thousands of testimonies of Jehovah among the victims of persecution
On January 27, the Day of Remembrance will be celebrated around the world, a symbolic date to remember the victims of Nazism. The brutal terror people present targets millions of people because of their race, or political ideology But few know that among the victims of the Nazis there were thousands of witnesses of Jehovah, who were persecuted for their Christian faith. Jehovah’s Witnesses, then known as the Bible Students, were “the only ones under the Third Reich who were persecuted solely on the basis of their religious beliefs,” says Professor Robert Gerwarth. The regime branded the Witnesses as “enemies of the state,” says historian Christine King, “for their open refusal to accept even the most marginal aspects of [nazismo] contrary to their faith and theirs “. For religious reasons the Witnesses, who were politically neutral, refused to salute” Heil Hitler “, to take part in racist and violent actions or to join the German army. Furthermore,” in their publications they still identified the evils of the regime, including that it was happening to the Jews, “King said. Of the approximately 35,000 Witnesses in Nazi-occupied Europe, more than a third suffered direct persecution. Most were arrested and imprisoned. . Hundreds of their children were placed in the care of Nazi families or sent to reformers. About 4,200 Witnesses ended up in Nazi concentration camps. One of the foremost Holocaust experts, historian Detlef Garbe, wrote: “The declared intention of the NS authorities [naziste] was to completely eliminate the Bible Students from German history. “An estimated 1,600 Witnesses died, including 370 by execution. The Nazis tried to break the religious beliefs of the Witnesses by offering them freedom in exchange for a promise of obedience. To no one else opportunity was given. Prisons and camps often used torture and deprivation to induce Witnesses to sign. According to Garbe, “an extremely small number” of Witnesses abjured their faith. In Buchenwald camp she was interned under the false name of Frau von Weber also Mafalda of Savoy, daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele III, arrested in Rome on September 23, 1943. As Cristina Siccardi writes, in her book Mafalda di S avoia. From the palace to the lager of Buchenwald, the SS assigned the princess a ‘ helper, Maria Ruhnau, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses imprisoned because of her faith. Knowing that she was guided by high moral principles and therefore always speaking the truth, and SS hoped to gather confidential information about the royal family. Maria Ruhnau proved to be more than a caregiver for Mafalda. It was the seamstress who adapted the clothes recovered in the field and gave her her shoes. The princess was so fond of her that before her death on August 28, 1944, she left the watch on her wrist as a gift to her friend Witness. The failure of coercion in the case of Jehovah’s Witnesses runs counter to compliance with Nazi goals by broad sections of society before and during the Holocaust. The nonviolent resistance of ordinary people in the face of racism, extreme nationalism and violence deserves a profound reflection on the occasion of Remembrance Day.
For more information on Jehovah’s Witnesses during the Holocaust, visit jw.org: What Happened to Jehovah’s Witnesses During the Holocaust in the concentration camps? (jw.org) The Holocaust – Why Did It Happen? Why didn’t God stop him? | Bible: Questions and Answers (jw.org) Spotlight on Jehovah’s Witnesses on the occasion of the anniversary of the liberation of Brandenburg (jw.org) Plaque in memory of the “purple triangles” at the Risiera di San Sabba | JW.ORG Survivors Return to Auschwitz (jw.org) Hungary Holocaust Memorial Center Honors Witnesses (jw.org)
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