Jewish Women during the Holocaust
The Holocaust was one of the darkest eras in world history. It was an extermination of millions of Jews by the Nazi regime during World War II. Every Jew, regardless of gender, was equally a victim in the Holocaust. Men, women and children suffered slow and painful deaths of starvation and cruelty. Though men and children suffered similar experiences, women suffer the worst for survival. According to Memorial Museum, Nazi ideology targeted Roma (Gypsy) women, Polish women, and women with disabilities living in institutions. Although anti- Jewish laws prohibit sexual relations between Nazis and the victims, there were sufficient amount of ways to strike women without raping them, such as undressing them in public, touching them inappropriately, and beatings them senseless.
However, some women had to use their sexuality to survive or to save a family member. Basically, it was just another way of living. According to United with Israel, medical experiments and forced sterilizations of Jewish women occurred frequently. At least 40,000 people were forcefully sterilized, with 5,500 women dying after being sterilized. Pregnancy was also a contribution of women deaths. If a Jew was pregnant, they would have been sent to the gas chamber and if a women felt pregnant, abortions was performed. …show more content…
They were forced into the workforce, storing food in the camps, and did mostly everything to keep their kids alive. Women also demonstrated a greater biological resistance to starvation, were more aware of the importance of hygiene in the camps, and tended to form social groups more easily than men (Holocaust). They strive to produce a tame environment, were clustered into ghettos and often distinct from the men, so they had to adapt. On the other hand, these women showed persistence, guidance, and courage throughout these tragic
The Holocaust was one of the darkest eras in world history. It was an extermination of millions of Jews by the Nazi regime during World War II. Every Jew, regardless of gender, was equally a victim in the Holocaust. Men, women and children suffered slow and painful deaths of starvation and cruelty. Though men and children suffered similar experiences, women suffer the worst for survival. According to Memorial Museum, Nazi ideology targeted Roma (Gypsy) women, Polish women, and women with disabilities living in institutions. Although anti- Jewish laws prohibit sexual relations between Nazis and the victims, there were sufficient amount of ways to strike women without raping them, such as undressing them in public, touching them inappropriately, and beatings them senseless.
However, some women had to use their sexuality to survive or to save a family member. Basically, it was just another way of living. According to United with Israel, medical experiments and forced sterilizations of Jewish women occurred frequently. At least 40,000 people were forcefully sterilized, with 5,500 women dying after being sterilized. Pregnancy was also a contribution of women deaths. If a Jew was pregnant, they would have been sent to the gas chamber and if a women felt pregnant, abortions was performed. …show more content…
They were forced into the workforce, storing food in the camps, and did mostly everything to keep their kids alive. Women also demonstrated a greater biological resistance to starvation, were more aware of the importance of hygiene in the camps, and tended to form social groups more easily than men (Holocaust). They strive to produce a tame environment, were clustered into ghettos and often distinct from the men, so they had to adapt. On the other hand, these women showed persistence, guidance, and courage throughout these tragic