MovieChat Forums > Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001) Discussion > Would you save a Jewish Family?

Would you save a Jewish Family?

posted 18 years ago by merfwriter
72 replies | jump to latest

For anyone who is a Christian or non-Jew, think about this. If you lived in WWII Eourope and had Jewish friends would you help save them even if the punishment for hidding a Jew ment death? Even if you were one of their few or only gentile friends who could help them, would you do it?

I have Jewish friends that I have known since I was a baby and they have been almost like family. We have watched each other grow up together and particapated in special events through out our lives. I thought about this topic a few times. If my family and the Silverman family lived during the time of the Holocaust, would we have helped our friends out even if it ment risking our own lives? I took a lot of the things that are sanifficant to us today and applied it to the past.

Most of the friends the Silverman's have are Jewish and my family is one of the few gentile friends they have.

Another factor that I considered was that their only daughter has Downs Syndrome, another no no on what the Nazis considered as pure or not pure. Ok Jewish and has Downs. That's not good!

The other thing that I considered was my family's own morality. What do we consider to be moral and right. Would we become frightened like a lot of gentiles were at the time. Fearing our own deaths. Would we be selfish and say "NO, we are not going to help you because we are afread of getting killed" and then turn our backs on our friends? What kind of frind is that? Or would we have a big heart and hide our friends and cheat death at the same time? After some thought, knowing my parents, who have big hearts and who like do the right thing, we would probably risk it and help save our friends from death. We would probably do it for the sake of their daughter and we would do everything we could to save her and her family.

[–] Assortments 15 years ago

Yes, I definitely would. I didn't even have to think about it. It wouldn't matter if they were complete strangers, I would risk my own life to save another. It's certainly worth it and if I were to be put to death, I would die happy knowing that I was doing the right thing.

[–] am_buglet_82 15 years ago

I've noticed that there are those who are saying that just because someone of today would say "of course I would hide Jewish people" that doesn't really mean they would have back then.
They're saying this because of the alleged mindset of people back then.

But look...there were people like Miep and Jan and Bep and the other countless people who hid people back then.
People who would stand up for what is right, and did not "follow the Hitler crowd", or only think of themselves and their own families.

So I think it's unfair to say that anyone who says they'd stand up for what's right back then really wouldn't.
Not everyone back then was a mindless drone or only thought about themselves.

Rest in peace, Miep Gies.

-Amanda

"She will remember your heart when men are fairy tales in storybooks written by rabbits"

[–] johnsonsmitty_lopli 15 years ago

I'm a Christian. Yes I would save a Jew.

[–] Gypsy_Arose 14 years ago

Of course people are going to say yes. People want to think they would, want to think they're better. In real life situation though, everyone turns into cowards. Only to save their own skin.

Truth be told, everyone is selfish and very few people care.

[–] bsu_oak530 14 years ago

Do you know what people would do for sure? No, so shut up. Personally, I would have helped a girl like Anne Frank. I probably wouldn't have hidden but formed a resistance group, the Jews outnumbered the Germans but a huge number, they could easily have overtaken them if more had guns. Never would I let someone like Anne or any other child fall victim to a thing like this, never, and I don't think anyone (sane people, still are Neo Nazi sh!t heads out there) else would allow her to have been killed.

[–] Thusnelda 14 years ago

Do you know what people would do for sure? No, so shut up. Personally, I would have helped a girl like Anne Frank. I probably wouldn't have hidden but formed a resistance group, the Jews outnumbered the Germans but a huge number, they could easily have overtaken them if more had guns. Never would I let someone like Anne or any other child fall victim to a thing like this, never, and I don't think anyone (sane people, still are Neo Nazi sh!t heads out there) else would allow her to have been killed.

Thus, what you are trying to say is, that if your country is at war with another nation, and members of that respective nation or of a certain ethnic descent get arrested, for instance as “enemy Aliens”, and put into concentration camps or internment camps –
you would hide them from your own government in wartime, thereby maybe endangering your country’s war effort?
(Please note: I only refer to locking them up in camps, not murdering them - because that is what the vast majority of the German people believed to happen.)

Then you are a rare case.

How many US-Americans, for instance, hid US-Americans of Japanese descent during WWII????

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_concentration_and_internment_camp s

Yours,

Thusnelda

Die Deutsche Passion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8jvmKxu48w

[–] MistyI 14 years ago

Thus, what you are trying to say is, that if your country is at war with another nation, and members of that respective nation or of a certain ethnic descent get arrested, for instance as “enemy Aliens”, and put into concentration camps or internment camps –
you would hide them from your own government in wartime, thereby maybe endangering your country’s war effort?

One flaw in your argument (as usual for you) TuSSi. What Jewish nation was Germany at war with when Jews were being rounded up? Answer would be none! Because no nation existed at that time.......

If this depresses you ask your doctor if Paxil™ is right for you.

[–] Storm_Thunder_Infantry 14 years ago

Not as a nation but they were everywhere in Europe. Why do you think Hitler invaded Poland? To grab the Jews of course. Many people just found it easier to simply stay a quiet life and do as you're told.

I'm sure a lot of Polish policemen were pretty morally conflicted in their minds when assisting the SS round up Jews to the Warsaw Ghetto and eventually transporting them to the camps. Then again, many simply just tried to live their own lives and not put themselves in further danger (the Pianist shows the Polish police in similar situations).

Let the world change the punishment for sexual-related crimes to execution

[–] MistyI 14 years ago

Not as a nation but they were everywhere in Europe.

My reply to TuSSi has to do with her comment about being at war with a nation and how it justifies imprisoning people of that ethnic background. There was no war with a Jewish nation.

Why do you think Hitler invaded Poland? To grab the Jews of course.

I'm under no illusion as to why Hitler invaded Poland, but Jews were not the reason.

If this depresses you ask your doctor if Paxil™ is right for you.

[–] rascal9tx 10 years ago

Not everyone. People do brave things every day and make sacrifices for complete strangers. . . you sound pretty jaded!

[–] LittleMissLee 14 years ago

Without a doubt, I would, and I'm positive my family would, too. We're Christians, and we love the Jews! :)

_______
Yes, that's me...Little miss Lee...

[–] Thusnelda 14 years ago

Without a doubt, I would, and I'm positive my family would, too. We're Christians, and we love the Jews! :)

Only Jews?

How "racist"!

Yours,

Thusnelda

Die Deutsche Passion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8jvmKxu48w