The Nazi Effect in Europa Europa

The film Europa Europa clearly showed how fear of the Nazi’s was enough to turn Jewish Solly away from his own faith and beliefs. I liked the film because it gave a good account on the effect that the Nazi’s could have on young, confused, German children. Several times Solly questions his position, knowing he is a Jew by body, but allowing his mind to stray from his real being. In the film, the most obvious violation of human rights is the right to religion, as the Jews were persecuted. This persecution also goes along with the right that all men are born free and equal, the most massive human rights violation during WWII. The Jews, although a religion and not a race, were believed to be of entirely different blood than the “pure-bred” Germans. According to the lessons the Hitler Youth would learn, they had distinct characteristics, such as ape like walks that could tell them apart in a crowd. As shown by the scene in class, the Germans had measurement tools that would determine a Jew. Yet these “tools” pronounced Solly an Aryan, showing their ineffectiveness. I found this scene an important one to understanding the Nazi youth, because it showed their true cluelessness. They were all completely brainwashed to believe the Jews were inhuman creatures. Most of the young boys had probably never even seen a Jew, yet the pride they felt for the Reich was enough to believe everything they heard. When singing “sink the knifes into Jewish flesh and bones,” the Hitler Youth showed their strive towards killing off these humans they are taught to dehumanize. This scene not only shows the dehumanization of the Jews, but of the Germans as well. I thought the film successfully captured both sides, effectively showing how incredibly brainwashed most of the Germans were. They were raised from a young age and taught that they were superior to all. The scene when Solly finds out Leni’s only incentive for a relationship was to produce an Aryan child for the Reich provides the audience with a true account of the pride Germans felt for their country. All other races were inferiors, and it was their job to carry on the Aryan race.