Wannsee Conference
“It’s a German duty to hate anything foreign”
(Friedrich Jahn). Well, this especially
applied to the Jewish people, and this “dirty” problem needed to be solved
NOW! Because countries limited their
immigration quotas, Hitler was “stuck” with the Jews in his lands. While the Final Solution to eliminate ALL
Jews was already in process, it was not formally discussed until after Pearl
Harbor. At a meeting held in a beautiful
mansion with fireplaces crackling and officers sipping cognacs, Himmler instructed
Reinhard Heydrich to deport Jews from the West to the East. That was the code word for ANNIHILATE them! He couldn’t do this without his sidekick
Adolf Eichmann, the “Expert for Jewish Questions,” and without the cooperation
of administrative leaders of various government departments. Conference
attendees included representatives from several government ministries,
including state secretaries from the Foreign Office, the justice, interior,state ministries, and representatives of the SS in January 1942. During this 90-minute meeting, they
rationalized that since it would be impossible to feed the Jews, the “humane”
thing to do would be to gas them quickly!
Wow! Such gentlemen!
Look at the pure joy these sadists get from humiliating a religious Jewish person. Hair can be seen as a symbol of vanity, a preoccupation with how one looks. The prohibition against cutting off the peyos reminds a person to de-emphasize his looks and instead depend on intellect and good character. (Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, 19th century Germany)
I find it odd and extremely ironic that they even considered any of there actions "humane" as if they really considered the good of Jewish people.
ReplyDeleteI guess that because hating anything foreign was a "German duty", that must be their justification for the holocausts. I can't possibly imagine what was going through the German's minds when making these "humane" choices. I'm baffled at the fact that in 90 minutes to make the "rational" decision to finish off and gas the Jewish people. 90 MINUTES!! It would have taken me days to believe that for just one person, it was "humane" to kill them for the better. Let alone millions! This clearly shows how detached the Germans allowed themselves to become with the Jews.
ReplyDeleteI find it ironic that they would pick such a beautiful mansion to hold this meeting, where horrible things would be discussed. Plus, they thought this was "humane". "We can't starve the Jews were not that evil! Lets just gas them with their children so it can be quick, and so we won't have to see it." and it only took an hour and a half for them to come up with this plan... In 90 minutes the final solution was created, and it would kill million of Jews.
ReplyDeleteI'm still confused why killing all the Jews was the decision since they couldn't feed them all. In what way does this help the problem. The photograph of the officers huddled around the Rabbi reminds me of bullying. To this day, we have groups of majorities huddle around minorities to pick on and discriminate them. I also didn't understand why these men were so relaxed about making the decision to kill all the people. This apathetic attitude is awful. The opening quote shows how Germans isolated themselves from all other countries due to their truculent and cocky attitude. No wonder they did the things they did.
ReplyDeleteTheir logic didn't make sense...trying to figure it out will make you insane.
DeleteTheir logic didn't make sense...trying to figure it out will make you insane.
DeleteReading these blog posts, I keep getting more and more disgusted by the heinous acts of the Nazi party. They worked to figure out the fate of all the Jews in only 90 minutes. Millions of peoples lives were at stake and they did not even think about it. These people also thought that they would be, "humane," by just gassing the Jews immediately. The picture of the brother and sister made me think about how horrible it must be to be in that situation. You have been tortured for so much of your life and you are about to die. I'm happy that compared to back then, we are in a time of peace for all people.
ReplyDelete-Nicholas Hicks
That picture is very special to me out of all the pictures I took. They look exactly like my uncle and mom did.
DeleteThat picture is very special to me out of all the pictures I took. They look exactly like my uncle and mom did.
DeleteThe fact that the entire decision was decided so causally while they eat small things and drink alcohol is very concerning. the thought that "all things foreign should be hated" play true in this situation. Also the conditions of these officers were great considering the murderers they were. Also the pictures shown are of human looking Nazis but they are just sadistic monsters!In addition the idea these people exposed the hatred to children just like yours...
ReplyDelete-Nicholas Wartham
That's why I took pictures of them. They look so normal...one even looks like my grandfather.
DeleteIf it was a “duty” to hate Jewish people, the Germans certainly fulfilled it in the worst ways imaginable. Again, I wonder how different things would be if other countries, including the United States, opened their doors to Jewish people. I still can’t believe Roosevelt turned a full boat of them around! I also can’t believe such a beautiful mansion could be full of monsters and their ugly plans. Also, the meeting was only 90 minutes! I bet there wasn’t much to discuss because they all knew what they wanted the end game to be. It’s crazy to read about how the Germans justified themselves in their plans. You would think if the soldiers needed to justify themselves continuously they would start to see how unethical their actions really were. I guess it was easier for them to push morals to the side.
ReplyDeleteAllie Rousseau
I don't understand the whole playing humanity roles...why? They didn't think the Jews were human, so why would they bother to pretend to care?
DeleteI found it ironic that it is the German "duty" to hate anything foreign, but Hitler himself was not even German. Also, the fact that something as terrible as the Holocaust was decide during a casual meeting in a mansion is quite disturbing. Himmler spent less than a two hours discussing pros and cons of killing over six million Jews, but he couldn't realize that the reason the Germans were having to feed the Jews was because the Germans had taken away everything valuable that the Jews had. One thing that I disagree with is when you called the SS officers monsters. I believe calling the Nazis monsters is going to easy on them because that implies they are naturally bad. These men were raised to be educated, civilized human beings, yet they did not have the moral compass to recognize the horrible acts they were committing. These men were worse than monsters; they knew what they were doing was wrong and they still did it.
ReplyDeleteThere's so much irony when studying this unit. Interesting take on the word "monsters"....good job.
DeleteSince when did the Nazis ever care if the Jews starved? Oh wait, they didn’t. They purposefully starved them especially in the ghettos. Then, they call their decision to kill them “humane,”…… seriously what is wrong with these people? I totally agree with what you said about how no amount of studying psychology and sociology will make me understand this. It’s so hard to believe how such horrific things like this could happen.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about that...they did let them starve in the ghetto so why were they now worried about suddenly starving them now?
Deletewhat really pissed me off after reading this is that they thought it was "the humane" thing to do. They thought starving the innocent jews was the humane thing to do. That is CLEARLY NOT HUMANE!! Also, just to come up with this "plan" in 90 minutes really shows us that they didn't give a rats ass about the jews. Then, they call it a "duty" to hate everything foreign. I don't understand why they would hate things that are foreign. I think foreign things are cool and interesting to be honest. That's just inhumane. These stories about the Nazis are just getting worse and worse.
ReplyDeleteIrony at its best....
DeleteBefore even reading this I knew in some way, shape and or form, Himmler had something to do with it, and nonetheless voici mon amis, Himmler along with Eichmann were the ringleaders of the conference. The fact that Friedrich Jahn said it was German duty to "hate anything foreign" was ironic and stupid as prior to the events of the war, Germany was the most advanced and cultivated society that thrived culturally from using foreign ideas and customs. The only probable reason that the meeting took 90 minutes wasn't to figure out what to do with the Jewish victims, but on how efficiently they could work to fully exterminate them, those damn German twats. And Piggybacking off Henry, the appropriate term for people who know they're committing heinous crimes, but don't give a damn are called psychopaths.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I remember you didn't trust Himmler at all and said he was worse than Hitler.
DeleteAfter reading this blog, I am astonished that the Nazis at the conference thought it was humane to kill the Jews. I don’t understand why the Nazis thought it was humane to kill suffering Jews who were unfit for labor when they were the ones who let them starve and become unable to work. Another crazy thing is that the Nazis thought gassing them would be quick and put them out of their misery. I don’t think gassing was as quick as the Nazis thought, and the Jews basically suffocated, which can’t be quick. Being suffocated has got to be one of the worst ways to go. Gassing may be efficient, but I don’t think it was quick, especially for the ones being gassed.
ReplyDeleteI didn't get this at all...If they hated Jews so much, why bother being "humane" to them?
ReplyDeleteA lot of the people i've learned about this year, I hadn't heard about them in the past. A lot of the head officers that carried out mass executions and the ones that are in the conference I haven't heard before. I wonder why all the attention goes to people like Hitler and Mengele rather than dividing up some of the attention. It's so brutal that they would gas the Jews immediately. Or maybe that was the best thing so they didn't have to go through starvation and dehydration before they died. It's crazy how they would humiliate a Rabbi in front of his own people. Flat out crazy!
ReplyDeleteWhy did the Germans not want to give the Jews any food in the camps? Was there not enough to go around, or did they simply just not care that the they didn’t eat? I haven’t heard of any other Nazis until reading this blog. Did the Nazis not feel any remorse when making their decision? How were they able to make such a horrific decision without thinking of the aftermath? I simply don’t see how they were able to decide to just get rid of a multitude of lives voluntarily. It’s sickening that normal-looking people were capable of performing such horrific tragedies. The photo of the two siblings is very powerful. Even in those harsh conditions, the brother was still able to care for his younger sister. It’s empowering to see that they stuck together.
ReplyDeleteHow could torturing mass amounts of Jews by killing them with gas humane? Also, it is weird to think that they hated everything foreign... Didn't they like the Nordics?? This problem was especially bad for the Jews considering how many eventually died from this time period. And worst of all, the immigration laws in other countries basically trapped the Jews in Germany... I find this appalling that even our country would not help the people suffering. Finally, I find it sickening that it only took 90 minuets to decide to murder an entire religion of people.
ReplyDeleteI’m so appalled that they spent 90 minutes speaking about what to do with the Jews, and the thing they came up with was gassing them. I think they are dogs for thinking that way, and it scares me that the human mind could even come up with something that awful. It’s even worse that at a conference of many people no one had the nerve to speak up and say that what they were doing was wrong. I feel like at least someone thought to themselves how sick this plan was. The fact that they thought gassing live humans to death was humane is disgusting and gives me chills when I think about it. Also, the way they cut the Jews hair off to dehumanize them makes me cringe. I know that having a head full of hair makes me who I am and to even imagine having that forced to be cut off my head makes me feel bad for what the Jews had to go through.
ReplyDeleteOkay so they knew that it was impossible to feed all the Jews...their first thought was to just gas them? Oh, and what made it better is that they said it was "humane". That ticked me off. 90 minutes...90 MINUTES! that's how long Mrs.Stone's class lasts, and you know how much work we do in that time frame, but they only came up with gassing the Jews, really? That baffles me, honestly. Disgusting.
ReplyDeleteOkay so they knew that it was impossible to feed all the Jews...their first thought was to just gas them? Oh, and what made it better is that they said it was "humane". That ticked me off. 90 minutes...90 MINUTES! that's how long Mrs.Stone's class lasts, and you know how much work we do in that time frame, but they only came up with gassing the Jews, really? That baffles me, honestly. Disgusting.
ReplyDeleteReading this part is just gross. The Germans really have blown my mind. The only "humane" thing was rationalized in 90 minutes? Wow. How do you rationalize millions of lives in only 90 minutes? Especially of how they rationalized to just kill them! Not even to try and feed as many as they could. Nope. Just go ahead and kill them right? Can't believe humanity sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI think it is awful and sickening to think just in 90 minutes the final solution was created, which will kill millions of innocent people. And with them saying how it would not be possible to feed all of the jewish people so they say to just gas them and kill them all... How did they think this was humane??? What went through the heads for them to say something like that, and to think all of these people agreed and no body argued to say this is just wrong is disturbing.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteWhat shocks me most about the blog up to this point and especially in this particular entry is how lightly and casually the Nazis took this subject. They joked and sipped alcohol while conversing their ideas (IN 90 MINUTES) about the Final Solution. This apathetic attitude that the Nazis continue to exhibit is what really puts me over the edge. One of the pictures that tugged on my heart the most was the one where the Jewish man is getting his head shaved (another act of dehumanization). In the picture, the Nazis have on a mask of “pure joy” and fascination. Disregarding the fact that they have already volunteered for this position, it disgusts me how much pleasure the Nazis acquire from dehumanizing someone. Lastly, in one of the pictures, a caption states, “this would definitely be more pleasant than letting them starve to death.” Wow. Thanks for looking out for the Jewish people and acting like you are concerned about what is “humane” or what is best for them. That is so considerate of you. I’m done and at a loss for words.
The pictures really speak louder than words. That's why you should go to the Holocaust Museum next year.
DeleteI thought it was weird for the Germans to hate EVERYTHING that was foreign. I don’t know if you were exaggerating when you said that or not but if you weren’t then it just wouldn’t make any sense for some things like all the little things that people didn’t really care for. In a way, Nazi Germany was just like North Korea. They both heavily regulated most things such as communication. Also, they both practically worshipped their leader as a god. Anyways, I was really confused when you used the word “rationalized” in the last sentence of the first paragraph. To me, that implies that even the higher up Nazi officers thought it was actually the right thing to do. I always thought that the higher up Nazi officers knew how sinister their plan was and did it just out of hate while the Nazi infantry just believed it was the right thing to do because of Hitler’s “brainwashing”.
ReplyDeleteGarrett Hensley
I have no idea what really went through their insane minds. Maybe for a second they wanted to act like humans and said they were acting humanely...whatever...maybe they needed to believe their lies in order to move on..I mean, they are humans with families...Something about them at one time was good.
ReplyDeleteI saw multiple justifications in this part of the blog. First of all, the fact that the Nazis said it was, “a German duty to hate anything foreign.” That is not a duty, that is, as I said, a justification of their horrible acts. Second of all, I cannot imagine how the Germans considered humane to gas all the Jews because of the lack of food. That, again, is another justification. The thing that shocked about the Wannsee Conference is the people who partook it. It’s hard to comprehend that part of them were men of high culture. How did they not understand that what they were doing was totally wrong?
ReplyDeleteThe length of time that the idea for the Final Solution was conceived and put into action particularly caught my eye. How could the SS officers come to such a momentous decision in just 90 minutes, the length of a class period? I suppose they were considering this prospect for a while, and this conference merely put it into action. However, it’s hard to believe how brainwashed and detached these officers truly were. All of them calmly assented to enact the death of an entire population without even a second thought. The solution to a lack of food should’ve been to force the Jews to farm for their own food, not a genocide. This not only would’ve given the Jews more work to do, which would’ve satisfied the guards, but it would’ve also given the Jews the necessary sustenance necessary for survival, a positive for the Jews. The guards could’ve watched the Jews suffer through the back-breaking work, the Jews would’ve had genuine incentive to get the work done, and they could’ve been stronger and healthier for other forms of work; These are all positive things for the Germans that the Final Solution couldn’t have possibly brought them. Additionally, the fact that the conference was held in such an upscale, beautiful mansion is more than frustrating. The juxtaposition between the German’s comfortable, lavish lifestyles and those of the Jews is exasperatingly prominent. These officers truly couldn’t see, or wouldn’t see, that Jews were people just like them, and that’s why this atrocity occurred.
ReplyDeleteWhat I am most confused about is the part about feeding the Jews. What does that even mean? they didn't have enough food for the Jews? Was Germany experiencing a lack of money and food after the war? How does that justify killing theJews? What I wonder is if the Nazis really thought that it was the best way to keep the Jews from suffering. Either way, they said that killing Jews in a death camp was quicker and less painful than them being starved on their own, yet weren't they starved in the death camps as well? I also thought that it was ironic how they talked about such a gruesome subject in such an elegant house. Overall, the more I read these blogs, the more I become disgusted with ignorance as well as those who get joy out of being cruel.
ReplyDeleteThe Germans probably think that hating anything foreign was a justification for the holocaust. The Nazis did all these terrible things, but they saw it as humane and normal because they wanted to secure the Aryan future. It doesn’t even make sense that some men would gather around in a 90-minute conference to say that millions of Jews should be ELIMINATED. I’m sure everyone is thinking what is possibly going through their minds for them to say something so unbelievable. It’s also ironic that they would hold such a treacherous conference in a beautiful mansion.
ReplyDeleteThe sentence about how Germans should hate anyone or anything that's not them is ridiculous and absurd. Hitler has no right to think that having Jews "stuck" in his land is a bad thing. Just because you pick a group to be hateful and belligerent towards doesn't mean it's okay just because you say so. Hitler wouldn't have a reason to be upset with them being "stuck" in his land if he wouldn't have targeted the Jews or anyone in the first place. The fact that the meeting only took 90 minutes shows that no one really cared about the deportation of the Jews happening. It's depressing to read about how such innocent people go through tragic experiences for no given reason. One other thing - was there not enough food for the Jews? Is that why they wouldn't? Or did they just make that up so they could annihilate them faster and easier?
ReplyDelete- Anna T.
I found it odd that the Wannsee Conference had so many people in high power. It says there were representatives from several government ministries, including state secretaries from the Foreign Office, the justice, interior,state ministries, and representatives of the SS. I wouldn’t have thought that these people in power would have wanted to kill thousands of innocent people for no reason. The picture of the poor Jewish Rabbi truly disturbed me. Those Nazi soldiers had no respect for the religion by cutting the Rabbi’s peyos.
ReplyDeletehii
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit aghast at the duration of this meeting. They had to decide on the lives of over 6 million Jewish people in only 90 minutes! In our court, a 90 minute jury deliberation over one person would be preposterous! There verdict might have seemed logical from the most convoluted standpoint (the Jews were enemies; we're not wasting resources on them), but they just sat completely disconnected from the scene. It's like little kids torturing animals. Euthanasia is not merciful when it is completely unneeded; they used it as a pigheaded solution to there social and cultural problems.
(◡‿◡✿)nIck
The quote, “It’s a German duty to hate anything foreign,” really struck me because this is hardly even a German-only mentality today; consider Americans’ reactions to the immigration crisis here or the refugee crisis in Europe. It seems like most developed countries would rather act in their own best interest instead of concerning themselves with any “foreign” problems, and this attitude is, in part, what leads to hatred and ignorance. The fact that the conference was only 90 minutes long surprised and disgusted me--I can’t really say anything about this unit shocks me anymore, though. In just 90 minutes, the length of one class period, as someone else pointed out, these “people” made the decisions that seemed like the point of no return for the Final Solution to be truly implemented.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that struck me was the photograph of the Rabbi being harassed by the Nazi officers. I’m a photographer by hobby, so when I see pictures like this I (habitually) tend to analyze the technical aspects of them as well. I remember that you told us the Nazis liked to take pictures like this one and the picture of the little Polish boy we studied to showcase the humiliation of the Jews in the camps. Ironically, the composition of this picture seems to put the Rabbi in the position of power. Let me (try to) explain: there’s a very popular “rule” in photography and film called the Rule of Thirds that advises photographers about the composition of their pictures. Basically, if you take a grid divided horizontally and vertically into thirds, you want the main subject of the photo to be on one of the gridlines for a more visually interesting composition. Additionally, although this is more often used in films than photography, if the subject is a person, the intersection of gridlines that you put their eye level at can be symbolic of the level of power they have over the shot. People placed at the lower corners are usually victims and have someone/something else placed above them, while people placed at the upper corners are the ones in power.
http://i.imgur.com/2iODHK4.jpg Here’s the picture with a thirds grid over it. It’s obviously not exact because the picture probably wasn’t taken with this composition in mind; if anything, it was more than likely taken with the intent of humiliating the Rabbi. Ironically, though, the Rabbi is closer to the top right intersection; that and his direct eye contact with the camera make it look to the outside viewer that he’s the one in defiance and control of the scene rather than all of the officers around him.
-Rachel Kraiss
It is truly inconceivable to me as to what made the Nazis hate everyone so much, especially the Jews. I understand that they blamed them for all of Germany's problems, I just don't know why. I can't believe that the decision to implement the final solution took only 90 minutes. The way that they act so civilized about destroying an entire religion, "in a beautiful mansion with fires crackling and officers sipping cognacs," is absolutely sickening. How can humans act so nonchalant about murder? True psychopaths. I thought one of the worst parts about this was they thought the "humane" thing to do was to gas them. I knew that the Nazis were bad people, but never before this unit have I realized the true depths of their evil.
ReplyDelete-Nicholas Glenn
Oh boy, xenophobia! That's always a recipe for disaster. Or success, I suppose, depending on your cultural views. (Here's a secret, though: xenophobes are still assholes regardless). I feel as though the fear of the unknown is much more omnipresent than people may take it for. Rather, it may be hatred of the unknown in this case. People tend to gravitate towards similar people, and consequently, those are the types they'll empathize with. Note that despite the fact that discrimination is still definitely present in the world, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who legitimately believes in the inferiority of another race who hasn't taken a couple blows to the face in Myers Park. This school is by no means homogeneous, but many European countries were for the most part. Introducing an outsider into a group he shares no physical or cultural attributes with tends to not go well. Take that group, give them something to get people angry about... You can imagine the rest. Actually, you don't have to. We're learning of the consequences of discrimination already.
ReplyDeleteIt's Crazy that such a beautiful area could hold wicked and cruel topics of discussion like murdering millions of people in just 90 minutes. How could someone have such discussions like this? I found it shocking that they actually believed there was a "humane" way of killing someone. These people were insane,horrible,cruel,manipulative,and the list goes on!I'm just angry at the fact that they actually viewed a execution style as "humane." They honestly showed no regret and should definitely not be forgiven for anything! These "people" are animals. I just find it mind-boggling that these Nazis tried justified their ways of murder with food shortages. How!? Why? The crimes these "high" ranking officials committed are beyond heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteI find it so disturbing that these people could sit in such a lovely home with all their comforts while coming up with their plans of annihilation! One picture that was the most interesting to me was the one with the caption that said, "This would definitely be more pleasant than letting them starve to death." Obviously, we know that they still worked and starved these innocent people to death. The fact that a 90 minute meeting was the deciding factor of so many people's lives give me a horrible feeling!
ReplyDeleteThe word "sadistic" comes to mind. They sat down as if they were old friends meeting for a friendly cup of tea. While in reality, they actually were planning the deaths of millions. They were vile enough to accept that killing them quickly was humane! Killing them at all is a horrible crime, so why is doing it fast any better? Millions will still die.
ReplyDeleteWhat sticks out to me the most is the pictures of the officers. You said how they look like average people but they are actually monsters. I find that kind of scary honestly. It shows that anyone, no matter race, religion, ethnicity, ANYONE can be cruel and heartless. It also makes me very angry to see that they are smiling. How can someone who has done so much harm, actually produce an emotion like happiness when all they have caused is pain. I also find it appalling that instead of figuring out a way to feed these people, the men figured, "Oh, let's just kill them all. That will work." It makes me so upset to know that actual, real live human beings did something of that stature. You mentioned how the brother and sister could have been people who mean the most to you, and that is exactly what I thought too. Throughout this unit, everything related to children always gets me because I automatically think of my brother and sister. Like you, it hurts me to know that kids my age and even younger, had to grow up so quickly just to be able to live.
ReplyDeleteAvery Primis
I hate the fact that Germany was referred to as Hitlers. Having a code word for "annihilating" the Jews, to me, is pointless. Either way, the Jews were going to be killed. There is nothing that can make that any better. How would it be "humane" to "gas them quickly?" That's crazy! The picture of the brother and sister is really sweet. It reminds me of my brother and I.
ReplyDeleteI’ve noticed that this blog becomes more sarcastic and acerbic (ooh vocab word) with every entry. You can see the Mrs. Stone hard-ass façade fading because of how deeply the Holocaust has impacted you. It speaks volumes about you that you educate the next generation about the horrors of the past; we deeply appreciate it. Anyways, I think it’s fascinating that they use euphemisms like “deport from west to east” even in private conferences. I could understand it in the context of a public announcement, but they MUST know deep down that what they’re doing is wrong if they can’t bring themselves to use the actual words in private company. It’s notably ironic that they want the Jews to die humanely, but they don’t care if they live humanely. The Nazi officers all lived comfortably and consciously decided that the Jews deserved to live as animals. However, they knew nothing of death (who does?) but decided that Jews deserve to die humanely. Their logic is strange; perhaps they did this in a feeble attempt to clear their consciences. Their original plan was hastily developed if they failed to realize they weren’t able to feed the Jews. They must have wanted them gone fast if they couldn’t even work out the logistics of it.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt’s terrible to think that they came up with in decision in only 90 minutes. It only emphasizes the fact they truly thought the Jews were at fault. Everybody at the conference was very high up in the government which is weird because you would think that they knew better. The picture of the officers got me; without the caption or context, I have though they were just normal people that happened to be officers. That goes to show that anyone can be sadistic monsters, anyone.
ReplyDeleteFirst off I am a little salty because I typed the whole thing and it went away. But, I totally agree with you on the fact of understadning how they killed such innocent people. I could never image the mindset of wanting to do that. If I was told to, I don't know wif I could kill. I would feel as if I am about to jump off a cliff but my body won't let me. It is not "humane" to gas people but to take away suffering time is. So I do agree that it is humane to let them have less pain. But this iss till muder.
ReplyDeleteis still murder*
DeleteI'm pretty annoyed at the fact they decided the Final Solution so calmly. It's also frustrating they were in such a beautiful place but made the idea of the house so horrible because of what was discussed there. It's strange that the two officers in their personal pictures look so normal. After hearing about all these horrible things, I feel like they wouldn't look like anyone you could see on the street. The little boy and girl reminded me of my brothers and me, so it was sad to think about. The people cutting his hair and somehow finding fun in that need some serious help. They honestly are so ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteWow. 90 minutes is all it takes to "Formally" decide to eradicate an entire (didn't want to say race) of people. I actually had to lean back in my chair when I read about how short of a time it took them. What shocked me even more was that they were already EXECUTING the final solution without sitting down and talking about it! "deportation from the West to the East." Excuse my language, but F*UCK YOU, YOU FILTHY PIECES OF SH*T THAT YOU ARE. GO CHOKE ON A F*CKIN' HOT METAL ROD. Sorry about that. I just feel like it needed to be said.
ReplyDeleteI find this conference incredibly ironic. First of all, the fact that Hitler and his men sat in complete luxury while discussing how to kill people more efficiently is extremely ironic; how they could live so comfortably and at the same time make innocent people’s lives complete hell is beyond me. I also find it ironic how the Nazis considered gassing people to be the “humane” way to kill the Jews. They talk as if there is a “humane” way to kill people as if killing people in the first place is humane! What made me sick was to see the happiness on the Nazis’ faces as they were humiliating a Jewish man. The fact that they got pleasure from torturing a man in front of everyone makes me furious; this picture expresses how the Nazis were pure evil.
ReplyDelete- Madison Bain
Lily Jones
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the expunging of Jews was shocking, seeing the pictures of the happy evil men was even more awful. The care for the boy and his younger sister was as uplifting as the women who went through so much, and still returned the clothes to the owner. I couldn't help but want to smack the smirk off the official's face. The humiliation that the Jews dealt with and the "Humane" way of dealing them was far from humane. The more I read about the concentration camps the more questions fill my flustered mind. I have always been fascinated in the Holocaust, lured in with the horrific acts that humans can bring upon each other. Even though I have been interested in it, the questions that hitler's actions leave me bring me closer and closer to realizing there was no reason, he was just evil. I know there is nothing we can do about it now, but I hope that Hitler is dealing with a lot more wherever he is than the Jews dealt with when they were under his power.
You're telling me that the Nazis thought it was HUMANE to send people to the gas chambers because they couldn't be fed? Excuse me? It appalls me that the Nazis literally thought that this was the morally right thing to do. Another thing that I cannot believe is that it in 90 minutes the total annihilation of the Jews was decided. It's as if the Nazis decided to have a causal get together in a beautiful mansion to plan a mass murder in the time that I have math class. Who does that? This post has made it 110 percent clear to me that the Nazis were and will always be the epitome of evil.
ReplyDeleteHumane: (adj.) having or showing compassion or benevolence. Can someone please explain to me how killing Jews is showing compassion or benevolence...oh wait...it doesn't! How disgusting is this?! I also agree with Susannah they just made a decision in 90 minutes that they were going to kill all the Jews? There is no way they thought this through! This goes to show how heartless and careless these monsters were!
ReplyDeleteChrysoula Xyrafakis
This conference was incredibly ignorant, on behalf of the Nazis, to organize. The leaders of the Nazi party decided on the fate of the entire Jewish religion with one short conference; all while they sit in comfort. They also said that gassing Jews would be "humane" because they can't feed them? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM?! How would killing someone, who will only suffer because of you, be a humane thing? The most humane thing here would be to mind your own business and not kill anyone by any means, Eichmann.
ReplyDeleteHumane? HUMANE?! The most kind and compassionate way is to GAS THEM TO DEATH?! These people really need to get their vocabulary together because if they think HUMANE is the right word to describe it, they need a dictionary real quick because that is in NO WAY shape and/or form HUMANE. I hate how it only took them 90 minutes to come to this “resolution’. EVEN OUR FINALS take longer than 90 minutes! I barely have time to finish them, and you're saying that they chose the solution for an entire religion in 90 MINUTES is insane! I can relate with how the brother was taking care of his sister because I have two older brothers. Just to think that the same man caring for a loved one could do such horrific acts baffles me.
ReplyDeleteI hate all of this. How in the world did the Nazis think that annihilating the Jews was rationalizing? That is the opposite! I don't think that I will ever understand why these events took place. it doesn't matter how much I study the background information. Monster is the only word that should be used to describe the Nazis.
ReplyDeleteThis whole conference is a crazy thing to think that it actually happened! Like just to think that people decided that in order to get enough food to feed people, they kill people! Does that make any sense to anyone at all?! I just can't seem to wrap my mind around that. And to think that the Nazis could ever find joy in making fun of a man who is really religious makes me sick to my stomach. I don't get how a "human" could ever do something as cruel as that.
ReplyDeleteWhat amazes me the most is just how much the Nazis just straight up ddi not care at all what they were doing to the Jews; not only did they not care, but they wanted the Jews dead. I can't believe they aren't considered human just because they believe in something that isn't like the other religions. It makes me sick just imagining the Nazi's in that meeting just having the best time when the jews are out there dying. The Nazi's were truly pathetic, they are scared of anything outside of their interpretation of normal.
ReplyDeleteThese people were not human. They are don't have a heart. And they certainly don't have a single clue how to treat other people. When you, truly heartedly believe, that the “humane” thing to do would be to gas them quickly, you are not human. The thoughts that went trough them just appalls me. I will never understand how you can teach anybody to be come a killer. Or to hate something as much as they hated Jews.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteTo me, there is is nothing more twisted than the fact that the Nazis' success rode on the back breaking torture of the Jews. They sipped beverages of their choosing in a mansion as people were dying. The worse is that they cared about the Jews who were rapidly dying. But, they didn't care about their life but their destruction. Humane and Nazis ad their actions don't belong in the same sentence because nothing about what they did was humane. I love how they said that Germans should hate anything foreign, but the Jews weren't foreign. There is no sense in that. The Jews were integrated perfectly fine in German culture before the Holocaust, so they weren't aliens in their own country until the Germans alienated them. The Germans made them foreign. It is all twisted and messed up. The photos of the officers are the most shocking because they look so average. But average was anything but them.
EMMA HARRELL
I never knew that a reason given for the annilihation was the shortage of food. This is interesting to me and it brought a few questions to my mind. Why would the Jews be the starving ones? Do they make less money, or was this about food in the ghettos? I also find it crazy how calm Hersz's face was while several Jews were surrounding him and cutting off his hair. What was the purpose of cutting his hair? Was this something meant to be inhumane? I also find it very hypocritical that they wanted to use gas to make the deaths quick yet Jews were killed in various inhumane ways and they suffered tremendously. This is also ironic because it is not humane to kill innocent beings.
ReplyDeleteIt is very surprising that they wanted to hate all foreigners. It more surprising that they began the final solution with the starvation of most of Germany. With the looks of Heydrich and Eichmann faces in their picture, they had to be evil. But it is sad that they cut Jewish people's hair off to try and humiliate them.
ReplyDeleteSo, even before the holocaust started, Hitler was using euphemisms already. My question is, did he use the euphemism bout the deporting the Jews from the west to east to hide the fact that he was going to annihilate them? Or was he just trying to make it seem not as bad as it really was? What I disliked reading in this blog was how the Nazis thought they were doing a good deed by killing the Jews by gassing them. Just because you're killing them in a, so called, "humane" way doesn't steer away from the fact that you're killing innocent people. Also, even though they said they didn't want the Jews starving to death, a lot of them did. I agree with you about the picture of his brother helping his sister. I don't think I could ever understand what was going through the Nazis minds when they were killing those Jewish children. It sickens me to see that last picture of the Nazis having fun humiliating that Jew by cutting off his hair. It made me wonder, where did they learn stuff like this? Did their parents act the same way or was this a learned behavior?
ReplyDelete~Morgan Routh
I don't understand how people could be so naive to refuse to talk about the most important issues. I think they're scared of being inferior to foreign entities. Also how could they use euphemisms so insane like deportation meaning annihilation. I don't understand how the Germans could dehumanize themselves to the point they can't feel sympathy toward killing innocent people and children. It surprised me how the citizens would go to a German, Adolf Eichmann, to seek answers about the Jews. When they should be going to the Jews if the have questions because the Germans were feeding them lies the whole time. They follow the rule of only helping ones close to you and leaving others behind.
ReplyDeleteStella Brown
It is disgusting to me that these men sat in a beautiful mansion and discussed their awful acts of murder as if they were somehow necessary. Just the fact that they could discuss how they were going to try and wipe out an entire religion while Jewish people were dying of starvation and deprived of anything even resembling the luxuries these men enjoyed is sickening. The fact that Hitler used so many euphemisms is so gross to me because he wouldn't even say out loud what his plan was. Hitler hid behind euphemisms and lies to trick the people he was supposed to be governing into trusting him. To think that so many people stood by Hitler's side, when he was never honest- not even with his most avid supporters! In addition, the fact that anyone could say that slowly suffocating people in a gas chamber is "humane" is repulsive.
ReplyDeleteI'm very confused as to why the Nazis were killing millions of Jews and why they seemed to think this was a humane idea. I hate the way it was so casual like a normal lunch out. In reality they were planning the murder of millions Jews. They also used euphemisms to cover up their true intentions.-William Smith
ReplyDeleteI find it disturbing that the Nazis could build something right over the graves. The Jews believe that you should never disturb a grave and that it's a very peaceful place. I agree with this Jewish belief. It is disrespectful for the Nazis to do that. They were already ruining the lives of millon of living Jews, so why did they choose to continue to disrespect the dead ones?
ReplyDelete-William Smith
I was shocked to read the opening quote and hear that this hate was thought of as a "duty." To me, this seems like they are trying to create a (very poor) excuse for their actions. I was even more shocked to hear that this meeting took place in a mere 90 minutes. Sitting in this grand mansion, these men sat and discussed the fate of thousands of people. I cannot fathom why someone would think that they had that right. While I was shocked by the previous things I mentioned, I was most shocked to hear that they considered gassing to be "humane," They thought that it would be more humane to gas them than to starve them, but they starved them either way. These people were fed meager rations of food and were reduced to emaciated skeletons. Gassing was not a more humane alternative, and I do not think that is what they were aiming for. They both starved and gassed these thousands of people.
ReplyDeleteThe Nazi ideology is absurd and ridiculous. To hate anything foreign is so incredibly ignorant that it seems surreal. There is no reason of the Nazi's to hate the Jews except they all needed a scapegoat and Hitler gave them one. The Germans we're so quick to get out of the bad situation they were in that they put all the blame on the Jews. For them to say that the 'humane' way to treat them was gassing them is crazy an seems like a horror movie. However, it was real and the Nazi people prove ignorance is bliss. The Jews were people just like the Nazi's and any other person on this planet, then and today. Under no circumstance is mass extermination a viable option at all. Even when you truly believe that you are better and superior in every way. There is no scenario where killing everyone who you deem 'unfit to live' is a solution. For them to discuss the fate of millions of people in an hour and a half is also ridiculous because most sporting events take longer then that, and they discussed the fate of millions of people!
ReplyDeleteIt astounds me that they could think that any of what they did is humane. The humane thing to do would be to try their hardest to save these people. I also think it is horrifying that their reasoning in gassing Jews was that they would not have enough food for everyone and, therefore, the Jews would be better off if they were killed quickly. They then went on to keep the Jews as prisoners in concentration camps for months, years even, where they died slowly of starvation and disease every day. Everything the Nazis said was a lie and an excuse.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this, I sort of laughed at the fact they took 90 minutes to discuss the Final Solution. Though, my laugh was not a very happy one. It made me so made to read that they were talking about killing so many people, yet they thought that 90 minutes was enough time to talk about it. I don't even have enough time to finish my math work in 90 minutes!! It's sad to know that something so serious was taken so lightly. I also thought it was ironic that the Nazis wanted to be humane, but they were killing millions of people. When I think back to the Holocaust, I'll be sure to remember how 'nice' and 'thoughtful' the Nazis were towards the Jews.
ReplyDelete-Alexis Reid
I don’t understand how the Nazis were able to believe that anyone or anything foreign was less superior. If they truly felt this way why didn’t the question the inferior Adolf Hitler. He wasn’t German nor was he close to the Aryan race. The whole concept is very hypocritical. I’m also flabbergasted that in 90 minutes they went from discussing how to deal with not being able to feed the Jews to using gas on them.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how they thought killing them was the humane thing to do. Although they may look like normal human beings they truly are monsters. the picture of the SS guards ,shaving the Jewish mans head, enraged me the most. How can they look so pleased with themselves. this all disgusted me, especially how they are in such a beautiful house talking about such monstrous things.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that they discussed something like the extermination of Jews in such a nice building. When I think of killing I imagine hastily planned actions, not formal meetings. They were able to sit down and think through it like they were suggesting business strategies. The officers also look like very nice men. If I saw them in any other situation or out of the context, I don't think I'd see them as monsters. The picture with the Jew looks like playground bullying.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me sick thinking about how casually these German officers talk about the annihilation of the Jewish population. Like it's no big deal! I can't believe that their original plan was to just starve all of the Jews! How cruel is that?! I don't understand how some people forgive these officers even after all the horrible things they did to the Jews. The picture of the brother feeding his little sister touches my heart and makes me so sad that they had to go through those horrible times at such a young age. I couldn't imagine going through that especially with my siblings. The image of the Germans messing with the Jew makes me angry and annoyed because the Jews were already going through so much. That is just plain bullying. The Jews did not deserve to have to deal with that on top of being in the concentration camps.
ReplyDeleteDang this is completely horrible. I hate how these monsters just kill innocent people so effortlessly to just back up an opinion. They are discussing these people's deaths and mass murder with no thought of sympathy or letting what they are doing really sink in. Killing someone is not humane, especially not gassing them. Putting someone out of their misery is not humane. It sill just makes you a murderer and monster.
ReplyDeletePersonally I do not understand how people forgive the Germans. They wanted to starve Jews to death like it was nothing. The fact that the most human thing to do was to gas them is awful. Nothing in that sentence is human, starving someone, gassing someone, does that sounds human? If anything being human has nothing to even do with murder, especially for no reason. The picture of the brother taking care of his little sister is very sad because I have a little sister, and it just seems awful that they had to go through that.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked that the Germans were able to go along with Hitler if they are to hate everything foreign. Hitler wasn't german he was from Austria. I think that there was a very hypocritical side to the Holocaust. It is disturbing to think that people can be so naive. The fact that there was so much hate towards people, who many were more German than Hitler. I can not begin to understand how the Nazis had justified what they were doing.
ReplyDeleteLiz Montgomery
Wow! That mansion is so beautiful, yet the German Nazis cooked up horrible plans to annihilate the Jewish people of Europe. I can't believe these monsters actually believed that annihilating them would have been the "humane" thing to do. It's just completely wrong, it is the exact opposite of being humane. If only they weren't so brainwashed to see this. Now, me personally, I like my hair and would not like it to be ruined. If I were a Jew during this time I would be very upset to be shaved of my hair. I know it sounds kind of selfish, but I still do not believe that I could have survived the holocaust. For your grandmother to have done so astonishes me. And when you told us that she gave you a sign it warmed my heart, and still gave me chills.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that anyone could think that anything of that type of nature would be okay is absolutely insane. The picture of the brother and sister makes me think of my brother and sister and it absolutely tears me to pieces. I just can't even try to understand that the Nazis would think it is human to kill off an entire religion. The house is beautiful, but only if it hadn't been used for such a hideous cause. It just makes me so incredibly sad to see that humans could do this and think it was okay. I also just don't understand how so many groups of people could all come together for such an awful reason. They had so many people involved in helping eliminate the Jews and I just don't understand how that many people could all think it was the right thing to do. It's all just so insane I can't rap my head around it.
ReplyDeleteRose Dorofi
Just imaging how casual SS officers planned the extermination of Jews baffles me. That just shows that there is no sense of humanity in them. The house indeed is a beautiful house but if only it had been used for good rather then a ruthless cause. It is also breath talking to see the picture of a brother taking care of his sister. I personally would not be able to take on a big of a responsibility such as that. I just can't coup with the amount of evil filled in the minds of Nazis.
ReplyDeleteXan Brien
ReplyDeleteI shocking to me that the Nazis would think that the better option than feeding the Jews was just to kill them. And they thought they were doing them a favor! That's insane! I don't understand how people can be so cruel to one another. We are all the same. And why did the Nazis have to cut off the poor man's hair. I also liked the picture of the boy helping his little sister. It's good to know that there still was some good in those dark days.
That was surprising to find out that the final solution wasn’t really discussed until after Pearl Harbor. I always thought it was the one thing Hitler really strived to accomplish. It’s a horrific way to think, and that’s one question I keep reminding myself whenever I read things like these. I can’t believe people really thought like Hitler and carried on with his plans. Why wouldn’t anyone say that it’s too extreme? Then again, people were unaware what his euphemisms really meant! Such as when they said the Jews were going to get “deported.” Did people know it actually meant the Jews were going to die, or did they just ignore it? They could be so cruel and disrespectful to a group of people. I really do believe the people who committed such crimes against innocent people must have been extremely brainwashed. Either that, or their morals must have just been thrown out the window.
ReplyDelete-Emi Herrera
How could torturing mass amounts of Jews by killing them with gas be humane? When they said,”they hated everything foreign,” do they mean Jews, or anyone who doesn't fit into the aryan race? This problem was especially bad for the Jews considering how many eventually died from this time period. And worst of all, the immigration laws in other countries basically trapped the Jews in Germany... I find this appalling that even our country would not help the people suffering. Nowadays this type of stuff wouldn’t happen, not to innocent people at least. And the one thing that made my stomach turn when I read this was the fact that it only took 90 minutes to murder an entire religion of people.
ReplyDeleteThe first few sentences of this post oddly reminds me of our current situation in America. It talks about how the Nazis hated everything foreign and our president tried to ban immigration from the middle east and is deporting people. What astounds me most is that they thought they were being humane by gassing them. As if suffocating is the better thing to do, when in reality it was for their own gain. This is absolutely disgusting behavior and can't believe that this is actually a person from our history. It almost sounds like a story from a dystopian future.
ReplyDeleteI think it's crazy that they saw the 'humane' option would be killing the Jewish people. I also think it is ironic that the meeting where such horrid things were decided took place in such a beautiful building. It makes me wonder about the horrible things that have happened behind closed doors or out of earshot in the most beautiful places on Earth.
ReplyDeleteI think it's crazy that they saw the 'humane' option would be killing the Jewish people. I also think it is ironic that the meeting where such horrid things were decided took place in such a beautiful building. It makes me wonder about the horrible things that have happened behind closed doors or out of earshot in the most beautiful places on Earth.
ReplyDeleteI think it's crazy that they saw the 'humane' option would be killing the Jewish people. I also think it is ironic that the meeting where such horrid things were decided took place in such a beautiful building. It makes me wonder about the horrible things that have happened behind closed doors or out of earshot in the most beautiful places on Earth.
ReplyDeleteThe Germans would justify any evil act that they committed with something absurd like 'humanely' killing them. The real reason they gassed the Jews was because they wanted something fast so they could continue to kill as many people as possible. Seeing that beautiful house makes me wonder how someone could sit at a dinner party and talk about killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people without one second to stop and question what they were actually going to do. There is no justification for killing thousands of people for the sole purpose of getting rid of them. The Jewish people posed no threat to the Germans.
ReplyDelete-Brady
How could any of these horrible Nazis think that anything they were doing was humane. It honestly blows my mind that these men could live with themselves. I mean really. Holding a conference just to discuss how and when to murder people?? How other countries let this go on for so long is beyond me. The picture of the brother protecting his sister made me so sad. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be alone in the world, in a horrible place, at such a young age. It just goes to show how innocent the Jews truly were. This boy probably had no idea what his future would hold, but no matter what, his main focus was protecting his baby sister. That is simply heartbreaking.
ReplyDelete-Sophia R
It’s terrifying to think the Nazis thought what they were doing was “humane”, and that it was the right thing to do. Holding a conference just to figure out and plan what they were going to do with their “problem” is horrible, as we know this problem wasn’t something small. The problem was actual human beings that they saw as a problem. It is baffling to know that other countries did not act or make any effort to stop what was happening. The jews were an innocent people being persecuted for no other reason than being a scapegoat for problems caused by the German people. It is horrible knowing what went on during this time period and makes me hope that something like this will never happen again during my lifetime, or during any lifetime.
ReplyDeleteIt made me especially mad that they had an “Expert for Jewish Questions.” No one person can give the answer to everyone with that religion, especially a Nazi. As we learned in the sunflower, no one person can answer for all of the Jews, as Josek stated. The thing that really made me want to jump into that picture and punch every single Nazi was the image where they were cutting off the religious Jew’s hair. It’s a symbol to them as Hitler was a symbol to the Nazis! They defaced a man in public who was just showing what he believed.
ReplyDeleteI think it is awful how they could just casually decide to murder hundreds of thousands of innocent people. The way you described how they were just sitting around, enjoying themselves while also discussing how to annihilate an entire race is horrifying. It is also terrible how they decided that if they can't feed them then they might as well just kill them. It makes me sad to see the way the Germans were degrading the Rabbi. A lot of people don't realize that the Nazis tortured the Jews mentally as well as physically. The fact that the Nazis thought that what they planned to do was "humane" shows how messed up they truly were.
ReplyDeleteIt is truly terrifying to see the pure evil that humans are capable of. These Nazi officers look just like your everyday average man but they are filled with pure hate. It’s absurd to think that these people believe that they were doing the Jews a favor by gassing them and “allowing” them a quicker death. They really thought that they were doing the “humane” thing when they came up with this plan. It absolutely amazes me how they came up with all of this in only 90 minutes. A plan of what to do with an entire religion, made in only 90 minutes. That’s not even enough time to read a book! That’s crazy. This sickens me and terrifies me of how easily human beings are capable of doing this to other humans. The only thing I disagree with you on is referring to the Nazis as monsters. They are horrible, sadistic scum, but still people. I think that referring to them as monsters almost takes away from the reality of the situation. These were people torturing other people. Keeping in mind that the Nazis are human too reinforces how sick and twisted they were.
ReplyDeleteWhat the Nazis did at the Wannsee Conference was disgusting. Sitting at a mansion, and deciding to kill the group of people they’re discriminating against because “it would be impossible to feed them.” This is insulting, illogical, and ironic. If the Nazis could not feed the Jews, then they simply could have left them alone and let them keep living their lives, but killing them all is a easier prospect? I think that these evil men had too much power and felt invincible, if killing an entire “race” of people is easier than letting them continue to live free, or at the very least live free in the ghettos without being sent to a death camp.
ReplyDelete-Nick Shaw
It seems horrendous to me that the Nazis thought the quickest way to get rid of the Jews was to gas them. Yes, it was the quickest way but it wasn't very humane of them to do so. It sickens me that people would ever think of doing that in there first place. How rude and cruel can one be? What drives them to do what they do? Using the fact that they couldn't get annihilated was all an excuse and made them think they had the rights to murder thousands of Jews which is just unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteI find it ironic that they said it’s a German duty to hate anything foreign, but Hitler wasn’t even German. I still can’t understand how they wanted to “eliminate” all Jews just because they were different. I also can’t get over how they thought the “humane” thing to do was to gas them. That is in no way humane or right. I always find it interesting to see pictures during this time, so I enjoyed seeing the mansion and some of the men. I wondered myself how the men pictured looked so normal but they were monsters to Jewish people. Out of all the pictures that you put in the article the one of the brother and sister spoke the most to me too. I have a brother and I could not imagine what that would feel like, and I hope that I will never have to.
ReplyDelete-Ashley LeBlanc
ReplyDeleteSomehow the acts of the Nazi party keep getting worse and worse. The fact that they were in a beautiful mansion talking about exterminating a religion of people is absolutely disgusting. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if i killed someone, let alone an entire religion of people. The people with the blood on their hands are just the definition of psychopath, people who just killed without any reason and for what? What did they think was so worth it that they had to kill six million people? The picture with the brother and the sister just made me feel bad for all the little kids and babies whose first memories were death and destruction of hundreds of thousands of people. I truly have so much respect for all of the people who had to go through the living hell that was the holocaust. How other countries didn't intervene and stop this is simply inexcusable and needs to be looked at in further detail.
-Noah Zeck
As the blogs go on, their actions get worse. I still can’t believe how cruel they really were. Most people living in a mansion don’t usually discuss erasing an entire population because of their religion. This is disgusting to me, and I don’t know how I’d be able to live in those conditions. The Nazis are crazy for their actions. There is no way that I would be able to do any of the things they did. I wouldn’t have been able to kill one person. The fact that they killed people daily because of their religion is crazy to me. The pictures of the kids also really got to me. No kid should have to go through that. I can’t believe people survived these conditions, and the whole thing is crazy to me.
ReplyDeleteIt’s truly hard to imagine such evil men sitting in such a beautiful house discussing how they are going to kill off the whole Jewish population. I don’t see how they can consider their decisions to be humane, their acting like it’s for the best of the Jewish people. What also puzzles me and shocks me is how a few men can be in charge of millions. How are they “better” than the Jews or any other person? During a 90 minute meeting these evil men chose a future for the Jews which they describe to be humane, but I would guess that if you asked a Jewish person if they thought it was humane their answer would be a lot different.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a duty to hate anything different? That is complete garbage. I know the Jews were included in that “different” category. I find it disgusting how the Nazis are disgusting how they are gonna take out the Jews while in a beautiful mansion. Those men in the pictures look like normal people, but they are really monsters. I don’t have the strength to kill one person, let alone an entire people. The picture of the kids is very sad. How can you do something like this to a KID? No kid or person should go through what these people did.
ReplyDelete-Wilson Hawes
There is still one thing that still confuses me the most. How can countless people sit here and simply murder thousands of people? It’s not like you’re hunting, you are physically killing innocent people. They did not harm you. They did not affect you. If anything they helped you by contributing to a better economy and society. There should be no reason to kill them quickly because it’s the “humane” thing to do. Just because one person says that someone is evil doesn’t mean you have to listen, or even live by it. Some of the SS Soldiers would be with their kids, and not once did they not sit down and think, “what if this was my kid?”
ReplyDeleteIts scary to look at the final image and realize how familiar it looks. The group of bullies surrounding the outsider. For what? The reasons were not acceptable and they never are. The fact that they thought they're actions were humane and acceptable is so shocking. Not only is segregation alone terrible but the idea of segregating someone for something they believe in, like their religion, is crazy. People were put through so much torture for no reason and they were tormented. All of this just for the Nazis to "realize the great idea" to just gas them all so they would be killed quicker. That is sick and twisted.
ReplyDeleteIt is terrible to think that the nazis had a meeting to discuss how to kill the jews. Other countries must share the blame for closing down their immigration system because they did not want the “jewish Problem.” It isn't hard to believe that we live in a world where the “humane” solution is killing especially when even 30 years after seeing the result of genocide and racism there were countries studying it to see how to implement a partide the “best” way. When you say you don't understand how people could commit such atrocities I ask how could you not? By human nature there will be a “wolf” among the sheep. Take this scenario. A fox breaks into a farmers chicken coop. The farmer catches the fox hits it and takes of its tail. The fox is told not to come back; the fox still has its teeth, claws and mind, all it needs to come back. The fox comes back the farmer tells it to leave, the fox still is approaching. The farmer remindes it what he did last time; the fox still keeps inching forward now advertising its claws. “Woh, back off!” the farmer exclaims, but yet the fox keeps walking eventually the farmer let's the fox into the coop as long as it isn't him and when the fox comes for him then the farmer takes a stand. Humans by nature protect themselves and what is familiar to them not helping others.
ReplyDeleteI only have two words to say about this that will sum up the rest of what I’m going to say: Truly appalling. First, let me start off by talking about how the Nazis could actually decide what to do with an entire religion in just an hour and a half. I don’t and probably never will understand how a group of human beings could actually decide the fate of other human beings in the same amount of time it takes them to watch a movie. I mean, do Nazis, like actually, not have a soul at all? On top of that, they actually had the AUDACITY to call genocide humane. Did not a single one of them not stop and think to themselves “Is killing other people really a good thing to do,” like seriously it’s infuriating.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures you included in your blog really do not depict the homicides committed by German Nazis during the holocaust. It's also crazy to even believe that the Nazis thought that they should not starve the Jews, because they didn't believed they were not that evil! So there solution was to just gas them with their children so it can be quick, as if that makes their actions any more humane. And also so the Germans would not have to see it and it was a quicker way, only taking an hour. These people thought they were so kind, when thief opinions of themselves were provincial, which was also seen throughout the thought it was, “there duty,” to hate Jewish citizens.
ReplyDeleteWow, I can't believe that they thought gassing Jews and working them to death was pleasant. I still don't get why everybody thought the Jewish problem was real either. The Jews are humans just like the rest of us. I hate when people think they’re better than somebody else; I hate even thinking about what went through the Nazis heads when they came up with the “final solution” that was “humane” in their eyes. The Nazis were worse than monsters they were evil all the way to the core, and it still disappoints me that the United States never got involved until after pearl harbor.
ReplyDeleteI feel disgusted by the actions of all of the soldiers who worked for the Nazis. How they thought a “fast death” rather than starving the Jewish people was a consideration and a kind gesture really disturbs me. It sickens me that while millions of people were suffering, a few Nazis soldiers sat around a fire and decided their fate. This is one of the main reasons why I find it difficult to forgive any Nazi. I would never be able to truly tell whether or not they felt remorseful for their actions. Even with all this, I enjoyed seeing the picture of the older brother comforting his sister. It makes me feel good about humanity and how strong the Jewish were during the Holocaust.
ReplyDeleteEverytime I read one of these blogs, I become more and more shocked by how evil these people really are. Of course, I already knew that the Holocaust was an absolutely horrible event that occured, but I never could have imagined some of the things we have learned. I think what surprised me the most when reading this was not even how long it took them to make this decision to gas the Jews rather than let them starve. It was more surprising to read that THEY THOUGHT THIS WAS HUMANE?!?!?! I totally agree with you. I’m not sure in what world they were living in or what was wrong with their brains, but even after having endured a long (might I add very hard as well) year of studying psychology, I can not come up with a reasonable explanation. These people truly were just monsters in the form of “humans.”
ReplyDeleteIn every blog you post it draws me in more. You appeal to the reader and make us understand what kinds of terrible acts that these so called humans did. It is very disgusting to me how one person can treat another person so cruel. Like, what could possibly be going through their minds that would make them think of these things to do and to have to do it with another person by their side is even worse. I personally believe that they shouldn’t be called humans because of their actions that they had done. Like for example, gassing the jews just because they didn’t want to serve them food. That is an awful thing to do.-Riley Dilsworth
ReplyDeleteOnce again, leave it to the Nazis, to refer to the annihilation of an entire ethnic group of people as “deport Jews from the West to East.” Did this secret Nazi code signify the “Eastern Gate”, if so, I am not expecting to meet any Nazis “just outside the Eastern Gate over there.” Gasing the Jews as the “Final Solution” rather than over slowly starving was the humane gentlemen thing to do … Nazis Gentlemen that is … a breed all their own al wrapped up in cognac, placed in a mansion, with a fire crackling in the background.
ReplyDelete-Russ
This is disgusting. Not only do they derive pleasure in tormenting these innocent people, but they consider themselves to be humane in doing it. Every blog I read about this time period just continues to emphasize the crude sadism that the Nazis inflicted upon human beings, who were subject to torture and brutal conditions, while the Nazis sat happy and comfortable in their mansions surrounded by warmth and food. 90 minutes managed to change everything; in 90 minutes they were able to create a “solution” that would end up killing millions of innocent people. It’s barbaric.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to learn that the beginning of talk about exterminating the jews did not begin until after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I thought this idea had been proposed and action had begun sooner than it actually did. I was also surprised when I read that people from multiple parts of the government were also at the meeting. For some reason I had always thought of it as the whole government being one person (Hitler) and him doing the work all himself. Reading other positions and attendees there made me think about how it was a corruption of a whole government not just one person.
I don't understand how a Nazi can look at a child and think it's alright to kill them. Not only that, they had to think of the most humane thing to do? People who are alright in the head wouldn't be thinking this. They took an hour and thirty minutes to decide HOW to kill the Jewish people. This is what ignorance does to people. They would rather kill what they don't understand then to learn from them. Bullies only bully the people they know won't harm them. It's scary how power can corrupt people. Give someone a gun, a uniform, and tell them you could kill, you would think they wouldn't do it but after a while, it becomes their norm. And that's horrifying.
ReplyDelete~Jackie A.
I truly can not believe how they just met in a nice room and all decided that they would kill the Jews. What suprises me the most is how these people all just wanted to help with killing so many people. Also, how do they think that gassing somebody is humane. I just do not understand. I also am just shocked that the meeting only took 90 minutes. If you think about it, these people are about to start a genocide and when the meeting is 90 minutes it shows that they all already thought of how they would kill so many people. These people are sick that that is what they think of. The picture of the Jewish man and the Nazi officers really disturbs me. I read the description but I do not really understand what they are doing. All that I know is that the man in the middle looks like he is being tortured and the Nazi soilder's are laughing and having fun. When someone is in such pain, how can they be having fun. That is something I will never understand.
ReplyDeleteCharlie Robinson
-Clay Tobin
ReplyDeleteAt first I was surprised by how it only took 90 minutes to formally discuss the fate of an entire religion, but then I though about it and I wasn't because they were already trying to exterminate all of the Jews and that what was there to decide? These were some of the most monstrous inhumane people ever. I think all they really discussed was how they could kill the Jews as fast as possible and the logistics of it. I think it was only planning on the extermination not a real discussion. Another thing this part of the blog made me think of is that the world had a real chance to save millions of Jews from the wrath of the Nazis, but chose to not offer a helping hand. We chose to bystanders for reasons of hate, no personal responsibility and few others, but nothing near enough to constitute turning our backs on millions of PEOPLE.... Children....Fathers, Mothers, Aunts, Uncles, Teachers, Lawyers....Humans. Another thing that I came across in a documentary a while back was how that it is very likely that if the Nazis didn't concentrate all of that manpower, transportation and, resources to the extermination of the Jews that they could have won the war.
While reading this, what stuck out to me the most, as it did to most people, was that the Nazis thought that their decision was the most humane. Nothing that they EVER did was humane. Even if they decided to give the Jews the amount of food that they would require for the winter that would still not be humane. Because the Jews would STILL BE IN THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS! And, they aren’t even complete psychopaths because they KNEW that what they were doing was completely wrong. Evidence of this can be seen through their many code words, which can show us they they couldn’t say the terrible things that they were doing aloud. In my opinion, this makes the Nazis even more horrible because they could see that what they were doing was disgusting yet they kept on doing it.
ReplyDeleteThe major thing that stuck with me was how those Nazis could be smiling as they attempted to mortify the Jewish person by cutting off his hair. I am shocked by how a person could be so cruel and disgusting towards another human being, and enjoy it. I don’t understand how they couldn’t have put themselves into the Jewish people’s shoes for a moment to realize how awful they were being to them. I was also shocked by the fact that they were able to get together in such a beautiful setting and talk about “annihilating” whole populations. I think that by them saying that they were moving the Jews “from the West to the East” instead of saying that they were murdering them shows that deep down they realized what they were doing was wrong but they didn't want to deal with it internally. In reaction to this, they decided to use “code” words instead of saying what they were actually committing. Also, through your connection Mrs. Stone, I realized how innocent these people were, and how they resembled my family and I in a way. This really put things into perspective for me because I realized that people, who were similar to me, were really damaged or killed by this event.
ReplyDeleteHalsey Patrick ^^
DeleteWow the faces in that picture of the Nazis cutting off the Rabbi's hair are awful. The are all smiling and so amused by hurting this innocent man's beliefs. I don't know how any of those men would find that funny or entertaining. The Rabbi is just staring right at the camera with a look of complete despair. I don't know how it would feel to have your religion literally stripped from your head. Some of these things I can't relate to on any level at all just because I have never ever been though anything like this at all.
ReplyDeleteThe euphemisms and all of the covering up that the Nazis did is so awful. It's so convenient that they thought killing them all would be better than feeding them. They barely fed them anything anyway and many died from starvation.
In the picture of the young girl and boy, I could see the compassion that they still felt between each other when they were still struggling to survive in the ghetto. That goes back to when we talked about resistance, and the way that Nazis were most annoyed with was when they just continued to survive.
Moriah Campbell ^^
DeleteIt shocks me that so many different people agreed to such a horrible “solution.” It’s not that they weren’t intelligent people, they all had substantial ranks in the government and were relatively respected during this time. I just don’t understand how such people could all agree to commit such atrocities. It also shocked me that the entire meeting only lasted 90 minutes. It only took 90 minutes for these men to decide to attempt to destroy an entire religion, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. It’s just terrible to think that these people’s fates were sealed so quickly. The statement about gassing being the most “humane” solution also shocked me. This is in no way humane, and and I am dumbfounded at how they could think that it was. Many of the pictures also had a great impact on me, especially the one of the Nazis cutting the Rabbi’s hair. His hair was in no way affecting the Nazis, but it was part of his tradition. I’m baffled by why the Nazis felt the need to take this away from him when it was in no way harmful to them. The people’s expressions in this picture also shocked me. The Nazis looked so happy to be doing this to the Rabbi and didn’t seem to care how he felt. I know that after the Holocaust many Nazis claimed that they didn’t want to go along with what they were ordered to do, but the majority of the Nazis in this picture look perfectly content humiliating the poor Rabbi.
ReplyDeleteClaire Porier
It is truly ironic that these evil men created such unimaginable and inhumane ideas inside of a beautiful and innocent mansion. The information about having to get many government departments to agree including the justice, state ministers, representatives, etc made me think about how many people agreed to this. The government was so easily turned to support this evil plan and that is scary to think about. Adolf Eichmann being called the “Expert for Jewish Questions” is ironic as well considering he had to have made up all of his answers or based them off of liees. The last picture of the Jewish man being humiliated really impacted me. It’s heartbreaking to see them torturing him especially since he doesn’t have many choices when it comes to resisting.
ReplyDeleteElla Page
The fact that the Nazis needed a conference to talk about the “Jewish Problem” and how to get rid of it angers me. The mental image of educated, nicely dressed people all in a fancy mansion talking about killing all Jews is something straight out of a dystopian novel. This is something we discussed in class with the question of: Would the lottery be believable if educated people were the ones participating in it? I think this proves that educated people doing awful things is not only believable, but it did happen at many points in history with this being one of them. They even discussed how to make the conditions more humane for Jews. This may seem good until you realize that the solution was to kill them all quickly so they would die in a gas chamber rather than starve to death. Wow, how considerate of the Germans to help their Jewish friends out!
ReplyDelete- Mac Patterson
It took only 90 minutes for a group of people to decide on a faster way of killing. What? 90 minutes to decide the fate of millions of people. That isn't even 2 hours. They decided that gasing people would be the best option. What were the other choices? I love that they decided to stop buying food and kill the Jews. How nice of then. They also considered it to be a quicker way to kill. Lets talk about Hersz Lasowski. That picture was evil. These monsters were stripping him of his hair before they were going to hang him. Why the hell were they so pleased? Couldn't he have died with his hair? I also can't imagine being killed with my father. If he didn't die instantly from hanging then he would have to watch his child die. Same for the kid. I don't want to imagine it.
ReplyDelete- Katy Masotti
This blog brings me back to when we read "The Lottery." Most everyone thought that intelligent people are bound to make more educated decisions; we couldn't of been more wrong. Some of the most intelligent citizens that Germany had to offer sat cooped up in a lovely mansion concocting terrible plans. It's rather ironic-men with money in between their fingers playing God because of their privilege. They decided the fates of millions in 90 minutes; if that doesn't scream unethical power structure then I don't know what does. It sounds like the opening story line to a dystopia novel or film. This brings me back to, again, the bystanders who let the Holocaust reach this point. So much life was lost to ignorance. It makes me wonder what those children could have contributed to the world-families, careers, first loves, going to school. This blog made me take a step back and recognize how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to experience the good in life.
ReplyDelete-Annie Vedder
While reading this post, I consistently found myself pondering how a group of people could muster so much hate for a group of innocent people. I am shocked to discover the uneasiness of practically the entire world as everyone was hesitant to protect the Jews. I don’t understand how the United States could decide not to allow Jews into their border when that’s literally what it does everyday. I am appalled by the amount of sugar coated phrases used by the Nazis. If you’re going to openly persecute a people, you should be willing to acknowledge the full extent of what you are doing. Additionally, I don’t understand why it took the whole world so long to finally decide to do something about the Holocaust. If you have any inclination of such an atrocity, I would have expected you to act immediately.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard not to read this post and realize how ironic the Final Solution is. Did these people at the meeting seriously believe that the Jewish people could not be fed? Or did they just want an excuse of how to get rid of the Jewish people. Probably the second. It makes you realize how personal prejudices can play a role in perpetrator and bystander situations. I hope we study the perpetrators soon because I don't know about many Nazis. I realize that it is important not to glorify them, but in one of the pictures, Mrs. Stone, you noted that some of these men are evil to the core. When I looked at that picture of the Jewish men's hair being cut off, it looked so real. Like seriously. The picture was in such great focus that it was silly to not acknowledge how real everything in the Holocaust is. Sometimes it is hard to imagine the atrocities, but once you see pictures, it feels more tangible. As they say, "Seeing is believing." Additionally, I wondered why that guy even wrote the letter about the Jews. I don't think that he truly believed that, so was he just writing the letter so that later in history we wouldn't blame him as much? I thought that there was some significance to that point.
ReplyDeleteWhen first reading this I was shocked at the fact that it took only 90 minutes for the Nazis to decide to eliminate all of Jews. How could these horrible people change the fate of a religion, nation, and world in only 90 minutes. I also felt a sick feeling as I read that Rolf-Heinz Hoppner wanted to be “humane” by not letting these Jews starve to death and just killing them right away. As I continue reading these blogs, I am beginning to notice more and more the irony of so many situations during the Holocaust. How any sane, educated person could think that sending innocent women, children, and men with lives to a gas chamber where they will take their final breath is humane is beyond me. I go back to saying in my head, “well he must have been crazy or mentally ill!” If that was the case, then I guess the entire rest of the Nazi party was mentally ill; except they were not which is the sickening part.
ReplyDelete-Sophie Slayden
I cannot believe the Wannsee Conference lasted only 90 minutes; how could they have decided the fate of millions of Jews in so little time? I also could not believe that after 90 minutes, they concluded that Jews could not be fed and that gassing them would be the "best" option. Unless if this was just a way to justify their reasons for gassing the Jews, and other options actually just didn't seem torturous enough, then how bad must the other options have been for gassing to be considered the "best" choice? I wonder what the other options were. Furthermore, there was definitely no reason for the Sadists to cut the man's hair before he was killed. As you wrote in your blog, hair could be a symbol of vanity for a religious man, and if the man were to be killed anyways, why waste time to cut his hair? The part of this that resonated most with me was when the Nazis were smiling while cutting the Jew's hair. It is cruel to enjoy a moment when someone is potentially being humiliated or whose beliefs are being destroyed. This blog was really intriguing to me, since I have never heard of the Wannsee conference and had no idea that the Nazis had different options for how to kill the Jews.
ReplyDelete-Sara Trochanowski
Pretty funny how they took 90 minutes to conduct a plan that involved millions of Jews. Kill them. So sickening that these people (who are we kidding they aren't people, they are Satan's offspring) have the power to just decide to kill millions of innocent people. Ya and also "humane", my ass lets just throw them in a gas chamber or take them out back and shoot them in the head cause that's a lot more humane. THEY AREN'T DOGS FOR GOD'S SAKE. Unfortunately they were very charismatic individuals which made this so sick and twisted. God made a great thing when he made the human but thanks to Adam and Eve we had great humans that were overcome by sin and that's why we had the holocaust.
ReplyDeleteBenjamin
After I read the first quote, I knew that this blog entry was going to be horrific. The idea that Hitler was “Stuck” with Jews is preposterous. The worst part is other countries still feel stuck with certain people. Unless they are causing harm to your citizens and not participating in your economy and communities, let them be. Jewish people did not have a homeland during the Holocaust so it’s especially important that these people are allowed to live. The outcome of this conference is so awful. Living things like to live. Most people would rather be alive with little food than be straight up dead. I wonder how Nazis were able to conclude that this was the “humane” thing to do. How were they able to do this in only 90 minutes. It reminds me of the O.J. Simpson case. After a 9 month trial, it only took ~45 minutes of deliberation to sentence O.J. Most people agree that their sentence was incorrect, but through the use of cheap tricks and planting doubt inside the heads of the jurors, O.J.’s team of lawyers was able to change the outcome. I wonder if similar tactics were used during this conference.
ReplyDelete-Nate Reiney
Why did every single country have to limit their immigration quotas against the Jewish people? Why didn’t they recognize that there was no problem with the Jewish population, but with the people who opposed them? Also, how did these countries allow constant discrimination against Jews? How in the world could someone nonchalantly sit near a fireplace and have a meeting about annihilating so many people? The fact that so many people allowed for the annihilation of Jews astonishes me. It wasn’t just the Nazis, the people in this meeting, or Hitler, it was the citizens surrounding the camps, the citizens who knew what was going on, the bystanders, the countries that lowered their immigration quotas, and everybody who pretended that nothing was going on. The thing that really stood out to me was the picture of the brother helping the little sister. Just like the poem about the “Little Polish Boy,” it personalizes these murders. It wasn’t just a number of people murdered. It is that every single person murdered matters because of what they went through. They were someone’s mom, dad, brother, sister, child, aunt, uncle, grandparent, and they were normal people. It makes you imagine what you would have done if it was your little brother or sister. Thank you, Mrs. Stone, for showing us these different details that we aren’t taught about. I had never heard of this meeting, and that picture really meant a lot to me.
ReplyDeleteElyse Duley
It’s a German’s duty to hate anything foreign, but wasn’t Hitler from...nevermind I guess that’s their logic. The same logic that thinks gassing an entire population is “humane.” It’s crazy to me for one that any of these people were deemed educated enough to be in power and that the German public saw this as the best thing for their country. The rest of the world didn’t do much better by not letting in people being persecuted. I don’t even understand what the rest of the world had against Jews either. They were completely open into letting in other immigrants and even terrorists, so what exactly was their problem with Jewish people. I guess that is a question that has been going on for hundreds of years and can’t be answered exactly though. This really makes you think about all that was wrong with the world.
ReplyDeleteDavid Winslow
It surprises me how many people had to come together to begin the final solution. there were so many High ranking Nazis and SS who were so against Jews. They all agreed to kill an entire culture. I can't believe that they all legitimately believed that they were doing the right thing. I can understand that some of them were brainwashed by propaganda (which still isn't an excuse), but some of them had to create that propaganda. They called it "humane" to save them from starvation (by killing them, which should never be a "solution"), but the prisoners in the concentration camps were severely malnourished anyway.
ReplyDelete-Brian Ramsey
The way that the Nazis rationalized killing millions of innocent Jews by saying it was humane because they could not feed them was sickening. It sounds like they are talking about animals. They did not seem too concerned with feeding in the camps as so many of them died from starvation. Additionally, I can not believe that so many educated and civilized people would agree to participate in such an insidious and violent plan to kill all the supporters of a religion. One would think that of The people in power would just say no, that is evil. That is why learning about the Holocaust is so important, so that we never let it happen again.
ReplyDelete-Jane Jeffries
I will neither understand the thought process behind these men nor will I ever see how they could possibly enjoy doing this stuff. The Nazis find enjoyment by surrounding Rabbi with literally nine men. Nine men. The Rabbi was just standing there. Those men are evil and just hard to look at because the countless people that were murdered at the hands of them. I can only imagine how hard it has to be knowing people who survived the Holocaust and being to these places as a Jewish person, but I respect you so much for it. I am disturbed by the pictures over a computer screen, but seeing the places where these men called for the "humane" murders of Jewish people they could not feed. I also want to say this when you connect that photo to you children; I don't understand what it is like to have to tell your kids that if they were born eighty years earlier that they would be murdered because of the religion they practice, but I, again, respect you a lot for doing that because nobody requires for you to do that. It's crazy to me that anyone would ever want to do this; I hope that those men got what they deserved.
ReplyDeleteRyan Szeker
It's so weird to me that they were just having a conversation and then they are instructed to kill all the Jews. It makes me sick that they thought they were being considerate towards the Jews by deciding to gas them quickly. Also it says that they said it was impossible to feed the Jews I questioned it. It was so weird to see actual pictures of Nazis because it makes it that more real. I don't understand how anyone could find joy in hurting, humiliating, or torturing others- it just doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteAt this conference the final solution was discussed where Jews would be sent from the West to East just to be slaughtered because anything foreign is bad and the Jews were in Hitler’s land. No one wanted the Jews so they had nowhere to go legally. So they were deported so they could be essentially annihilated. I think it's horrifying that so many people were in on this whole let's kill all the Jews thing but I guess that’s what they truly believed what was right for New Germany.
ReplyDelete- Brad McKewon
I think it's interesting how the Nazis had to hold a meeting about the killing of millions in a big comfy mansion. I just don't understand how these people could hold a meeting to decide the fate of so many innocent lives. What really stood out to me was when the Nazis said that since there was no food for the Jews they would just help them out by gassing them. - Lawson Swisher
ReplyDeleteAll of this goes to show how evil the Germans could be. They treated everything so casually like they weren’t killing millions of people. It's almost like they couldn't hear themselves when they spoke. It should never be a favor to kill someone more quickly when they didn’t do anything at all. Looking through the pictures brought different emotions, but I find myself confused and not understanding of what goes through those people’s heads. Humiliating and torturing people should never be something to smile about.
ReplyDelete-Carson Bahr
The amount of leaders who attended the 90 minute conference baffles me because not one of them stood up for the Jewish people. All of these people are highly educated grown adults who know what's morally right vs wrong. Brainwashing can't even be an excuse for their wrong doing. This conference only adds to the many reasons why all Germans should be ashamed of their inhumane actions. --marin boulware
ReplyDeleteI have several thoughts. These Nazis seem to operate with selective compassionate and regard for humanity. The vast majority of their actions ignore what is humane, yet in this blog, the rationale for quickly gassing Jews is that it is more humane. This is contradictory. It seems more likely to me that the Nazis just didn't want to waste money on food for the Jews. The food would have been cheap and terrible anyway. It is odd that the Nazis seemed to have an aversion to admitting plainly what they were doing. Everything was a euphemism. Just a thought- You say that these people aren't human but evil monsters at their core. I'm agree that they are sadistic but that is almost precisely the same sort of dehumanization that the Nazis did to the Jews. Just food for thought. Yet I understand and agree. If I were in the concentration camps I would've done my utmost to protect and stay with my brothers but honestly I don't know what I could have done. The most heart wrenching thing would be to stand by powerless as my family is harmed.
ReplyDelete-Ely Altman
Hating anything foreign isn't being nationalistic, it's being ignorant and small minded, I don't understand how people are serious when they say things like that. Calling a whole religion of people "dirty" and problem that needs an immediate answer is beyond me. And the Germans answer to the Jewish problem was simple, kill every Jew in Europe! I am ashamed to be the same species as these ignorant Nazi/SS officers. In their 90 minute meeting to come up with this solution, they believed they were being humane by getting rid of the Jews. This is ridiculous! How is getting a rid of a whole people in any way humane? The disgusting SS officers took any chance they could get to humiliate a Jew, especially a rabbi, like when they cut his hair.
ReplyDelete-Jayden Childress
Again, just like Ravensbruck, I find it ironic how they continue to have these important meeting and camps in such beautiful places. These meeting and camps bring nothing but disaster and misery. Furthermore, I was astonish how the Nazis thought that killing all the Jews was the humane thing to do. Like seriously, wouldn't it be a million times more humane to just let them go?
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that stuck out to me about this post was the fact that they came to the conclusion to annihilate all Jews using gas chambers in only a 90 minute meeting! It took them only 90 minutes to decide to expunge an entire religion. This makes it seem as if it was a casual decision that required almost no thought. I also thought it was crazy how they thought of themselves as "humane" for sending the Jews to gas chambers rather than making them die slowly. This truly shows how inhumane and psychotic the Nazi leaders and Hitler were. It's like they didn't even realize or care that they were killing millions of innocent people.
ReplyDelete-Caroline Mecia
Only 90 minutes to discuss the annihilation of a race of people? They sat there in their fancy mansion while millions of people were going to die. The SS were most certainly not "humane" for killing the Jews quickly as to not let them starve. The Germans were almost acting like there was a small fluke in their upcoming business venture and nothing more. How could they treat the Jewish Rabbi like that in the photo? Despicable!
ReplyDeleteThis conference truly shows the irony in the Nazi Regime, and how they enjoy to hide their wretched actions in beautiful scenery and not dwell on these horrible actions they bring onto other people. The most sick part about this whole thing, however, is the Nazis believing that it was "humane" to kill the Jews and "the Germans duty" to purge outsiders, and as a German it makes me sick to think that this nation could be taken over by maniacs.
ReplyDelete-Filip Weil
It's rather ironic that the "German duty" was to hate anything foreign, when Hitler himself was Austrian. I am also baffled that the suffering of millions of pure humans, conducted by other humans, over the coarse of many years, was constructed in a matter of minutes. That is simply discusting. Also, how, in any way, shape, or form, is brutally committing a mass murder at all humane? Gassing Jews so that they will die quickly does not make up for the true torture or starvation, humiliation, and abuse the Nazis conducted. Explain to me how that is humane!
ReplyDelete-Giuli Iannitti
DeleteIt’s terrifying to think that Nazis thought their actions were “humane” and necessary. They held a conference to figure out what they were going to do with the Jewish “problem” is horrible. It is astonishing to know that other countries didn’t act or make any effort to stop what was happening. The Jews were an innocent people being persecuted for no other reason than being a scapegoat for problems caused by the German people. It is horrible to know what went on during this time period, and it makes me hope that something like this will never happen again.
ReplyDelete-Jacob Guzi
It is baffling that so many educated and hard-working men were able to calmly sit down in a mansion to discuss the final step to genocide. While millions of Jews and others deemed “unfit for society” were suffering in the worst conditions possible, these men sat around in a mansion with food and drink to talk about the most obscene crime in history. I will never be able to understand how the people of Germany, who were extremely civilized and had advanced technology, were able to descend into supporters of hate and genocide. The world watched as millions were killed and did nothing. The German citizens saw what was happening first hand in their own communities, and very few people decided to take action against it. How did almost a whole country drop any morality they had in favor of genocide? -Macey Smith
ReplyDeleteI’m disgusted that Hitler and his comrades thought that gassing was more “humane” than letting the Jews starve to death. It’s almost like a cruel joke, as they were the ones deciding the Jews must be murdered in the first place! How could the men sit in a beautiful mansion with cigars and alcohol and colloquially talk of such awful things? The fact that the men used code words amongst themselves shows that they knew the Final Solution was an atrocity, but they still went on with it. I don’t think that one person in that room truly believed it was humane but only phrased it that way to boost each other's egos and conciseness.
ReplyDelete- Ava Clark
I hate the fact that the German phrase "It's a German duty to hate anything foreign." It's just a phrase of nationalistic pride that was based off of nothing. Germany, in the past, thrived off of foreign powers. It's just a euphomism used towards the German people. Also, the conference was filled with high class citizens, who not only knew what they were doing, but accepted it and tried to promote it to the other citizens. They forgot all moral codes and tried to further their own success by siding with the Nazis. Taylor Fleeman
ReplyDeleteReading this just further pushes my disgust for all the people who participated in the Holocaust. The Nazi's were vile monsters, but the fact that they could rationalize what they were doing and then people agree with them is insane. They even went as far to claim what they were doing was "humane". I just don't understand how such awful acts could be done towards the Jews and yet people find a way to pass it off as a good thing.
ReplyDeleteAilish Coughlin
I think it reveals how truly heinous the Nazis actions were by them thinking of more humane ways to kill. By trying to be humane, the Nazis show that they knew they were killing other human beings, human beings with families and children just like their own. I find it kind of concerning that Germans displayed xenophobia prior and during the events of the Holocaust because I can find such xenophobia in my own country.I understand that we can learn from the Holocaust that ordinary people can be driven to madness but these could not have been ordinary men making these decisions. They sound like monsters. -Cooper Owens
ReplyDeleteHow these SS officers can live lavishly, drinking liquor sitting by a crackling fire, I will never understand. It makes no sense to me how any of the things happening around the Nazi’s didn’t play an affect on their mental health. I can’t speak for all but as I read that’s what I see. The mentality of these Nazi’s is so appaling to me, “It’s German duty to hate anything foreign” - This quote really shook me. To have this type of mindset takes a monster, and that’s what the Holocaust has proven for the Nazi’s. For a group of grown men (politicians, and SS officers) to sit down and discuss about how they will exterminate millions of people is beyond me and once again, something I won’t ever understand.
ReplyDeleteDavid Hanley
I think this blog really shows how horrible and evil the Nazis truly are. How could they determine the whole Jewish fate within 2 hours. The idea of them making a decision like they are "GOD" baffles me to the core. Then the pictures that have been added with the context behind them shows how the Nazis can look like normal humans, but within them are evil monsters. The mental state of the Nazis baffled me as well how can you hate everything and anything foreign....this quote alone showed me how close-minded the whole Nazi group was.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I find it extremely ironic that the Nazis in the conference would discuss the mass murder of an entire religion in such a serene setting like the peaceful mansion. It also disgusts me that these people found some way to rationalize the situation. Just because they couldn't feed them, it would be best if they killed them. This is where the line should be drawn. There is absolutely no excuse for executing the mass murder of an entire religion; it is simply cruel. I am also still baffled by the fact that such men who had normal lives and families turned into such monsters. One minute they are spending time with their families, and the next they are murdering people. This is insane
ReplyDeleteAva Harrell
Soren Gautam
ReplyDeleteI found it very ironic that the Nazis could hold such a conference about how to kill a massive population quickly and efficiently in such a nice-looking mansion that seems like it would be owned by the most humane, humble people. It also made me very mad that they only came up with this solution because they could not feed them even though they basically had not fed them the entire Holocaust. And why would you want to execute such a massive religion? It's so cruel, inhumane, and leads to no avail whatsoever. It is also hard to believe that the Nazis had families. Real families who did not care that they were killing millions of innocent people. It's completely incredulous. If my dad had been a Nazi, I would not have talked to him at all and completely stopped regarding him as my father. How can someone consider a man their father when he's killing millions of kids just like him/her? It's just incredible to me.
It enrages and disgusts me that the SS Officers were able to sit, talk, and drink alcohol by a crackling fire after a before torturing Jews. How didn’t it take a toll on their mental health? I think this shows how inhumane the Nazis really were. They were able to talk so calmly about killing all the Jews, and it was as if it was their little game. It was very surprising that the SS Officers were able to come up with their plan to kill the Jews in gas chambers in 90 minutes. That’s only the length of a class period! This proves that the SS Officers had been thinking about it beforehand and already had ideas, and that sickens me.
ReplyDelete-Sam Wofford
It hurts me to hear that “It’s a German duty to hate anything foreign.” Were Germans really so self-centered? Did they really hate people different from them so much? Apparently, they did. The meeting to discuss the Final Solution was held in a beautiful mansion. IT makes me sick to think that these people could talk about something so serious and still enjoy the beauty of the mansion. I wonder if people were afraid of the Germans and so they would be willing to do anything for them. Many random people hopped on board with their plan, and I find it hard to believe that average people could do something so harmful. They thought that the humane thing to do would be to gas them all quickly. Nothing about this is human! In fact, it is the opposite of humane. It is disgusting. The murdering of millions of innocent people is something I still struggle to wrap my mind around.
ReplyDelete-Emi Jones
It’s sad that “ it's a German duty to hate anything forign.” They would sit and talk casually about how they would exterminate the Jews more efficiently which is ruthless. They might of looked human like you said but they clearly didn't act like it. They were so cruel and inhumane to even consider that everyone is lesser than them. It's so unbelievable that the Nazis were so cruel one moment but get home to their family and they become humane. It’s scary how people's morals can change so much when put under the right pressure.
ReplyDelete-Sebastian Zarta
It was surprising to read how the Nazis were able to rationalize in a meeting they had that since it would be impossible to feed the Jews it would be better to just gas them quickly. They actually believed they were being considerate when making this decision. I was also surprised to read that people from multiple parts of the government were also at the meeting. I had always thought that Hitler was the only one in charge of making decisions during this time. The picture with the brother and the sister was heartbreaking; it made me feel bad for all the little kids and babies whose first memories were death of their family members and destruction their homes/cities. I truly have so much respect for all of the people who had to go through the torture Hitler and the other countries leaders who inflicted this terror on the jews. The biggest question I have is how other countries didn't intervene and stop this is simply inexcusable.
ReplyDeleteIt is shocking to hear how Hitler viewed the Jews as a dirty problem that should not be Germany's responsibility. The Jews are German citizens who have no reason to be kicked out of their own country. I don't understand why other countries would not take induced if they were aware of the situation. I they felt they couldn't take the Jews in, the country leaders should have tried their best to help the Jews and get them out from under the Nazi control. As a part of the final solution, the Jews where supposed to be transported from the East to the West. I think that the Nazis ability to treat the Jews so inhumanely, shows how they were evil and cruel.
ReplyDeleteEmary Gordon
The Nazis despised anything that wasn't German. Learning more about them and their philosophy, I still can't really understand why. Even though they were adamant about building the Aryan race, many high ranking officers and leaders didn't even fit the requirements to be Aryan. It's also amazing how cruel these seemingly normal men could be. Some people are just blinded by rage and false ideas.
ReplyDelete-Evan Pratt
WOW! My brain can not fully understand how these men could sit down with their alcohol in their fancy mansion and discuss how they were going to kill millions of people. They even came up with a way to make it sound like they were doing some good. The worst part of all of this is that they thought kicking people out of the country because of their religion was the “humane” thing to do. How does someone even think that? Some of the pictures you share are similar to what I imagine a concentration camp or area looking like, but the picture of the two children stunned me. They look so peaceful and happy to be there with each other. Then, the Nazis came and took everything away from those innocent little children. Like I said, WOW!
ReplyDelete- Ashley Szymonski
I just don’t understand, how is it humane to kill people? Whoever had that idea and why would someone even think that? In your blog, it says that they killed them and it was “humane” because they did not let them starve to death. Well them the HUMANE thing to do would be to not even do all of this in the first place or just feed them. There is no logic in this situation. The mansion where the meeting took place was stunning, just like in the previous blog about Ravensbrueg, such horrific things happened in these beautiful places. It all seems so ironic. And the last picture was downright disgusting. How could people find joy in that? I really don’t have much to say but how disgusting and cruel it really is. A real picture with real people doing that.
ReplyDeleteLillian Smith
I will never be able to fathom how vengeful and spiteful German authorities were. Feeling the need to eliminate any group of people is such a horror that I will never understand. I cannot believe that while luxuriously basking in the mansion, German officials decided it would be nicer to the Jews if they killed them quickly by putting them in gas chambers. A much more human reaction to hunger would have been providing food! If that cost them more money, they could have given up on their vindictive plans instead! It pained me to see the children in the photograph, and I could see how much the boy must have been through just to keep his little sister safe. I cannot imagine seeing little kids alone having to take care of themselves because all they had known was taken away. Finally, it is repulsive that Nazis found pleasure in cutting the man’s hair and torturing him in has last moments before he was hanged.
ReplyDelete-Gillian Morano
I was greatly upset to learn that the Nazis thought it was humane to kill the Jews, just so they would not have to feed them. This was very upsetting because the Jews had lives and families and the Nazis treated them like animals. I was very angered when I learned that this plan was created in an hour and a half. They decided who would live and who would die in 90 minutes. I was also saddened when I saw the picture of the Nazis tormenting the man because of his religion. Not only were they killing people for no reason, but they had to humiliate them first.
ReplyDeleteAnn Slegelmilch
DeleteI find it shocking that the Germans believed that it was their duty to hate on foreigners and Jews. This is very upsetting to me because Jewas are human, they are not animals that need to be thrown around and mistreated. I will never understand how they justified what they were doing as right. Their minds must have had no logic. The Nazis needed to realize that they are all the same and it is not ok to persecute someone due to their religion. I keep on hearing that gassing the Jews is the quickest way to kill him, but I feel like it also caused the most suffer. I still do not understand how thee horrible men spent their lives killing innocent people.
ReplyDelete-Emma Grace Parker
One thing that really stood out to me after reading this blog post was the irony of the location of the conference. This conference was “held in a beautiful mansion with fireplaces crackling and officers sipping cognacs.” The conference was held somewhere so beautiful it almost leads you to believe these men were simply discussing frivolous topics. The irony of this location was that the men were actually discussing the extermination of every Jewish person in Germany. It is hard to believe that these men were able to have such a horrible conversation in such a flippant manner. I was appalled that these men chose to use the word “deport” as a code word for the murder of Jews. The whole way this situation was handled shocked me and It makes me extremely angry towards the men involved in this meeting.
ReplyDelete-Lexi Amedio
“Hey, you. Yeah, you over there. How would you like to go get a drink in a fancy mansion and discuss how to kill Jews huh?” My mind is exploding. I’m done. Drinks over a big evil plot to kill an entire religion of people. It doesn’t matter that there are families and children, just kill them all. I don’t think that I can read much more stuff like this. The Germans were the prime of education and civilization and then they threw it all in the trash. Imagine what the world would be like if this had never happened. Imagine what technology we would have if some of the smartest minds in western Europe hadn’t been dehumanized and gassed then killed. Oh my god, the Nazis were disgusting people.
ReplyDelete-Ethan Fronapfel
It is unfortunate that so many countries refused to lift their quotas to allow Jews to immigrate. If the countries had known what was to come, I imagine they would have made much different choices. It is interesting that the German leaders used code words for extermination. That is a clear sign they knew they were doing something terrible. It is sickening and ironic that they thought they were being humane in killing the Jews faster in the gas chambers. These were men who shared the purpose of annihilation. I wonder if they were terrified of each other. It is true that it required the cooperation and support of many people at many levels of government to see that such horrific operations were successful. We will never know why so many went along with it.
ReplyDeleteStanton Bryson
Wannsee Conference
ReplyDeleteThe statement, “It is a German’s duty to hate anything foreign” is ironic because there were many victims of the Holocaust who were German citizens. Although this statement probably refers to Aryans, it is still ironic that it is being spoken by F. Jahn, who was a German writer and nationalist, one who you would think might have a little common sense. As I once again read about all the hate directed towards the Jews, I still couldn’t fully grasp or understand the reasoning and motivation for this hate. To put it mildly, it is sickening that so many innocent people were left defenseless. It was also saddening to hear that the Nazis had assigned a man as the “expert for Jewish questions” when there were no questions to be asked about these people, they were just innocent men, women, and children, trying to live out their lives.
- Leo O'Neill
There is nothing human in their “humane.” Nazi logic will make anyone crazy, but I wanted to try and understand. When I heard that they considered gassing to be humane, I had to pause in my reading. The pictures of the officers are human. They have human faces, human minds, and human hearts. What inside those hearts and minds fractured enough to even consider extermination to be a “final solution?” A final solution is peace among peoples, a final solution is agreement. A final solution is not genocide. Mass murder is never any kind of solution. How could these men, with their human faces and human bodies, have such inhuman morals? Could they not see their human reflections in the faces of those dying at their human hands? I considered brainwashing, but it was unreasonable. Brainwashing can make a man believe that someone is inferior. It can make a man believe that it is his duty to kill. But it cannot make a man look into the eyes of another man and truly believe that they are not the same. The “prisoners” were dehumanized, but they were still human. Were the Nazis?
ReplyDeleteS Thrasher
The final solution was not installed until after the US was involved in the war, but the US still did not interfere with the plan to annihilate all the Jews. The euphemisms that the officials used are sickening. How could they make something so gruesome seem light filled? I don’t understand how the group of people that created the final solution created the whole plan in 90 minutes. Only 90 minutes and they decided to erase a whole group of people. And how a whole room of people even agreed on this plan amazes me. The mansion makes the whole situation look pretty, but it is definitely not a pretty situation. The picture of the brother helping his little sister is so heartwarming. But then remembering the kids were hunted by the Nazis and were probably killed, breaks my heart. Looking at the picture of the Rabbi’s hair being cut by the Nazi officers, I realized that at least half of the soldiers smiling. This completely sickens me. And then to read that after cutting this mans hair and humiliating him for his beliefs, they just hung him, pisses me off. The Nazis would not even let people die with their dignity or beliefs. Completely baffling.
ReplyDelete- Emma Groves
The discrimination of anyone who is different confuses me. I can’t comprehend how people could have so much hate in their hearts. The belief that one is superior to another is a horrible thought and completely inaccurate. The annihalation of a whole religion is disgusting. The only differences between the Jews and Nazis were how they look and what they believed in. because of these two things, they were beaten and tortured to death. I am grateful that in America, we are all treated equally. Thanfully, the world’s eyes are opened to the inhumanity of this genocide. Although there will always be anti-semitism, we are at least working to put an end to it. I wish that this attempted wipe-out of the whole Jewish “race” didn't have to happen for us to realize this.
ReplyDeleteSofia Christofaro
It's horrible that the German duty was to "hate anything foreign." This is especially weird considering the Jews weren't even truly foreign to Germany anymore! Even if they were, it's incredibly unjust to just hate something or someone because their different than you without giving them a chance first. It’s very shocking that in only 90 minutes, the fate of the Jews was decided, and they were headed towards devastation. This complete destruction of a religion happening after a short conversation shows the Nazis though it was no big deal. They thought killing the Jews would be “more humane” because it would be impossible to feed the Jews elsewhere... What?? The photo of the brother and sister was very touching and saddening to me as those kids most likely died soon after.
ReplyDeleteJordan Browning
ReplyDeleteIt's horrible that the German duty was to "hate anything foreign." This is especially weird considering the Jews weren't even truly foreign to Germany anymore! Even if they were, it's incredibly unjust to just hate something or someone because their different than you without giving them a chance first. It’s very shocking that in only 90 minutes, the fate of the Jews was decided, and they were headed towards devastation. This complete destruction of a religion happening after a short conversation shows the Nazis though it was no big deal. They thought killing the Jews would be “more humane” because it would be impossible to feed the Jews elsewhere... What?? The photo of the brother and sister was very touching and saddening to me as those kids most likely died soon after.
Makayla Gathers
ReplyDeleteI am angered at this because if the countries like the US chose to increase their immigration quotas and accept Jews, the Holocaust may have been avoided. I think it was cowardly and idiotic for the US, who is supposed to open their arms to everyone, turn away Jews. I am also upset that Hitler took this as confirmation that he should kill all of the Jews. Everyone in that room deserved to be put on trial because one man can not determine the fate of another. It’s also not right that these people were able to live in wealth and riches while they took everything away from Jews.
Chidimma Umerah
ReplyDeleteI believe the most disturbing thing about this whole situation is the fact that these men are just calmly discussing genocide. I mean what type of animals can converse amount mass extermination over a fireplace? It's truly disgusting. These are the men who I wouldn't be able to forgive. The soldiers were just following orders. The soldiers even have trauma just from following orders. These men however are able to just simply by request mass murder as if it's nothing
Chidimma Umerah