THE LIFE IN THE HOLOCAUST GHETTOES

The Life in the Holocaust Ghettoes

The Life in the Holocaust Ghettoes

Introduction

The word ghetto was introduced in the sixteenth century to describe a controlled area of a town or city within which Jews were confined at night, at which time members of other groups were forbidden entry. During the twentieth century a much broader usage of the term has developed, although it continues to reflect the practice of segregation that was at the root of the original idea of a ghetto. Today a ghetto can be any area of a city or town in which the living quarters of an ethnic minority are concentrated, although the term is usually reserved for poor, densely populated, inner-city districts. Because the ghettos have been the site of so much suffering, the definition of the ghetto is not a scholastic matter, but a contested issue in which members of different ethnic groups are heavily invested. (Baron, 2005, 18)

Some claim that the “true” ghetto is the ghetto imposed by law and that the extension of the word ghetto beyond the original strict sense that it acquired in sixteenth century Italy blurs historical reality. Others argue that if the place where almost all members of an ethnic group live is racially segregated, and if it is difficult for them to move to an area that is not racially segregated, what matters is less whether the segregation is de jure or de facto than the conditions inside and outside the ghetto. This article will consider both the narrow and the broad senses of the term, focusing particularly on the Jewish and African-American ghettos. (Bullard, 2004, 55)

The Holocaust

The awareness about the tragic chapter of the history, the 'Holocaust' is necessary to help in the understanding of the root causes of it that still exist in today's world. To learn from the past, the awareness of history is required that can help in the understanding of the horrors of past and preparing for the possible solutions by looking into the causes that caused the event to occur. (Berenbaum, 1990, 18)

Today's generation has very little knowledge of this enormous historical calamity. They should try to sense the indifference of the whole world that never resisted it and allowed it to happen. The past needs adequate exposure so that this sort of event never happens in the world again otherwise it may take place because history repeats itself time and again. (Cohen, 2007, 63) (Berenbaum, 2003, 58)

Americans and the whole world remembers the 9/11 attacks as the paradigm of horror and among the worst events the world has ever seen, but from here we can understand the magnitude of the holocaust that six million peoples were killed and all of them were only Jews, that is equal to the deaths of 9/11 attacks if they had occurred daily for whole five years. (Dawidowicz, 1986, 69)

Dr. Perlitsh said:

“If people are better informed about the history during the Hitler years, there will hopefully be more global involvement in genocide situations," ...