by K.C., J.G., & M.W.
by K.C., J.G., & M.W.
HOLOCAUST--Definition: complete destruction by fire.
The holocaust is responsible for killing some 5 million Jews in the years of WWII, not to mention hundreds of thousands of Slavs, gypsies, homosexuals, communists, Jehovah's witnesses, and anyone else Hitler felt weren't up to standard for his "perfect race". However, those killed weren't just killed --no, that would have been too easy. Instead, these people were first shipped from their homeland, from everything they knew, to concentration camps. The Nazis referred to it as "the resettlement of Jews."
These camps were so bad it is hard to think of a proper adjective to describe them as. It was hell on Earth. There was no food, no medicine, and no clothing. The sleeping areas were unthinkable. The place was filthy and disease spread very easily. The smell was sickening and thick, black smoke came out of mysterious chimneys. Though eventually it would not be a mystery and most of the prisoners would learn. . . the hard way. In some ways though, those prisoners who were killed in the concentration camps didn't have it as hard as the survivors of the holocaust. These survivors had to deal with the smell, the malnutrition and the humiliation not to mention different things. Imagine seeing your loved ones die, knowing you were next, eventually wishing you were next and surviving. These are some of the turmoils a holocaust survivor had to withstand.
Once they reached camp families were separated. The women were separated from the men. After that everyone was given a physical with the exception of the mentally retarded, the elderly, and children who went directly to the gas chambers. The weak were also sent to the gas chambers immediately, while those felt to be strong were put to work, but not before they were stripped of everything they had (including their hair), tattooed with a number, given a shower in the communal bath, given a piece of clothing and led to their inadequate sleeping areas.
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The jobs a prisoner could have ranged from a gravedigger to working in the camp kitchen. One woman, Valie B, was in charge of typing the lists of those prisoners soon to be executed. In the time she was working, Valie typed the names of her fiancee and her sister. Ferree (15 April 1997) Though many prisoners in the concentration camps worked, the majority did not. Instead they waited around all day for nothing. They all lost hope. |
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Though not in a concentration camp, Anne Frank, as quoted in Hyett (1986), described a common feeling:
It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. . . in the meantime, I must uphold my ideals, for perhaps the time will come when I shall be able to carry them out. (p.27)
Disease spread very easily in the concentration camp houses. An outbreak of' typhus occured due to a lice problem. Many prisoners had diarrhea because the Nazis got a bang out of tampering with the food. Prisoners were all malnourished. As quoted in Hyett (1986) "Human beings, these are human beings. No cheeks. No muscles in the chin. Only skin and lips like paper tapes. Men thrashing like animals only less graceful." (p.33) Not to mention, many prisoners caught pneumonia because they were out in the cold for so long. Plus, the cabins had no heat. The disease in the camps wiped out thousands. In many camps filth was also a major problem. There were no bathrooms and the buildup of waste attracted roaches and large rats.
Prisoners that survived the camps were mentally scarred because of what they saw daily. These were things most humans never experienced. Men and women were given terrible punishments for small mistakes. If a person disobeyed a guard, they were usually shot right in front of the other prisoners. As documented by Gaster(?):
They trampled that poor creature to death before our eyes and were so engrossed in killing her that they forgot about us for a full twenty minutes, the time it took them to actually tear her apart.These acts of random beating were something, you, as a prisoner would see every day.
Views from the concentration camps were awful. As quoted by Gaster(?): "Sometimes the smoke from that chimney got so thick that the sun couldn't shine through and we couldn't breath. . . we just coughed!!" (p.9) Another common sight in the concentration camps was of those prisoners who could take the pain and suffering no more. Thse men and women would be twisted within the barbed wire after committing suicide or would allow themselves to be killed during an air raid attack. Many prisoners hoped for death. As described by Hyett (1986): " And there were bones, God there were bones, all over the place, wherever you looked, like little pebbles." (p.46)
As documented in Wardi (1992), concentration camps had and have several lasting mental effects on a survivor. Sometimes this is referred to as Concentration Camp Syndrome. A common symptom deals with memory. Holocaust survivors cannot forget what they saw, heard, and, most importantly, lost. These events are burned into a survivor's head. Many survivors cannot talk about this horrid subject because of the memories it brings back. Another thing which happens sometimes in this case is that these survivors have no respect for themselves or their lives. Remember whether or not a person lived or died depended on the number on your arm. All survivors feel a deep loss. It is estimated that everyone who survived in the war knew at least one person who died. Another symptom deals with a state of chronic anxiety caused by the loss of basic trust. Survivors often have psychosomatic disturbances such as daydreams, nightmares and chronic mood changes.
As documented in Wardi (1992), author Victor Frankl describes how he would succeed from time to time:
I remember Frances, my young beloved wife. I felt love for her and remembered the experiences of joy and the wonderful moments of closeness. These moments are important to me, they give me the physical strength to continue the struggle. (p.19)Survivors also have problems relating to others, since their grieving process makes it hard to form ties with others, while others crave attention and love. Emptiness enters a person's body and does not leave until the day he or she dies.
Though using phrases such as "these people" and " a holocaust survivor" sound good, learning about the hardships of a holocaust survivor in America is much more interesting when researching a person who you knew and loved. My grandmother, Maria, was a holocaust survivor. She was a Hungarian native. After the war she moved to the U.S with her husband and small child (my father). She left her family behind for a new life. This was one of many separations. My grandmother was a very "clingy" person. She always wanted you around and expected many phone calls. At times, it was frustrating, but I think she needed to know that she was not alone. This is one symptom of the Concentration Camp Syndrome. If we would forget to call, she would be scared to death. My grandmother was pessimistic, always expecting the worse. Not to mention, that whenever my grandmother came over to my house, my overly friendly dog would come over. My grandmother pretended like it didn't bother her and in fact liked my dog, though it was "the dog" that scared her. When she heard the dog bark, it instantly brought back memories of guard dogs at the concentration camps. Another symptom of the syndrome that was very easily seen in my grandma was that she was a pack rat. After being deprived of so much while in the concentration camp, little things were important. She kept everything; bills, recipes, old pictures, t.v guides. . . you name it, she had it. This particularly annoyed my father. He felt that my grandma should talk to a doctor about her feelings about the war. Though, she would not. This refusal just proved even further how hard it was just to think about the war. Plus, whenever we would go to my grandmother's house for holidays, like Hanukkah, the amount of food served was incredible. We could have fed 25 people though there were only 7 or 8 there. We would be sent home with jugs of Matzo ball soup. After being deprived of food in the camps, my grandmother always had to have enough. Now these are some of the symptoms that my grandmother indirectly showed.
Unlike the above indirect symptoms shown, my father(G. Gaster 97) had to live with my Grandma for eighteen years. I asked my father how he was affected, being the son of a holocaust survivor. He began by saying that he had always been told that he was alone, reffering to the fact that all his relatives were dead. Imagine going through your childhood thinking you had no one. He also mentioned that his mother was very, very over-protective. He remembers being sheltered from sports and other activities. My father also remembers waking up at night to the sound of my Grandma having horrible nightmares. I'm sure it hurt him to see his mother in such pain. Memories of the holocaust filled my father's childhood in a not so pleasant way. I also asked my father if his parents ever talked about then war. My grandparents never ever mentioned the war. One knew it was in their head, but it was like it never happened. My father said that they frequently talked about things that happened before the war and those that happened after the war. There was a five year gap in their minds. If one would bring up the war, which you never did, instantly it was like both my grandmother and grandfather were back in war times. The memories were back!!
In some ways, my father really never knew his parents. By the time he was born, the war had done its toll. Who knows what the war did to my grandparent's personalities? All through my life, I knew my grandmother as a loving, friendly person- though under all that, I'm sure was a person who was struggling with the loss, the pain and the humiliation of a person who survived a holocaust concentration camp.
Being a holocaust survivor in America is not easy. America is a great place to live, but it is not easily forgotten what happened just over fifty years ago. To those still alive, the agony will go on until the day they die. Life must go on, and, in some ways, America is the best place to spend it.
In conclusion, WWII was an incredible event. Out of man's beliefs came five years of hell for Jews. The effects of the war are life-lasting for both the survivors, their children, and generations to follow. As an American, it is hard to comprehend how people can look at one anotherand base their thoughts on color, height, origin, or occupation. Though, those who went through the holocaust can. So much was lost; family, friends, and wealth. But if one thing did come out of the holocaust, Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize winner as quoted in Hyett (1986), summed it up: " Though Jewish, profoundly Jewish in nature, the holocaust has universal implications, and I believe, we believe, that the memory of what was done may shied us in the future." (p.108)