Circle of Care was initially founded to serve the Jewish community. The agency now serves all clients, regardless of age, religion, nationality or diagnosis living within its geographical boundaries, however the Jewish community currently makes up the largest portion of Circle of Care’s client base.
The term Holocaust refers to the extermination of six million Jews, and millions of others during the Nazi era (1933 to 1945). Nazi policy was to systematically and meticulously erase the Jewish race. Every Jew in Nazi-occupied Europe – which included all European countries – except England and Sweden – was doomed to die.
There were strict laws for Jewish people. Jews were ousted from civil-service positions, deprived of their livelihood, and prevented from attending public schools.
Our agency receives funding from The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany to provide specialized services to Holocaust survivors. The Claims Conference was established created after World War II (1954) to oversee restitution and reparations for survivors and to provide a measure of justice for Jewish Holocaust victims, and to provide them with the best possible care. Many survivors in Toronto live at or below the poverty level. This is especially significant because as Holocaust survivors age, their need for services — which they often cannot afford — increases.
The Claims Conference defines a holocaust survivor as anyone who was displaced from their home between September of 1939 and May of 1945. Most people think of Holocaust survivors as people who were interned at concentration camps, but it is important to dispel this myth, as every Holocaust survivor’s wartime experience was different. Not all Survivors were residents of a camp.
The Nazis established numerous camps and ghettoes between 1933 and 1945. This includes 30,000 slave labor camps; 1,150 Jewish ghettoes, 980 concentration camps; 1,000 POW camps; 500 brothels filled with sex slaves; and thousands of other camps used for euthanizing the elderly and infirm; Germanizing prisoners or transporting victims to killing centers.
There were concentration camps, labour camps and transit centres in Poland, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Holland, Ukraine, Norway, Serbia, Belgium, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary and many others.
Political prisoners, people of colour, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and homosexuals were also sent to concentration camps as punishment.
Another less spoken experience is those who went into hiding. Some assumed a Christian identity, others were hidden in the homes of non-Jewish people, and countless lived the war years in the forest. Many Jews went into hiding to avoid capture by the Nazis and their collaborators. Some concealed only their Jewish identity and continued to live in the open, using false identification papers. Others physically hid in attics, cellars, or other shelters. For most, hiding was a difficult decision that involved extraordinary risks. Many families, like Anne Frank’s, attempted to hide together. But often children were sent into hiding first because more people were willing to take in a child than an adult.
Nearly all Jews who went into hiding relied on others to help them, and they often felt that they were totally dependent on their helpers for food and water, for news from the outside world, and especially for the willingness to continue to keep their secret. Usually, those in hiding gave their helpers money to pay for food and other supplies and to reward the helpers for making such a dangerous commitment. Sometimes Jews were hidden by neighbours or former employees, whom they knew, and sometimes they were helped by strangers, but the risks of hiding changed the nature of even the closest and most trusted relationships.
A survivor who was client of Circle of Care shared her story. She hid under water, with her two year old child, breathing through a tube during the day time. At night they would look for food. She was rescued by partisans who provide them with food and protection.
Many Jewish people were subject to evacuation. They were evacuated from their homes and forced to find somewhere else to live. Many fled to countries like Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan for safety.
Hidden children refers to children, mainly Jewish, who were “hidden” in some way to prevent them from being caught and most likely murdered by the Nazis. Many such children survived by being placed within another, usually Catholic, family, and then raised as a member of that family. To explain the sudden “arrival” of this “new” child into the family, he might for instance be described as a cousin who had come to join this family, perhaps from the countryside. Since he was now a new member of this Catholic family, he too would have to be able to behave as other Catholic children. Once again, the lives of the true family-members were in extreme danger if the Nazis were to find out this deception.
When a child who was hidden with at least one of his parents, in some physical location, such as a secret attic, the family would need at least one outside non-Jewish “helper”. This person brought daily food and other supplies. The lives of the helpers were in extreme danger if the Nazis were to find out this deception, since then they themselves would all be murdered.
Some children were “hidden” in a convent, as if one of the other regular Catholic children. The child would have to be able to behave as all the other Catholic convent children behaved – know his prayers, how to handle a rosary, how to behave during mass etc. All these skills the child would have to learn very fast. In this case, at least one of the nuns would have to know that the child was actually Jewish and “hiding.” Once again, the lives of the nuns were in extreme danger if the Nazis were to find out this deception.
Unlike other Jews in East Europe, most Soviet Jews were not sent to concentration camps; instead, they were killed where they lived, in their villages and towns. It is known that about one third of the Jews massacred in the Holocaust were Soviet citizens. The Nazis came to believe that Jews were in charge of the Soviet regime. As a result, Jews residing in the occupied Soviet territories were perceived as a serious threat to the German nation.
Following the war, Soviet Jews went on to face continued oppression under the Communist rule of Joseph Stalin.
A trigger is something that may bring back difficult memories for a Survivor.
Certain sights, sounds and events might trigger a war-related flashback or reaction;
Traumas experienced will impact how the survivor will respond to assistance from volunteers and others.
Learn your client’s triggers. De-escalating fears and traumatizing memories could start with the gentle touch of a hand or a rub of the shoulder. It could also be no response at all. Some clients prefer to get through their memories on their own.
There are certain things to be cautious of when speaking to understand a persons wartime experiences. Never ask a holocaust survivor to tell you about their wartime experience, wait for them to share it with you.
Many survivors never talk about the trauma experienced during the war while others feel it is important to share their stories so that what happened to them will never be forgotten. If a survivor is willing to share their story with you, listen and acknowledge the importance of their story. This could be a vital way for the client to connect with you.
For some survivors adapting to aging is especially difficult. During the Holocaust, survivors knew that health and being able to look after themselves was vital for survival. Survivors may respond negatively to assistance because of their desire to remain independent as they did during the wartime years. There are also the issues of trust.
