Irving Roth - Holocaust Survivor Testimony - Movie Review Example

Irving Roth - Holocaust Survivor Testimony The talk by Irwin Roth is an account of his experience from childhood of how the Jews started being discriminated against by the Germans just before the holocaust (which he survived). In his talk, he explains the step by step changes experienced by the Jews from being just like other “normal” people and living “normal” lives to their segregation and massive deaths. These changes started with the conversion of Czechoslovakia to Slovakia after being taken up by Germany and becoming part of Eastern Germany The Jews were segregated from the recreational areas, the schools and other facilities like in hospitals and law firms which they had previously shared with the Germans.

Businesses that were previously run by the Jews were confiscated and given to Germans. Their household properties (which they had been ordered to leave behind) were auctioned to the German citizens. The Jews basically become non-existence and they were treated worse than slaves. With their lives becoming almost worthless, the government of Germany saw no use for them and therefore built death camps to dispose them off through death. Some were transported to Poland where there were also additional death camps.

Some escaped to Hungary (which was not killing the Jews) where the men were recruited in the army (where they are mistreated by the rest of the population and even discriminated against but the rest of the population remained safe). Their safety was however short lived as they started being treated in the same way as those who were shipped to Poland as a way to dispose them as well through burning them in gas chambers.I thought slavery in America was a bad experience but what the Jews went through is incomparable.

Segregation denies people freedom of liberty but the treatment the Jews were accorded denied them not only freedom of liberty and movement but also right to life among other human rights. It is a wonder how all these happened without the rest of the world reacting. The questions remains as to whether they had no idea of what was happening? Whether they simply did not care? Had no ability or capacity or even mandate to do anything about it? or were they simply in agreement of the Jews being killed?

For those who survived the holocaust like the orator, the experience (though it took place many decades ago) is still vivid as if it just happened. It is evident that the psychological torture for the survivors cannot be wiped away even though the talk therapy seems helpful. As Roth talks about his family being killed in the gas chambers, the pain in his heart still shows in his face and this is just one person who has these emotional reactions (though miniscule now) but what about the rest of them (survivors) who have no one to talk to as a therapeutic mechanism?

What happened in the holocaust should never be allowed to happen ever again in any nation of the world just as the orator said in so few words. Other nations and institutions of peace should continue to monitor each country nationwide to avoid a repeat or even a close episode of slavery from happening.Work CitedIrving Roth. Holocaust Survivor Testimony. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaBWiLU6SWI. 2011.