Critically Discuss the Mass Shootings at Babi Yar in the Context of the Holocaust - Essay Example

Holocaust 2 Babi Yar Critically Discuss The Mass Shootings At Babi Yar In The Context of the Holocaust. Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 0 Introduction Holocaust evokes images of suffering victims, human oppression, numerous deaths, and burials in mass graves. These images are real, accurate, horrific but characterize only what happened at the end of a well-planned genocide. This was the case in the Babi Yar massacre (Edeiken, 2000). Babi Yar is a narrow valley in the Ukrainian capital Kiev famously known for the massive number of deaths that took place in the struggle between the Nazi army and the Soviet Union. At the time of the massacre, about 875,000 people lived in Kiev, and the population of the Jews approximated at 175,000. The first incident happened in 19/20 September 1941 and accounted for killing of more than 33,000 Jews. The prime reason for killing so many Jewish people was to eliminate the entire Jewish community. The planning of the Babi Yar massacre took place at the Wannsee Conference that happened almost four months prior to the incident (Tiedemann, n.d.). Some of the famous leaders like Kurt Eberhard, SS-Obergruppenführer, Friedrich Jeckeln, and the Einsatzgruppe C Commander Otto Rasch (Megargee, 2006) authorized this mass killing. This cruel action took place with the help of a large army that included Sonderkommando and armed forces, as well as SD and SS Police Battalions. There was an order that all Jews in Kiev should assemble at Melnikova and Dokhturova streets by 8 o’clock on 29 September 1941 with all their possessions; they were told they would resettle in labor camps. At the site, the German soldiers shot the Jews at the end of the ravine in front of their families and friends who would not escape. This incident is one of the biggest mass killings incidents and is one of the most destructive events in history. There were severe impacts of this event, as it made the Nazi regime stronger than the Soviet Union. Additionally, this single action led to the killing of more than 33,000 Jews in the region of Kiev alone. 2.0 Aim of the incident Babi Yar happened after proper planning, and the implementation of the plan at Kiev aimed at annihilating the Jewish community. The execution of the plan took place in 1941 with the help of Einsatzgruppe. Since there was an ongoing fight between Germany and Soviet Union, Germany’s engagement in the Barbarossa plan was obvious. Therefore, German army was attacking the enemies in the east of Europe on different fronts. Einsatzgruppe divided the action plans in four prime groups from A to D. Basically the main objective or the target of all groups was to remove the problems related to areas such as the leadership that the German troops faced (Khiterer, 2004). The main hurdle of the German troops was the Jewish community. Hence, in order to annihilate the Jewish community, the Germans gathered a large number of Jews in a single place, executed them, and buried them together. This infamous mass murder of Jews in Kiev is traditionally referred to as Babi Yar. Babi Yar is an important event in history and a significant part of Holocaust, as there was involvement of many Christian leaders and it led to a large scale killing of Jews by Nazis. This was the most brutal and inhuman act of Nazis, as they picked Jews from their places, gathered them in a common place, stripped them, tortured them, and, finally, shot each one of them. The decision to kill so many innocent people in the name of religion was insane. Babi Yar is accountable not only for eliminating a large part of Jewish community but also for making the lives of remaining Jews miserable and devoid of happiness. 3.0 Impacts of Babi Yar Babi Yar was the massacre of Jewish people and it had great impacts on Soviet Union, as it gradually led to its collapse. German army turned the entire region of Kiev into a death zone, with dead bodies lying either buried or scattered all over the place. The German army had no sympathy for the Jews and they stripped, tortured, and shot them to death (Gilbert, 1985). As per historical data available, it is clear that German officers were enjoying the moments when Jews were crying and struggling for their lives. They showed no shred of sympathy or humanity as they brutalized and massacred the Jews in front of their families and kin. Nevertheless, on 24 September 1941, some people detonated several bombs in Kiev, destroying major buildings, killing and wounding German soldiers. As the German army continued its attack on the Soviet Union, the entire region was unsafe and dangerous for the Jews. When German army left the Soviet territory, the number of prisoners was enormous. In fact, from the accounts of Besin Camp, there are documentations that most of the prisoners were in bad state of health and incapable of surviving even if they were free. There was a transformation of area into camps after the Babi Yar, as the German atrocities towards Jews continued in the region (Barkat and Correspondent, 2006). The prisoners had to run errands for the SS men and they were treated as slaves meant for the enjoyment of the German army and officers. The Jews were tortured so badly that the physical pain alone led some of them to death. Due to their workload and the circumstances in which they were living, the life of prisoners was too miserable and the death rate was high. In the two years following this incident in 1943, the German army scheduled some prisoners for sentencing. However, some prisoners planned and were able to escape successfully from the prisons and save their lives. Out of about twenty-five prisoners who tried to escape as per the plan, only 15 were successfully able to save their lives. Until 1943, there were many reported incidents of torture done on prisoners, as they had to do tasks for the SS of Germany. This added to the brutal actions committed in the series of mass murder of more than 33,000 Jews by the Nazis (Anatoli & Floyd, 1970). Reuben Ainsztein, a Holocaust survivor, has accounted the deadly scenario in the book called ‘Holocaust’ by Martin. As per the account, it was pathetic and unsightly to see people bleeding all over the body and smelling like rotten flesh; partially decomposed bodies lay all over the entire area. Moreover, if any of them were living, they had barely any strength to move and yet they had to work and serve as slaves for the Nazis (Magocsi, 1996). As described by a survivor of the incident, the way the Nazis treated the Jews was barbaric and intolerable as much as one can imagine. What the Nazis did to the Jews in Babi Yar as well as in World War II was too brutal to document. Following the incident, the Nazis tried to remove all evidences of their brutality in Kiev. Most significantly, in 1947, I. Ehrenburg described dramatically the mass killing of the Jews of Kiev in his book, Burya, evoking the preparations of a monument at Babi Yar to remember the victims of Nazi genocide. However, the Soviet Union launched a campaign in 1948–49 aimed at eliminating all references to Babi Yar. Indeed, up to date, there have been no investigations of the massacre (Jewish Virtual Library, 2008). Many officers, including Paul Blobel, SS-Gruppenfuhrer Dr. Max Thomas, and others, went back to Kiev in 1943 and devised an action plan to erase all proofs of the mass murder and torture of Jews that had taken place two years earlier. They buried all bodies, burnt everything present in that region, and crushed all the remaining bones of Jews killed there. The people behind Babi Yar were mostly German army men, authorized officers, and Christian leaders. They tried to keep themselves away from the issues after the implementation of this brutal plan. The German army succeeded in removing every trace of their actions in Kiev, as the Jewish graves in the area were properly covered and well hidden. Babi Yar was the worst and the biggest mass murder in the history, as more than 33,000 Jews lost their lives. The actions of German army had a drastic impact on the lives of Jews as well as the entire Soviet Union, as it gradually led to its collapse and complete destruction due to German attacks from all fronts in the eastern part of Europe (Wette, 2006). Most of the Jews of Kiev died within two days in 1941, as they faced torturous and inhuman treatment. The lives of the rest of the Jews was made miserable, as they were made prisoners and were forced to work as slaves of the Nazis, fulfill their needs, and work for their enjoyment. The death rate of the prisoners was very high, as they were supposed to live in drastic conditions, had no food and clothing, and had to work day and night. 4.0 Conclusion Babi Yar describes one of biggest mass murder in the history of Jews that happened in narrow valley in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, and it had an important place in Holocaust. Brutal and inhuman acts that the German army committed to the Jewish race characterize the Babi Yar. It involved the German army and famous leaders like Kurt Eberhard, SS-Obergruppenführer, Friedrich Jeckeln, and the Einsatzgruppe C Commander Otto Rasch, church leaders, Sonderkommando and armed forces, as well as SD and SS Police Battalions. About 33,000 Jews died and many more suffered in the Babi Yar massacre, making it an unforgettable memory for Soviet Union and the entire Jewish community. Reference list Anatoli, A. and Floyd, D., 1970. Babi Yar: A Document in the Form of a Novel. New York: Jonathan Cape Ltd. Barkat, A. and Correspondent, H., 2006. Yad Vashem tries to name Babi Yar victims, but only 10% identified. [online] Available at: < http://www.haaretz.com/news/yad-vashem-tries-to-name-babi-yar-victims-but-only-10-identified-1.198036> [Accessed 24 June 2012] Edeiken, Y., 2000. An introduction to the Einsatzgruppen. [online] Available at: < http://www.holocaust-history.org/intro-einsatz/>[Accessed 24 June 2012] Gilbert, M., 1985. The Holocaust: A History of the Jews of Europe During the Second World War. London: Holt. Jewish Virtual Library, 2008. BABI YAR. [online]. Available at: < http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0003_0_01804.html> [Accessed 24 June 2012] Khiterer, V., 2004. Babi Yar: The tragedy of Kievs Jews. [online] Available at: < http://www.berdichev.org/khiterer2004.pdf> [Accessed 24 June 2012] Magocsi, P., 1996. A History of Ukraine. London: University of Toronto Press. Megargee, G., 2006. War of Annihilation: Combat and Genocide on the Eastern Front. London: Rowman & Littlefield. Tiedemann, H., n.d. Babi Yar: Critical Questions and Comments. [online] Available at: < http://www.vho.org/GB/Books/dth/fndbabiyar.html> [Accessed 24 June 2012] Wette, W. and Schneide, D., 2007. The Wehrmacht: History, Myth, Reality. London: Harvard University Press. Read More