The Extermination of the Jews - an Emotional Account of the Holocaust

        The first 13 of the 18 documents, collectively called The
Extermination of the Jews, were not in any way new stories to me. In
fact I came into this book with the same attitude that I usually do
when faced with Holocaust stories, that of "Yes it was horrible, but I
know all about it already. This reading isn't going to do anything to
my attitude." I, as I always am in thinking such a thought, was wrong.
No matter how much you know, no matter how many Holocaust survivors
speak to you, no matter how much you read about it, no matter how much
the atrocities are ingrained into you mind, you can never be immune.
You are always horrified by this extermination, and every time that
you read about any incident you are more disgusted than the last.
You are always reminded that these people that were being slaughtered
like animals were not much different than yourself or anybody that you
know. It does not matter whether you are Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or
any other religion, you have to sympathize with these people because
they are people. Despite whatever the Nazis tried to make them into,
one can easily see that is was not the Jews who were sub-human, but
the vicious, blood-thirsty Nazi murderers who were the animals.

        Many of these readings reminded me of the question "Where were
the people? Where were those who said, `NO! This is wrong!'? Why would
no one stand up to such an obvious wrong?" The ninth document shows
how the Nazis eliminated Jews' rights. It amazes me that there weren't
more non-Jews who would speak out against these ridiculous, arbitrary
laws. Can fear truly silence a person to the point of just accepting
the dehumanization and deaths of millions of people? I still cannot
bring myself to believe that this is human nature. No thinking human
being could accept this, yet an entire nation bowed to the insane
will of a madman. Clearly, somewhere in human nature is an innate
passivity...