Children of the Holocaust
By: Emily S.
Beginner's Facts...
Around 1.5 million children were killed.
Jewish children, “gypsy” children, German children with disabilities, polish children, and children within the Soviet Union were all types of children that were killed.
- Young Jewish children were a big target to the Nazis because if they lived they could start up another generation of Jews.
- Jewish children were killed simply because they were "useless eaters"
- Children were forced to change their identity, many were so young when they changed their identity that they couldn't remember what their name was or who they were after being liberated.
Children's Fate Categories...
There were many things that happened to children when they were put into concentration camps, some of these things include:
Getting killed upon arrival
Getting killed after birth or in institutions
Getting killed during reprisal operations
Staying alive because they could be used as laborers or medical experiments
- Staying alive because they were born in ghettos/camps and were hidden
How Children Survived...
Surviving during the holocaust would be tough, especially if you were a child in the middle of all the madness. Yet, some children managed to pull off this extravagant achievement. Some ways the children survived include:
Children would smuggle food and medicines into the ghettos as well as personal possessions to trade.
Children would participate in underground resistance activities.
Some children escaped to “family camps."
Other children were a part of kindertransport.
Many children went into hiding.
Children were used for forced labor or medical operations.
Children would work for short periods of time in villages and then move on.
- Children would develop some sort of talent in the area of the arts.
Children in the Camps
Camps included: Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald, Chelmno, Dachau, Flossenburg, Majdanek, Mauthausen, Ravensbruck, Sachsenhausen, Sobibor, Treblinka, etc.
Children were often sent directly to the gas chambers upon arrival.
Children were shot at the edge of mass graves.
Jewish council chairmen decided the first transports and victims of the shooting operations.
Many children were hidden within the camps by their parents to keep safe.
- Children could be imprisoned, held under terrible conditions, medically operated upon, or put into forced labor
Children in the Ghetto
Children died from starvation, exposure, and a lack of adequate clothing/shelter.
People considered children unproductive. They called them “Useless eaters."
Children went to mass graves to be shot.
Children would smuggle food from outside of the ghetto and bring it back for survival.
Children learn to adapt to their new home and new lifestyle they are experiencing in the ghetto
Children make many new friends. Its “easier” to connect with people in the ghetto since you're around them all the time everyday
Liquidations would often happen within the ghetto sending children to concentration camps, internment camps, or labor camps.
Children in Hiding
Jewish children were forced to hide with their families in concealed closets, holes, or even sewers.
Some children hid their identities by living with Gentile families or traveling through the country and assuming Christian lives in Christian communities.
Some children were able to conceal their identities because they blended in with the non-Jewish community.
Hiding prevented children from experiencing their childhood because they had to stay quiet/still for weeks or months.
Children would receive small amounts of food from people who knew where they were hiding.
"'I am very afraid. So afraid that I stopped thinking'" (Bitton-Jackson 66).
Children Apart of the Hitler Youth...
German children were recruited to become apart of Hitler Youth.
The youth grew in size when Hitler became chancellor in 1933.
In 1936 Hitler made it mandatory for all children from the age of 10 to become members of the Hitler Youth.
Hitler Youth consisted of boys (ages 6-18) who were expected to join the Nazi party.
Hitler Youth consisted of two girls groups (ages 10-18) who learned how to raise children and work in the home.
The training that the youth went through was very intense. After training, the boys and girls were sent to fight for the Reich.
- Once these children were sent into combat, they often fought to the death.
Children After the Holocaust...
Many children after the holocaust were orphans in displaced concentration camps. Many surviving children fled to eastern Europe or the western zones of Germany. Although finally becoming free was a joyful relief, children still had lots of things to worry about. Some of these worries included finding a new family. In the holocaust children lost their families and were often left alone to fend for themselves. Another worry was finding their identity. When children were allowed to follow the Jewish faith again, many found it difficult to plant their faith back into this religion because of what they faced due to their beliefs. Overall, children were faced with unthinkable happenings when in the holocaust and persevered through obstacles no one wants to even dream about.
"'I am 14 and I have lived a thousand years" (Bitton-Jackson).
Personal Stories
Bibliography
- "A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust-Children." A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust-Children. Florida Center for Instructional Technology, 1997-2013.
- "Children of the Holocaust." - Museum of Tolerance. Simon Wiesenthal, 2014. Web.
- "Children." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, n.d. Web
- "Holocaust Facts." Holocaust Facts. Maya Productions, n.d. Web.
- "The International Institute for Holocaust Research." Children and the Holocaust. Yad Vashem, n.d. Web.
- Jackson, Livia Bitton. I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing up in the Holocaust. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 1997. Print.