Ordinary People in the Holocaust

Most people would think of Hitler brutally attacking Judaism when the Holocaust is mentioned, but it is important to remember that almost all events in history were caused by and affected ordinary people. These people are the theme for this year's Holocaust Memorial Day, and this is what we have been covering this term in history club. As I mentioned before, it is both sides of the equation that were affected by ordinary people. From train drivers who turned a blind eye to Jewish refugees in cargo carriages, to propaganda-drunk police under the influence of Nazi Germany, everyone had a part to play. Over the following article I will go explain how ordinary people changed and were changed by the Holocaust, and tell the story of one such ordinary.

One such person was Dr Michael Siegel, a Jewish attorney in Munich who stood up to anti-Semitism in the law. This happened when he heard of the unlawful arrest of his friend and client Max Uhlfeder by German police due to his religion. In an attempt to counter this he went to his local police station to lodge a complaint, but upon doing this he was attacked by sturmabteilung (elite German forces, also known as SA or stormtroopers) who burst one of his ear drums and knocked out some of his teeth. They then hung a sign saying ‘I am a Jew, and I will never again complain to the police,’ around his neck. After being forced to march around Munich with this sign, and having the SA threaten to shoot him in an alleyway, he managed to safely get home in a taxi; where his daughter recalls him bloodied and crying in bed. Luckily, he managed to escape to Lima, Peru, where he became its Raabi. Dr Siegel is one of many normal people who was affected by, and stood up to the Holocaust.

On the other hand, many citizens of Nazi Germany had been swayed by propaganda and in sometimes the most minor ways contributed to the Holocaust. One person who had incredible influence over the German public during the Holocaust was Julius Streicher, a member of the Nazi Party and the publisher of antisemitic newspaper Der Stürmer. Although this tabloid was privately owned by Streicher, due to his membership in the Nazi Party it often served as propaganda for Nazism. It greatly influenced the opinions of the German public, particularly young workers. As seen below, they were also preserved in cases around cities so people without the time or money to read them could do so. It was these people reading the newspaper who would go forth to inform authorities of Jewish people hiding from and trying to escape Nazism, and generally spread antisemitism across Germany.

In conclusion, the Holocaust was caused by and affected ordinary people. Whether they were lawyers making a stand to the police, or workers influenced by propaganda spreading antisemitism, everyone had a role. It is important to remember that all events in History, despite being influenced by leaders, were caused by ordinary people, and that is why they are the theme for this year's Holocaust Memorial Day.

Westminster Academy also commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day by joining Holocaust Education Trust's Survivor Stories with Ruth Posner BEM. Read more about it here.