International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27)

[Behind the Aegis]

In November 2005, General Assembly Resolution 60/7 was passed without a vote, it was to institute what is known as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Today, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, has several presentations (if one happens to be in the area). Some of the presentations will be broadcasted live (I am uncertain if the weather has affected any of these presentations.)

Between 12 and 13 million persons were murdered in the Holocaust, 6 million Jews, over a million Poles, Russian soldiers, gays, mentally ill people, disabled people, the Rom, and others were beaten, raped, tortured, shot, gassed, and worked to death. They were identified by triangles and numbers.

Single triangles

• Red triangle—political prisoners: social democrats, socialists, trade unionists, Freemasons, communists, and anarchists.
  
• Green triangle— "professional criminals" (convicts, often working in the camps as kapos).
  
• Blue triangle—foreign forced laborers, emigrants.
  
• Purple triangle—primarily Jehovah's Witnesses (over 99%), and members of other small religious groups.[2]
  
• Pink triangle—primarily homosexual men, as well as sexual offenders including rapists, paedophiles and zoophiles.[3]
  
• Black triangle—people who were deemed "asocial elements" (asozial) and "work shy" (arbeitsscheu) including Roma. They wore the black triangle with a "Z" notation (for Zigeuner, meaning Gypsy) to the right of the triangle's point.
• Roma males were later assigned a brown triangle. Roma females were still deemed "asocials" as they were stereotyped as petty criminals (prostitutes, kidnappers, and fortune tellers).
  

  The mentally ill
  

  Alcoholics and drug addicts
  

  Vagrants and beggars
  

  Pacifists and Conscription resisters.
  

  Prostitutes[5][6]
  

  Some anarchists
  

  
  
• Brown triangle—Roma males.
  
• Uninverted red triangle — an enemy POW (Sonderhäftling - "Special Detainee&quot , German spy or traitor (Aktionshäftling - "Activities Detainee&quot , or a military deserter or criminal (Wehrmacht Angehöriger - "Service Member&quot .

People who wore the green and pink triangles were convicted in criminal courts and may have been transferred to the criminal prison systems after the camps were liberated.

Then there were the Jews...

Double triangles

Double-triangle badges resembled two superimposed triangles forming a Star of David, a Jewish symbol.


• Two superimposed yellow triangles or a six-pointed star, the "Yellow badge"— a Jew. The word Jude ("Jew&quot was often inscribed in faux-Hebrew-looking letters inside the center of the badge.
  
• Red inverted triangle superimposed upon a yellow one—a Jewish political prisoner
  
• Green inverted triangle upon a yellow one—a Jewish "habitual criminal"
  
• Purple inverted triangle superimposed upon a yellow one—a Jehovah's Witness of Jewish descent[7]
  
• Pink inverted triangle superimposed upon a yellow one—a Jewish "sexual offender"
  
• Black inverted triangle superimposed upon a yellow one—"asocial" and "work shy" Jews
  
• Voided black inverted triangle superimposed over a yellow triangle—a Jew convicted of miscegenation and labelled as a Rassenschänder ("race defiler&quot .
  
• Yellow inverted triangle superimposed over a black triangle—an Aryan (woman) convicted of miscegenation and labelled as a Rassenschänder ("race defiler&quot .

Like those who wore pink and green triangles, people in the bottom two categories would have been convicted in criminal courts.

source

Despite the horror, madness and hate, there were those who went above and beyond, and they are known as the "Righteous Among the Nations". They can be known and remembered here, Righteous Among the Nations by country.

Never Again!

[BlueMTexpat]

1. I have the very great honor

and privilege of knowing this amazing woman, Jeanne Brousse, who is among Les Justes. http://www.ajpn.org/juste-Jeanne-Maurier-Brousse-1904.html There is more about Jeanne here: http://www.yadvashem-france.org/les-justes-parmi-les-nations/les-justes-de-france/dossier-804/

I also have an autographed copy of her story: Les Armes de Jeanne http://www.editionslevieilannecy.fr/f/index.php?sp=liv&livre_id=11

The "Righteous" (les Justes) were all role models of courage at a time when the whole world was literally falling apart. They risked their lives on a daily basis. Most significantly, IMO, most did not use guns of any kind. Their weapons were their wits, their intelligence, their common sense, and their compassion for other human beings. "Do unto others ..." was their guiding rule.

[eridani]

2. Never forget! n/t

[oberliner]

3. So few survivors left

Thankfully much of their testimony has been recorded. And many (included myself) have had the honor to hear their stories in person.

[smirkymonkey]

4. K&R

[leftynyc]

5. May they all rest in blessed peace

[Generic Other]

6. My father was among the first American soldiers

at Dachau. He never forgot what he witnessed. RIP.

[Behind the Aegis]

8. Amazing!

I am sure it never left him. I don't even want to imagine.

Did you know there is a documentary (British, I think) which has footage of Americans liberating Dachau? I wish I could remember the name. I saw it on Netflix...I think. We have lots of media outlets. I'll see if my husband remembers the name of the documentary.

[JudyM]

7. May their memory

continue to teach us to care for one another...

[demmiblue]

9. K&R

[Odin2005]

10. Given the rising "get rid of all the Muslims" sentiment people seem to have...

...not learned a damn thing.

[Terra Alta]

11. May they never be forgotten.