The purple triangle was a concentration camp badge used by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

to identify Bibelforsher (that is

Bible Student movement The Bible Student movement is a Millennialist Restorationist Christian movement. It emerged in the United States from the teachings and ministry of Charles Taze Russell (1852–1916), also known as Pastor Russell, and his founding of the Zion' ...

and

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

) in Nazi Germany. The purple triangle was introduced in July 1936 with other concentration camps such as those of Dachau and

Buchenwald Buchenwald (; 'beech forest') was a German Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within the Altreich (Old Reich) territori ...

following in 1937 and 1938. In the winter of 1935–36, before the onset of the war, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been reported to make up 20–40% of the prisoners in concentration camps. Although Jehovah's Witnesses made up the vast majority of those wearing the purple triangle (over 99%), a few members of other small pacifist religious groups were also included.

Background

Jehovah's Witnesses came into conflict with the Nazi regime because they refused to use the

Hitler salute The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened han ...

, which conflicted with their beliefs. Because refusing to use the Hitler salute was considered a crime, they were arrested, and their children attending school were expelled, detained and separated from their families. When Germany made military enlistment mandatory, they were persecuted because they refused to bear arms. Being politically neutral, they also refused to vote in the elections.King, Christine. "Leadership Lessons from History: Jehovah's Witnesses." The International Journal of Leadership in Public Services 7, no. 2 (2011): 178–185. . Based on the

Nuremberg Laws The Nuremberg Laws (, ) were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on 15 September 1935, at a special meeting of the Reichstag convened during the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party. The two laws were the Law ...

, those who were also classified as ethnic Jews wore a badge comprising a purple triangle superimposed on a yellow triangle.

References

External links

Jehovah's Witnesses Stand Firm Against Nazi AssaultUS Holocaust Memorial Museum summary
* ttps://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09637490600624691 "Jehovah's Witnesses in National Socialist concentration camps, 1933–45 by Johannes S. Wrobel, Religion, State and Society vol. 34, no. 2 (June 2006), 89–125
Purple Triangles: A Story of Spiritual Resistance
by Jolene Chu, originally published in '' Judaism Today'', No. 12, Spring 1999
"On Auschwitz" (17): prisoners with purple triangles – Jehovah’s Witnesses in Auschwitz
by the official podcast of the Auschwitz Memorial, 2023
They Triumphed Over Persecution
''

The Watchtower ''The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom'', or simply known as The Watchtower, is an illustrated religious magazine, published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Jehovah's Witnesses distribute ''The Watchtower� ...

'' March 1, 2003 * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Purple Triangle Terminology of Nazi concentration camps Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses Symbols introduced in 1938 Triangles

Background

See also

References

External links