From early on in World War II, a big part of the Nazi’s policy was to kill people on a massive scale. The party targeted those labeled as enemies of the state, sexually deviant, and racially inferior, especially Jews.
Nazi described their enemies as human beings whose lives were unimportant, and they should be outright murdered.
As the war raged on, the policy morphed into Hitler’s “final solution,” The end goal was to exterminate all Jews.
As part of the plan, Nazi Germany built concentration camps where millions of Jews were deprived of food, health care, and basic human needs. It was a genocide of biblical proportion.
A good number of Jews survived the genocide thanks to Allied soldiers liberating the territories previously occupied by Nazi Germany and resistance movements scattered across Europe.
During his time in the French Resistance, Marcel Marceau would often find himself smuggling Jewish children from France to safety in Switzerland.
He performed mime acts to keep the kids quiet on the way. After the war, he became the world’s best-known mime artist.
10 /10 A Fan Of Charlie Chaplin
Marcel Marceau was born to a Jewish family on March 23, 1923, in Strasbourg, France. Marcel discovered Charlie Chaplin in the movies and became an ardent fan as a young boy.
The son of a kosher butcher dreamed of starring in a silent film someday. He kept practicing his acts, mainly in front of some friends who found the stunt entertaining.
Years went by, then suddenly Nazi Germany occupied France. Marcel and his family fled for their lives to Limoges.
His father was eventually captured in 1994 and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. Marcel then joined the French Resistance.
9 /10 First Real Mime Act
During his time in the French Resistance, he put his mime skill to a lifesaving purpose. When Nazi Germany occupied France, Marcel helped Jewish children escape to Switzerland.
He dressed as a boy scout and told the kids that he wanted to take them on vacation in the Alps.
To keep the kids in good spirit and at the same time avoid detection from patrolling Nazis, Marcel performed silent mime acts in front of the kids. Marcel made the journey three times, saving hundreds of Jewish children.