Most Jews deported by Nazi Germany to Auschwitz for extermination were given the illusion of resettlement & new life. They packed their suitcases with all the essential items. Hope became one of the most important weapons.
Many suitcases we preserve and display at the Memorial are unique personal documents as they carry the names of
their owners.
Listen about the plunder of property in Auschwitz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gse2mP3ZWVY
(Photo: http://instagram.com/mariapitariu)
@auschwitzmuseum it should be emphasised more that robbery plain and simple robbery was a key motive for keeping things going. Much more than any religious aspect.
The Weimar republic needed gold more than anything else since the Deutsch Mark what’s worth less than the paper it was printed on. And the gold was in the hands of the Jews, at least so the Nazis thought. So plundering and robbing was extremely important.
So what was in the suitcase?
Exactly! valuables.
@Paul_Harts @auschwitzmuseum If it was merely about robbery, the wealth would have simply been forcefully confiscated. Most of all, it was about racism - Nazis not only considered Jews to be subhumans, but also an insidious enemy and the cause of numerous problems in society. The mass murder wasn't a side effect. It was a goal.
@elgregor
Above the surface: Untermenschen!
Below the surface: plain robbery and looting.
The racism played a much bigger role when the Nazis started hunting down the Roma, than when they hunted down the Jews.