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Kelly Atkinson
9 November 2015
UWRT 1102
Wertz-Orbaugh
Women in the Holocaust
The Holocaust was a mass genocide of mainly Jewish prisoners that took place from
1933 to 1945 in Germany. My research focused on the differences between Auschwitz-Birkenau
and other camps and what made the conditions in these camps especially bad for females versus
males. Auschwitz- Birkenau was the largest and deadliest of the Nazi concentration camps. It
has become the symbol of the genocide and mass killings that took place in the Holocaust and is
synonymous with terror. I believe there was a connection between gender and ones chance of
survival and this was proven in my research.
Throughout my research I continuously came across some of the same information, such
as women being in the first groups to be sent to the gas chambers upon arrival at AuschwitzBirkenau. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has an excerpt focused on women
and it states If so-called race experts determined that [a] child was not capable of
Germanization the mothers were forced to have abortions (Women). In my opinion, someone
who has not spent their whole life as a woman should not be able to make decisions regarding a
womans body and their child. Pregnant women were targeted for experimentation and they had
a higher risk of being forced into sexual relations with German men. The German scientists
preferred testing on pregnant women over non pregnant women because they could test the
effects of certain chemicals on two humans, but within one body. I cannot comprehend the
insanity of the experimenters and their thought process on choosing victims to test on.

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Alongside the heinous acts previously discussed, within my research I came across a lot
of information regarding how concentration camps, especially Auschwitz-Birkenau, took away
all humanity from the prisoners. In the midst of the terror, one specific woman stuck out to me
for her courageous acts and leadership. From the Jewish Womens archive I learned how
Hadassah Rosensaft embodied the Jewish essence of the Holocaust in its tragic and heroic
dimensions. She saved hundreds of womens lives by giving them treatment in the infirmary at
both Bergen-Belsen and Auschwitz-Birkenau. In her memoirs that she completed shortly before
her death in 1997, she recalled women came to the infirmary with abscesses, furuncles, and
wounds inflicted by dogs as well as from whips from the SS guards who watched the women
work (Jewish). Hadassah worked hands on with the injured, sickly prisoners and she is a prime
example of someone who saw the horrors face to face. She became a founding member of the
United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the Museums governing board; and was an
outstanding pivotal figure in the Museums creation.
As I inquired further into my research, the prevalence of gender discrimination became
very evident in the constant portrayal of women as not equal. Women and children were most
often in the first groups to be sent to the gas chambers, therefore killed upon arrival. This proved
my thesis that women were discriminated against in the Holocaust. At the time of the Holocaust
during WWII, Women in Germany were excluded from positions of responsibility and notably in
the political and academic spheres. The regimentation of women was carried over into
concentration camps where they were deemed incapable of work (Jewish). Women, especially
elderly and children were heavily targeted, but a handful between the ages of 12-55 that seemed
of good use were spared their lives and used for labor.

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Although the acts against women in the Holocaust were seen as especially heinous, the
women created a sense of humanity to help each other survive. Creating groups to help women
bond in times of need seems to be beneficial for them because they have a sense of belonging
and support. Many women incarcerated in the camps created informal mutual assistance
groups which facilitated survival through sharing information, food, and clothing (Women). It
was hard to tell the difference between prisoners because the SS made them all look the same,
which in return erased their sane humanity. Hadassah Rosensaft is quoted in one of her
testimonies saying she was standing right alongside her sister and did not realize it was her.
Women were particularly vulnerable to beatings, rape, and experimentation. Having the heinous
conditions, they did, women needed a way to bond and create positivity.
The word Auschwitz has become synonymous with terror, genocide, and the Holocaust.
Often the deaths of innocent lives in the Holocaust are represented at statistics, but the numbers
help one to realize how large and horrific Auschwitz became. The Jewish Gen Living Memorial
to the Holocaust provided a good representation of the size and growth of Auschwitz from early
to mid 1940s. The main camp population grew from 18,000 in December 1942 to 30,000 in
March 1943. In March of 1942, a womens camp was established at Auschwitz with 6,000
inmates, and in August of the same year the camp was moved to Birkenau. By January of 1944,
27,000 women were living in Birkenau. Auschwitz, Birkenau was the largest of all the Nazi
death camps across Europe and could hold nearly 150,000 inmates at any given time (Jewish).
The population almost doubled within one year which is outrageous for any group that is
increasing population within 12 months. It creates an overwhelming negative sense of
propaganda in Germany at the time, because 12,000 innocent lives became part of one single
concentration camp. I cannot imagine being packed in with hundreds of people into tight quarters

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while also fighting for my life. This statistic only accounts for Auschwitz-Birkenau and
disregards the other 900 concentration camps and sub camps. The living memorial also
highlights the growth of the womens sector in Birkenau, which increased its population by
21,000 prisoners in two years. The numbers represented by innocent lives, which a majority
were exterminated is unfathomable for me.
The terrifying sense of horror comes to life when one steps foot into Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The millions of innocent lives lost at one single camp can be felt in the air. Woman or man, or
young or old, the outcome was deemed the same within the Final Solution. One might be
considered lucky to have been sent directly to the gas chambers, then to have experienced pure
pain and torture. Although a lot of the women and children were sent to the gas chambers upon
arrival, the conditions of the camp if they survived were far different than of men. Most women
were not given a chance to survive due to their gender and my research has proven this idea.
They were discriminated against and tortured far different than men. Women were not provided
an equal chance of survival, but their positivity in creating a sense of humanity helped other
women to see light in the midst of darkness.

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Works Cited
Jewish Women's Archive. "Sharing Stories Inspiring Change." Hadassah
Rosensaft. Jewish

Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia.,

1 Mar. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.

"Women during the Holocaust." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States
Holocaust Memorial Council, 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

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Peer Response for Research Review

1. The draft is meeting a lot of the requirements so far. The introduction
is very strong and introducing two credible sources was done
sufficiently. The main requirement missed so far, is two quotes from
each source. I like how you introduced your relation to the two sources
as well.
2. Giving descriptions about how you began learning about the Holocaust
is great. Also where you start talking about Life is Beautiful develops
your paper. You realized that the movie could also relate to your paper.
The quote about the air being so stale one could hardly breathe gives a
good mental picture of how tight prisoners were packed together. This
is in strong relation to your topic because ones health can suffer
severely from not having good living conditions. Even if they had a
strong will to survive a prisoner could not survive if they had declining
health.
3. The quote you have so far is very good, you just need a few more to
fully develop this draft. The way you sandwich your learned
information with your background information is perfect. Nothing is
really falling short so far in your draft content wise. I would check
grammar and punctuation before the final is turned in.

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4. With the one quote you have so far it is sandwiched well. You have a
lot of background knowledge which is then supported by your research.
The source is introduced well I would just give a little more info about
how it relates to your inquiry topic after the quote. You need a little
more research put into the draft to prove a lot of research was done.
5. I would add a little more information about the research in the middle
paragraph. It is focused a little too much on your background
knowledge. If you talk about how the movie has examples or relates to
your inquiry topic, I think that could improve the paragraph. The intro
is very strong and the way your last paragraph is headed with
quotations looks great! I think you need to have more quotations from
your research so the reader knows you are qualified to be discussing
the topic in a scholarly way.