Jews have been persecuted since the beginning of documented time. This religious group has been poked, prodded, exiled, and in recent years, massacred for their religious beliefs. This racial prejudice is called anti-Semitism.
Anti-Semitism is the vicious weapon of propaganda used to break down the Jews psychologically before the armies of Germany even began to annihilate this religious group during World War Two (“anti-semitism” 47). The Nazi Party led in this mass murdering of the Jewish people. The head of the Nazi Party, Adolf Hitler, proclaimed that he was not a racist, yet killed over six million defenseless people because of their race. Hitler also declared in his speeches that he did not desire World War Two.
These are some of his last words: It is not true that I, or anyone else in Germany, wanted a war in 1939. It was wanted and provoked exclusively by those international statesmen who either were of Jewish origin or worked for Jewish interests. This led to the merciless opposition to the universal poisoner of all peoples, International Jewry” (Rossel 10). As one can see, anti-Semitism could not be stopped in the era of World War Two because Hitler outlawed any media that did not show hatred toward the Jews. The only radio broadcasts were his hate-filled speeches and news reports that he approved. The only programs on television also had to be approved by Hitler or someone under him.
Newspapers were not allowed to say anything that insulted a Nazi or any other German. If a Jew was caught insulting a German, they were immediately executed or tortured to death. This fear, which was provoked by the death, starvation, and abuse of the Holocaust, was another type of propaganda brought about by the Nazis (Zeman 26). Another reason why Jews were hated was jealousy.
They were believed to be God’s chosen people. Hitler took advantage of this and used it as another opening for propaganda. Soon, the Jews were blamed for the death of Christ and said to have brought all of the pain and suffering on the world. It was said that God was punishing the Jews, and the rest of the world, for not receiving Him. Once the Jews were gone, the Garden of Eden would thrive again. This theory was later declared unchristian by the Second Vatican Council (Roth 47). Anti-Semitism was even in an innocent children’s fairy tale.
In Snow White, the children were supposed to think of Snow White as representing Nazi Germany after World War One. The apple that put the beautiful princess to sleep was meant to represent the Jewish people, and the prince who woke her up with a kiss was meant to represent Adolf Hitler and his leadership (Zeman 76). Another reason for the great popularity of anti-Semitism was that people enjoy hate. They may not enjoy this emotion as much as they enjoy happiness, but it does bring about interest in an otherwise emotionless being. The emotion generated by Nazi propaganda and the Holocaust that was presented to the Germans stood out against the drabness of everyday life in the Weimar Republic. This feeling was like a splash of color on the subdued background of Germany (Zeman 13).
As ridiculous as these approaches toward racial hatred may seem, the racism of the Holocaust was not limited to only the Jewish people. In fact, it is generally believed that a total of eleven million people were killed by the Nazi regime, with only about six million of them being Jewish. Among these victims were political opponents, Gypsies, the mentally ill, homosexuals, Jews, and others who were considered the undesirables” of Germany. Another way of “getting rid” of these “undesirables” was to prevent them from producing offspring, so the Nazi Party outlawed any births outside of German families. Doctor Charny, a physician for the Nazi regime, drew the attention of the Jewish Delegation to the issue of births. The order was first issued on March 5, 1942.
The latest authorized date for births was August 5, 1942. Charny proposed extending this date to August 15, 1942. If a birth occurred in a Jewish or undesirable” family after this date, the entire family would be removed, and the responsibility of killing the newborn and their family would fall on the Jewish delegates. This was terrifying for married couples, especially those who were already expecting a baby (“anti-Semitism” 1). To further intimidate the Jews, their houses were raided, and their jewelry and clothes were taken.
