Jewish Holidays During World War II

In history and in the present, religion and war have always gone hand in hand. There have been many religious wars such as the Crusades and the Thirty Years’ War that have involved two different sides trying to the force the enemy to convert. World War II was very different as it involved one side, the Nazis, trying to eliminate the opposing side, the Jews. Being very religious people, the Jews have a wide variety of holidays, both biblical and post-biblical. They were unable to celebrate or observe these holidays easily in Nazi Germany or other Axis controlled countries. Jewish Holidays, such as Yom Kippur, Passover, Hanukkah, and Pentecost, were and still are extremely important and were heavily affected by the war.

Yom Kippur is the most

Passover celebrates the Jews escaping from Egypt but in the war, they were still being used and massacred. In an encyclopedia entry titled “Festivals”, it says that those in a state of impurity or those far from home may celebrate the second passover. For Jews in Nazi-controlled territory, it was hard to celebrate either. They were in the same state, or even worse state than those who were enslaved in Egypt. There are also many rules to be followed during Passover. “The prohibition against possessing chametz during Passover is so strong that a number of rituals have been instituted to make sure that all the chametz is removed from the home.” Chametz is all leaven, wheat, barley, spelt, rye, oats, rice, and legumes. One of these rituals, mechirat chametz, included selling some of the chametz related items to non-Jews so that the Jewish people would not face financial hardships (Dosick 164-165). Many Germans, if not all, would not associate themselves with Jews or other races. This made it incredibly hard to go through the practice of mechirat chametz because the Jews had to throw out all of their chametz or not observe passover at all. “Legally, the non-Jew to whom the chametz was sold could come into each Jewish household during Passover, claim possession of his chametz, and take it away…” (Dosick 166). Some of the Germans might have agreed to the

Hanukkah lasts for eight days and consists of many traditions such as the giving of gifts and gathering together in large groups (“Festivals”). It was especially hard for the Jews to stay happy and festive for eight days straight because of the events going on around them. Many could not get gifts for their friends and families because German stores would not sell anything to them. Large groups of people gathering to celebrate were also very easy targets for the Nazis. “Hanukkah is a minor festival: there is no feasting, and it is not a holiday from work.” (Lange 106). The fact that it was a minor festival and not a holiday from work made Hanukkah not as important to miss. Although this is true, many considered this holiday to be one of their favorites and one of the most important ones. It is also one of the most festive times in the cycle of holidays. Potato pancakes known as latkes and jelly donuts known as sufganiyot are two of the most traditional foods of Hanukkah. There were not many Jewish shops in Nazi Germany and the German ones did not sell these types of food. It was incredibly rare for people to celebrate with these, unless they were homemade. Hanukkah is one of the happiest holidays for Jews but it was ruined by the