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Simon Wiesenthal Thesis

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“Forgetting is something time alone takes care of, but forgiveness is an act of volition, and only the sufferer is qualified to make the decision” (“Quotes”). Simon Wiesenthal took a stand in history by bringing to justice over 1,000 Nazi criminals after WWII (“About”). Although a silent protagonist, he helped the world realize how the Holocaust impacted the millions of Jews in concentration camps. In the short-term, his efforts brought hundreds of war criminals to trial and served justice to those involved in the violence of the Holocaust. While in the long-term, his efforts brought global awareness for the victims of the Holocaust. Simon Wiesenthal was born on December 31, 1908. The beginning of his life consisted of the harsh realities of WWI. His father, a soldier in WWI, was killed while being enlisted in the Austrian army, leaving Simon alone with his mother. He graduated from college in the early 1930's where he earned an architectural engineering degree. With the motivation towards architecture, Simon set up a small business in Lviv, Ukraine. He later married Cyla Muller, his high school sweetheart. After a few years, Simon, along with thousands of other Jews in Ukraine at the time, were taken by the Soviet Union to a bedsprings factory to serve as workers. Russians began to deport Jews from the factory to Serbia. Simon and Cyla were still together at the factory, so he was determined not to leave her. The working conditions there were harsh, and many of his relatives were killed because of them. The two worked at this factory for several years, until one day when they received a notice from the Germans. They were both being sent to the German Eastern Railway plants, the first of many concentration camps for Wiesenthal (“Simon Wiesenthal Biography”). Simon and Cyla were to be executed by the Nazis within the concentration camp. His prayers seemed hopeless, until his one of his friends, who worked within Ukrainian Auxiliary Police, saved his life. He helped him to escape execution by the Nazis at this camp. This, however, did not stop him from being sent to a different camp. Simon was then immediately sent to the Janowska concentration camp along with his wife where he was forced to

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