UNIT 5
The Holocaust: Responses and responsibility
5.3 Did anyone try to save the Jews? The behaviour of non-Jews during the Holocaust varied greatly. The majority of people in Europe did nothing while Jews were rounded up and taken away. Some felt too afraid to do anything. Some wanted to protect their families by staying out of the way. Others did not care about what was happening to Jews and yet others agreed with their persecution. Many collaborated with the Nazis or led their own attacks against Jews. Others benefited from the property of their Jewish neighbours.
need and who acted according to their beliefs, not caring what other people thought. Most rescuers did not plan to rescue but did so when presented with the choice. In the next few pages, you will read some stories of rescue. These are not the only ones – many such stories exist and rescuers came from every country across Europe.
Think about Rescuers took great risks to save Jews. However, Nechama Tec, a Holocaust scholar, found that most rescuers did not think their acts were heroic. Why do you think that is?
Nevertheless, there were some people who chose to help Jews. Some took great risks to do so. Rescue took many forms: some provided food or shelter to Jews, others gave them fake identity documents, and others helped Jews to hide or escape. Most rescue efforts were by groups or organisations, and involved networks of people.
Case study: Denmark Germany occupied Denmark in 1940 (see page 45). From the beginning of the Nazi occupation, the Danish government protected Jewish Danes from discrimination. In October 1943, the Danes refused to obey German orders to round up and deport Jews from Denmark. Instead, they organised a rescue operation. They helped Jews go into hiding and secretly reach the coast. From there, fishermen ferried them to neutral Sweden, which had agreed to receive them (see Figure 5.11). The Danish resistance, the police, the government and ordinary people took part in the rescue operation. In little more than three weeks, the Danes ferried more than 7,000 Jews to Sweden. They saved more than 95 per cent of Denmark’s Jewish population.
Why did some people rescue Jews when others did not? When thinking about why some people rescued Jews and others did not, it is important to remember that conditions in different parts of Europe varied. The Nazis, for example, were much more cruel and unforgiving towards the Polish than towards the Danes. We should also remember that different people think and act in different ways for different reasons. Rescuers were typically people who had a history of helping those in
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9781510480377 KS3 Understanding the Holocaust.indb 76
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