Liberators and Survivors: The First Moments

Рет қаралды 5,475,237

6 жыл бұрын

This Educator Video Toolbox is aligned to Echoes & Reflections,
a comprehensive Holocaust education program that delivers professional development and a rich array of multimedia resources for middle and high school teachers. This video complements the unit called Survivors and Liberators. It addresses key historical context, supports your teaching, and provides a methodological and pedagogical framework to help you teach this subject effectively. Professional development programs for middle and high school educators are taking place around the country; you can find one near you here.
The liberation of concentration camps by the US Army at the end of WWII is an excellent entry point for US history teachers into the study of the Holocaust. This video interweaves liberators’ and Jewish survivors’ testimonies and other primary sources, highlighting the experiences of US soldiers upon entering the Nazi camps. The video helps you present their story to your students, as the witnesses relate to the stark difference between conventional warfare and the Holocaust, an unprecedented genocide. Great care has been taken not to include visually graphic photographs, making the video particularly suitable for middle and high school students.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Robert Rozett is Director of the Yad Vashem Libraries, as well as an author, researcher and senior editor on Holocaust-related subjects.
Sheryl Silver Ochayon is a staff member of the International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem, and its Program Director for Echoes & Reflections.
For additional information about Echoes & Reflections visit echoesandreflections.org/
Produced by: Shira Feliks Content and Production LTD
www.shirafeliks.com/

Пікірлер: 205

@annieandelsieofarendelle3294 4 жыл бұрын

My great uncle was one of the liberators of Dachau and til the day he died he still called said that to call Nazis devils in human skin would be an offense to the devil.

@valeriehastie5522 6 жыл бұрын

My late dad was one of the British soldiers who went into liberate those in Belsen. He couldn't speak of the awful things he saw there.

@Mbase-apollo 5 жыл бұрын

My grandpa fought in the battle of the Rhine and he told me stories about liberating these camps, he would start crying half way through it. then my dad would come in the room and yell at me for asking him about the war, yea it really messed him up a lot, i was 10 years old and i'll never forget that.. R.I P. Grandpa.

@helenculpepper7299 6 жыл бұрын

This is a story that needs to be told. I simply cannot believe the ignorance and stupidity of those who claim it was all a hoax.

@skunkhome 5 жыл бұрын

By father was among those who liberated Buchenwald. I have a couple dozen photos he took. He told us that he took the pictures because he knew no one would believe what they found there. I need to find an organization that will preserve this precious evidence of what happened at Buchenwald.

@YadVashem 5 жыл бұрын

@craighauser9482 5 жыл бұрын

My late grandparents survived the horrors of the holocaust but their families were not as lucky (if u wanna call them lucky). My grandparents went thru horror and mental and physical anguish not only during the war but before and especially after. Most forget that Jews after the war had no home, no money, no property, no family, no friends left usually and if they did they did not no where to find them, and basically no will to go on in such a terrible mental and physical state. It took years of homeless shelters and street walking and believe it or not, more antisemitism by people even after the war, until they finally made it to America and busted their asses to make a living and make sure they put all their children in good schools and had a nice home. All my uncles and mother all graduated college and got good jobs and had good lives thanks to the perseverance of my grandparents who even tho they passed on are still my hero's!! Please do not ever forget what happened and make sure to teach ur kids about this as their memories may never be forgotten and this type of major world wide atrocity should NEVER happen again to anyone!!

@sailimulgaonkar5715 2 жыл бұрын

I still cannot believe that human beings can hate till this extent. All countries need to learn from this tragedy.

@reha1066 3 жыл бұрын

Deniers and Nazi supporters... How can you live with yourselves? Just HOW???

@christinachadwick6291 6 жыл бұрын

I have watched this film. Could not believe seeing my Father. Who was liberated from Dachau Concentration Camp. He is no longer with us he died in 1968 aged 44yrs old. But he would having recurring nightmares. Which played on his mind. He had to put a lady in the furnace. Who was unconscious but still a life. He had four German solders with guns on him.

@tomfuller5585 6 жыл бұрын

Eisenhower's words were prophetic, considering the Holocaust deniers who inevitably step in and take advantage of others' suffering, like vultures on a wounded individual.

@josephschmidt4157 3 жыл бұрын

My Dad was in the 101st 502 Airborne. God Bless you all.

@carolemerle9995 5 жыл бұрын

When I lived and worked in Germany at a military base in the early 80's, I met a lady with a tattoo on her arm. Me being the fool that I was asked her about it. She explained it to me and said that the people who lived around the camps said if they said anything they would be next to go to the camps. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. I also visited Dachau in the 90's when the Berlin wall came down, a depressing experience. You could still smell the burnt flesh, even after all of those years. It was so quiet. Not even one bird or living animal there. No noises whatsoever. I still cry when I think about those times.

@ihneng 4 жыл бұрын

Tears come out from my eyes....How can a man be cruel like .....I have no words but only tears...😭😭😭😭😭😭

@lucienvandegaart3428 5 жыл бұрын

My mother and aunt we're interned by the Nazis for 2 years. I grew up hearing bits and pieces of what the went through. The murders on a daily basis. People scrambling for one piece of bread.starvation all around and the body parasites less alone the weather elements Death everywhere. I couldn't imagine loosing 9 brothers and sisters in three days by the Nazis. Out of 16 children only 6 were to survive the war. Grandpa was an old man. We are Belgium farmers and the Nazis pillaged all their live stock and food stuffs. He saw wwI and ww2 but lived to 100. Loosing his wife between wars to the birth of the 16th child. Unreal that this could of happened. Never again. Never again. My aunt and mom came out weighting about 60 pounds each. Both were in their early 20s. They were tortured and my aunt talked of rape. She told me my name meant death before dishonor and so I was raised to fight for what was right. To love all people and respect all unless I saw that disrespect the you fight against. My aunt even saw Hitler speak she told me. Some in the family we're in the Belgium resistance. I thank God for the blessings of today and the sacrifices of good humans of yesteryear Never forget Never forget Lol to all

@denada8192 5 жыл бұрын

im muslim and i cry right now .. human is unbeliveable creature such that cruel thing can happen

@vikaalt1374 5 жыл бұрын

Pure evil. This is so heartbreaking. So much love for the people who have went through this. Angels.

@timmyfowler337 5 жыл бұрын

I'm 39 years old now when I was growing up I heard my grandfather talking to one of the men he served with at the end of the conversation he said "We fight for those who can't and if we loose at least we tried" I never understood what he ment. Then in 97 I was deployed to Sierra Leone then I finally got it. SGT. First Class Fowler 75th Ranger Regiment 2nd battalion FORT BENNING GA. 97 TO 04

@kezkn 5 жыл бұрын

I cant help but cry and cry...... No matter, how.many times we watch this.... it simply pulls the heart out ! Thank God fr the hearts of the Liberators'

@treearoha 3 жыл бұрын

All the liberatiors, especially those who came forward to speak about what they went through, are so brave. You are my hero's

@amybugg001 5 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately this is still happening ... humanity sucks. To the remaining survivors ... thank you.To the liberators ... thank you. You taught, you teach and will always be a testament to what real "humanity" is.

@laurelmellon1695 4 жыл бұрын

As a Jew I grew up with antisemitism in Birmingham, Alabama in the 50s and 60s. It could happen again

@dustinmoreshed5614 3 жыл бұрын

My great grandfather was with the US 2nd Infantry division when they liberated a number of sub-camps. Unfortunately I was far too young to hear his stories by the time he passed, but my grandpa tells me that he almost never talked about it and any time he tried, he couldn't really handle to recount the things he saw. He took the details of much of his experience in WW2 to the grave.

@hazelbluu 5 жыл бұрын

I'm sobbing so uncontrollably right now, my dog is pacing and whining, thinking I've hurt myself. Oh god, those poor souls!

@terryhollands2794 6 жыл бұрын

When I was 14 years old back in 1965 my grandfather took me to visit a friend of his who lived in the Fairfax district of LA. They were, what seemed to me an old couple, in their apartment was a room that had many photos of relatives that died in camps. I can still close my eyes and see the room.

@Patrickmc6 5 жыл бұрын

How can people deny this happened?

@concept5631 3 жыл бұрын

Your use of the word "Romani" rather than Gypsies is something I appreciate.

@lenalewalker3660 3 жыл бұрын

The world is so cruel. I know that almost all of you are gone now, but thank-you so much.

@Mattman524 5 жыл бұрын

I still find it hard to believe that people say this never happened fucking insane

@sumdude2999 5 жыл бұрын

im 22 years old, iv had a some what easy life. Then you find out Leon Bass was 20 when he liberated a concentration camp

@trickybarsteward 5 жыл бұрын

The people who liberated these camps fought across Germany risking their lives every day only to find themselves walking through a hell. It's almost unimaginable the suffering and terror they witnessed, they are heroes and their stories shouldn't be forgotten.

@harrietszwejkowski6117 5 жыл бұрын

I don't know how my uncle survived 5 years in Dachau.

@jamesb.9155 5 жыл бұрын

These recordings of stories by soldiers and survivors is valuable testament to history, from generations who are now mostly passed away.

@lindseygreenberg Жыл бұрын

"Ohrdruf was liberated on April 4, 1945, by the 4th Armored Division and the 89th Infantry Division. It was the first Nazi concentration camp liberated by the U.S. Army. -- When the soldiers of the 4th Armored Division entered the camp, they discovered piles of bodies, some covered with lime, & others partially incinerated on pyres. The ghastly nature of their discovery led General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, to visit the camp on April 12, with Generals George S. Patton & Omar Bradley. After his visit, Eisenhower cabled General George C. Marshall, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, describing his trip to Ohrdruf: _______ " ... the most interesting-although horrible-sight that I encountered during the trip was a visit to a German internment camp near Gotha. The things I saw beggar description. While I was touring the camp I encountered three men who had been inmates & by one ruse or another had made their escape. I interviewed them through an interpreter. The visual evidence & the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty & bestiality were so overpowering as to leave me a bit sick. In one room, where they were piled up 20 or 30 naked men, killed by starvation, George Patton would not even enter. He said that he would get sick if he did so. ••••••• I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in a position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to 'propaganda.' ..." ________ -- GENERAL DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe

@whiteonggoy7009 3 жыл бұрын

I watch this in 3 stages because my tears I can't see

@jennytaylor4165 5 жыл бұрын

I went to college with a German lad who I liked very much. We were the same age, and the fact that we got along so well made me consider that it was entirely possible that one of his relatives who fought in WW2 might have killed or injured one of mine, or vice versa, and how strangely poignant that possibility was in light of our friendship. Life is so strange, and so much is about unquestioned beliefs and timing... Another time, another place would have brought about a very different relationship. Makes me wonder how many lost potential friends and sole-mates there were amongst the murderers and the murdered. It's so insanely sad.

@doonsbury9656 6 жыл бұрын

So important that future generations be made aware of the truth of what was done to these people....so they can hopefully prevent anything like this happening again.

@lillesong8734 5 жыл бұрын

My father entered Germany a few months before the end of the war, part of a small counter-intelligence group. They liberated a concentration camp in the salt mines. They were horrified and speechless by what they found. I remember him telling me that the local people claimed that they had no idea of what was going on in the camps, “but they godammned well knew.” He always remembered, even at the end of his life, his mind ravaged by dementia. One day not long before his death I was watching the news on television with him. There was a story about one ethnic group in the Middle East burying another ethnic group alive in the desert with bull dozers. Clear as a bell, he said, “They are worse than the goddamned Nazis.”

@shannon9155 4 жыл бұрын

My Grandfather liberated the concentration camps during WW2 and he said it was horrific--worse than any battle he fought in!! He said he lost his faith in God.

@linda1081 5 жыл бұрын

Atrocities must be stopped throughout every generation. The world needs to care and move forward to stop it from happening wherever and whenever and for whatever reason it happens.

@jjchick95 5 жыл бұрын

Watching these people makes my heart hurt so much. These people are truly amazing that they could go thru the absolute worst thing and see the most evil of all evil, and grow up to be great caring people. So inspirational.

@marciathehooligan3861 3 жыл бұрын

All these men are heroes ♥

@mooskamoo 3 жыл бұрын

9:58 This is the most moving thing I've seen in a long time 😥

@robertv8851 5 жыл бұрын

God bless the solders that helped these poor soles,and bless the ones that didn't make it.we will never forget and never let this happen again dear lord.

@namechangeakunpucky2563 5 жыл бұрын

I'm glad our American liberators came to save and help as many human beings as they could.

@adriennefriederich8061 6 жыл бұрын

All their stories need to be told. This can never happen again!!

@user-tt5li8hf2f 6 жыл бұрын

Memories such as this killed my father. Wonderful,wonderful video.

@jangjai4280 3 жыл бұрын

Great respect for every American Soldier who served in past and the ones who serve today in the American Army. Humanity will never forget what you stand for and thanks for what you do.

@godisgoodallthetime7622 6 жыл бұрын

You are the voice for the voiceless.

@johnking7535 5 жыл бұрын

I would love too see the full interviews with the veterans and survivors.

@JerjerB 5 жыл бұрын

May peace reign upon Earth. Lest we forget that hell is possible if we don't actively fight evil.

@joshuajones4854 Жыл бұрын

The will and determination of the survivors to live is astounding. I can't begin to imagine how difficult that must've been. And to see their elation at being rescued is just so heartwarming even though it's still crushing to think about what they endured and all of the lives lost by these absolute monsters. Let's all hope hell exists and all of the perpetrators are continuing to suffer long after their dastardly deed.

@Oakleaf700 3 жыл бұрын

It is the most inhumane and repulsive way to treat other human beings. The Nazis must have been mentally sick to have done this to others.

@promeseus1 5 жыл бұрын

My late grandfather had immigrated from Germany in the 1930s. Fought for the U.S. Military during the war. Encountered one of these camps - I think Buchenwald - NEVER talked about it. I grew up with no pride in my German ancestry.

@wandaramos1510 5 жыл бұрын

Watching this hurts so much.. Never forget😔

@PHILPOP2 3 жыл бұрын

Humans still haven't learnt.

@janupczak1643 3 жыл бұрын

Could there be greater heroes, ever??❤

@AlbertoRodriguez-ns8tr 5 жыл бұрын

I couldn't stop my tears from falling.

@JanetArnold1257 5 жыл бұрын

I visited Dachau as a 12-year-old. It was horrible!

@danbytp 5 жыл бұрын

Remember and tell their story lest we forget! Please,please don't let it happen again!

@richieh6465 5 жыл бұрын

Cant imagine the hell they went through,,,, and the lingering pain for the rest of their lives

@zwijntje3010 3 жыл бұрын

Respect for these 'guys', I think they're traumatized so badly ! Let no one say, 'it didn't happened' or 'wir haben es nicht gewusst', because it did happened, and the nazi's knew it !!! NEVER FORGET, NEVER AGAIN !!! 😥💔🙏

@hudsonsteele1674 5 жыл бұрын

This was a great educational video. Needs to be seen everywhere. My Daddy was in the Battle of the Bulge. Not sure how close he was to these camps, but he fought till it was over, so he was a liberator by association if nothing else. I did see a couple of photos that looked like him.

@elisefincher4478 5 жыл бұрын

It's amazingly sad and horrifying that an atrocity such as the holocaust not only happened but was supported and facilitated by so many people. The dept we as human beings can stoop disheartening.

@vio3366 3 жыл бұрын

8:54 this just made me cry so bad. Does anyone know more information about that man? God people were so evil.. words can describe how evil they were

@lisaoldwithsomanywhys5487 5 жыл бұрын

this video is so amzing thank you for making it possible to teach the world that HATRED is inhumane & we must never let it rule again!

@Gordonz1 5 жыл бұрын

It is wise to realize the battle is eternal between those who care for others and those who do not . Those who care have build schools, hospitals, colleges, universities, institutions working on life saving medicine and technology Others are working to address the unsustainable ecological path we are on. How can you help make the world a better place T

@PaulBaird 5 жыл бұрын

There are projects to colorise these old black and white films such as the WW1 archives. It does make the films more accessible. Also, I think we need to look at what happened after the end of the war to the perpetrators, especially after the initial period 1945-1947 and why that happened.

@Crisperdad 3 жыл бұрын

We have NOTHING to complain about. That is all

@icurhuman2 5 жыл бұрын

If you didn't shed a tear or two you must not have a heart.

@kittywaymo 5 жыл бұрын

My father was a World War II veteran he spoke seven languages including Hebrew and German later work for OSI which he then went on to work for other government investigative agencies. I’m Ashkenazi and Sephardic, My father saw the concentration camps. He was part of the front not just infantry but he was a tank destroyer operator. He is in Heaven now, he received a Purple Heart during his World War II service. As well as other metals & honors. It’s imperative that everyone learn this part of history. I am a former newscaster & journalist (radio / TV )I feel like it’s important to watch the Eichmann & Nuremberg trials, And learn all we can about this time in history, to always remember the victims and survivors and Allies, the Russians , English, France and the US well documented these concentration death camps.

@osocool1too 4 жыл бұрын

What a powerful video...I was moved by it. 😱

@glenhorn9453 5 жыл бұрын

These have got to be the most awesome, precious people that has ever been. I, as a minister, pray that there is a great reward awaiting them if they have accepted their Messiah. I love the Jewish people so much. Several years ago, we had the awesome privilege to have a Holocaust Survivor from The Netherlands sit in our car and tell us her story most of the night. Awesome privilege and testimony. God bless all of you precious people!

@saltychips4866 5 жыл бұрын

Glen Horn All born again believers should be praying for the salvation of he Jewish people, for them to accept Jesus as the promised messiah as truly God manifest in the flesh. However in God's perspective hose of us who are born again are His children. Jesus called the Jews the synagogue of Satan and rebuked the Jewish leaders for following traditions which were not of God which was later written as the filthy Talmud. The Talmud states Jesus is in hell boiling in semen and excrement, that is acceptable to have intercourse with a three year old girl because her virginity will return, acceptable to have intercourse with a boy up to age nine and a few months, that non- Jews are cattle and it is acceptable to cheat them. Most modern day Jews do not live by Torah but by Talmud or are atheist. The Lord always protected the nation of Israel if they worshipped and obeyed Him, once they rejected Christ, He allowed them to be scattered and persecuted for their unbelief. According to Revelation and Daniel, he has promised to re-establish them in Israel after the Tribulation to those who have accepted Christ as messiah and not before that time. The majority are still in a state of unbelief and the nation will remain in turmoil because they are again in disobedience to the Lord. Please continue to pray for them.

@jaserader6107 5 жыл бұрын

*Never Forget* *Never Forgive*

@Sunrise99993 3 жыл бұрын

God bless these US soldiers 🙏🙏🙏

@sifridbassoon 5 жыл бұрын

"in most cases, the liberators treated them with kindness..." how did they treat them in the other cases?!

@DouglasKYoung 5 жыл бұрын

I was in Jerusalem outside the Holocaust Museum when the missile sirens began to wail. Rockets launched from Gaza, supplied by Iran, were racing towards us. We had seconds to find shelter, along with many soldiers and Israelis. Although it may seem strange, I felt it an honour to share their danger, even in this small way. Resistance to violent hatred must always manifest with unwavering resolve. Failure to do so is tacit approval. There are no "sidelines', no neutrality, in genocide.

@markross2124 5 жыл бұрын

A long time ago I mad my own Christian pilgrimage to Israel seeing historic holy places in Jeruselem, Bethlehem and never made it through Yad Vashem leaving before I saw the entire historical record. Someday when I go back there I will see it in its entirety.

@lisamichele2211 6 жыл бұрын

You have some sick people in this world. To do that to another human being is pure evil. There is a special place in hell for these devils.

@playinragz 5 жыл бұрын

Beyond the scope of reason.

@rippingale100 5 жыл бұрын

And yet America had segregated units for the black and Japanese in the forces??? Had to rewind to make sure I heard that part correctly

@Phildo8 5 жыл бұрын

MAY GOD BLESS YOU MR. MOGAN! I THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE & AS A NOW RET. ARMY SFO MEMBER (DE OPPRESSO LIBER) I CAN SAY HOPEFULLY MYSELF OR THE REST OF THE US MILITARY WILL NOT EXPERIENCE THE COMBAT YOU WW2 VETERANS WENT THROUGH & NOT JUST THAT BUT YOU CAME HOME SAFLEY! GOD BLESS YOU SIR! 🙏🏻

@piercehawke8021 4 жыл бұрын

I'm NOT Jewish but, the Nazi rationale behind the Holocaust never set well with me and, I'm being polite. RIP to those innocents who were murdered over something they had NO control over.

@ronellticar431 5 жыл бұрын

These stories should be told to everyone how the liberators made these people have another chance of life.

@annaa8839 Жыл бұрын

Thank god for our troops coming in and saving those people from those camps. Nobody deserves that

@HistoryThigh9000 3 жыл бұрын

Never forget

@Phildo8 5 жыл бұрын

The photo at 9:43 is the first time I have ever seen it & to me is it 2nd to the ONLY other photo that involves the US Military & a Military Victory & that is of course being the Flag raising after the US victory at Iwo Jima!

@dorotaroberts2848 5 жыл бұрын

Educate the world .. tell to the world to young to all .. never forget.

@oscareasler1125 5 жыл бұрын

A lot of Isles died in these camps. I never knew them but I knew they were related to me. I will never forget them.

@joeciccone7142 4 жыл бұрын

My grandfather was one of the liberators and his best friend of 50 years was on the German side. I think they met in Korea.

@jocelyncams1826 5 жыл бұрын

its so annoying when people say the US should stay out of people's business but we ignored it for 6 years and finally ended the holocaust with our allies. if we didn't come who knows how much longer it would have went on. smh. we try and help innocent people.

@dorotaroberts2848 5 жыл бұрын

God bless those Army heroes

@tadpoles2733 5 жыл бұрын

OmG! My eyes have tears ,my stomach is in knots, no matter how many times I see these films always the same symptoms. No people, regardless of race or religion should be treated like this, it's better to kill all at on time than to cause endless pain ,suffering and degradation.

@ranatangboo1185 4 жыл бұрын

This is all beyond shocking.and comprehension ..whole entire generations of family's just gone...no one too carry there name or legacy or remb them like they never existed on this planet ..can god ever forgive those people that did this too his children .

@sidneyharris3686 5 жыл бұрын

This is comment 157 - Not one lunatic Holocaust denier on here.

@angelabiddle1242 3 жыл бұрын

Never Again!!!! We need to except one another's background, race, colour and faith xxx

@mikeylejan8849 4 жыл бұрын

God bless America!

@spencersholden 3 жыл бұрын

1:09 that is still such a powerful shot

@frantix22 4 жыл бұрын

may all those who died through war and genocide rest in eternal peace...those who committed crimes shall burn in hell

@paulennis8773 5 жыл бұрын

Never Ever Again

@jennifervieira99 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you to All that helped to make these videos and show that this war did happen and that it was awful. I can't even understand how another human could do what they did without having nightmares every time they went to bed. Love is the opposite of fear and Hate! It so much easier to love one another then hate. I feel like even the Nazi men and women probably were exhausted from what they had to do . I only hope they learned the truth and asked God for forgiveness. I know that some did change and start to church to heal from what they did, I can only imagine it might have haunted them their whole life. I pray even to this day for their souls. I pray for the people who are going through thing's that are similar to this till this day. Is it easier to smile or have anger and Hate? I feel like it is easier to love and smile! It's less exhausting!