The Holocaust And Western Help Essay, Research Paper

“When they came for the gypsies, I did not speak, for I am not

a gypsy. When they came for the Jews, I did not speak, because I

wasn’t a Jew. When they came for the Catholics, I did not speak, for I

am not a Catholic. And when they came for me, there was no one left to

speak.” -On the Wall at the Holocaust Museum in Washington

It is impossible to learn about the Holocaust and the Second

World War without the question of how it possibly could have happened

arising, and along with that question comes another. The question of

whether or not the Western World did enough to help the Jews in

Europe. What was their reaction to the campaign of systematic

persecution, robbery and murder the Third Reich inflicted upon the

Jewish people?

During the time leading up to the outbreak of World War II,

the Western Press consistently carried numerous reports of the

German’s anti-Jewish policies and their purposeful victimization of

the Jews living in Nazi Germany as well as the annexed territories.

The general public cannot claim that they did not know what was going

on, that they were uninformed. Whether or not they chose to believe it

however, is a completely different story. The public were indeed

outraged in many of the cases but the governments of the major

European democracies felt that it was not for them to intervene for

they felt that the Jewish problem classified as an internal affair

within a sovereign state. The truth behind this is simply that the

governments were anxious to establish cordial relations with Germany

and didn’t want to cause any hostility. Thus they stood idly by and

remained silent as Hitler went from denying the Jews of their civil

rights to denying them of their means of earning their daily bread.

As much as they wanted to remain neutral, the countries of the

Western World were finally forced to take a stand on the issue of

emigration of Jews from the Reich who were seeking refuge. The United

States maintained strict immigration quotas which severely limited the

number of Central and Eastern Europeans admitted to the country each

year. Even under such extreme circumstances, the US insisted on

adhering to these policies and refused to modify them even slightly.

Great Britain proved to be merciless as they blocked entry into

Palestine and limited the amount of entry permits. The states that had

the ability to absorb the immigrants such as Australia, Canada and

most countries of South America, accepted agricultural workers but

denied entry to professionals, merchants and skilled artisans. There

were actually protests in the US and Britain organized against the

admission of immigrant doctors.

The President of the United States initiated the Evian

Conference in 1938 in an attempt to find a means that would aid

emigrants from Germany and Austria and enable their absorption

elsewhere. Thirty-two countries sent delegates with hopes that a

solution would be found however, it quickly became clear to all that

the even the great powers who had initiated the conference were not

willing to take any significant steps towards accepting the refugees.

Despite the speeches and the appeals, no one country was willing to

commit themselves to practical measures, the smaller countries

following the example of the larger ones. An international committee

was set up in London for refugee affairs but it lacked funding as well

as a place towards where they could direct the refugees. It is evident

here that it is not a lack of knowledge that something had to be done,

but rather an unwillingness that prevented the Western World from

helping the Jews. Words are just that, mere words, unless they are put

into action. As a result, the Evian Conference is regarded as a

complete failure.

Once the war began, the comprehensive information regarding

the conditions in Germany that the Western World had at one time been

provided with, ceased. Still, news of the Einsatzgruppen ’s activities

and the mass killings in the death camps found its way to the west. Up

until the middle of the year 1942, the general tendency was to regard

the consistent persecution of the Jews as just one part of the complex

of oppression in the occupied countries. By the mid-1942 the horribly

terrifying rumors about Hitler’s Final Solution as well as the

operations and atrocities being conducted were confirmed.

Once again the reactions of the United States and Britain, who

were the major countries of the anti-Nazi alliance, were of horror and

anger. The Jews put forth plans to combat the Nazis persecution of

their people such as a demand for the exchange of Germans for Jews or

the launching of retaliation strikes against the Germans until the

murders ceased. Not only were these proposals refused simple

consideration, but there was not even a willingness to halt the formal

procedures governing the transfer of dollars abroad which may have

saved the lives of many Jews. All proposals which, if out into action,

could have saved thousands of children and other victims, were

submitted to administrations that merely contemplated rather than

decided and thus, produced no tangible results.

As Jews were fighting for their lives in Warsaw Ghetto, a

conference of the major allies convened in Bermuda to consider the

“problem” of refugees. As with the Evian Conference, no practical

solutions were proposed, The only thing it did accomplish was an

attempt at reviving the International Committee for Refugee Affairs,

which had no executive powers.

Finally, the conclusion of the Allies was that rescue would

only be accomplished through a final victory over the Nazis. It was

decided that in the meantime, no military action should be taken which

was not part of the purely military-strategic plan. This policy was

strictly adhered to and therefore no operation for relief or rescue

was undertaken, even if such an action did not conflict with military

objectives or require the use of military power.

“He who preserves one life, it as if he has preserved an

entire world.” – The Talmud. Anytime the world stands idly by and

remains silent as 6 000 000 worlds are shattered, not only did they

fail to come up with a solution, but they became a part of the

problem. Hitler attempted to erase an entire race of people, because

of him there was a generation lost. My entire grandparents family was

murdered and many of their friends still bear the numbers that were

etched into their skin. They have endured nightmarish atrocities not

fit for the world of the awake. They have been witness to ideas,

thoughts and actions one would deny human being’s capability of even

imagining. Their eyes have been robbed of their innocence after seeing

sights that would cause anyone to shut them in fear and disgust but

this was an option they did not have. Now you look into those eyes

and you tell them that the Western World did all they could to help

the Jews.