OVERVIEW

 

Jehovah Witnesses are a branch of Christianity who were persecuted during the Holocaust by the Third Reich. Jehovah's Witnesses’ beliefs differ from those of other Christians. They believe that the Holy Trinity--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit represent three separate beings; they believe that world order is controlled by Satan and they are here to prevent this from happening; they believe in a Rapture and believe that when Jesus returns all Non-Witnesses will be taken from the earth to hell.  Perhaps, they are most well known for refusing to take blood transfusions because of their Biblical beliefs.

 

At first, during World War II, the Nazi’s did not have concerns or problems with the Witnesses. However,  when they refused to perform the Heil Hitler salute, bring their children to Hitler youth programs, hang Nazi banners, and refused to vote or serve in the military because they were against war, Hitler became uneasy about them.

 

Ultimately, the Nazi’s persecuted around 6,000 Witnesses and sent around 2,500 to concentration camps, 700 of which were non-German Jehovah’s Witnesses. In camps, they wore uniforms marked with a purple triangle so Nazi’s could identify them. Around 2,500 to 5,000 died in camps and more than 200 executed for not serving in the army.  Overall, 10,000 Witnesses were imprisoned during the war.

 

CONNECTION TO TRAIN

 

In the book Train, there many different characters with different ethnicities, disabilities and sexual preferences.  Dr. Cohen informed our class that in his earlier versions of Train one of the characters was to be a Jehovah Witness. But an editor found that one more hidden story detracted from the realism of the novel. In the end, Dr. Cohen decided to remove this character from the story.

 

VOCABULARY

 

Rapture-A teaching from the Bible which states when the second coming of Christ comes and everyone will be judged. Those who believe in God and speak his word will be taken to heaven and those who do not believe will be sent to hell. Many believe the rapture will take place in Israel.

 

The Watchtower Society-An organization in Philadelphia associated with the Witnesses which helps to print and distribute Bibles to Witnesses.  

 

The Reich- A German word meaning empire.

 

TIMELINE

     

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PHOTOS

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Helene Gotthold, a Jehovah's Witness, was beheaded for her religious beliefs on December 8, 1944, in Berlin. She is pictured with her children. Germany, June 25, 1936.

— US Holocaust Memorial Museum

 

Karl-Heinz Kusserow, a Jehovah's witness who was imprisoned by the Nazis because of his beliefs. He was a prisoner in the Dachau and Sachsenhausen concentration camps in Germany.

— US Holocaust Memorial Museum

 

 

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A group of Jehovah's Witnesses in their camp uniforms after liberation. These men were imprisoned in the Niederhagen bei Wewelsburg concentration camp. Niederhagen bei Wewelsbug, Germany, 1945.

— Kreismuseum Wewelsburg

 

 

Wilhelm and Annemarie Kusserow with the family car in Bad Lippspringe. The Kusserow's used the vehicle to distribute religious literature.

 

--United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Waltraud & Annemarie Kusserow

 

LINKS

 

https://www.ushmm.org/search/results.php?q=Jehovah%27s+Witnesses&q__src=&q__grp=&q__typ=&q__mty=Video&q__sty=&q__lng= A list of five witness accounts by Jehovah's WItnesses about their lives during the holocaust and Nazi persecution.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m9QnVYU08U Another first hand witness

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeRkReQjM8Y A video about nazi prosu