The Hidden LifeMany children were lucky enough to escape the ghetto and live in hiding thanks to many brave people. Although leaving the ghetto was a good think, life in hiding was no piece of cake. Many children were forced to move from place to place to keep from being discovered and they constantly lived in the horror of being caught. Neighbors and other people were very easily persuaded to denounce the children and other Jews because they were offered money to do so. Of all the Jewish children during this time, the number of Jewish kids that were in hiding ranged anywhere between 10,000-500,000. The reason this estimate is so vague is because there are no records that show who all the Nazis killed and of those who survived, we don’t know the number of people who decided to keep their stories a secret (Vromen 2008; Rosenberg, 1994).
Many families in the ghetto did not want to separate from each other, but parents knew that the likelihood of finding a gentile to house an entire family was unlikely, so finding safety for the children alone was the next best option. Some parents also did not want to leave the other family members alone in the ghetto so they only sent the children. Parents would ask anyone they could to take their children. This ranged from non Jewish friends to people they worked with, neighbors, priests etc. The Jewish families who had been established in the country the longest before the Nazis took over had a better chance of finding people willing to take their children. Often times, Jewish parents were forced to hand their children over to complete strangers. Although, an operation called Kindertransport was in effect between 1938 and 1940. This system brought thousands of Jewish kids to safety in Great Britain where they could find a family willing to hide them. (Vromen, 2008; U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012; Rosenberg, 1994; “Children during the,” 2012). Separation was very difficult for these children. Often separation was very sudden and the children were unsure of what was happening. These children were not allowed to cry however because it would cause a scene and they were more likely to be caught. Some parents would come visit their children when they could, but it was very dangerous (Vromen, 2008). |
One percent of the gentile population in Europe held Jewish children. Once the children were relocated into a hidden area, they were forced to change their identity. In order to pass as Aryan children, the Jews needed false identity papers which were received through the anti-Nazi resistance. They were given names that sounded like the country that they were in so that their Jewish names wouldn’t become an issue. The gentiles then referred to these children as distant relatives or surviving orphans of the household bombings that were taking place. Language barriers were also an issue during this time as the Jewish children had to learn the new language of their culture. These children were also forced to blend in with the community by wearing the clothes of that culture and to learn the religion and prayers of that culture. Many of these children soon became baptized. This was very difficult for the children’s parents to agree with because they did not believe in the ways of the other religions. Some parents forbade their children from changing their religion and others knew the benefits of changing their religion may help their child survive. Once these children were baptized, they were seen as equals in the community, and the threat of death became much less (Vromen, 2008; U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012; Rosenberg, 1994).
Many Jewish children were forced to live in cellars or attics in cities and some even lived in underground sewers with the rats. During many times of their hiding, they were forced to sit motionless and extremely quiet for hours on end while German soldiers were in the home. Other children hid in farms, barns, chicken coops or huts in more rural areas as opposed to the urban, city areas. Some of the gentiles of these hidden children physically or sexually abused the children while they were hiding. Other children were able to live with a bunch of other children by hiding in covenants or monasteries (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2012; Rosenberg, 1994). Those Jewish children who lived in covenants or churches were forced to do daily chores. They worked very hard during the day and were not fed or bathed properly. The nuns would eat the majority of the food and give the children the leftovers. Eating Kosher, which is a lifestyle choice by many Jews, was not an option. These children ate whatever they could even if it included non kosher items. These children also experienced issues with bed wetting. The stress and terror that the holocaust brought on these children caused this embarrassing accident to occur often. When bed wetting would occur, these children were punished by being forced to carry their soiled sheets around on top of their heads and then had to wash the sheets themselves (Vromen, 2008). All in all, hiding was a terrifying, uncomfortable place for children during this time. Some were treated poorly and others were constantly on the move to find safer places to hide. Later on, this paper will discuss how this lifestyle affected these children in the long run. |