The USSR
To the Russians, winning the war was far more important than rescueing the lives of the Jews. Their ideology say the war as a
struggle between imperialisms. After the Nazis attacked the USSR on June 22,1941, the war then became a world struggle of
"progressive humanity" against fascism. The Russians viewed the situation as a whole and prioritized to their adventage. The rescue
of Jews obviously would not bring them any good, therefore, they focused on their war, not the lives of the others. As a matter of fact,
they did nothing to harm or save the Jews. The liberation of the Jews by the Soviet army was simply a coincidence that they
advanced far enough to reach the camps.
Early in the war, Soviet guards stationed along the Soviet borders, preventing the crossing of Jewish escapees. Later the guards were
removed and thousands flooded into Soviet heartland. However, they did not seem to creat any economic problem, for no one really
cared about them or spared anything to them. As a result, masses of Jews died of starvation or typhoid. Of the 400,000 Jews who
fled into the USSR, only about half survived. Appeals to save Jews were not ansered. All contacts with the Nazis for rescueing
people were disallowed. It was not because of a possible anti-Jewish positon, but more due to the disregard for human life.
The United States
Though borned supposely a perfect democratic nation, the United States actually shamed its reputation. Throughout most of the war,
the U. S. government tried to think of the Nazis' persecution of Jews was due to their political or religious beliefs. This concept partly
rooted in the antisemitism existed in America. Antisemitism influenced the American policies of rescueing the Jews.
The United States finally rescued some of the Jews as the advancing troops reached the camps. However, U. S. did put minimal effort into to any rescue action. Auschwitz could have been bombed but wasn't. The Congress, too, showed little interest. Newspapers actually hided the news of the Jews' mass murder by placing them in inside pages. Even influential Jews close to the President for one reason or another did little to help. Thus the main concern for the United States was to win the war as quickly as possible.
Britain
In fighting a desperate battle for its own survival, Britain coincidentally saved the Jews of Palestein, North Africa and of the British empire from the
claws of the Nazis. However, Britain showed no sign of caring for the Jews. The May 1939 White Paper on immigration to Palestine
stated that 75,000 people would be admitted before the end of immigration. The British tried to avoid further immigration after the limit
by not granting the promised 75,000 entry permits. When the war finally broke out, the British stopped enemy nationals from entering
Palestine. Jews were no exception.
Since immigration by the British policies were impossible, Jewish organizations tried to rescue more Jews through illegal immigration.
Between September 1939 and March 1941, twenty-three ships brought to Palestine 10,628 refugees. The British made every effort
to stop the ships. They hunted the ships on the seas and tried to persuade local governments to stop the flowing of the ships.
The British intervention indirectly led to more than 1,000 death,