Welcome back friends!  We’re preparing for International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Wednesday (January 27).  Leading up to that, we’re discovering a bit about the Holocaust and Antisemitism.  If you missed yesterday’s post, click here!  We must put FACES to the Holocaust and we did that yesterday.

Today, let’s put the Holocaust into context and then answer, “What is the Holocaust?”

There were roughly 60 million people killed in World War 2 (including military), and we can’t diminish the value of those lives.  In fact, if you have surviving family members who served in WW2, will you take a moment right now to let them know how greatly their service is appreciated.  (Same goes for all service veterans!)  If you lost family members in WW2, please know that our commemoration of Veteran’s Day is deeply significant in our remembrance of them.

If 60 million lives were lost, why do we focus on the 6 million Jews and label it “the Holocaust?”  That’s a logical, legitimate question, and here is the answer:

• Jews were specifically targeted. Smaller groups of people were indeed eliminated, but it was the Jewish “race” that was specifically targeted.
• Jews were systematically targeted.  They were gathered from all over Europe and “filtered” through the Nazi’s elimination scheme.
• The Nazi goal was total annihilation of the Jews.  They desired that none survived, so as not to perpetuate the “race.”
• The Nazi goal was universal.  They were rounded up from everywhere, with ultimate global elimination.
• The Nazi goal was genocidal.  Elimination of the “race,” including women and children.
• Nazi ideology was targeted only at Jews.  No other people group was thoroughly targeted.

“The Fuhrer has ordered that the Jewish question be solved once and for all.”
~Rudolf Hoess, Commander of the Auschwitz Extermination Camp

But, what exactly is the Holocaust and how did it play out?  For that, let’s hear from the experts:

Tomorrow we’re going to explore how we know it was 6 million Jews that were murdered in the Holocaust.  Come back for that!