It’s a story you may not know. During the Holocaust, sexual violence was used to terrorize, control, and dehumanize Jewish people. In the decades after, brave survivors and witnesses recorded their traumas.
They often described brutality at the hands of the Germans and their collaborators. Some shared stories of assaults by fellow prisoners, and even by rescuers who sheltered them. As we commemorate #SexualAssaultAwarenessMonth, join us to lift these voices once silenced by stigma or shame
Learn more about the experiences of victims of sexual violence during World War II and the Holocaust: https://perspectives.ushmm.org/tag/sexual-violence
The Nazis relied on ordinary men and women to perpetrate mass murder during the Holocaust. Watch a previous episode to learn more about how Nazi ideology enticed them to commit violence, including sexual assault:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoBQdBIqExs&list=PLWQC3P4psZP6Mh45xyYa2QepIMgkKD4BA&index=36
Sexual humiliation was only one of the ways that the Nazis and their collaborators publicly demeaned Jewish people. Read more about public humiliation during the Holocaust:
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/public-humiliation
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A very thought provoking video.
Thank you for taking on this topic that isnt often discussed.
Thank you for sharing these stories. Dr. Lindsay was right in that the Holocaust is usually referred to in a broader sense, with these personal stories of humiliation not being focused on.
Serafina’s story shook me. Him asking her for forgiveness (likely he was catholic and feared punishment in the afterlife) but Him emotionally blackmailing Serafina to forgive him was revolting on his part.
This is a subject I’ve read about over the years. These victims not only were subjected to SV by the Male Germans, and collaborators, female guards, and some imprisoned women who were not Jewish perpetrated these acts of violence too.
Then Russian soldiers were also SA Jewish survivors. Theres a quote from a recent book I read, which I, unfortunately cannot remember word for word. The gist of this quote by a Russian soldier was that Germans R.& SA as a way of punishment. We are doing it as a a celebration of your freedom.
It sickens me!!!
SV is a tactic in wars since the beginning of time. Males and Females have had to endure, and even die from these abhorrent actions.
I’ve seen a video where a Sonderkommando prisoner mentions that women being led to the gas chambers were touched inappropriately by SS men on their way inside. How cruel to abuse someone on their last walk
Thank you for this
Hi,how can i found Dora's interview. Thanks
Thank you so much for this 🙏
These two historians are excellent. Watching these shows describing Nazis always leads to the same question and same conclusion, the question being: How can human beings be so cruel? – the conclusion being, based on my personal experience and observation, Jews could could never as a group act as these Germans and others have acted against Jews.
Best breathings, for empowering smile. Thank you, ☺🌈
Thank you
There is an infamous photo of a young woman being chased by some boys with clubs. Its truly horrific I think about that lady a lot. The terrified look on her face. I often wonder what happened to her 😢
Thank you for sharing these horrific, and very painful stories of the brave survivors. My heart goes out to them, may God bless and keep them all.
My father reached adolescence during the Holocaust. Ar one point, his mother dressed him as a girl to avoid the camps. The whole experience really disturbed his sense of masculinity.
Thank you for telling their stories. from California USA❤
I wonder if there are children that were products of this shameful acts of SS men
My mum had neighbors growing up, the dad of the family survived Auschwitz… she remembers his tattooed arm but she will never forget his story about an SS guard who wore a hip bag that he made out of the breast of Jewish prisoner… that monster was so proud of it. He hated talking about his experiences during the genocide and that story was just too big for him to hold.
Cilka"s journey by Heather Morris
The Idea that you are not alone as survivor is very empowering.
Grazie per questo video. Sentire queste storie e' terribile. Povera gente. Spero solo che ci sia una giustizia divina.
Saluti dall' Italia Venezia
thank you for your thoughtful presentation of this especially difficult subject
Greetings from Poland.
Unfortunately, our ancestors were often the direct witnesses of horrors done to Jewish people.
I've been studying the Holocaust my entire life. This is one subject one which I know almost nothing. There's not a lot out there about this topic. It's so important and wish it was a more talked about subject.
When an armed civilization is disarmed, evil will always surface. Very unfortunate.
It's really important to fully understand what happened to all of those human beings, including the sexual crimes that were perpetrated. Thanks for giving them a voice
What courage it took for these survivors to share these experiences! 😢
Women from that time were very modest. Of course it would be almost impossible to speak of being raped.
I have taken several courses over the years on the Holocaust and never once was sexual abuse mentioned.Why is that?
The sharing is greatly appreciated . I grew up around holocaust survivors who visited my grandparents home. After I got sober ,it was 20 years before I could talk about being gang raped while a teenager . It has taken me a lifetime to heal . Praying for all victims of rape and their abusers. May this horrific behavior stop.