DEAF VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST: HISTORY AND MEMORY

Abstract

Many people do not know that deaf victims were targeted by the Nazis during the Holocaust, and that they were a much larger victim collective than initially realized. This thesis is about the deaf victims of the Holocaust and how they have and have not been adequately remembered. This topic is very personal to me as someone who is considered legally deaf without the aid of my hearing devices. By discussing the history of deaf victims of the Holocaust and how they have been remembered through specific sites of memory, I hope to raise awareness of just one facet of the mosaic of victims that suffered during the Holocaust because of the eugenic practices adopted by the Nazis. In doing so, I am creating an additional, written site of memory for the deaf victims that seeks to share the stories of those who have been silenced before they are lost to time. Finally, my thesis serves as a recognition of my gratitude that I did not have to suffer what the deaf victims of the Holocaust endured because if I had been alive at that time in Nazi Germany, I would have been a targeted victim as well.