The Influence of Jewish Music on The Holocaust

Having grown up in Europe my entire life, I had a close connection with the lecture that was given by Ellie Shapiro. The connection she showed to have with the Holocaust and the music which was played or influenced during this period was rather emotional. You could hear it in her voice and in the way she expressed herself that the connection was a strong one. To begin with, she opened by explaining to everyone what exactly the Holocaust was and how it affected Jewish people throughout the world. She proposed the question “ who knows what the Holocaust is?“ Needless to say, the room remained quiet for a period of time before some answered with “ it was the mass killing of the Jews during the world war.

“ She replied with “ Yes but it was a lot more than that. “ This had me puzzled as I was always taught that that's exactly what it was. This is what had me drawn in from the beginning. The definition gave a more in-depth concept as to who killed the Jews and how mid treated they were. She said “the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime (1933-1945), its allies and collaborators.”

This allows us to see that Jews were almost picked on simply because of their beliefs and how they acted. This hit an emotional string in my heart as I believe that mistreating people based on their beliefs and practices is beyond wrong.² Being from Ireland mistreatment and torture is part of our history because of the war we had with the UK and understanding how the mistreatment from others, because they don't like what you do, can be disheartening to a group of people and the way they live their lives.³ The sheer fact that the main culprit was Hitler and he firmly believed that his people were the “ perfect human beings “ according to ‘ Digging Into The Past.’ He was on a mission to create a “ Perfect race “that would only include the people that he approved of which fit the description of blonde hair, pale skin, and bright blue eyes. They would be part of the “ Superior Race “ and the Jews would be part of the “ inferior race.”

In addition to all this, the Germans were also targeting anyone they deemed to be racial, and biologically inferior to them. In other words, they were gathering and killing in mass numbers those who simply weren't German. Some of these groups entailed, “Roma (Gypsies), people with disabilities, some of the Slavic peoples (Poles, Russians, and others), Soviet prisoners of war, and Afro-Germans” according to the slide show given by Ellie. In addition to this people were executed based on their political beliefs, ideology, and their behavioral grounds which would include how they acted in public, how they practiced their beliefs, and what events or things they participated in.

In the year 1933, the Jewish population stood at around 9.5 million people and counting.² During this time the vast majority of Jews lived in Nazi Germany and in the surrounding countries such as Belgium, Poland, and the Soviet Union account to the Holocaust Encyclopedia. In other words, these countries occupied the world during WWII.

As part of the “ Final Solution”, they thought that killing ⅔ Jews would be the best way of doing things. To say that this was inhuman would be a strong understatement however, the Germans and Hitler, in particular, deemed it to be the solution to all the problems that were ongoing in Europe at the time.

You may ask why or how does this have anything to do with Jewish music? Good question. Throughout this time music was an out for the Jews, they found comfort in music and would play or listen to it as much as they could in order to keep their minds off the stuff that was going on outside of their lives. Jews were being mistreated all over Europe but mainly in Germany and the surrounding countries. Therefore, they needed something to keep their minds off what could potentially happen to them at any given moment.⁴ In 1938, there was a vast majority of degenerate music released that encouraged Jews to stay positive and have faith in God that he would get them through this tough time. The lyrics included “ I believe, I believe, with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, I believe, and although he, made delay incoming, I believe”.

The Jews used music as a resource of relaxation during the Holocaust in order to release any tension or worry that they may have on their shoulders. I mean, I know I would need something to take my mind off all of the terrible things that were happening to my people. If you think about it, on a daily basis, thousands of your people are being killed for simply being themselves. They go about their daily lives, working, taking care of their families, and trying to get some education in order to grow and explore the world. Yet, as you try to carry out these tasks, militaries are moving in on areas where you and your family lives and capturing and killing them in order to be part of the “ The solution “ -Ellie Music was a place in which they could go in comfort.

Throughout WWII, European Jews were under the rule of Nazi Germany and were being forced to live under inhumane conditions in concentration camps where they would be suffering from constant hunger, sickness, and death. However, there were those people who maintained hope, hope through music, whether it was via composing or playing.

It is said throughout the world that music is known to be a universal language. It is deemed a way for everyone throughout the world to communicate regardless of the language barrier. Music is a way to deliver a powerful message and for everyone to receive that message. The ways in which the instruments are played or the variation of vocals or the counter melodies that existed throughout all musical pieces.³ The music that was either composed or performed during the Holocaust, provided people with a semblance of emotional comfort and distraction from their horrific reality: “music gave us so much, to escape even for a few moments to a ‘normal’ world” explains Greta, a survivor from the ghetto Terezin. Although they couldn't escape physically from the torture the music was a mental release from the terrible reality that was taking place.

Most of all, music provided people with that hope mentally, it gave them hope not to give up and in theory, saved their lives. Even though the Nazis were treating the European Jews so badly, they too appreciated music and therefore, gave those who could compose or play music special treatment. This provided musicians to be employed and sustain better living conditions which in return would provide a healthier lifestyle. However, some musicians were forced to play for the Nazi’s entertainment and were seriously underpaid and mistreated. The saddest story of them all is that they were forced to play music as they watched their family members and friends march into the gas chambers before they were executed. The ‘useful’ skill of those musicians was undoubtedly a horrific and traumatic experience, but one that often saved their lives: “the cello really saved my life because to be in this orchestra was a way of survival because as long as they wanted music they would be foolish to put us in the gas chambers” explains Anita, a survivor from Auschwitz.

In theory, the survivors of this awful time mean that music serves a great emotional attachment to the future generations of the survivors. In the families of the survivors, those who still play music to this day carry a legacy from past generations and maintain tradition. It is the legacy of ‘music and song from the Holocaust’ that carries the proof of victory; the power of human survival to continue living and overcome trauma and genocide, and the power of music to exist beyond any act of evil: “They tore off our belongings, food, and clothing but music is the one thing that they could not take away from us, music that evil could not destroy” states Alice, a survivor from Terezin concentration camp.

Throughout this paper, I came across several eye-opening journeys in which people have gone through during the holocaust. Personal statements of survivors and written documents from those who were present during this time really drive home the misery that the people went through. However, if nothing else, we learn that music is a lot more than a few chords and some words. Music is a universal language that speaks to everyone regardless of their religion, ethnicity, nationality, or sexuality. The dark days that we go through can be met with the cradling of music. Music is so much more than what some people make it out to be, but the power that music has is indescribable. Brings us together during tough times and good times. Music helped those to believe and survive through the holocaust and it still lives with us today and will continue to for the foreseeable future.

References

1. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/jewish-population-of-europe-in-1933-population-data-by-country
2. Slides by​ Ellie Shapiro
3. Digging Into The Past
4. https://www.thirteen.org/blog-post/surviving-the-holocaust-through-music/