How Can Light Be Found In The Darkness Of The Holocaust

Can light be found in the darkness of the Holocaust? The Holocaust was a horrible place in time where racial discrimination was abundant, and a time where these ideologies ended with the murder of many Jewish people. It was a time where Jewish people and other religious groups were discriminated against, tortured, and killed, and a time where no one bothered to help the captive. The Holocaust wasn’t an event in which light could be found, but rather an event which only brought about darkness everywhere it affected. With the events caused by the Holocaust highlighting the need for us to speak out against those who commit these cruel acts against humanity. During the Holocaust, racist ideologies ran rampant as the Nazis, a political party led

People chose to normalize or forget it happened, continuing life as normal without a second thought, rather than try to stop or speak out against the Nazis. Martin Niemoller describes what it’s like struggling to speak out against the Nazis in “First They Came for the Communists.” He wanted to live, so he “did not speak out,” which led to his eventual capture as there was “no one left to speak out” (Niemöller 184). While it’s evident that many were afraid of their own capture, their lack of confidence to speak against the Nazis led to many people’s death. Had more people spoken out, many lives would have been saved. Numerous people were discriminated against, and even tortured, yet no one bat an eye for fear that they’d be next, allowing the Nazis to commit more treacherous acts inconsequentially. Furthermore, in “Night” by Elie Weisel, Moishe, a survivor of a Nazi camp, tries to tell people about what’s happening to the Jews inside the camps. “Prisoners were shot, babies were thrown into the air” he said, yet no one listened (Wiesel 182). At this point, Moishe has been introduced to, and is actively warning the jews about the horrible conditions brought about by the Nazis in the camp. Moishe was trying to remind the jews of the people who were deported, yet no one listened. Light can’t be found in the darkness of the Holocaust if no one listened, nor

While some may argue that because of these events, hope was evident and friendships were formed. These moments of hope are miniscule in comparison to the tragedies that happened. While some friendships were formed, what does it matter if they end up dying? That was their reality. Many Jews were taken from their home, they lost connection to most if not all of their loved ones, and for what? There was no other reason for this to be happening, if not because of the racist ideas falsely spread by the Nazis, and because of this, Jews were taken, beaten, and murdered. So much more darkness can be found in the Holocaust than light. But perhaps happiness was truly found after they’ve escaped? Not at all. Many escaped the camps not with a heart of happiness, but a broken one. Most witnessed the deaths of their friends or family, and many received severe trauma. They escaped with nothing but tattered clothes and almost nothing to their name. It’s shown in “Life is beautiful” directed by Roberto Benigni, that Joshua and his mom escaped, but at the cost of his father’s life. Yes, they escaped, but is it that easy to move on? A huge part of their lives just disappeared in an instant. No amount of happiness or hope could bring back their father, nor anyone else who’s died in the Holocaust. It wasn’t a time of perseverance, nor was it a time to look back and sugar-coat anything that’s ever happened in this event. The