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World War II (1939–1945)

World War II was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The war involved the many of the world's countries. Two opposing military alliances were formed: the Allies and the Axis.

While Japan was already at war with China in 1937,  the Second World War began on September 1, 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Germany conquered much of Europe, eventually forming the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Approximately six million European Jews were killed by Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany and this event would become known as the Holocaust.

 

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 Trude Heller | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust

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Trude Heller | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust
Trude Heller's family narrowly escaped deportation to a concentration camp, but still had to live through other anxieties. At 14, she was made to quit school, and the family was forced out of their...
 Max Heller | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust

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Max Heller | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust
Max Heller was born in Vienna in 1919 into an orthodox Jewish home. His father was a businessman. Heller drew strength from the Jewish community and from non-Jewish friends. Due to anti-Semitism...
 Horace Berry | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust

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Horace Berry | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust
Born in 1920 in Greer, S.C., Horace Berry graduated from Clemson in 1941 and entered the service. As part of Patton's army, he was assigned to bury the dead and send surviving Jews to hospitals in...
 Hugo Schiller | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust

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Hugo Schiller | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust
Hugo Schiller grew up in Germany in the 1930s, hearing about Hitler. His parents were forced to sell their business. In 1938, his father was arrested. His education in a public school ended when it...
 Jadzia Stern, Part 1 | S. C Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust

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Jadzia Stern, Part 1 | S. C Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust
​Those born in Poland knew that people in Europe pointed a finger at Jews all the time; some still do today. When the Germans invaded Poland, some Jews fled with Gentiles or underground, but most were...
 Gerald Jablon | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust

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Gerald Jablon | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust
Born in Germany in 1906, Gerald Jablon saw anti-Semitism displayed in teachers' attitudes toward Jewish students. He was sent to a work camp to dig ditches; there was no room to sleep. No one knows...
 Cela Miller, Part 2 | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust

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Cela Miller, Part 2 | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust
​Cela Miller grew up in Poland during the 1920s. When the war started, the Germans burned towns and homes; removed priests, professors, and Jews. Those who turned in Jews got a kilogram of sugar. She...
 Cela Miller, Part 1 | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust

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Cela Miller, Part 1 | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust
​Cela Miller grew up in Poland during the 1920s. When the war started, the Germans burned towns and homes; removed priests, professors, and Jews. Those who turned in Jews got a kilogram of sugar. She...
 Claude Hipp | S.C. Voices: Lessons from Holocaust

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Claude Hipp | S.C. Voices: Lessons from Holocaust
Born in 1923 in Cross Hill, S.C., Claude Hipp was assigned to the Army infantry in North Carolina in 1943. He was shipped to Europe and marched through Camp Orsdorff where 9,000 workers had been...