The Holocaust provided lessons to us on religious persecution. We now know it is wrong to discriminate against someone on their religion, and that it should not matter what religion a person is. Here are a couple religious groups that have been persecuted throughout history. Two examples are the Roma Gypsies and Jehovah’s Witnesses (Christians). The Gypsies, most like the Jews, were moved by Nazis to unusual areas, and almost the entire race of Gypsies in Eastern Europe was wiped out. Hitler considered the Jehovah’s Witnesses to be a threat because from the very beginning, this strong group of Christians believed in no other God than Jehovah (“The Holocaust: Non-Jewish Victims” 2). Hitler chose different ways and means to persecute these different …show more content…
The were both put in concentration camps, died from diseases, and tortured. The Jehovah’s Witnesses were more stubborn in not giving up their faith and putting up resistance. Consequently, the guards almost trusted them. In contrast, Gypsies were forced to take on another religion and gave in more suddenly. They both, however, lost millions of people who were persecuted for their religion (“The Holocaust: Non-Jewish Victims” 2). Another similarity between the Gypsies and Jehovah’s Witnesses is that they are both excluded when people talk about the Holocaust. The Holocaust is known for the killing of millions of Jews, but that number doesn’t include the Gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, or other groups of people killed. The actual number of total people killed is estimated to be around eleven million (“The Holocaust: Non-Jewish Victims.” …show more content…
“The Holocaust: Non-Jewish Victims.” Non-Jewish Victims of the Holocaust, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/non-jewish-victims-of-the-holocaust.
“Non-Jewish Victims of the Holocaust: Jehovah's Witnesses.” Jehovah's Witnesses in the Holocaust, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jehovah-s-witnesses-in-the-holocaust.
Ridley, Louise. “Gays, Gypsies And Priests: The Forgotten Victims Of The Holocaust.” HuffPost UK, HuffPost UK, 25 Jan. 2016, www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/01/25/non-jewish-holocaust-victims_n_6500948.html.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum,