germanwriter.com - Holocaust and Circus

Real Holocaust Survivor Stories about the Circus

A Dichotomy

By Sonja Herbert

Not many real Holocaust survivor stories about the gypsies, or Roma, have outlasted WWII. However, they, like the Jews, were victims of the Holocaust. They too, were sent by the thousands to the concentration camps to perish, and you can find their real Holocaust survivor stories online.

There are no real Holocaust survivor stories for circus people. For them, things were different. For centuries, traveling circuses and carnivals kept the population happy and made their holiday celebrations more pleasant.

Even during the Third Reich, a traveling circus meant a diversion from the daily drudgery of work and a glimpse into another, more glamorous way of life.

The Nazis considered circus people to be equal with Germans. Especially during the war, the circus was a necessary and welcome diversion, and that’s why there are no real Holocaust survivor stories about circus people.

As the war with the Russians dragged on, and the quick victory Hitler had promised didn't materialize, people began to complain. Hitler's assurance of an easy victory turned out to be false over and over again.

When the circus came, the Germans could forget about the misery that awaited them outside. They let go of their fear of the government, ignored the hunger gnawing their insides, forgot about the real Holocaust survivor stories rumored about, and marveled at the fantastic feats of circus men and beasts.

At first, the Nazis required circus people to have papers attesting they were of a desirable race, but later, when the war dragged on, the local governments didn't look too closely at who was working in the circus. They wanted to be entertained and to forget for a few days.

Some circus people helped and hid their Jewish friends and co-workers, as happened to Margot Edel.

Read Margot’s real Holocaust survivor stories here: Germanwriter.com

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