THE HOLOCAUST AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

REFLECTION PAPER

Holocaust was a horrible period in the world history, as it was known to be, according to
history, a systematic state- sponsored killing of six million Jewish men, women, and children and
millions of others by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II. When Adolf Hitler
came to power in 1933, the Anti-Jewish program of Nazi had begun, as Hitler visioned to make
Germany powerful and respected for the rest of the world. Adolf Hitler called this as “Final
Solution” , and now known as Holocaust, targeted Jewish for their racial, political, ideological
and behavioral reasons, in which more than one million children were executed. Though facts
were disseminated, misconceptions still arise about the Holocaust. Some of these
misconceptions was that the only affected were Jews, the execution was carried out mainly by
gas chambers, that the Holocaust only happened in Germany, that it was a secret operation,
and that the Holocaust was inevitable and unstoppable. To correct these misconceptions, the
truth was that the Nazi not only affected Jewish people but also targeted and killed millions of
other people that they considered inferior or enemies such as Roma, Slavs, Soviet prisoners of
the war, political opponents, religious dissidents, homosexuals, and people with disabilities. Nazi
used various methods to kill their victims such as shootings, starvation, disease, torture, medical
experiments, and forced labor and only half of the Jewish victims died in gas chambers. The
Holocaust happened not only in Germany for Nazis established concentration camps, death
camps, ghettos, and killing sites in many countries they occupied or controlled such as Poland,
France, Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania. The Holocaust was never a secret operation because
Nazis did not hide their antisemitic policies and propaganda from the public. Holocaust was a
result of human choices and actions that could have been prevented or resisted. As a result,
millions of innocent people lost their lives, families, homes, and identities.

The Holocaust showcased how human responses to evil and how hatred can
lead to horrific violence. The Holocaust reveals that humans were capable of both good and
evil, depending on their choices and circumstances. There were perpetrators who willingly
participated in or supported the Nazi regime and its atrocities. They were motivated by various
factors such as ideology, nationalism, racism, greed, fear, or obedience. On the other hand,
victims who suffered unimaginable pain and loss but also showed remarkable courage,
resilience, and hope, who tried to survive, resist, or escape from the Nazi terror in various ways.
Moreover, there were also people who witnessed and knew about the Holocaust but did nothing
to help or to stop because of the influence of indifference, ignorance, and denial. However, there
were rescuers who risked their lives to save or protect Jews and other persecuted groups from
the Nazis. They were driven by factors such as compassion, empathy, conscience, or faith.

The Holocaust has affected people by making the world more aware of the dangers of
prejudice, discrimination, antisemitism, and dehumanization. The horrific even teach lessons for
the future by reminding us of the importance of education, remembrance, and action. It was not
just a historical event but also serves as a warning for humanity. It shows humanity what can
happen if human rights are violated, when freedom is neglected, when violence is normalized.
Multicultural literacies played a role in the Holocaust in different ways. One way was to expose
the diversity and complexity of the experiences and perspectives of the victims, perpetrators,
bystanders, and rescuers of the genocide. By reading and analyzing various forms of texts, such
as memoirs, diaries, testimonies, poems, novels, films, and artworks, that represent the voices
and stories of different groups and individuals affected by the Holocaust, one can develop a
deeper and more critical understanding of the historical, cultural, social, and political contexts
and consequences of the event. Another way was to promote social justice and human rights
education that can prevent future atrocities and discrimination. By engaging in dialogue,
reflection, and action on the issues and themes raised by the Holocaust, such as racism,
antisemitism, prejudice, violence, resistance, courage, empathy, and responsibility, one can
foster a sense of global citizenship and solidarity that values human dignity and diversity.

The Holocaust has challenged me to question my own moral values and principles, to
examine my own actions and inactions in relation to others, and to strive for ethical
responsibility and accountability. It shows what can happen when human rights are violated,
when democracy is undermined, when violence is normalized, and when hatred is allowed to
spread. It has taught me to respect and value human dignity and diversity, to exercise my rights,
to speak out against intolerance, and to stand up for the truth. It taught humanity a hard lesson
that the weak, when united as one, can fight and win the war. That those who are blinded by
power with no remorse will crumble to the ground. Therefore, it is essential that we learn from
the Holocaust and prevent it from happening again. We can do this by educating ourselves and
others about the history and causes of the Holocaust, by remembering and honoring the victims
and survivors of the Holocaust, by recognizing and confronting contemporary forms of
antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, by promoting human rights and democratic
values, by fostering a culture of peace and dialogue, and by acting against any threats or
challenges to our common humanity.

History was written and preserve to be remembered and to set examples from the
present. Most history that we are taught at the academe were mostly about the dark happenings
of the past. Why is that? Maybe because to enlightened us about the things that we take for
granted every single day, the smallest things that we are gaining that we failed to appreciate
and recognize such as freedom and the privilege to exercise our rights. The simplest things that
we had were the dream of the people from our past that fought the battle and never sees the
day. Blood was splattered in the ground, bodies that had turned to ashes, cries that weren’t
heard, and all horrific deaths just for the privilege that the victims never experienced. Many lives
were taken like a sacrificial lamb just for the present to gain the privilege. Was it worth it? Yes, it
is because their voices were already heard, though they were the people from the past still their
actions were seen, and their voices were heard and we hear them as, and we honor the victims
and the brave as they speak to us in our history.