Anthropology and Jewish Studies: Holocaust, Genocide, and Denial

Raphael Lemkin

A Polish-Jewish lawyer who coined the term 'genocide' in 1944, motivated by the atrocities he witnessed during the Armenian genocide. Lemkin's work emerged in a period marked by the Holocaust and other genocides, emphasizing the need for legal frameworks to prevent such atrocities.

20th century genocide

The Armenian genocide (1915-1923) sparked Lemkin's interest in human rights due to its systematic nature and the international community's indifference.

U.S. position during the Armenian genocide

The U.S. government maintained a position of neutrality and did not officially recognize the genocide at the time, reflecting a broader trend of inaction regarding human rights violations.REFUSAL to recognize it as a genocide
-neutral; refusing to join the allied declaration
-President Woodrow Wilson chose not to pressure either the Turks or their German backers
"b/c the Turks had not violated the rights of Americans, Wilson did not formally protest" (p. 5)
-"US diplomats were expected to stay out of business that did not concern US national interests" (p. 7)

Why did Lemkin come to the U.S. in 1939?

Lemkin's reason for coming to the U.S. in 1939

He fled Europe to escape the rise of Nazism and sought to advocate for human rights and the prevention of genocide.

U.N. policy adopted in 1948

Lemkin was instrumental in the adoption of the Genocide Convention, which defined genocide and established it as an international crime and punishment of the crime of Genocide.
- US ratified it 1988

U.S. signing of U.N. policy

The U.S. signed the Genocide Convention in 1988, decades after its adoption, highlighting the delayed recognition of genocide as a critical issue.

Recognition of Lemkin at his death

At the time of his death in 1959, Lemkin was not widely recognized by world leaders, reflecting the ongoing struggle to prioritize human rights in international policy. Died in 1959 as a nobody. 7 people attended his funeral.

When did Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany

1933

What year did the Kristallnacht take place

1938

When did Germany invade Poland

1941

When did Germany invade the Soviet Union

1941

When did World War II end

1945

Adolf Hitler

The leader of Nazi Germany chancellor of germany from 1933 to 1945 as leader of the Nazi party, Fuhrer of germany from 1934 to 1945. Responsible for the Holocaust and the instigation of World War II.

Heinrich Himmler

A leading figure in the Nazi regime and head of the SS. In charge of German resettlement plans in the east and a key architect of the Holocaust, overseeing the implementation of extermination policies.

Adolf Eichmann

Played a central role in organizing the logistics of the Holocaust, later captured and tried in Israel. SS officer, "Jew Specialist", in charge of the Office of Jewish Emigration; organized deportations.

Jan Karski

A Polish resistance fighter who reported on the Holocaust. He delivered evidence of the mass murder of European Jews to the western Allies. He reported on Nazi atrocities in the Warsaw ghetto and on the deportation of Jews to killing centers.

Raoul Wallenberg

A Swedish diplomat known for saving thousands of Jews during the Holocaust.

Anti-Jewish legislation

Laws enacted to discriminate against Jews in Nazi Germany. Nuremburg Laws - eugenics and extermination policies
-1935, focused largely on limiting the participation of Jews in German public life
-Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil
-Service, Jews were restricted from being civil servants
-Restricted numbers for Jewish students accepted in universities

1936 Olympics

The Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany. Was held in Berlin, Germany. Hitler used the games to demonstrate his political supremacy. Countries boycott these Olympics, but the US end up going. Jewish runners not allowed to run in the US relay. Gave the illusion that jews in Germany were fine.

Nuremberg Laws

Racist laws that stripped Jews of their rights in Nazi Germany. 1935 laws defining the status of Jews and withdrawing citizenship from persons of non-German blood. Forbade marriage between Jews and Germans

Voyage of the St. Louis

The journey of a ship carrying Jewish refugees that was denied entry to Cuba and the U.S. 1000 Jews tried to escape in a boat in 1939. They went to Cuba but could not disembark. They drifted towards the US but were sent back to Europe. Only the 288 that went to England were safe; most of the rest perished. It highlights the struggles faced by those fleeing oppression and the consequences of closed borders.

Evian Conference

A meeting in 1938 to discuss the Jewish refugee crisis. 32 nations met to discuss the refugees and amount of Jews fleeing into other countries. Most countries refused to increase immigration quotas.

Wannsee Conference

A meeting where Nazi officials planned the Final Solution. In 1942 a conference in Germany was held concerning the plan to murder European Jews - Final Solution established

Euthanasia Program (T-4)

A Nazi program aimed at the systematic killing of the disabled. Gassed/killed mentally and physically disabled and terminally ill to perfect the killing process to later be used in the mass killing camp. A statistical survey of all mental institutions, hospitals, and homes for the chronically ill patients was conducted, and those who were to live or to die were decided. Those who were condemned to die were sent to one of six murdering sites: Hartheim, Sonnenstein, Grafeneck, Bernburg, Hadamar, or Brandenburg. The first method to kill was by starvation. Then lethal injections were used. Gassing soon became the preferred method to kill. The families of those killed were told their loved one was transferred to another location, but visits were not possible. Between 200,000 and 250,000 people were killed and T-4 ceased in 1941

Babi Yar

A site of mass executions of Jews by the Nazis. A deep ravine outside the Ukrainian city of Kiev, where the Einsatzgruppen murdered and buried close to 34,000 Jews over the course of two days in 1941.

Groups considered 'enemies of the state' in Germany

Various groups targeted by the Nazi regime. First it was people that opposed Nazism/ were political problems - communists, socialists, liberals. The physically and mentally disabled were the first. The first Jews targeted for extermination were not even in Germany. Then it turned to - gypsies, jehovah's witnesses, homosexuals, freemasons.

Einsatzgruppen

SS-led mobile killing units responsible for mass shootings of Jews. Execution squads who went out to find Jews to kill or put them in the ghettos. These elite killing units began murdering by bullets roughly 1.5 million Jews in the Soviet Union and eastern Europe before the gas chambers were fully operational. "Special deployment groups" Ordinary Men who supported the Nazi Regime and made up the mobile killing squads. Pg. 93. Goals were to kill any jews they could find.

Ghettos in Poland

Enclosed districts where Jews were forced to live during the Holocaust. Chelm, Cracow, Kielce, Lodz, Lublin, Lwow, Piotrkow, Radom, Trybunalski, Warsaw

Judenrat

Jewish councils established by the Nazis to administer Jewish ghettos. Jewish council, controlled the ghettos. This was a form of control the Nazis had implemented to control the ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe. Every Jewish ghetto was required to have a Judenrat in place.

Extermination camps in Poland

Camps designed specifically for the mass murder of Jews. Auschwitz
Belzec
Chelmno
Majdanek
Sobibor
Treblinka

SS

The paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Elite army, secret police, Hitler's bodyguards. he Nazi SS, or Schutzstaffel, was originally formed as a personal bodyguard for Adolf Hitler. It evolved into a powerful paramilitary organization responsible for many of the atrocities during the Holocaust

Sonderkommandos

Jewish prisoners forced to assist in the operation of extermination camps. They worked at different stations near the gas chambers and crematoria. Saw many horrors

Le Chambon

A village in France known for sheltering Jews during the Holocaust.

White Rose

A non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany.

Zegota

A Polish organization that helped Jews during the Holocaust. A Polish organization created during World War II that provided support and aid to Jews facing persecution by the Nazis. It worked secretly to help Jews escape the horrors of the Holocaust by providing shelter, food, and false documents to those in danger.

War Refugee Board

A U.S. government agency established to assist Jewish refugees during WWII. Created during World War II to help people fleeing from the conflict and persecution. Think of it as a special group set up to provide safe havens and support for individuals who escaped danger, ensuring they had a chance for a better life.

Partisans

Resistance fighters who opposed Nazi occupation.

Nuremberg Trials

Military tribunals held to prosecute Nazi war criminals. The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals held after World War II to prosecute key leaders of Nazi Germany for war crimes. These trials aimed to bring justice for the atrocities committed during the Holocaust and other wartime acts, establishing a legal precedent for holding individuals accountable for crimes against humanity.

David Irving

A British historian known for his denial of the Holocaust and distortion of historical facts.

Ernst Zundel

A German publisher and Holocaust denier who promoted anti-Semitic literature.

Bradley Smith

A Holocaust denier and activist.

Mel Mermelstein

A Holocaust survivor and witness who famously sued Zundel for denying the Holocaust, winning a landmark case.

David Cole

A Holocaust denier who later recanted. American Filmmaker that became famous for his Holocaust denials as a Jew himself.

The Institute for Historical Review

An organization known for promoting Holocaust denial. A "journal" that perpetuates lies from deniers. Many articles in the journal are about denying the Holocaust

Protocols of the Elders of Zion

A fabricated text used to promote antisemitism that spreads lies about Jews. Published in 1903

Majdanek

Extermination camp; used Zyklon - B and Carbon Monoxide- Poland

Mauthausen

A Nazi Extermination camp; had gas chambers; in Austria

Evidence supporting Auschwitz as an extermination camp

Three lines of specific evidence that demonstrate Auschwitz's role as an extermination camp. Auschwitz was originally going to be a city or district, but the plans for Auschwitz changed in 1941 after the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union
1. Writing
2. Photos
3. Eyewitness reports

Zyklon B

A pesticide used by the Nazis for mass murder in gas chambers. Hydrocyanic acid

Contingent history of Auschwitz

The history of Auschwitz was unforeseen; it wasn't planned as an extermination camp at first.

Hitler's order to exterminate Jews

Hitler got pushback for authorizing the T-4 euthanasia program and killing certain people. Hitler realized that his orders could be traced back to him. So he kept his plans for the Jews private and coded by giving it verbally and through letters.