If you are interested in learning more about Kristallnacht, check out the link above to the USHMM online exhibition. Again, feel free to leave any comments. For example, why were their places of worship attacked? Can you think of other examples in history where places of worship were attacked?
Lit Terms 2
6 years ago
23 comments:
I think their churches were attacked because that's one of the things that meant the most to the Jews. Often, if someone is trying to physically or mentally weaken someone, they will mess with things that are most important to them. When the Jewish people saw their churches torn up, it tore them up. Their house of God had been disrespected and they didn't like to see that. This was one of the many strategies the Nazi's used to physically and mentally weaken the Jews.
Hayley Brewster
wI think that their places of worship were attacked was because at this point, Hitler was not trying to exterminate the Jews. He was only trying to force them out of Germany at the time. Also, The Crusades would be an example of this in another period of history.
Adam Spivey
I think that the Jewish places of worship were not only attacked to hurt them religiously and make them suffer on a mental level, but to anger them and to get them to act out on their anger so further damages can be done to them. Another case where religious places were destroyed was when the USA dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
-Ted
I think they were attacked for many reasons. First, they wanted the Jews to feel like there religion didn't matter and that they were pointless. Also, they did it just to be cruel and hateful to them. I think this has happened alot in present day Israel and in the Middle East, because they keep on fighting and disgracing each others religions.
I think they chose the church to attack because thats something that applies to all of the Jews and something they all respect. They picked the thing that meant the most to them and used it as another way to punish them. The Jews considered it God's house and when it was getting attacked i think it may have felt to the Jews like they were attacking their God and beliefs which they kind of did during the Holocaust.
Throughout history, people have thought that if you can destroy someone's faith in their god, you can destroy the person. The Nazis might have thought that the building was a representation of the Jews' faith and that by destroying the building they somehow bested God. Or they could have just wanted to hit the Jews where it hurts, like Hayley said. This sort of thing happens all throughout the Bible and even modern-day life, sort of like an unwritten code: "If you want to kill a person, start with the spirit."
Madison Vaught
I think the churches of the Jews was a main target. The Nazi's knew that the churches meant a lot to the Jews and used it to their advantage. If they trashed the place it would make the Jews feel sad and anger. Which this leaves them wide open for further damages to them.The USA didn't really help out when it came to bombing Hiroshima.
Katelyn McChesney
Great comments thus far, guys. Madison, you are such a deep thinker. :) Not a whole lot of responses on the question about other times in history... surely you can think of some, a couple from a VERY recent time in history...
I think in many cases, God represents hope. People always look to God for hope and protection. The Nazis took away this hope for all of the Jews. They wanted them to feel like they had no hope and to surrender everything to the Nazis. Like Hayley said this weakened the Jews, and made them feel helpless.
Gabby Earby
I think the Nazi's targeted the church because they knew how sacred it was to the Jews and the important role it played in their life. It's easy to tear down someone if you weaken their daily aspects. Hitler wanted the Jews to think that the Nazi's had more power than God and that they were in control now. I'm sure the Jewish people suffered greatly when they looked at how torn and destroyed their churches were.
-Esha Rock
Even today people attack other due to religion. It has become a type of discrimination. I think that they attacked churches because a sanctuary is thought to be a place of safety and security. Without safety, some people mightve given up and lost all hope. That would, in turn, make them weak and easy to defeat.
I think that by attacking the Jewish places of worship it reduced the number of comfort zones for the Jews. Maybe by doing this it could have made the Jews easier to boss around. That is just one of my ideas.
Will Hearn
The churches were attacked most likely because it was a way to intimidate the Jews. Of course, it's Hitler, so there could be more than just one reason than just scare the Jews away. Hitler could have thought since the Jews had no place of worship and no way of worshiping, they would go to hell once his men killed them.
Jake Hartline
Great point, Gabby.
i think the Nazis attacked their places of worship because it is what they treasured most. being catholic, i understand how much respect they had for their church. it would be very had to imagine going into mass seeing my church trashed. i couldn't imagine being locked into my church and having to use the restroom in it. it is complete disrespect to the building, the spiritual structure. the Nazis completely understood this and totally did it on purpose. the Nazis recognized this would completely make the Jews feel inferior. Like hayley said, this was just another thing the Nazis used to mess with the Jews and to mentally and physically drain them.
Brooke Muller
It hurts me to think of a group of people coming and destroying the churches in Cleveland. I'm sure Kristallnacht really wrecked the Jews' hearts and that's exactly what the Nazis wanted. I agree with Gabby in that God represents hope, and I'm sure Hitler wanted to incinerate the Jews' hopes and happiness by incinerating their house of God.
~Brooke Miller~
I also think that the Nazi's wanted to take the most sacred thing the jews had to crush them with. If they destroyed the most precious thing they had it might take all of their hope away and show the jews who is boss and who really has the power. I think that this really did weaken the jews a lot more than anything, because it was so important to them.
Amber Ballew
As many have said, religion offers hope to people. When the Nazis destroyed their churches and religious centers,they took away from their mental moral. If they didn't take away that, then they could of had more successful retaliations. It could of changed the whole holocaust. They might of also thought that if their God would let them do that to his holy house, then what hope do they have that God would help them.
I think that the Nazi's attacked the Jews because it gave them an edge over them. For instance, in Night when they are taken to the synagouge and it is all tore up, you could tell how much it affected them. Another time when churches were attacked was actually 2 months ago when Bajrang Dal activists damaged or destroyed more than a dozen churches in India.
The Nazi's targeted churches because they knew how horrible it would be for the Jews. Yet I believe some of the Jews tried to stay strong even though they understood what was going on.
Ariana Dorr
I cant even try to imagine what i would feel standing in the smoke and watching the ash fall down from above, the remains of my religious place like in that picture. Church for me is a place of calm and safty and the Jews needed a place of safty and when the Nazis burned them down they must have felt the chaos and dangers ahead. They had no where to turn anymore.
I think the main reason the Nazi's targeted the Jews churches was because it was their place of worship, so it was considered holy and sacred to them.The Nazi's obviously knew that this would hurt the Jewish people more then anything else they could have done to them.
Meryn Evans
i think that hayley's right. its one of the things that ment most to them. this way they could not only drive them out, but also thier spirt and thier faith.
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