Children were especially vulnerable in the era of the Holocaust. The Nazis advocated killing children of "unwanted" or "dangerous" groups in accordance with their ideological views, either as part of the "racial struggle" or as a measure of preventative security. The Germans and their collaborators killed children both for these ideological reasons and in retaliation for real or alleged partisan attacks.
The Germans and their collaborators killed as many as 1.5 million children, including over a million Jewish children and tens of thousands of Romani (Gypsy) children, German children with physical and mental disabilities living in institutions, Polish children, and children residing in the occupied Soviet Union. The chances for survival for Jewish and some non-Jewish adolescents (13-18 years old) were greater, as they could be deployed at forced labor.
Read some of the Museum's ID Cards about children and teenager's experiences during the prewar years and the Holocaust:
Abraham Bergman (1064)
Paula Wajcman (1511)
Judith Beker (1541)
Franco Cesana (1832)
Jakob Frenkiel (1942)
Ruth Freund Reiser (2171)
Frederick Dermer (2232)
Andras Muhlrad (2312)
Inge Auerbacher (2501)
Joseph Muscha Mueller (2582)
Olga Gelb (2901)
Zigmond Adler (2912)
Manon Marliac (3261)
Joseph Gani (3272)
Benjamin Bornstein (3512)
Henia Ring (3593)
Pavol Kovac (4402)
Liliana Guzenfiter (4983)
Norbert Yasharoff (5482)
Chaim David Jegher (5492)
Ernest Domby (5922)
Eva Miodelska (6401)
Jeno Brieger (6602)
Aron Tabrys (6924)
Maria Nemeth (7411)
Additional testimonies and personal histories are available under Related Links below.
Collections highlight: Selma Schwarzwald and her bear, "Refugee" »
Children during the Holocaust »
Introduction to the Holocaust »
Personal Histories: Children—false identities »
Personal Histories: Children—birthday celebrations »
Personal Histories: Children—clandestine schools »
Personal Histories: Children—smuggling »
Personal Histories: Children—survival »
Personal Histories: Children—aftermath of the Holocaust »
