Possible reasons why people were altruistic
There were a variety of reasons as to why some individuals decided to rescue the Jews during the holocaust. These reasons range from independence, universalism, spontaneity, to history of altruism. Regarding independence, these people were free to chat about their self-reliance and their need to follow their inclinations and values. They were driven by moral values that did not rely on the support and approval of the rest. For example, despite Georg Duckwitz being a higher-ranking German officer, he valued the life of the Jews as his own, and he was involved in the rescuing of the Jews in contrast to the people he was working for.
On the other hand, universalism signifies that the need to help among these people was compelling that it surpassed all different contemplations. The persecutions and the unjust treatment of the Jews obliged the rescuers to act. They ignored all Jews’ traits, apart from their helplessness and dependence, and operated independently of their likes and dislikes. For instance, Sugihara confessed that he could have acted as other people wanted, but the fear that he could offend God and the way the Jews expressed that he was their only hope he was compelled to help.
From Nicholas Winton’s story, it could be possible to point out that another rationale for being altruistic is because of the spontaneity nature of such people. Meaning, the people’s aid toward the Jews often began in a spontaneous, unintended way. For instance, Nicholas highlights that he just worked on the motto that “motto that if something is not impossible, there must be a way of doing it.” Besides, the history of altruism also played a vital part in these people’s notions of what was right and wrong, and their moral beliefs and values was an unwavering dedication to the defense of the needy. The commitment was expressed through several benevolent acts that stretched over a long time. Evidence of such acts also came from survivors. They described their rescuers as kind people whose attempts to help the disadvantaged were immeasurable and long-lasting as portrayed by people who requested Sugihara for transit Visas.
Why people remained indifferent
Most of the Germans and Europeans are said to have remained indifferent to what was happening around them during the holocaust because of several reasons. From the rescuer stories, the holocaust happened when most countries were recovering from the economic depression that occurred in the earlier 1930s. During this time, most people concentrated on their daily preoccupations to overcome the adversities of the economic depression. Besides, it was the face of wartime suffering and deprivation, and most people focused on the survival of their families. Therefore, they opted to join the Nazi regime for security and opportunistic reasons, giving less concern to the plight of the Jews.
Another contributing factor to the indifference of people to Jews suffering is the existence of several layers of obstacles that made it challenging for rescuing operations. As Sugihara pointed out, there were restricting laws made by Nazi and their collaborators in other countries that made the rescuing of the Jews a crime liable to be punished by death. Regardless of having sympathy for the plight of the Jews, people’s fear of harsh penalties made them remain indifferent.
Meanwhile, the explicit anti-Jewish ideologies and the insidious anti-Semitism also contributed to the indifference of people since they made the rescuing of Jews an unsafe and condemned operation. With the Nazi’s determination to segregate people of different ethnic backgrounds, they reinforced existing anti-Semitic chauvinisms, including traditional forms of religious anti-Semitism. This resulted in many people considering the Jews as aliens. This made it difficult for the non-Jewish Germans to blend culturally, socially, and physically into the Jews’ world of Christianity, increasing further the physical and social distance, resulting in a climate of indifference.