Remember The Holocaust
87It boggles my mind....
My grandfather was a man of very few words, and much less when it came to his experiences in World War II. Later in life, this brave and valiant man tragically suffered a stroke, which caused some curious changes. Aside from the physical changes he endured, we also noticed some striking changes in his personality. All of a sudden, he was an open book when it came to his experiences in the war.
My grandfather once related to me the fact that at the end of the war in Europe, he had been one of the so-called Liberators, troops that were sent into the concentration camps in search of people in need of help. He related to me that the average soldier thought of Hitler as the enemy, because when you are in war, that is your mind set. None of these Liberators had a clue what they were going to find when they entered the camps. He related to me that the first sense he had that something tragic had happened was when he and others began opening rail cars that were filled to capacity with clothing - most of it children's clothing.
I love my grandfather, even now that he, himself, has passed onward. More than love, I trust this man, because he was, first and foremost, a man of dignity and honor. When he tells me what he saw in the concentration camps, I believe him, and always will.
So it is understandable how my blood could boil when I hear radicals in Iran, who have a long-standing feud with the Jews, claiming that the holocaust never actually happened. A good friend and patriot just sent me an email that contained a PowerPoint Presentation on this travesty. I personally do not forward such emails, because I believe they are not widely read. I do, however, create pages such as this when I see a cause that is worthy publicity.
The Jewish people were not the only people who were impacted by Hitler's insanity. His crimes were against all humans, and anyone with a conscience should know that anyone who is trying to suggest the holocaust was an urban legend has a devious agenda lurking in the background.
I need to caution you that some of the images that follow will be highly disturbing to you. That is, in fact, the reason why I felt compelled to create this web page. However, I feel it is only fair to let you know in advance, so you can make an informed decision about whether you wish to proceed from here.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower was right when he gave the order to make as many films and photographs as the soldiers under his command were capable.
My grandfather passed away years ago, and I am not acquainted with anyone else who was a first-hand witness to the terrors that existed in these Nazi Death Camps. I invite anyone who has stories to tell, or who has been told stories by friends or relatives of veterans, to share their stories here. By doing so, we will send a message to the Iranian radicals who are proliferating this myth, but more importantly, we will be making certain that history is accurate, even if it is not always pretty.
Think about how you would feel if you were a friend or family member of someone who died in the World Trade Center attack if people started saying the whole thing never happened. You would think they were crazy, right? Of course! We know 9/11 happened, and whether we were alive 60 years ago or not, we know the Holocaust happened too!
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Such an important event for everyone to know about, to be able to recognize its reappearance so it can be stopped. Terrific hub.
I am a history buff, and I really don't like "revisionist history," but to take something of such magnitude as the Holocaust and suggest that it never happened, it just sickens me.
Here's an idea....let's pretend that the last eight years under George Bush never happened, and we went from Clinton to Obama....that would be about as realistic!
Thanks for the notes Mulder and Livelonger.
Jim
This needs to taught to every child in the world, not cut out so generations can be told it never hapened and they believe it cause no one ever saw this. Looks like Ole IKE was right. His fear is realized in 2009.
Mr. Bowes - First I should give credit to you for being the individual who sent me the email in the first place. Thanks buddy! Believe it or not, over the years I have heard crackpots make this claim that the holocaust with a hoax, but it was usually presented in a way to illustrate how outrageous people can be.
My guess is that there are a lot of people over there in Germany who feel guilt on behalf of their ancestors, and it is easier to pretend it didn't happen than to admit that their grandfathers or great grandfathers were Nazis, so they concocted this notion as a defense mechanism to deal with their guilt. Now it seems that other people with anti-Semitic tendencies are picking up on it. Even if the vast majority of the people do not believe it, they will have accomplished their objective if they can ruffle some Jewish feathers just by saying it.
Jim
Oh Jim, what a hub. How cruel humanity can be. In our day to day struggles we tend to forget how lucky we really are to be living in our free worlds. My heart aches for all those unfortunate individuals who were so tortured and humiliated, brought down to their lowest. Denying the truth of it ever having happened is the ultimate dishonor. How dare any one person take away the only thing that these poor souls have left to say. Their rights to live out their lives to its full potential was taken away by bullies that make me ashamed to be a part of humanity...
Let me thank you in the name of those millions that were denied life for writing this tribute to them
regards Zsuzsy
Zsuzsy - Thanks for your comment. Since I posted this tribute (nice word, by the way) I have been going through my memory, and I remember doing an article about the holocaust on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Hitler. This was back in 1989, but I remember talking with a man who lived in the greater Lewiston, Maine area who, like my grandfather, had been a Liberator. The scenes he saw, I recall, changed him forever. So these extremist yahoos can say all they want, but good, logical people can see through the lies and rhetoric, and it only makes them lower in my estimation than if they kept their thoughts to themselves.
Thanks again Zsuzsy!
Jim
Hey crash, very well said. When I was 12 my father was transferred to Germany for over a year and we traveled there with him. I was privileged to visit Dachau. I say privileged because this place where so many perished is holy ground. I cannot imagine that anyone would build these structures to support a hoax. It's simply not cost effective. And there are so many. Why would Hitler build these places in the middle of a war? It makes no sense.
Thanks.
Great hub and I can feel your passion regaurding the subject. The Iranian radicals can believe what they want but pitures don't lie and they tell a story of truth. I am glad people such as yourself keep the truth in the fore front,.for it is so important for our younger generation to know this piece of history. The inhumane ways these people were tortured and killed should never be forgotten.
Thank you for reminding us with your great Hub. To think that at that time, as now, there were plenty of pacifist anti-military types fulminating that we should just talk nice to Hitler and he would be nice, too.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)
My father was there too. He drove a half track in Patton's 3rd. Army. He saw many what he called,"stick people" that came to the soldiers for food from the camps when they were first liberated. Dad said that he had to break small pieces of bread off so the people wouldn't choke to death. They ate so fast and would try to swallow a half loaf of bread.
My dad had nightmares of the war and those starving people until he died. The smell of death traveled in the wind for miles. Your grandfather and my father are witnesses to the Nazi created hell. Thanks for writing this hub. We should never, ever forget. Only a total idiot would believe that it never happened.
Thanks for all your comments. Army Infantry Mom, you brought up the T word that seems to be a hot button item of late in our current war. Certainly nothing Americans have done in this war could rise to the level of Hitler, but when you see images of this sort, it is easy to see why people would become so passionate about this issue. Do we even want to be identified even tangentially with offenses such as these? As a proud, God fearing American, I wouldn't want to be in the same city, much less the same ballpark, as a sick man like Hitler.
The report presented above is a hoax - teaching of the Holocaust has never been removed from the curriculum in British schools. The report is simply an attempt to provoke anti-Muslim sentiment.
My grandfather died in one of those camps. It happened on Hitler's birthday. The guards all were given liquor, and they got drunk. My grandfather fell out of the guard tower and was killed.
My grams is a holocaust survivor. She's was a very young girl at the time.
Thank you for this great hub.
Our family left Hungary in 1956 during the Revolution, although the Holocaust was much more tragic than what happened in Hungary, my father saw many of his friends die at the hands of communism. I wrote a hub in honor of the 53rd anniversary and a short story about what it means to be free, I invite you to read them. Your grandfather was among the great ones who have passed on his experiences. Great Hub, sad pictures.
The Holocaust will never be forgotten, although it may be denied, as you say. To keep the memory of this tragedy alive, we don't have to look far or do much.
Some of us look inside our families: My mother's Polish Catholic immediate family emigrated from Poland in 1930. By the end of WWII, all extended family members who remained in Poland, save one cousin, had been exterminated.
All of us can keep our ears and eyes open: A few days ago I happened upon a recent interview with Gerda Weissman Klein, a Polish Jewish Holocaust survivor liberated by a young soldier, another of the so-called Liberators, like your grandfather. She and this young man married. Some of her heart warming and heart rending story is told in her voice here:
http://www.whyy.org/podcast/voices20060515.mp3
In addition, this month Miep Gies, the famous Dutch citizen who sheltered Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis, passed away. There has been much said about Miep Gies and Anne Frank lately on the Internet, on TV, and on radio.
All of us can gift our young people with information: When I was in middle school, The Diary of Anne Frank was required reading.
Thank you for adding your knowledge and effort to keeping the lessons of the Holocaust out of the pits of denial, complacence, and ignorance.
This was brilliant. I have a real interest in history at school, and i crave learning about WWI and WWII. I had a homework about it and felt it where lacking something to make it unique, so when I found your hub I where, not ecstatic, but glad as my homework now has some good, realistic help.
that's wrong what they did to all of them jewish people
Kid B - Sometimes the shortest sentiment is painfully accurate. Thanks for the comment!
Jim Henry
Your pictures are extremely disturbing.
This carnage must never be allowed to happen again is all I can think of to say about the horrors in these photos.
I have visited a holocaust centre which is local to myself many many times and have various books on the subject. Many written by surviviors. Your article is something that needed to be written. "Lest we forget"
Thank you for the comment Heather!
Jim, aka Crash Cromwell
I just want to point out that thinking the holocaust has been removed from the British curriculum is just a rumour started by false emails.
It isn't true in the slightest and if it was there would be a genuine uproar amongst us Brits.
The holocaust is one of the most shocking and disturbing aspects of our past, but we must remember it in order to learn from it.
The Imperial War Museum even has an entire exhibition dedicated to it which spans numerous rooms and is very detailed and informative, showing you everything you needed to know, but didn't want to, about the holocaust.
OMG! This is such a tragedy. Seeing the way they were treated kills me inside. How could someone do that? Those pictures tell of a sad time in our history. Great report on the hub. Best to you.
Thank you so much for this post! Though the pictures may be really sad, I'm glad that they are still out there. I'm using some of them for my school assignment, so this subject isnt going anywhere in my school! I'm really surpised that would just think that something like this is a joke... It just goes to show how self-centered and incedibly blind the world has become.. I may only be a kid, but even I can see that there's something wrong with being so... Idiotic! Anyways, even though this subject is really sad to learn about, people just have to realize that something like that really did happen and we need to keep it around so it can never happen again. Just think, if we took out everything from the past that we didnt like, there would be nothing there anymore and we'd be making a lot of the same mistakes over and over again. Ugh, some people make my head hurt :P
It is ease to write like you. HArd, believe me is to write holocaust didnt happened. I believe, yes, ONLY 186
thousand jews died in War II. And the world, now, begin to think the same way. Wait 20 years and you will see it.
Holocaus is a good business to jews, today.
Machado - It is easy to spread rumors and misinformation like you are, but the reality is that my grandfather lived it when he went into the Nazi concentration camps at the end of WWII. I would suggest that given the choice of believing my grandfather, a man of dignity and honor, or some alleged "facts" that will only become evident in 20 years or more, I'll believe my grand father, and the historians whom I have studied.
Excellent article! Anyone ignorant enough to deny it happened is not only mislead but scary to me.
Thank you for the photos though they are horrible and sorrowful. Clear and obvious crimes.
These photos should never become easy to look at.Ever.Every one of these images should provoke in each one of us a sense of guilt.Not because we perpetrated these atrocities,but because we are part of the same race that did.
very upset. The bloody hitler will be burning in hell by now.
the worst part those idiots are saying it's not true. it happened just 60 years ago. not 600 years ago. any way we should those say this kind of history they are suffering from short term memory. why the British wants to erase the history just to satisfy few groups of unworthy crazy idiots?
My grandson of nearly thirteen is researching about the holocaust for his homework so all uk schools have not banned it from the curriculum, we both have have been really affected by the fact that one human could do these things to another.
Yes, and the really tragic thing is that despite all the evidence to the contrary, people continue to proliferate this myth. I actually came to this hub this morning to copy the URL, so I could post it in response to the following post someone placed on my Google+ feed:
Realistically, there is no evidence that suggests any more than 100,000 jews died. The exagguration and intensifying of their persecution was just a means to create great raical sensitivity towards themselves, which they managed to claim their own Zionist state and countless other human rights laws to protect and benefit themselves and further deteriorate the aryan race and the rest of civilized humanity.
wow! that all i have to say. nobody should ever be treated that way
This is so sad how could something like this even happen
I am sickened by the fact that so many people refuse to believe that the holocaust never happened.Is it from their own shame or guilt?! perhaps we will never know but we will never forget these brave souls.Thank you for writing this much needed hub.Every person has the right to know the terrible crimes that Hitler made against humanity.
Watch the movie "Defiance" with Daniel Craig about three brothers from Poland fighting Nazis. saw it three years ago,still remember
I will add it to my list. Thanks for the comment Arthur!
I love history cheers for the page m8
---There will be a day...with no more tears, no more pain...
---Anybody who contributed into the HOLOCAUST matter is subjected to GOD.
---I will ensure that your message is relayed to GOD, and
everything is done in purpose...
---Blessed be the LORD!
---PRAISE GOD!
---Soldier be on GUARD for our day has come to rise up against the oppressors and flee to the Kingdom of GOD!!!
thanks
---by the way...
---JUST FORGIVE THEM as CHRIST has FORGIVEN us...
---Let's just thank GOD we did not experienced this persecution.
Azeious - As a zealot for free speech, I will leave your posts above, though it seems your agenda may differ from mine.
Jim
That's funny- you got rid of my comment! The boy in striped pyjamas is a really thought provoking film about the issue at hand.
I generally do not delete comments, but I think your post was one of several I received in rapid succession that appeared to be making sexual references that I felt were inappropriate.
Jim
It is so sad indeed. Although who did this were not Muslim nor Arab. Why there is a misleading massage here. The Jewish, Christian and Muslim been living together in peace in the Arab world with no problems or wars. That is why the Jewish of Yaman love and other Arab countries until this day would not leave or give up their life in their home countries. The Holocaust happen in Europe never in the Arab world. Europe want to solve its mistakes and disrespect to the Jewish people by sending the problem over overseas instead of regretting what happen and give the Jewish people their dignity and life back in their home countries. Journalism/ Palestine/ Israel or what ever you like to call it, is a place of peace for all religions Moses, Ibraham, Jesus, and Mohamed honor the place for peace for all believers in GOD, Allah, Jehovah. If you truly believe in your hurt that holocaust was a true tragedy, you should as well believe that what is happening right now the Palestinian is a similar tragedy with a different name, another language, similar people. May god bless his land again and bring it peace and Jesus to unite all people for true peace without blind hate.
Best,
Mary
Thanks Mary.
Jim Henry, aka Crash Cromwell
mulder 2 years ago
Very sad events I have a few dvd movies about the holocaust Im glad you wrote this hub crashcromwell to remember those poor souls .