Dehumanization

The whole idea of the Holocaust was to dehumanize all Jews and strip them from their identity. The moment they arrived at the concentration camp, they got their heads shaved and clothes taken away. They were treated like cattle, receiving demands to move as a group, and give up their valuable and clothes. No one was treated as a human—babies were used for target practice, children dumped their parents into the crematoriums, and they were given just enough food to get out of bed. The Jews were treated like animals and nothing more. They even rode in cattle cars while being transfered from Eastern Europe to Germany. They moved like livestock as they were given orders to march ahead. It was as if the Jews lost all emotion inside of them. They did not react to everything as they did before the Holocaust, and they afraid of much less. As bombs were blowing up the camp they stood in, they were not afraid because death was already so close to them. Hitler’s mission was to dehumanize the Jewish race and exterminate all those who did not have blonde hair and blue eyes. On the other side, the Nazis were dehumanizing themselves as well. No human should act the way they did—the murderous violence that occurred does not well portray the human race. During the Holocaust, dehumanization took place as the Jews were beaten, killed, and their race was discriminated against.