Juden in Das Heer!

[Franz1944]

For those who like Documentaries

Nazi Collaborators : Germans Jews 1/3 - YouTube

[SteveR]

I agree, very interesting, and brave men in battle and also for being among a society that treated jews so cruelly, but i cant help thinking that in another way they were also betraying their faith and any relations that wouldnt have had the protection afforded them by being in the military, they may not have committed themselves to any acts of racial discrimination, but they certainly would of been aware when these acts were perpetrated,and i understand that there was very little they could do about the situation, but the stigma that would have followed post war must have been horrendus and i wonder if there were recriminations against them and their immediate family, i would also like to know what their motives were for joining the army, knowing the national attitude towards the jewish community at that time

Some of them were loyal to Germany not the Nazi party.
I spoke to a holocaust survivor when helping what was the Finster museum on Utica street in Tulsa Oklahoma to establish a holocaust section. They have moved the museum to 71st street I believe to get it away from the schools they have for very young children and their temple. They were concerned about radicals attacking them.
I asked him if he hated the Germans for what had happened to him and his family. He replied that he was German and did not hate the people of Germany. The comment suprised me. He stated that Germany had been good to its Jewish citizens for hundreds of years and it was the Nazis that he hated.
I also saw the documentary on TV and finally realized why so many served in the German military. Their love of their homeland and also as a matter of survival. I certainly understand the fear of death. More so now that I am an old man than when I was much younger. In their situation, survival and love of country was the reason for their service. When trying to save yourself and your loved ones you will do just about anything to stay alive. I personally believe that the survival instinct is much more powerful than politics. As far as post war recriminations are concerned the average German folks were not interested in individual history and would not have known whether an individual was Jewish or not, nor would they have cared.
You don't know what you will do to stay alive and keep your family safe until the situtation happens to you.

[Alon]

Franz1944,

Thank you for the link to the documentary. I'll be sure to watch it.

One problem I have with this topic is the definition of Jewishness. According to traditional Judaism, Jewishness passes through the mother. Anyone with a Jewish mother is Jewish. The concept of half-Jewish does not exist in traditional Judaism. Many of the people whom the documentary considers Jewish not only traced their Jewishness through the father's line, which again according to Judaism means they are not Jewish, but also did not identify themselves ethnically with the Jewish people. So asking a question like "Were these people traitors?" as the documentary does is silly.

[Franz1944]

Nummenberg law include father line. as you said the two estimates are based off of different of criteria

[sebfrench76]

An interesting topic debated on an Anglo-saxon forum.
I can tell you that on a french one (forum) ,it will extremely fast comes to a bitter end....
Too hot to handle,the wounds are still bleeding,and some french (mainly 20 yo) still keep an oooooold anti semic hate (legacy from their parents) that turns the debate into a fierce fight beetween pro/anti nazis.

[Woolgar]

An interesting topic debated on an Anglo-saxon forum.
I can tell you that on a french one (forum) ,it will extremely fast comes to a bitter end....
Too hot to handle,the wounds are still bleeding,and some french (mainly 20 yo) still keep an oooooold anti semic hate (legacy from their parents) that turns the debate into a fierce fight beetween pro/anti nazis.

An Anglo-Saxon forum ?

[sebfrench76]

Well,where there's a majority of English language users.....And where most of users didn't deal with Nazis during 4 years ,like us,héhéhé