The term "holocaust", however refers specifically to what they did to the jews,
That is not my interpretation and I do not accept it. But that is my personal opinion and nothing more.
I think the reason the non jewish victims of the nazis were not as well known is because the communists turned the history of this era into "the struggle against fascism". This blurred the identity of the victims.
I agree but I believe this 'blurring' of the holocuast (by my definition) is also perpetuated today by Jews to the exclusion of other victim groups.
One cannot of course argue against the fact that the Nazi German policy of racial annihilation of the European Jews not the same as the racial policies against the Poles which was to be one of slavery rather than extermination. My grandmother, from Warszawa, was prisoner no. 5953 at KZ Ravensbruck in April 1941, then was transported to KZ Sachsenhausen and after some time to Außenlager Genthin in October 1944 (as recorded in USHMM) where mainly Polish women were worked to death at the rate of 900 a month. But if my grandmother was not a victim of the holocuast then what was she a victim of?
But if I can also demonstrate in a small way how distorted a view of the Holocaust I think the world has. And I do write it to
not stir up animosity but ask for you thoughts?
The late Dr Józef Garliński, Polish author and historian, was in US and at a meeting mentioned that he was a former prisoner of Auschwitz. One of his audience guests said ' Oh I didn't realise you were Jewish?'
Showing the tatooed number on his forearm, Dr Józef Garliński replied he was not a Jew and they couldn't believe that non-Jews were ever in Auschwitz! I believe this misperception is still true for many Jews today, I have personally come across this several times. One only has to read about 'Polish Death Camps' in national papers in USA and here in UK.
Garliński also wrote a best selling book 'Fighting Auschwitz' which was the story of Captain Pilecki who volunteered to go into Auschwitz so he could report back to the Polish underground on conditions in the camp. He set-up a restistance movement in the camp, helped prisoners escape, built a radio in the Auschwitz hospital block from smuggled in parts. Smuggled reports about the extermination of Jewish transports to the Polish underground which were then sent to London. Pilecki himself also escaped from Auschwitz in 1943 when the allies refused to support his plan for the allied bombing of the camp to facilitate a mass break out of prisoners which he had planned with support of local AK units outside the camp. My point about telling this story is that Garliński was a approached by major US film company to discuss a possible film deal but there had to one proviso that Pilecki was to be portrayed as a Jewish character which he was not. Garliński politely declined.