The Holocaust- Victim, Perpetrator and Bystander
Research Essay
During the Holocaust, many daily dilemmas surfaced that evoked various reactions from groups and individuals in society. In response to these dilemmas, these groups and individuals made choices that defined them as either perpetrators, collaborators, bystanders, victims, or rescuers. These groups include the Church in Aryan territories, and the Hitler Youth. Both of these groups have placed themselves in various points along this spectrum through the choices they made. These choices have impacted not only the people of that era, but the perspectives and attitudes of people today.
Within the Church, there were groups and individuals that acted as perpetrators. A perpetrator is defined as “…a person who perpetrates, or commits, an illegal, criminal, or evil act” …show more content…
This means that the perpetrator has made a decision to commit an evil act and has actively and physically fulfilled it. There are several examples of perpetration within the groups of the Church. Prior to 1943, Lithuanian Chaplains were involved in some of the mobile death squads that actively killed Jews. Likewise, the antisemitic Ukrainian Autocephalous Church instructed their parishioners to kill the Jews (Arad, 2000). This would make them collaborators or instigators rather than perpetrators because they did not actually commit the crime of killing a Jew, however those that heeded these instructions would be known as perpetrators. Many churches that practiced antisemitism sourced their motivation from “… the theological and doctrinal anti-Judaism that existed in parts of the Christian tradition. Long before 1933, this anti-Judaism –ranging
Research Essay
During the Holocaust, many daily dilemmas surfaced that evoked various reactions from groups and individuals in society. In response to these dilemmas, these groups and individuals made choices that defined them as either perpetrators, collaborators, bystanders, victims, or rescuers. These groups include the Church in Aryan territories, and the Hitler Youth. Both of these groups have placed themselves in various points along this spectrum through the choices they made. These choices have impacted not only the people of that era, but the perspectives and attitudes of people today.
Within the Church, there were groups and individuals that acted as perpetrators. A perpetrator is defined as “…a person who perpetrates, or commits, an illegal, criminal, or evil act” …show more content…
This means that the perpetrator has made a decision to commit an evil act and has actively and physically fulfilled it. There are several examples of perpetration within the groups of the Church. Prior to 1943, Lithuanian Chaplains were involved in some of the mobile death squads that actively killed Jews. Likewise, the antisemitic Ukrainian Autocephalous Church instructed their parishioners to kill the Jews (Arad, 2000). This would make them collaborators or instigators rather than perpetrators because they did not actually commit the crime of killing a Jew, however those that heeded these instructions would be known as perpetrators. Many churches that practiced antisemitism sourced their motivation from “… the theological and doctrinal anti-Judaism that existed in parts of the Christian tradition. Long before 1933, this anti-Judaism –ranging