What was the punishment for helping jews

On 18th March , during a search of their home, the Germans arrested Jan Gawrych. He was shot several days later ». On 7th March , the bunkier was discovered by the Germans and the Polish police. Franciszek Raszeja provided medical help to Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. Together with Ludwik Hirszfeld, he organised blood donation campaigns. The precise circumstances are unclear. He perished together with his patient, his family, Dr.

Pollak and a nurse ». After their interrogation, they were all shot on 6th or 8th Juanuary ». In July , after the Germans entered Hungary, he was arrested, investigated and then sent to the camp at Mauthausen. He was shot on 25th or 26th August ». Grabowski, Judenjagd. Sitarek, M. Bartoszewski, Z. Skip to main content. Sprawiedliwi mobile menu Facebook Youtube Zmien czcionke Toggle navigation. Languages pl en Menu top stripe mobile Wysoki kontrast. The Death Penalty, in German Ordinances, for Helping Jews The first, legal act providing for the death penalty for Poles who helped Jews who were living outside a ghetto without permission, was introduced by Governor Hans Frank on 15th October The Death Penalty — Not Only in Poland The often-emphasised uniqueness, of the Germans imposing the death penalty in occupied Poland for helping Jews, is most likely due to the relatively high, although still not fully-known, number of deaths that were investigated on the basis of archival and court documents and the accounts of witnesses to history.

In Eastern Europe and especially in Poland, Russia, and the Baltic States Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania , there was much more knowledge of the "Final Solution" because it was implemented in those areas. Elsewhere, the local population had less information on the details of the "Final Solution.

This was particularly true in Eastern Europe, where there was a long standing tradition of virulent antisemitism, and where various national groups, which had been under Soviet domination Latvians, Lithuanians, and Ukrainians , fostered hopes that the Germans would restore their independence.

In several countries in Europe, there were local fascist movements which allied themselves with the Nazis and participated in anti-Jewish actions; for example, the Iron Guard in Romania and the Arrow Guard in Slovakia. On the other hand, in every country in Europe, there were courageous individuals who risked their lives to save Jews.

In several countries, there were groups which aided Jews, e. The various steps taken by the Nazis prior to the "Final Solution" were all taken publicly and were, therefore, reported in the press. Once the war began, obtaining information became more difficult, but reports, nonetheless, were published regarding the fate of the Jews.

Thus, although the Nazis did not publicize the "Final Solution," less than one year after the systematic murder of the Jews was initiated, details began to filter out to the West. The first report which spoke of a plan for the mass murder of Jews was smuggled out of Poland by the Bund a Jewish socialist political organization and reached England in the spring of The details of this report reached the Allies from Vatican sources as well as from informants in Switzerland and the Polish underground.

Eventually, the American Government confirmed the reports to Jewish leaders in late November They were publicized immediately thereafter. While the details were neither complete nor wholly accurate, the Allies were aware of most of what the Germans had done to the Jews at a relatively early date. The response of the Allies to the persecution and destruction of European Jewry was inadequate.

Only in January was an agency, the War Refugee Board, established for the express purpose of saving the victims of Nazi persecution. Prior to that date, little action was taken. On December 17, , the Allies issued a condemnation of Nazi atrocities against the Jews, but this was the only such declaration made prior to Moreover, no attempt was made to call upon the local population in Europe to refrain from assisting the Nazis in their systematic murder of the Jews.

Other practical measures which were not taken concerned the refugee problem. Tens of thousands of Jews sought to enter the United States, but they were barred from doing so by the stringent American immigration policy.

Even the relatively small quotas of visas which existed were often not filled, although the number of applicants was usually many times the number of available places.

Conferences held in Evian, France and Bermuda to solve the refugee problem did not contribute to a solution. At the former, the countries invited by the United States and Great Britain were told that no country would be asked to change its immigration laws. Moreover, the British agreed to participate only if Palestine were not considered. At Bermuda, the delegates did not deal with the fate of those still in Nazi hands, but rather with those who had already escaped to neutral lands.

Who are the "Righteous Among the Nations"? There were "Righteous Among the Nations" in every country overrun or allied with the Nazis, and their deeds often led to the rescue of Jewish lives. Yad Vashem, the Israeli national remembrance authority for the Holocaust, bestows special honors upon these individuals.

To date, after carefully evaluating each case, Yad Vashem has recognized approximately 10, "Righteous Gentiles" in three different categories of recognition.

The country with the most "Righteous Gentiles" is Poland. The country with the highest proportion per capita is the Netherlands. The figure of 10, is far from complete as many cases were never reported, frequently because those who were helped have died. Moreover, this figure only includes those who actually risked their lives to save Jews, and not those who merely extended aid.

The news of the persecution and destruction of European Jewry must be divided into two periods. The measures taken by the Nazis prior to the "Final Solution" were all taken publicly and were, therefore, in all the newspapers. Once the war began, obtaining information became more difficult, but, nonetheless, reports were published regarding the fate of the Jews. The "Final Solution" was not openly publicized by the Nazis, and thus it took longer for information to reach the "Free World.

The response of the Jews in the "Free World" must also be divided into two periods, before and after the publication of information on the "Final Solution. Unfortunately, the views on how to best achieve these goals differed and effective action was often hampered by the lack of internal unity. Moreover, very few Jewish leaders actually realized the scope of the danger. Following the publication of the news of the "Final Solution," attempts were made to launch rescue attempts via neutral states and to send aid to Jews under Nazi rule.

These attempts, which were far from adequate, were further hampered by the lack of assistance and obstruction from government channels. Additional attempts to achieve internal unity during this period failed. Did the Jews in Europe realize what was going to happen to them? Regarding the knowledge of the "Final Solution" by its potential victims, several key points must be kept in mind. First of all, the Nazis did not publicize the "Final Solution," nor did they ever openly speak about it.

Every attempt was made to fool the victims and, thereby, prevent or minimize resistance. Thus, deportees were always told that they were going to be "resettled. Following arrival in certain concentration camps, the inmates were forced to write home about the wonderful conditions in their new place of residence. The Germans made every effort to ensure secrecy. In addition, the notion that human beings--let alone the civilized Germans--could build camps with special apparatus for mass murder seemed unbelievable in those days.

Escapees who did return to the ghetto frequently encountered disbelief when they related their experiences. Even Jews who had heard of the camps had difficulty believing reports of what the Germans were doing there. Inasmuch as each of the Jewish communities in Europe was almost completely isolated, there was a limited number of places with available information. Thus, there is no doubt that many European Jews were not aware of the "Final Solution," a fact that has been corroborated by German documents and the testimonies of survivors.

How many Jews were able to escape from Europe prior to the Holocaust? It is difficult to arrive at an exact figure for the number of Jews who were able to escape from Europe prior to World War II, since the available statistics are incomplete.

From , , German and Austrian Jews left their homes. Some immigrated to countries later overrun by the Nazis. During the years , approximately 35, emigrated from Bohemia and Moravia Czechoslovakia. Shanghai, the only place in the world for which one did not need an entry visa, received approximately 20, European Jews mostly of German origin who fled their homelands.

Immigration figures for countries of refuge during this period are not available. In addition, many countries did not provide a breakdown of immigration statistics according to ethnic groups. It is impossible, therefore, to ascertain. Various organizations attempted to facilitate the emigration of the Jews and non-Jews persecuted as Jews from Germany. Among the programs launched were the "Transfer Agreement" between the Jewish Agency and the German government whereby immigrants to Palestine were allowed to transfer their funds to that country in conjunction with the import of German goods to Palestine.

Other efforts focused on retraining prospective emigrants in order to increase the number of those eligible for visas, since some countries barred the entry of members of certain professions.

Other groups attempted to help in various phases of refugee work: selection of candidates for emigration, transportation of refugees, aid in immigrant absorption, etc. Some groups attempted to facilitate increased emigration by enlisting the aid of governments and international organizations in seeking refugee havens.

The League of Nations established an agency to aid refugees but its success was extremely limited due to a lack of political power and adequate funding. The United States and Great Britain convened a conference in at Evian, France, seeking a solution to the refugee problem. With the exception of the Dominican Republic, the nations assembled refused to change their stringent immigration regulations, which were instrumental in preventing large-scale immigration.

In , the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees, which had been established at the Evian Conference, initiated negotiations with leading German officials in an attempt to arrange for the relocation of a significant portion of German Jewry. Help us teach about the consequences of unchecked hate and antisemitism. Give today.

WeRemember Watch Now. The main perpetrators of the Holocaust were the Nazis who planned and carried out the mass murder. Still, they could never have done this without the support and help of millions of Germans and others.

Virtually all government agencies were complicit to some extent. There was little protest from the population, although it should be noted that the Third Reich was a dictatorship without free speech.

The allies of Nazi Germany were often guilty of killing Jews themselves or of deporting them to Germany. In some cases, they succumbed to German pressure, in others, they did not deport their own citizens, but only Jews with foreign passports. Throughout the occupied territories, there were numerous collaborators, who reported Jews to the Germans or helped the Germans to find Jews in hiding.

Government agencies often followed the orders of the Germans and cooperated in the arrest and deportation of Jews. Sometimes they did so in order to prevent worse from happening, but their actions often had fatal consequences for the Jews. In Eastern Europe, some people sided with the Germans to join them in the fight against the hated Soviet regime.

The Germans sometimes recruited personnel for the extermination camps among Soviet prisoners of war, for whom this was their only chance to escape death. People collaborated with the Germans for a variety of reasons.

Antisemitic ideas often played a role, but not always. Some people had personal scores to settle. Others reported Jews out of greed, hoping that they would be able to seize their possessions.

Fear of the Germans sometimes kept people from helping the Jews. It is difficult to determine how many people knew that the Jews were being murdered during the war. Few will have realised the full extent of the Nazi crimes. Yet in many cases, the population was aware of what was going on, at least to some extent.

In Germany, the plan to murder all Jews was officially a secret, but due to the enormous number of people involved, rumours started circulating before long. Soldiers stationed in the east wrote about the executions in their letters home and took photographs.

Many others were involved in processing the Jewish possessions that were left behind after the deportations. The Germans did not know as much about the extermination camps. Their existence was deliberately kept secret from the outside world. Still, the local population near places of execution, ghettos, and camps knew what was happening. Besides, the Nazi crimes were so inconceivable that few could believe that the reports were not exaggerated.

Only when the Allies liberated the concentration and extermination camps did the world fully realise the extent of the crime that had taken place. Holocaust or Shoah? Causes of the Holocaust The Holocaust has a number of causes. Expelling the Jews from Germany Between and , the Nazis made life in Germany increasingly impossible for the Jews. The decision to resort to genocide Historians disagree about the moment when Hitler decided that all European Jews should be killed.

Aktion Reinhard: The first extermination camps In late , the Nazis began preparing for the murder of more than two million Jews living in the General Government, the occupied part of Poland. Deportations from all over Europe to Auschwitz In the middle of , the Germans began deporting Jews from the occupied territories in Western Europe. The other victims of the Nazis The Nazis did not just kill Jews during the war. Who were the perpetrators?