Jewish women in the Holocaust

Jewish women in the Holocaust refers to women who were Jewish and imprisoned in Europe in Nazi Concentration Camps during the Holocaust between 1933 and 1945.^[1] European nations during that time such as Poland, countries that were still a part of the USSR, Hungary, and Germany were among the most populated with Jewish people.^[2] Of the estimated six million Jews who were killed^[2] during the Holocaust, 2 million of them were women.^[3] Besides the murders, women of the Holocaust were tortured in other ways such as rape, sexual harassment, getting beaten, being the center of Nazi human experimentations, etc.^[4] There were certainly advantages women had as well which included motherhood, counter accusations towards the SS officers, and duties they performed which centered on food, cleaning, shelter and establishing friendships.^[5]:377,379

Advantages for women compared to men

In certain instances where the SS officers would rape the Jewish women in the concentration camps, since it was considered a crime for a Nazi to have any sexual relations with a Jewish person during that time, the prisoners had the opportunity to report the SS officers for this. In these types of common cases throughout the camps, men had absolutely no power over the officers.^[5]:376 In fact, men lost their "power" when women used it to their ability. In terms of power, women possessed traits that manifested as a result of their backgrounds as, typically, housewives. They used this in their favor during the Holocaust when it came to taking care of each other (the other women).^[5]:378 Their power is what they were considered good for during The Holocaust. Their lives in these camps were centered on finding ways to get food, taking care of the children, making clothes, providing shelter and warmth for each other. The more social they were with each other, the higher chance they had at survival.^[5]:379 An interview (conducted to hear the reflections of women and the Holocaust) of a woman from the Holocaust named Rose described the bonds the women formed:

...[women were] picking each other like monkeys [for lice]…. Never remember seeing the men do it. The minute they had lice they just left it alone; the women have a different instinct. Housewives. We want to clean…. Somehow the men,… the [lice] ate them alive… [During roll call] the women holding each other and keeping each other warm…. Someone puts their arm around and you remember…. Can you imagine how much it meant to us over there! Men were crouching into themselves- maybe five feet apart [Rose demonstrated how the men she saw put their arms around their own bodies, rather than around the next person for warmth]…. I think more women survived…. As much as I saw in Auschwitz, the men were falling like flies. The woman was somehow stronger…. Woman friendship is different than man friendship you see…. We have these motherly instincts, friend instincts more…the men, no…the men didn’t do that. Men were friends there too. They talked to each other but they didn’t, wouldn’t, sell their bread for an apple for the other guy. They wouldn’t sacrifice nothing. See, that was the difference.^[5]:380

Disadvantages for women compared to men

A majority of the disadvantages that women faced during the Holocaust as oppose to men mainly focused on the cruelty that was inflicted upon them by the Nazis.^[6]:79 To Adolf Hitler and the rest of the Nazi party, being Jewish and being a woman in the Holocaust doubled your vulnerabilities as an individual in that environment.^[6]:80 Considering the specific needs of the Third Reich, the Nazis had killed more women than men most likely because of the hard labor, which was assigned to the Jews during the Holocaust. In addition, several women from the Holocaust who wrote memoirs noted that they developed amenorrhea which would ultimately reduce their chances of ever having children.^[6]:82 One of the major disadvantages, which coincided with Jewish women’s vulnerabilities during the Holocaust, was the prevalence of rape. Women were often raped right before being murdered. Although their bodies may have been an advantage considering they used them to barter for food to feed their children, they were still forced no matter the exchange.^[6]:83 One SS officer had mentioned that he, "had the custom of standing at the doorway… and feeling the private parts of the young women entering the gas bunker. There were also instances of SS men of all ranks pushing their fingers into the sexual organs of pretty young women."^[6]:84

Childbirth also came as a disadvantage to women’s lives when they were in the concentration camps. This disadvantage struck them physically and emotionally. Once labor was over and the baby was born, the women were commanded to kill their baby. One memoir describes some of the sadist acts, which were performed among those who were pregnant: "SS men and women amuse themselves by beating pregnant women with clubs and whips, [being] torn by dogs, dragged around by the hair and kicked in the stomach with heavy German boots. Then when [the pregnant Jewish women] collapsed, they were thrown into the crematory-alive."^[6]:86 A hidden disadvantage for Jewish women could have been the fact that several attempts at survival were achieved through men. This can suggest why the Holocaust is commonly looked at as a whole rather than by gender. This was backed up from an interview with a woman whose name remained anonymous: "You also survived by your male connections. It was the males who had the main offices, who ran the kitchens...that was how you survived as a woman-through the male."^[5]:376

Gender versus identity

Double jeopardy

Several Jewish women who wrote their own memoirs reflecting on the Holocaust reported there being a double jeopardy in their everyday lives as prisoners. These vulnerabilities included the biological differences compared to men, gender-specific socialization patterns, and the obligation of being a nurturer.^[6]:88 With this said, antisemitism was not the only problem. In her reflection and interview, a Jewish Woman who survived the Holocaust described this double jeopardy: "I had two enemies: Nazis and men."^[5]:374 Another account mentions that besides the Nazis, men acted like "animals" too. She said that one day, the SS officers decided to let the men go to the side where the women were. At this point in time, all they wanted to do was have sex.^[5]:377 Overall, the experiences that the women faced during the Holocaust were often seen more brutal to their gender rather than their identity (Jew). "Their stories demonstrate shared fears about and experiences of sexual vulnerability as women, not only about mortal danger as Jews."^[5]:376

Jewish women and motherhood

It had been noted that major disparities between mother and father figures were caused by the gender roles of Jewish men and women imprisoned during the Holocaust.^[7]:155 Women often described their experiences in the Holocaust in maternal ways.^[7]:156 The women commonly referred to themselves as surrogate mothers.^[7]:158 Women were able to use their nurturing and domestic nature to describe their experiences in the camps. To them, being a woman in the Holocaust meant that they were every type of woman. They considered themselves as a sister, a mother, a daughter, etc.^[7]:175 Motherhood represented their gender as a woman, therefore, they were constantly worried and looking out for their children. One female survivor said, "We were so afraid for our children. We wouldn’t let our children out of our sight when they were going down to play or something."^[7]:174

External Links

• Spots of Light: Women in the Holocaust An online exhibition by Yad Vashem. Retrieved 17 August 2014.

References