Are Bystanders Guilty Too Essay

Are bystanders guilty too? The Holocaust was the genocide of European Jews, and other groups that were inferiorly judged by the Nazis. Between 1933-1945 millions of men, women, children, and babies lost their lives due to mass shootings, concentration camps, and gas chambers. As people watched cluelessly their friends, neighbors, and even family members lost their lives. Although negligent, those bystanders were an accomplice. Their lack of resistance towards the Nazis, and failure to save the persecuted victims made them just as guilty as Hitler and his soldiers. There were many different ways that persecutors persecuted the victims of the Holocaust. The bystanders did what was needed for their survival. However, this resulted in many deaths.

Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg were two very important people that acted as rescuers for the persecuted groups. While saving thousands, these men accomplished a lot more for the Polish and Jewish people. Oskar Schindler was an ethnic German and a catholic. When he married his wife, Emilie Pelzl, in 1928, he held many jobs until he joined the Nazi party in 1939. Schindler saved many Jews from transportation to Auschwitz. As Hitler wanted to “Germanize” or ‘Aryanize'' Germany, many Jewish-owned businesses were being sold. Oskar Schindler took advantage of this. He renamed the enamelware manufacturer Deutsche Emalwarenfabrik Oskar Schindler, also known as Emalia. Here, he only employed Jewish workers with the ability to escape the brutality and death other camps faced. He provided aid and sleeping arrangements at Emalia as well. Schindler saved many by just employing jews in his factories. He faced multiple arrests by the German SS because of suspicion of his relationship with the Jewish people, however, he was released because he wasn’t able to be charged. Oskar Schindler died a hero to the thousands of lives he saved (Oskar Schindler, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat. During WW11, Wallenberg rescued thousands of jews and even continued those rescue missions during his imprisonment in the Soviet Union. As he was sent to Budapest, he

They were too scared to ask questions, and the ones that were brave enough didn’t receive any answers (supp3, A). These bystanders lacked knowledge of what was going on around them. These people were overwhelmed by despair and unpredictability which resulted in them living their lives like nothing was happening (supp 3, B). As the Nazis tried to hide what was going on and refused to tell the people what was happening, the bystanders stood at a standstill where they couldn’t do anything. Despite that, the bystanders had the option to fight back and enforce answers to be given to them. However, they did what was best for their survival and did nothing. The profused amount of fear, hopelessness, and unpredictability overwhelmed the bystanders during the Holocaust. They reacted to what was best for their survival rather than focusing on the death that surrounded them (supp 3, B). However, these bystanders were guilty because they were an accomplice. They were part of the event whether they wanted to be or not (supp 3, C). These bystanders had an obligation to defend the Jews that were persecuted. The Jews’ weapons and guns were taken away, although the bystanders still had this form of protection on hand. Instead of helping, they watched their fellow citizens, friends, neighbors, or even family members, being taken away because of their lack of resistance towards the