The Holocaust: Special Situations


Figure 1.--

The Holocaust is atremendously complex undertaking. And because it was essentially conducted on an extral-legal basis and different NAZIs had a variety of opinion on how the Jews should be handled, it evolved variously in different parts of NAZI occupied Europe. There were, as a result a range of special situation. Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler who had reisted efforts to spare Jews so they could be used for labor suddently began to change his opinion as the War situation deteriorated. The NAZIs treated a small number of Jews differently because they were preceived of value for a variety of reasons. TSome of the individuas as aresult survived while other expreienced jorendous deaths. Some Jws received special treatment becuse of the passports they held. Others were not killed because the NAZIs though they had exchange value. The NAZIs established the so-called "residence camp" of Bergen-Belsen on a portion of the site of the prisoner-of-war camp (1943). This enclosure housed several thousand Jewish prisoners under the pretext that they would be exchanged for German nationals held by the western Allies. The NAZIs hoped that such exchanges would facilitate peace negotiations with American and British officials. By July 1944, over 4,000 of these "exchange" Jews were detained in Bergen-Belsen. In December 1944 the Germans redesignated Bergen-Belsen a concentration camp. Few of the Jewish detainees were ever actually exchanged. [Bülow] Some Jews were treated differently because they were used for medical experiments. The experiments were in many cases horrendous and included children.

Passports

Some Jews received special treatment becuse of the passports they held. This included both passports of neutral nations an countries like the United States that the NAZIs hought that Jews might prove useful negotiating counters. One neutral country was Argentina, a neutral favorably deposed toward the Germans. About 100 Argentine Jews were trapped in NAZI occupied Europe. As Argentina was friendly toward the Axis, Ribbentrop managed to protect most of them and offered to deliver them for repatriation. The Argentine Government rejected these efforts, indicting that they did not want them back. After the United States pressured Argentina to break relations with Germany, almost all were killed. American passports also saved some Jews. The best known example is Tsvi Nussbaum who after the Wardaw Ghetto rising wa held in Bergen-Belsen.

Exchange Jews

Others Jews were not killed because the NAZIs though they had exchange value. Hitler had personally y given his permission to ransom Jews (December 1942). We suspect that here the deteriorating war situation was the motivating factor. (At the time the situation on the Stalingrad pocket was becoming desperate.) We do not yet know the fill story. We do know that SS Reich Führer Heinrich Himmler began to take some action during the actions against the Hungarian Jews (1944). Admiral Horthy had stopped the transport of Hungarian Jews. The SS was not able to gain access to them until Hitler seized power in Hungary to prevent Horthy from leaving the War (March 1944). Himmler dispacted Eichmann to Hungary and the transports began soon after. The war situation as 1944 developed got even worse for Germany Red Army offenses in the East smashed the Whermacht and the Allies landed in Normandy and liberated France (August 1944). This apparently significantly affected Himmler's thinking, although we are not sure of his precise thought process. Some authors believe that he began to see himself as Hitler's successor. This may have been as a result of Hitler's deteriorating medical situation and the assumtion that the Allies would not deal with him--as they refused to deal with the Kaiser in World War I. How Himmler could have thought that the Allies would deal with him rather defies credulity, but this was the case. Apparently he had no idea that the Allies would object all that much to the Holocaust. He did begin to bargain, offering small numbers of Jews. Reichsführer Himmler hpersonally opened a unit in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp (July 8, 1944). This was for Hungarian Jews that were to be exchanged. The first arrivals were 1,683 Hungarian Jews from Budapest. [Kolb] These Jews were treated better than other inmates at Bergen-Belsen. (Of course better is a relative term.) Not only did they recive a larger food ration and medical attention, but there were no debilitating work details. Clearly Himmler did not want to deliver emaciated, sick Jews for the exchange. They were allowed to wear their own clothes, but did have to wear the yellow Star of David badge. Here the largest group was axnumber of Hungarian Jews spared from Auchwitz. The NAZIs established the so-called "residence camp" of Bergen-Belsen on a portion of the site of the prisoner-of-war camp (1943). Here the Residence camp were set up. Although conditions there were aauling, theywere beter than Jews elsewhere were experiencing. This enclosure housed several thousand Jewish prisoners under the pretext that they would be exchanged for German nationals held by the western Allies. The NAZIs hoped that such exchanges would facilitate peace negotiations with American and British officials. By July 1944, over 4,000 of these "exchange" Jews were detained in Bergen-Belsen. In December 1944 the Germans redesignated Bergen-Belsen a concentration camp. Few of the Jewish detainees were ever actually exchanged. [Bülow] Some were exchanged. Othrs survived because they detention in Bergan-Belsen and elsewhere as exchange Jews saved them from being sent to Auschwiz.

Star Camp

A small number of Jews from occupied countries were spared. We do not entirely sure of the process here, but they seem to have been Jews from countries with Aryan populations that the NAZIs hoped to convert. Spareing these Jews perhaps may have been seen by NAZI offocials as away of convincing the local population that they were not savages. A group of Dutch Jews were kept at the Bergen-Belsen Star camp. Norwegian and Danish Jews also apparently received special treatment.

Medical Experiments

Some Jews were treated differently because they were used for medical experiments. The experiments were in many cases horrendous and included children.

Sources

Bülow, Louis. Tsvi Nussbaum, accessed October 10, 2002.

Kolb, Eberhard. Bergen-Belsen, 1943-1945. Professor Kolb (1933-) is one of Germany's foremost historians.






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Created: 12:20 AM 4/9/2008
Last updated: 12:20 AM 4/9/2008