Robert Wagemann, a physically disabled Jehovah's Witness child, sits on his hospital bed in Berlin, circa 1942–43. US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Robert Wagemann
Robert Wagemann was just four years old when his mother overheard Nazi doctors discussing plans to kill him because of his shattered hip. German officials falsely claimed that Helene Melanie Lebel died from a mental health episode, but she was actually gassed because of her disability.
During World War II, some medical professionals murdered patients who threatened the Nazis’ ideal of a “pure” German race. Life was cut short for an estimated 250,000 people under this program. Join us to learn about the victims—and the perpetrators, who instead of protecting their patients, ended the lives of those with mental and physical disabilities.
Guest
Dr. Patricia Heberer Rice, Senior Historian, United States Holocuast Memorial Museum
Host
Dr. Edna Friedberg, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Watch live at facebook.com/holocaustmuseum. You do not need a Facebook account to view our program. After the live broadcast, the recording will be available to watch on demand on the Museum’s Facebook and YouTube pages.