By Josh Reznik
Editor in Chief

World War II will long be remembered as the one event that changed the course of life. A major component of the war’s tragedy was the Holocaust, in which nearly 6 million people were, in effect, murdered by Adolf Hitler and the German Third Reich (also known as the Nazi Party) solely because they did not fit the mold of Hitler’s ideal society. Those who perished in the Holocaust were discriminated against solely because of their religious beliefs, and not for any other reason.
At the forefront of the Holocaust was the peril that the Jewish religion was placed under as many Jews were captured by Nazis and sent to concentration camps, forcing these innocent people to live in deplorable conditions and work. Many did not survive as the living and work conditions were too severe and unbearable. Some perished due to murderous methods imposed and utilized by the Nazi concentration camp operators in order to defame and desecrate the Jewish religion and rid of minorities that did not live up to Hitler’s societal beliefs.
The condition and treatment of those who were forced to suffer during the Holocaust was blasphemous; no legitimate ramifications were prevalent in Hitler’s thought processes regarding such cruel treatment. While these horrific event took place nearly 70 years ago, the stories never told and those who lost their own identity should never be forgotten. The Holocaust should be remembered as a dark time in world history, but also as a time that redefined the world as we know it. “That type of massacre happened even in modern times,” social studies teacher Debbie Bentman said.
Today, with recent uprisings against unruly dictatorial leaders in countries around the world who threatened the well being of innocent people having occurred, there has been evident understanding and learning that such negative threats toward humanity, as had been the case during the Holocaust and World War II, is deplorable and intolerable in today’s changing world. Remembering the Holocaust will allow the lost stories to be told and respected for generations to come. “We will be the last generation who will be able to know someone personally who experienced the Holocaust,” senior Kara Weiner said. Weiner identifies that these stories are one-of-a-kind and should not be lost.
Remembering the Holocaust can fall under the clichéd thought, to prevent history from repeating itself and learning from our mistakes. While the severity of the Holocaust and such destructive treatments toward humanity will not occur again, it is important to learn why such things happened, and why one would be provoked to have reached such a level of anti-Semitism and discrimination against society.
A total of approximately six million individuals who perished during the Holocaust indicate that so many people are affected, either directly or indirectly as a result of the horrific actions that took place. According to statistics compiled by students at Rutgers University, about 63% of Europe’s Jewish population perished during the Holocaust, thereby significantly changing the human landscape of the continent. Those who were truly lucky to survive carried on their personally experienced hardships and struggles, and are painfully able to recollect the dreadful occurrences.
So much of what people know about the Holocaust is the result of what is learned and taught as part of history classes that focus upon World War II, as the Holocaust was merely one of several components of the conflict. However, what separates the Holocaust from all other terrifying events of the war is that an entire continental population was threatened ultimately because of one man’s sick thoughts and actions.
In order for the lives of those lost during the Holocaust to forever be preserved and remembered, there should be a desire to investigate and learn about all that occurred, and recall the stories and experiences of life in the concentration camps as presented only by those who forcibly witnessed and lived in a living hell.