The narrative selected for this summary is that of Alina Kentof, she was born as a Jew in a time that they were being persecuted. Her father was captured when the SS (Schutzstaffel), also known as the German special forces invaded Auschwitz. Isaac Trachman attempted to escape as he was being taken to one of the detention camps on the outskirts of Auschwitz. With the help of nine others, their attempt according to witnesses was stated as futile. They were shot as they escaped into the forests, those who managed to run into the forest were tracked down then hanged as a form of warning to the others. Regardless, Alina Kentof was able to survive as her mother hid her in a polish catholic monastery. There she was able to learn catholic ways regarding prayers and customs that ended up being useful for the two to survive. Her mother not being wealthy enough was able to attain those fake papers that allowed them to pass but to the trained eye, it was counterfeit.
This narrative demonstrates the pure determination of the Polish Jews to survive at a time that they were persecuted by the Germans. The majority of those who were captured opted to die as they tried to escape as compared to being tortured in the detention camps. These camps were well known for their reputation of killing Jews regardless of their age or sex. The story of Alina Kentof shows how desperation resulted in her mother letting her learn another religion other than that of which her parents knew. Moreover, she worked hard to earn just the needed amount to buy fake papers that would protect them. All forms and means of desperation that was necessary for them to survive in a period that was highly unlikely for them. The persecution of the Polish Jews was brutality in the part of Germans for it went against the essence of humanity. People have the freedom to believe what they want to believe in and express themselves in the manner they deem fit, so being killed, detained, tortured because one holds Jewish identity is extremely unmerited. The prejudicial killings during the earlier years of Alina Kentof revealed how the world sometimes could be indifferent in times when people need love, and to be embraced. It also a perfect example of the world taking away from us the little left as the Jews were stripped off their identity and made to feel like they were lesser human. The predicament Alina Kentof experienced, demonstrated how bad governance affect people lives, the unnecessary killings, people living in fear, people fleeing to safety and the chaotic atmosphere. Nobody should be subjected to life torment because of their convictions, doctrines, and values they hold.
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The holocaust was one of the worst genocides in human history as it is approximated that close to six million Jews were persecuted and killed. After the Nazi regime took power, the Jews were determined as the main reason for Germany’s economic downfall (Barnes & Minca, 2013)
. However, the war between Poland and Germany began as Hitler proclaimed that the nation had persecuted Germans living in Poland. Through the “blitzkrieg” strategy, the Nazi regime began an offensive bombing of the enemy’s defensive capacity; this was regarding their air, railroad, as well as communication capacities (Barnes & Minca, 2013). This was then followed by a massive land assault that was intended to overwhelm the polish defensive forces regarding numbers, tanks, and weaponry. The polish defensive forces had several server slip-ups from the beginning. It started with the military forces being under-equipped as they attacked the Germans with horse cavaliers (Barnes & Minca, 2013). The Germans modern equipped with modern as well as mechanized equipment killed all hopes of the polish resulting in their complete dominance.
Though the German decision to invade Poland was regarded as a gamble the attack in less than a week overwhelmed the Polish defenses. In another week the German troops were able to cover over 220 kilometers (Barnes & Minca, 2013). This left the polish people with no other option but to surrender, the British, as well as the French forces, regarded Poland as a buffer. However, after their invasion, in the form of continuous bombing, Britain, and France refused to accept any peace offer and began their offensive (Barnes & Minca, 2013). Before the British and French offensive began, the German SS began creating detention camps where the polish Jews were captured and tortured to death. The first was at Auschwitz where Alina Kentof, as well as other people, were affected.
Reference
Barnes, T. J., & Minca, C. (2013). Nazi spatial theory: The dark geographies of Carl Schmitt and Walter Christaller. Annals of the Association of American Geographers , 103 (3), 669-687. (Barnes & Minca, 2013)
