The Holocaust was one of the lowest points in history. Almost six million lives could have been saved if America and the Allies took proper action in rescuing the Jews. Although news of the Holocaust was not publicized well as the government concentrated its efforts on trying to win World War II, evidence suggests that Anti-Semitic attitudes in the United States were the most dominant factors in deciding what steps America would take in response to the news of the Holocaust.
There are many theories as to why people harbor prejudice against the Jews. Jews were noticed because of their visible differences, becoming scapegoats that others would hold responsible for the difficulties of their community or country. People believed the Jews crucified Jesus Christ and never accepted him as the Messiah. Some were also threatened by Jews in the economic world, viewing them as opponents. Some feared that Jews had a plan to revolt and destroy Christian society. Anti-Semitism’s roots lie in the fact Jews are different from the …show more content…
Also, some say that he may have not fully understood the European Jews’ plight and situation. After the War Refugee Board was established, its main problem was lack of money. Roosevelt did not the War Refugee Board the attention it needed, using it only for periodic promotion. Instead of dealing with the issue himself, Roosevelt gave the task of deciding what to do in response to the news of the Holocaust to the State Department because he did not want to be directly engaged with the issue. Furthermore, Roosevelt’s goal was political convenience. Most American Jews already liked him, so rescuing the European Jews would not have benefitted him greatly. Since American Jews already supported and backed Roosevelt, it weakened the effect Roosevelt would have had if he had rescued the
There are many theories as to why people harbor prejudice against the Jews. Jews were noticed because of their visible differences, becoming scapegoats that others would hold responsible for the difficulties of their community or country. People believed the Jews crucified Jesus Christ and never accepted him as the Messiah. Some were also threatened by Jews in the economic world, viewing them as opponents. Some feared that Jews had a plan to revolt and destroy Christian society. Anti-Semitism’s roots lie in the fact Jews are different from the …show more content…
Also, some say that he may have not fully understood the European Jews’ plight and situation. After the War Refugee Board was established, its main problem was lack of money. Roosevelt did not the War Refugee Board the attention it needed, using it only for periodic promotion. Instead of dealing with the issue himself, Roosevelt gave the task of deciding what to do in response to the news of the Holocaust to the State Department because he did not want to be directly engaged with the issue. Furthermore, Roosevelt’s goal was political convenience. Most American Jews already liked him, so rescuing the European Jews would not have benefitted him greatly. Since American Jews already supported and backed Roosevelt, it weakened the effect Roosevelt would have had if he had rescued the