hands. And you know, when you try to separate a family, it's very difficult. It's very difficult. People put up fights. It...it, there was so much screams." To read this, one can only imagine how brutalizing this was, to be separated from your family is unimaginable.
Yadvasehm describes the Holocaust in great detail. It explains the murder by Nazi Germany of six million Jews, which is basically a small state. The website also explains the last Jews in the last few months of the German Reich. During the last months the Jews had to go on long marches. During these marches between 200,000-250,000 Nazi concentration camp inmates perished. This was very automating to the Jewish race, forcing them to go on long marches with little or no food or shelter.
The Holocaust was a horrible time that no man could ever forget. Babies, women, men, and children were killed and dehumanized during these times. This was a hard time for Jews but they somehow came together to get through a mass murder of their race. For the people who survived those hard times can tell you that they will never be the same again.
Darrion Finn
Works cited:
"Holocaust victims at Buchenwald." Image. National Archives. World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 7 Feb. 2013
"Buchenwald slave laborers." Image. National Archives. World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 7 Feb. 2013.
"Donate Now." Yad Vashem. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2013.
"Night [Paperback]." Night: Elie Wiesel, Marion Wiesel: 9780374500016: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2013
"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UDHR, Declaration of Human Rights, Human Rights Declaration, Human Rights Charter, The Un and Human Rights." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2013.
"Holocaust History." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2013