The choices made by individuals, groups and institutions were multifaceted and were influenced by societal factors throughout the Holocaust. Perpetrators behaved through pride and nationalism, choosing to be a part of the genocide. The bystanders, manipulated by fear, chose not to give awareness to the Jewish people, abiding by the Nazi party’s orders. There were a small number of individuals that were moral upstanders and were not influenced by the ideologies provided by the Nazi party, viewing what was happening to the Jews and other minority groups as wrong and cruel. The choices made during the Holocaust impacted the minorities, for instance, Shutzstaffel. The SS Party, run by Hitler and his anti-semitic views, figured the solution to …show more content…
Unlike Great Britain's attempts to help as many Jews as they could, going beyond their quota limits, the United States government implemented restrictive immigration policies, such as the Immigration Act of 1924, which set strict quotas on immigration from certain countries, restricting the number of refugees allowed entry despite knowing of the increasing persecution of Jews and other targeted groups in Nazi-controlled territories. This is apparent in Source F (first picture), which is a written paper about the visa division. The paper indicates an intention to impose stricter regulations and limitations on certain nationalities, because the United States aimed to "safeguard" its best interests of the people and its reputation, by introducing additional "obstacles" to complicate the visa entry process, thereby revealing a reluctance to extend assistance to multiple Jewish people to protect its image. In doing so, the Jews who tried to flee the pogrom faced dire consequences. Numerous victims were forced to stay in Nazi-controlled areas where they suffered persecution, incarceration and eventually mass execution in concentration camps due to the lack of effective ways to flee. Source G (fourth picture) gives light to the denied visa victims, where they can be seen in an emergency refugee camp, drawing attention to how the numerous Jews who …show more content…
He risked his job and the safety of his family to help thousands of Jews flee Europe by providing visas so they could travel across Japan and find a new beginning. Source C, showcases The Lewins, a family of Jews who had help from Sugihara, who stated, “He didn’t care if they were citizens of the Netherlands or Poland or Germany or Lithuania. He knew they were human beings who had to be rescued and whose lives were at stake,” This demonstrates the altruistic person he was and how he’d endangered his own life to help others. Highlighting how in the midst of a genocide that affected the lives of thousands, there was an individual there who did everything they could to help the minorities by assisting them in finding new places to live. However, this prompted him to receive a cable from Tokyo instructing how they were against Sugihara issuing visas unless stringent requirements were met, Source D gives evidence of the statement provided from Tokyo, "You must make sure that they [refugees] have finished their procedure for their entry visas and also they must possess the travel money or the money that they need during their stay in Japan. Otherwise, you should not give them the transit visa,” Despite the message he has received that potentially left him in jeopardy, he still decided to help them anyway, indicating