in the holocaust; were jews given the star of david to wear or did they have to make it?

Answer 1

Given, with a number written on it

Answer 2

Jewish people did not make the stars themselves, they were forced to wear to wear them by the Nazis.

The stars did not bear a number, simply the word Jude (in Germany), Juif (in France), or Jood (in Holland).

Have a look here:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_David

about half way down the page there is a paragraph about the star's use by the Nazis. It's very interesting, without going into great detail.

EDIT
I've read the links Mark S gave in his excellent answer and would recommend you read them, (if you have not already done so). They give a fantastic background to the issue of Jews being forced to wear some form of identifying clothing, as far back as the year 807. The pieces Mark has identified make very interesting, and very sad reading.

Answer 3

- I just thought some of you might be interested to know that the lovely king of Denmark appeared wearing a golden star in protest at the treatment of the Jews, and in solidarity with them. What a great gesture. If only more leaders had shown the same integrity.

Answer 4

Mark's articles are great!

Personal anectdotal story
My father's mother lived for a time in a Jewish nursing home, her roommate had survived the Holocaust, losing her husband, children, siblings, every family member and friend she knew. On one of my visits, another woman came hobbling in with her walker to visit my Bubbe's roommate who turned to me and said, my friend here is also a survivor. She said this as with great pride somehow..and I wasn't quite sure how to make of this..I think it was pride in that she made a friend who had shared experiences and history and that star was even some form of connection between them. I can only conjecture.she said with tears in her eyes pointing to her friend, "She was one who made the yellow stars we put on our clothes, other women made armbands."

My guess is that while they were "manufactured"..the concentration camp armbands were probably made with such slave labor and who knows who made the many millions of armbands across Europe. I can imagine that for different communities, the source and labor were different. I don't think each individual or individual family had to make their own at any rate.

To the poster above..they certainly tattooed the Jews. They did not use their names and made them numbers..do you think the Nazis cared that to tattooo a Jew was a sin to Torah? I am sure that was part of their enjoyment of such a practice..to humiliate. I have seen such tattoos on Holocaust survivors skin.

And while the King of Denmark did not appear wearing the Star of David, he DID show courage in defending the Jews. And when his foreign minister who was appointed to rule when the Nazis occupied Denmark, asked the King what they should do if they are required to have the Jews there wear the yellow star he replied to him " We'll all have to wear yellow stars". That IS a show of support and moral courage. Read at snopes the full story of Denmark and the Holocaust >http://www.snopes.com/history/govern/denmark.asp

Answer 5

if you mean the yellow badges,Reinhard Heydrich recommended that the Jews be forced to wear badges following the Kristallnacht pogrom in November 1938. The German government first introduced mandatory badges in Poland in November 1939. Jews who failed to wear them risked death. On July 26, 1941, the Judenrat (Jewish Community Council) of Bialystok announced that "the authorities have warned that severe punishment — up to, and including death by shooting — is in store for Jews who do not wear the yellow badge on back and front

Answer 6

Edward 1st of England in the 14th century also made the jews wear the yellow star before he began mass extermination.

Answer 7

The yellow star was nothing new to Hitler. Christians confined Jews to ghettos in the 15th century and required them to wear a yellow star (among other things) for identification. Christians had great fear of contamination from them.

European Jews were required to identify themselves for centuries!

Whether or not they had to make it themselves is irrelevant considering the hard labor forced on them. Did you know they used human skin to make lampshades, etc.?
.

Answer 8

The king of Denmark wearing a Jewish star is a myth - he never did. But then again, so is the lampshade made of human skin. Supposed to be tattooed, but tattooing is forbidden for Jews.

Answer 9

They were given the yellow stars - the germans had them manufactured - the same with the pink triangles etc.

Answer 10

The links below do not address your question, but are *great* articles on the whole issue. I do not believe that the stars were numbered, however.