The word itself comes from the Hebrew word Shoah. This was the affliction suffered by Jews in Nazi-dominated Europe from 1933 to 1945. It is usual to divide the ordeal into two periods, before and after 1941.
During the first period various anti-semitic measures were taken in Germany; later in Austria. The Nuremberg Laws were passed in Germany in 1935, by which Jews lost rights to citizenship, any right to hold public office, practise professions (including medicine), get married to Germans, or use public education. Jews’ property and businesses were first registered, later expropriated. There was a general encitement to use violence in the street or in the home against anyone Jewish, of whatever age or sex. Dr. Goebbels’ publicity offices encouraged hatred. ‘True’, that is ‘ethically pure’ Germans were expected to hate the Jews.
The result of these campaigns pleased Nazi German leaders, who had expected it: the German and Austrian Jewish populations were halved by massed emigration, mostly to the United States, but also to ‘safer’ places in Europe. How ‘safe’ these places were, the Jews who emigrated were soon to find.
The second phase was more open, and affected Jews throughout occupied Europe during World War II. It involved open street murder, forced labour in the munitions factories, mass execution by shooting, victims forced to dig their own shallow grave and pay for the munition. Concentration camps were built in Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and East Prussia. They were ‘the Final Solution’ (Endlösung): extermination of the Jews in gas chambers – planned by Adolf Eichmann and others. This final solution was decided upon at a meeting held by the Wannsee in Berlin in 1942.
During the Holocaust some six million Jews died. Out of a population of 3 million Polish Jews, less than ½ million were left in 1945. Roumania, Hungary and Lithuania also suffered tremendous losses in the Jewish population, as well as any non-Jewish citizens who tried to help them.
Here is a horror list of the names of European concentration camps discovered, and their surviving inmates released, by Russian and Allied forces in 1945:
Auschwitz-Birkenau
Belzec
Bergen-Belsen
Chelmno
Dachau
Flössenberg
Grossrosen
Maidanek
Mauthausen
Mittelbaudora
Natzweiller
Neuengamme
Plaszow
Ravensbrück (women and children only)
Sachsenhausen
Sobibor
Stutthof
Terezin
Treblinka.
Estimated deaths of Jews by country:
Estonia 26,000
Latvia 70,000
Lithuania 104,000
Denmark 100
Norway 1000
Soviet Union 750,000 (greatly assisted by the Soviets)
Roumania 750,000
Bulgaria 40,000
Greece 60,000
Yugoslavia 58,000
Hungary 200,000
Austria 60,000
France 65,000 (greatly assisted by the Vichy French)
Luxembourg 3000
Netherlands 104,000
Czechoslovakia 60,000
Italy 9000
Belgium 28,000
Germany 180,000
Dean Swift.
this was a great help great research site thanks
I never really knew much about the “Holocost” As a Child. Our School system never really taught us on it. But, as I entered the 9th grade, we learned a little about “Anne Franke”, Which really interested me into finding out MORE about it. Throughout my adult life, I’ve read on, and searched about it. And NO MATTER how many times I see pictures, or read what they did to the Jews, It’s devistating to me. I REALLY cannot fathom EVER deaming this “RIGHT”. And I cannot see how the “Nazi’s” did either. Throug ALL of History, it’s ALWAYS the Poor Jew’s who are always going through hell. They were even blamed for “The Black Plague” Someone said they saw a Jewish man pouring something into their river, and shortly after they all started getting sick..so, the Jews were punished,..Really? Come on. All the way since Biblical times the Jews have been treated Unethically inhumane. And, well, they ARE GOD’S People, so, they WILL live LIKE KING’S AND QUEENS when they enter into the “Kingdom OF Heaven”
To any Jews who read this, Either Survivor, or relative of, I just want to say “I’am so very, very sorry You, and your ancestors have always endured such Gross Treatment. I hate that you have always had to endure such Racist Travisty” I teach my Children that NO ONE, No matter the Color of our skin, or their choice of Religion should ever be treated any differnt. And ANY ONE who does, well, I feel sorry for you, and you need to be educated!!!
This is a really great research site and I do have to agree with Karizma Charles. How you were treated was devastatingly wrong and the treatment you recieved was torture beyond compare. As a relative or a living survivor who reads this, may God bless you and your people!! =)
~Kara
Thank you Kara. I am in fact not Jewish, nor did my family suffer torture, except being bombed in London. I am a historian however, and it is nice to know that my articles on general history are sometimes appreciated. Keep reading and a Happy Christmas!
this is a very good research site
Dean Sw3ift says “Thanks Kevin Snyder, we certainly do our best, and a Happy Christmas to you.”
just curious. in the text above you say that over 6,000,000 jews were put to death during the holocaust. yet, when you break it down by country, which you have here, the total comes to 2,507,100. that’s about 3,500,000 short of 6,000,000. which country didn’t report?
Dear curious Doctor Science; so am I: I do not get your drift. Perhaps I will when these endless festivities are finished.
Dean.
A jew can be any race. Jew is a rieglion not a race. People would never believe me because I am African, but my ancestors were actually Hebrews from Israel.References :
Interesting piece. I am keen to learn about the holocaust and would like to understand how the figure of 6 million Jews has been derived? This is a huge figure and what proportion of European Jews was this at the time? What was the total number of Jews in Europe at the time of the Holocaust? I am not a Holocaust denier, and simply want to understand better. The figures by country you give in your article don’t add up to 6 million. Regardless of whether the number was 6 million or not, it was a mass murder of massive proportions. We should also not forget the hundreds of thousands of Bosnian Muslims, Chechniyans, Kashmiris, Afghanis, Pakistanis, Iraqis, and Palestinians against whom GENOCIDE has been committed by modern day Hitlers like George W. Bush, Ariel Sharon, Netanyahu, Tony Blair, Milosovic.
Our lareeds should always bear in mind that they will be successful in their high level advocacy only for as long as it suits those in the upper echelons Correct!!!!and I think our lareeds forget that they too shall be prevailed upon by history.Support this comment 0
Thanks for the info. Looks like a reliable source. Article could be a tad longer, but nice job overall.
8==D cant to small….;(
UR MOM’s comment: I wonder if Ur Mom might like to re-phrase his/her comment in some language known to man. This will make it easier for me to understand what he/she wishes to say, from the depths of his/her unfathomable intelligence.
Love Dean.
Cmon Y, it’s been 2500 years.The Holocaust was dinfereft only because quantity was enabled by the ‘flowering’ of an industrialized nation to do what was no dinfereft from what preceded it, and what has followed it.Nothing is dinfereft since Haman.
Dr. Science, sorry to be a long time coming back to you. The reason the final figure in the article was less than the popularly-known figure of 6 million is that a mistake was made – not including Poland and Russia and her Soviet States! Thank you for pointing out the error, which, as we all know, errs, as we only human.
Best wishes,
Dean.
Yes I found this very informational. I am the French teacher. I taught this to my students.The picture although is very graphical.
BON VOYAGE
Patrick: I would like to support this Comment but I fear I do not know what ‘lareeds’ are. When I know I am sure I will enjoy the Comment much more.
Best wishes,
Dean.
Dear Rapist December 30, 2011
You are too far away. Perhaps on the Moon. I felicitate, note I said felicitate you on the sagacity, wit and intelligence of your Comment. Keep it up!
but if preyar and good works are all that is left in Jewish atonement, then isn’t modern Judaisim a works-based faith i.e. earning your way to reward?How good is good enough?
I am curious as to sites and or books you can give me that will persuade deniers on YouTube to believe that this ACTUALLY happened. Thanks in advance. You can email me if it is easier.
Dean Swift,
You talk about “error”? So why don’t you correct it?
In this era, where a lot of the terror against Jews is based on the denial of the Shoah, the gaz chambers, the number of the victims and any other facts related to the Shoah, your article just add to this Anti-Semite wave.
Are you Anti-Semite? If not, why don’t you correct this? You have all the info about the number of victims in responsible sites, to which, I’m afraid, this site does not belong, as for the moment.
Here is one reliable resource, with an honest answer:
http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/holocaust/resource_center/faq.asp
How many Jews were murdered in the Holocaust? How do we know? Do we have their names?
There is no precise figure for the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust. The figure commonly used is the six million quoted by Adolf Eichmann, a senior SS official. Most research confirms that the number of victims was between five and six million. Early calculations range from 5.1 million (Professor Raul Hilberg) to 5.95 million (Jacob Leschinsky). More recent research, by Professor Yisrael Gutman and Dr. Robert Rozett in the Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, estimates the Jewish losses at 5.59–5.86 million, and a study headed by Dr. Wolfgang Benz presents a range from 5.29 million to six million.
The main sources for these statistics are comparisons of prewar censuses with postwar censuses and population estimates. Nazi documentation containing partial data on various deportations and murders is also used. We estimate that Yad Vashem currently has somewhat more than four million names of victims that are accessible. This figure is based primarily on some two million Pages of Testimony, which often contain information about more than one Jew who perished in the Holocaust. As of early June 1999, more than 1.6 million Pages of Testimony have been computerized. In addition, we have thousands of documents containing names from the Holocaust era, many of which are those of victims. This body of documentation has yet to be fully researched and added to our computerized database. Eventually we hope, through our computerization project, to provide as much information as possible about each victim.
Regards,
Yehuda Lavi
Dean Swift,
You erase any criticism. So far as freedom of speech is concerned.
I will try again:
You talk about “error”? So why don’t you correct it?
In this era, where a lot of the terror against Jews is based on the denial of the Shoah, the gaz chambers, the number of the victims and any other facts related to the Shoah, your article just add to this Anti-Semite wave.
Are you Anti-Semite? If not, why don’t you correct this? You have all the info about the number of victims in responsible sites, to which, I’m afraid, this site does not belong, as for the moment.
Here is one reliable resource, with an honest answer:
http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/holocaust/resource_center/faq.asp
How many Jews were murdered in the Holocaust? How do we know? Do we have their names?
There is no precise figure for the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust. The figure commonly used is the six million quoted by Adolf Eichmann, a senior SS official. Most research confirms that the number of victims was between five and six million. Early calculations range from 5.1 million (Professor Raul Hilberg) to 5.95 million (Jacob Leschinsky). More recent research, by Professor Yisrael Gutman and Dr. Robert Rozett in the Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, estimates the Jewish losses at 5.59–5.86 million, and a study headed by Dr. Wolfgang Benz presents a range from 5.29 million to six million.
The main sources for these statistics are comparisons of prewar censuses with postwar censuses and population estimates. Nazi documentation containing partial data on various deportations and murders is also used. We estimate that Yad Vashem currently has somewhat more than four million names of victims that are accessible. This figure is based primarily on some two million Pages of Testimony, which often contain information about more than one Jew who perished in the Holocaust. As of early June 1999, more than 1.6 million Pages of Testimony have been computerized. In addition, we have thousands of documents containing names from the Holocaust era, many of which are those of victims. This body of documentation has yet to be fully researched and added to our computerized database. Eventually we hope, through our computerization project, to provide as much information as possible about each victim.
Regards,
Yehuda Lavi
Sheila:
Title of article – The Holocaust, facts and figures
Your comment – I am complaining about ancient history
Reaction (1) 1933 – 1945 is ancient history?
Reaction (2) Who is complaining?
Reaction (3) Read the piece again, carefully this time, and try to get traumas about Peres out of your head.
Best wishes,
Dean.