As most people know, the European Jewish community was the primary target of the Nazi Party during the Holocaust. However, there were also millions of other victims involved in this massive tragedy, from all walks of life. The Nazi ideal of a ‘
master race’ did not leave room for many of the people in the world, which resulted in their persecution and eventual death in most cases. By the end of the war, 2/3 of the Jewish population in Europe had been eliminated, but there were other victims that people need to remember, as well.
Anyone who was not considered to be ‘clean’ or ‘pure’ by the Nazis was singled out. People were targeted based on their culture, heritage, beliefs, politics, personal qualities, and more. Some of the most popular groups singled out alongside the Jews during the Holocaust include:
-Polish and Romani People
-Jehovah’s Witnesses
-Gypsies
-Homosexuals
-Communists and Socialists
-Mentally and Physically Disabled People
-Children
The exact numbers will never be known, but some estimates state that more than 1.5 million children were killed during the Holocaust. Why target children? To the Nazi Party, if they were not old enough to work they were considered ‘useless eaters’. Because all they did was take up space, the goal was to eliminate them and keep the Jews and other undesirables from carrying on their lineage. Many children were even killed at birth simply because of who they were born to.
Aside from children, millions of adults were killed in the Holocaust, as well. They mostly belonged to the groups listed above if they weren’t of Jewish faith. In many cases, such as in the case of the disabled, people were ‘euthanized’ with the
Nazis claiming that they were doing these people a favor by ending their suffering.
More than 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. However, millions of others also became
victims of the Holocaust. Some historians and sources even consider children of survivors or Nazi Party members to be victims of this horrible tragedy that took place in Europe during World War II. Anything that made people different was singled out and targeted by the Nazis because it was not desirable as a part of their Master Race. There were many victims of the Holocaust, including survivors and their descendants. Today, remembrance and education is the way that people help these victims get the justice they deserve because at this point, that is all that can be done.