How the Holocaust Began

Shark Island Death Camp

I have just watched a BBC documentary called How the Holocaust Began, written and presented by James Bulgin, an historian at the Imperial War Museum.  Unfortunately, the link may not be live for much longer, so check it out while you can. 

The details of the killings of Jews and others in Eastern Europe, and the true extent of those killings, is only just beginning to emerge.  Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of people were shot, their bodies thrown into trenches, after the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union.  This method of murdering peple ultimately proved unsustainable, as the people doing the killing started to experience mental health issues due to the stress involved.  The Nazis' goal was to wipe out all Jews in Europe. 

The work of those researching this history is vital.  Having said that, in the documentary, there was no mention of the fact that the first German death camp, known as "Shark Island", began operations around 1906 in Namibia, South West Africa.  It has been referred to as the blueprint for what the Nazis did later.  So it could be said that that was how the Holocaust began.. 

When uncovering history that has been buried, it is essential to tell the whole story, not just part of it.  

I learned about Shark Island from presentations at the Imperial War Museum by Tony Warner of London Black History Walks.  Go here to read my review of Brother Tony's first book, Black History Walks in London Volume 1.  

Go here for a report on the Shark Island extermination camp.  

The Holocaust is one huge example of why we must learn ways to get along together harmoniously, why we must learn to communicate nonviolently.  What is at stake is genocide.  What is at stake is the survival, or destruction, of our species. 

Go here for more from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2024.