I am doing a school report about the Holocaust, and right now I am doing research on Jehovah's witnesses. Can anyone tell me what happened to them during the Holocaust?
2007-05-17 02:58:48 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Jehovah's Witnesses endured terrible persecution at the hands of Hitler's agents, and in concentration camps.
Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20030301/
http://jw-media.org/edu_videos/vcfi_e.htm
2007-05-17 05:13:13 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Side point,
Jehovah Witnesses were sent to the concentration camps starting in 1938, the Jew were sent in 1939.
Of all the prisoners only Jehovah's Witnesses could be released, if they signed a document saying they would stop being a Jehovah's Witnesses.
Germany as a country had the largest number of anointed Christian Witnesses at that time.
At the end of the war there were more Witnesses in Germany than at the beginning.
Because of their integrity to Jehovah, and letting vengeance come from Jehovah, Many members of the SS used JW's for their cooks, barbers, because they knew they would not be killed.
In one of the concentration camps, Jehovah's Witnesses actually printed the Watchtower inside the camp and distributed it to the brothers and sisters outside the camp.
This caused much confusion among the SS because that was one of the few places they didn't look.
There are many books and videos that help explain this.
You can go to your local Kingdom Hall and ask for the videos.
2007-05-17 10:26:48 · answer #2 · answered by TeeM 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As I understand it, they were put into concentration camps because they don't believe in war and wouldn't fight. Also, they wouldn't salute Hitler or anyone else because they thought it was an act of worship. They were model prisioners and cooperated with the Nazis in the camps, but wouldn't go against their religion, heil Hitler, or do anything immoral. Some of them were executed, because they wouldn't renounce their faith in the Watchtower Society.
I'm not a JW, but that is what I remember being told by one of them.
2007-05-17 08:55:11 · answer #3 · answered by browneyedgirl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe there is a book by JW called The Purple Triangle. You could find out on the website provided by the other answer you got.
2007-05-17 03:21:21 · answer #4 · answered by Elphaba 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They were persecuted right along with the Jewish. They wore purple triangles on their uniforms in the concentration camps. Many were asked to renounce their faith for their freedom, they were to sign a document stating such - most stayed faithful and many died for their beliefs. It was a hard time for everyone.
2007-05-17 03:03:43 · answer #5 · answered by CHRISTINA 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋