I have told you how much I LOOOOVE this ending of this class... even at the same time, it makes me sad to know that the sand is STREAMING through the hourglass. :(
Monday, 12/3
Band of Brothers
Liberation
Tuesday, 12/4
Finish Displaced Persons
Sunflower Activity
Nuremburg Trials
Explain Final projects
Wednesday, 12/5
Lab to research for final projects
Thursday, 12/6
Lab to research
Friday, 12/7
Personal Responsibility
What Now?
Reflect on the following statement from the Talmud:
“Most people only dream their nightmares. However, I and my fellow survivors actually lived this experience,” said Philip Bialowitz, one of only seven remaining survivors of the Nazi extermination camp, Sobibor, where an estimated 250,000 Jews, including most of his family, were murdered. “We fought hard for our dignity and our lives. The inhumanity of the Nazis knew no limits.”
“Shema” by Primo Levi
You who live secure
In your warm houses
Who return at evening to find
Hot food and friendly faces:
Consider whether this is a man,
Who labors in the mud
Who knows no peace
Who fights for a crust of bread
Who dies at a yes or a no.
Consider whether this is a woman,
Without hair or name
With no more strength to remember
Eyes empty and womb cold
As a frog in winter.
Consider that this has been:
I commend these words to you.
Engrave them on your hearts
When you are in your house, when
you walk on your way,
When you go to bed, when you rise.
Repeat them to your children.
Or may your house crumble,
Disease renders you powerless,
Your offspring avert their faces from you.
Here is a link to a website about Philip Bialowitz where I got this information. Any response to his story, the movie, the poem?
We are certainly winding this train down! I just wanted to give you a heads up of all that is left. First of all, we are going to take time Fri to complete the timeline activity. Therefore, you need to bring all items you are placing in your capsule, a written description of each, and whatever supplies you need to remake the container.
Everyone traveling to Mayfield with me to do the play should have your permission form turned in. I need the group of people acting in the play to be in my room at 11:30 and the extra people to be here at noon. I am going to have to make two trips. You guys remember your dress rehearsal tomorrow during Connections.
Art Group, I need to know if your work is complete.
5K Group, we need to chat soon and get an update. Grant and Justin, when can you go over with me to Rolling Hills?
Likely I will assign a take-home test over the last two units. Wait to hear for sure on that.
Extra Credit option for everyone/anyone: There is a book left that I have done some years and not done others. This year I am making it extra credit. It is incredibly short, well-written, and funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. It is called Farewell to Manzanar and it's about the Japanese-American internment camps. If you choose to read it, it is due 12/17 and you need to get a copy from me ASAP.
We will research next week and you will ALL present your creative research projects on 12/13 and 12/14.
HONORS ONLY: This is it. I need to see your notes next week for your paper.
Your final research paper is due when you present your creative project on 12/13-12/14. Your final two assignments are both easy and interesting.
The first is to research a Holocaust memorial from ANYWHERE in the world and bring pictures of it and write an analysis of it. What makes it so meaningful? What drew you to it? What is the background story of the subject of the memorial AND the memorial itself? Was there any objection to it? Etc. Due 12/17
Last of all, I want you to create a children's book based on the Holocaust. This can be about something specific from the Holocaust or it can take a specific message that is Holocaust-related and focus on it. Make these incredible, please. Due 12/19
What rights do you think children are entitled to and why? Why do you think the rights of children are violated so often? What are the short-term and long-term dangers for a society that does not protect and care for its children?
We're back! It's time! Hope you guys had a fabulous Thanksgiving break.
Monday, 11/26
The Children
Tuesday, 11/27
Rescue
The Cage
Wednesday, 11/28
Seminar over The Cage
Thursday, 11/29
Rescue and America's Response
Friday, 11/30
BOB, Liberation
Get your tissues ready-- I'm about to wax poetic. ;) Seriously, though... You guys will forever remain one of the best Holocaust Lit classes I have ever had. My comfort level in this class, and the way you treat each other with such kindness and respect, will never be forgotten. I love your passion for the topic and your involvement in your Memorial Projects and your attention to the details. You provide the best hope for the future of our society and that makes my heart so happy. Thank you for being who you are and for caring about this topic and for the commitment I know you will make to better the world around you. The thought of how fast the next month will go after we get back from break makes me so incredibly sad. I can't imagine starting my days next semester in any way other than with your sweet faces every morning. I guess Sandra will have to carry the torch for the rest of you in first period. :)
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving... the best is yet to come! :)
[Sidenote: I would like for you to finish your timeline projects by the time you leave for the semester. I hope to work in some class time, but not sure that will happen. You might have to divide up the work that is left and finish it. 5K group, we need to talk right after the break and get an update on what's left to be done before Christmas. Art group, if yours is finished, I need to know. I am looking for a good spot to hang it. Play people, I need your permission forms by Wednesday of that week. Also, if anyone's parent can drive, please let me know. Honors people, I need your skeletal outline by Friday of this week. I would love to see a thesis statement the Monday after Thanksgiving. EVERYONE: FINISH THE CAGE. IT'S DUE WHEN YOU GET BACK.]
Well boy, oh boy, are we BUSY! I cannot WAIT to see how your memorial projects turn out! This week we will finish class time on those and then work on resistance. I would recommend, if you have time over the break (once you have read The Cage), to watch "Defiance". It's wonderfully done, if a little rough in places.
Monday, 11/12
Work on memorial projects
Tuesday, 11/13
Work on memorial projects
Wednesday, 11/14
Resistance
Thursday, 11/15
"Escape from Sobibor"
Friday, 11/16
Finish "Escape", then work on resistance
HOMEWORK- FINISH THE CAGE!!!
Below are four local service organizations, three of which I mentioned when I pitched our memorial idea to you. Several of you have asked me about them and so I thought I would just link them to the blog. In addition, I am planning to go work Refuge Community Center's Family Christmas event, so if anyone from the class wants to accompany me, feel free. The last link is to the organization that the 5K group has selected for their benefit. Check them out too!
Family Promise
Refuge Community Center
Transition Furniture
People for Care and Learning - Building a City
I wasn't originally planning to post any more about "Europa, Europa," but I was interested in how differently this class seemed to feel than some of my class members last year. Perel "became" "racially pure", not just "racially pure", but actually a German soldier and then a member of the Hitler Youth, in this movie. Most of you seemed to view this as admirable, a triumph of sorts because he "outsmarted" the Nazis. Some in the past have been almost morally outraged at his decision, and have viewed it as a betrayal of his people and his brothers. I would venture to guess that Holocaust survivors who have viewed this movie also have varying opinions on the topic. For the sake of argument, I just wondered if there was anyone who did not speak up in class on the opposing side but would like to do so on here. If this post speaks to anyone, I am very curious to hear your opinions.
We are taking most of this week to start our Memorial Project, which will mean planning and executing one.
Monday, 11/5
Camps conclusion
Medical experimentation
Dachau documentary
Tuesday, 11/6
Abbreviated day
Wednesday, 11/7
Memorial project
Thursday, 11/8
Memorial project
Friday, 11/9
Memorial project
Abbreviated day
"Europa, Europa" won a Golden Globe Award from LA Film Critics. However, the German film committee decided not to nominate it for an Academy Award. The response in Germany to this film was, for the most part, negative. Some called the main character "opportunistic and cynical," while others questioned his morality. What is your reaction to the denial for this film to be eligible for an Academy Award by its own county's film critics?
Gerda Weissman Klein and her family members were told that they could carry 20 lbs worth of items when they were deported. Look around your room, your house, your car, your school... can you imagine if your entire life, your history, your life story had to be collected into a 20 lb package? What impact must this have had on Gerda and her family? What impact would it have on you? Is there a societal difference between the world she was living in prior to the Holocaust and our materialistic country?
Another FOUR DAY WEEK!!! I have put two new blog posts under this one... one about the priest I mentioned the other day and another about daily life in Auschwitz. I am looking forward to this week because it will contain LOTS of discussion. :)
Tuesday, 10/23
Turn in timelines if you haven't already
Camps Echoes and Reflections lesson
Wednesday, 10/24
1/2 period- Honors people lead in Metamorphosis activity
Camps lesson
Thursday, 10/25
Maus I and II Seminar
Be prepared for both books on this date
Friday, 10/26
Round Table Discussion over "Sarah's Key", lessons since 10/8, Remembrance Activity
Time to complete timeline
I read a while back about a French priest who has taken on the mission of discovering every mass grave of Jews in the Ukraine. It is a pretty interesting story and the link to the NY TImes article is below. I am also linking a podcast (below that) from the USHMM about it.
NY Times article
Podcast
If you read the article or listen to the podcast, I would love to hear your thoughts on it. These would have been the victims of the mobile killing squads we talked about today.
What is the importance of knowing where someone is buried, of having an actual grave to visit? Why do people return to the scene of accidents and deaths? Why are these things so important to us as humans?
Well hello there, FOUR DAY WEEK! :) I sincerely hope the timeline project is something you are interested in because I just think it is one of the coolest projects I have done in a while. We have a little bit of a breather a couple of days this week when I give you all some in-class time to read Maus II and All But My Life to prep for the seminars in a week or so. We also will get to the camps in depth this week. In fact, Monday's lesson is very emotionally draining-- the information, that is.
Monday, 10/15
Maus II/ABML Reading DayEcphrastic poetry due
Tuesday, 10/16
T-4 Euthanasia program and Mobile Killing Squads
Wednesday, 10/17
Maus II/ABML Reading Day
Time to work with group on timeline
Thursday, 10/18
Camps Echoes and Reflections
Here are a few of my favorites from this activity:
To the Little Boy
by Oleg
Child, your courage and heroic deed gave me a sense of hope
Your face shines like the sun in its full glory.
The evil men, they stand apart and oppress the helpless,
forgetting that death reigns over their souls and they rejoice and laugh as though they have control of the innocent.
We are a nation of people who have lived through oppression over the ages of great and mighty civilization.
Little boy, do not fret, for it is you who lives and the cowards who die.
To the Little Girl: "See the Light"
by Sarah
Dear child, do not be afraid
The bloodied hands may grasp and claw at you
But do not let them destroy your heart
Dear child, do not be afraid
For a light so pure and true
Rains down upon you with each step you take
Dear child, do not be afraid
For innocent blood seeps from your scars
Not point, nor tar
Dear child, do not be afraid
Though you feel alone
You will always have the light to guide you
Dear child, do not be afraid
For your heart can still sing, still beat
You are not a broken bird yet
Dear child, do not be afraid
After the terror is over, after you've taken your last breath
You will see the light.
Finally you will see the light.
Just Another Day
by Holly
Another day of sweat
sliding down my skin
palms caked with mud or ash
(I can't tell the difference anymore)
stomach gnawing at my mind
There is yelling and gunshots
(my midnight lullabies)
and a boy with a pale face
battered bloody knees
rattling bones
that can be heard a mile away
My head is turned in his direction
and fear speaks for me
as my hands stiffen in the air
Today is only another day
of false hopes buried beneath us
of innocent children frozen in fear
of the flash of a life take before me
And I can do
nothing
but watch.
Poem
by Savannah
I would like to say something
to you, Nazi soldier
How could you do this?
Pointing that gun
at an innocent child
a frightened old man
a lonely woman
How could you do this?
are you doing this by force
or do you enjoy seeing the fear on the faces
of the innocent child
the frightened old man
and the lonely woman
How could you do this?
Can you sleep at night
Knowing of what you've done
Supporting persecution
of people who you claim to be subhuman
How can you let this happen
You're disgusting.
Only a Child
by Dan
Why would you take any more?
The hunger took his father
and the sorrow took his mother
Left him in my arms for me to carry
It's not that he's a burden,
no. I have food to share.
Why would you take any more?
he's only a child
he's only a child
why would you take his only possession?
he's only a child
he hasn't grown
he's too young to understand.
Maybe it's best you take him
anywhere is better than here.
To the Nazi Soldier
by Kylee
Do you see the little boy?
with his arms raised,
small and scared.
Do you see his mother?
Helpless, bitter, and fearful.
Do you remember being a little boy?
What made you into this?
Why? Why would you become a murderer?
The cause of a little boy's fear.
The reason a mother feels helpless.
If only that little boy had a gun.
Would you then feel scared and helpless?
Heartless Man
by Madison
To the heartless so called "man.
How could you stand there and feel no shame
Your face shows no emotion or signs of remorse
You are clearly the "man" to blame.
To the heartless so called "man"
You stand there with steady hands
And pride-filled eyes
You are clearly the "man" to blame.
To the heartless so called "man"
I hope you remember that sorrow-filled day
Haunts you and is there to stay
You are clearly the "man" to blame.
To the Little Jewish Boy
by Olivia
Little Jewish boy, stand strong.
You are courageous.
You are brave.
You are admirable.
Do not fear the Nazi soldier with his gun held high.
He is a coward.
Do not listen to the horror in the voices around you.
They don't realize.
They don't realize that when the bullets pierce your skin
when they slam into your heart
your brain
your lungs
You will have done what they all have longed to do.
You will have escaped.
You will be gone forever from the place of blackness
the place of hunger
the place of screams.
You will enter a field with flowers.
your bedroom with your teddy bear
a fluffy cloud above the world.
Your own personal heaven.
Little Jewish boy, stand strong.
Where you're going is better than where you stand now.
It was There
by Sierra
It was there.
There I stood motionless and small.
There I stood staring into the eyes of death.
Was I afraid? Yes I must say that I
knew that I would stand there only
temporarily. Never will I have to stand
there again staring at the face of death.
It was there.
There I waited for courage to arrive.
There I looked into deep dark eyes.
There I surrendered but my heart did not.
There I was gazing into the eyes of hate.
It was there.
There I asked the question why do they hate me?
There I thought it will all be over soon.
And it was there where my final thoughts and breath were.
There in the ghetto in the spot where the trigger was pulled.
It was there.
From the Little Boy
by Melissa
I Raise my hands
In celebration of a new wonder in my life
I Raise my hands
to beckon my father to hoist me into his arms and hold me tight.
I Raise my hands
to reach, to stretch as closely as possible
to something just out of my fingertips
Happiness
Safety
Compassion
Hope
Yet I do not
I do not have the choice
I Raise my hands high
because I am told to
because my back is threatened by my death
So I Raise my hands,
higher than ever before.
Because that is my only option.
The Little Boy
by Grant
My sides exposed,
my knees naked.
The Polish morning tightens my fingers,
Heat from my underarms
Steals the lost warmth through the hole in my shoe.
The gun steams, released the soul it
just tore from the earth
I cannot be scared
my mother was strong.
I want to end this,
to kill them all,
then we would be free.
But my rock is a billion miles away, in my pocket,
and he will shoot me
before I can reach it.
The Dark-Haired Woman
by Kelsey
You could have been my child,
yes, you surely could have,
I knew your mother,
but I don't know her now.
I don't know you,
I was glad you weren't my child,
I wanted to protect my daughter,
and you were there,
Shielding her,
I was glad,
I hate myself,
I hate myself for being glad,
you could have been my child.
The Little Boy
by Justin
I stand with hands up,
hat on, wearing my Star of David.
What have I done?
Why am I here?
Have I done something wrong?
I stand with hands up,
hat on, wearing my Star of David.
People watching.
Guns pointing.
No one does anything.
What have I done?
Why are guns pointing at me?
Why won't anyone do anything?
I stand with hands up,
hat on, wearing my Star of David.
Waiting.
Just waiting for something to happen.
Waiting for help.
What have I done?
Why will no one help?
Why will no one help?
I stand with hands up,
hat on, wearing my Star of David.
In need of help.
In need of the help that no one will give.
What have I done?
Why does everyone hate me?
How hard is it to help?
I stand with hands up,
hat on, wearing my Star of David.
I
Need
Help.
We all
Need
Help.
The help that no one will give.
Below are photos of the book covers that we repurposed as well as the quote assignment... This group did a phenomenal job with this assignment and I am THRILLED with the results...
This is an incredibly interesting read about resistance... we will get to the topic in depth later, but Grant sent me this and I wanted to get it out to you all while it was fresh on my mind. It is pretty long, but totally worthwhile.
The Man Who Volunteered for Auschwitz
When we started this semester, I wasn't totally sure what this class would be like. I remember thinking at first that you guys were going to be great in discussion, then going through a period where few people talked and getting very discouraged. However, I am going to say, you guys are awesome. There are some of you who have participated since day one and I absolutely see that and appreciate it SO much. What has brought me great joy recently has been those of you who had not previous had much to say who are now really beginning to participate in discussion and it's so incredibly because your comments are SO insightful and right on target! Those Book Thief quote projects and covers were absolutely among the best I have EVER gotten. I love that you are getting into the spirit of this class, even though I know being fully vested means that some days (like Thursday), you are going through the rest of your day in a fog of despair. I felt that way too on Thursday. This week is sure to be interesting, with one day that will be a first for any takers of Holocaust Lit (and me!) with our Skype discussion.
Monday, 10.8
Explain ecphrastic assignment
Petr Ginz Keynote
Evaluation over this unit
VISUAL RESPONSE TO QUOTE DUE
SALVAGED PAGES DUE
Tuesday, 10.9
Skype discussion over ghettos
Wednesday, 10.10
Wannsee Conference
Thursday, 10.11
Deportations
Friday, 10.12
T4 Euthnasia Program
Mobile Killing Squads
I read a book called Reading Lolita in Tehran. Some of you in AP will have an opportunity to read it as well. It is a very interesting book that is a memoir about a teacher in Iran who gathered seven of her students in her home for a book club group to study forbidden Western classics. It is fascinating. However, I can't help but notice a few similarities between the situation in the book (limited freedoms imposed by the government) and situations in Nazi Germany in the late 1930's. There is one passage in particular that I would like to see if you have a comment on. The passage is copied below, with credit to the author, Azar Nafisi:
"I had asked my students if they remember the dance scene in Invitation to a Beheading: the jailor invites Cincinnatus to a dance. They begin a waltz and move out into the hall. In a corner they run into a guard: 'They described a circle near him and glided back into the cell, and now Cincinnatus regretted that the swoon's friendly embrace had been so brief.' This movement in circles is the main movement of the novel. As long as he accept the sham world the jailers impose upon him, Cincinnatus will remain their prisoner and will move within the circles of their creation. The worst crime committed by totalitarian mindsets is that they force their citizens, including their victims, to become complicit in their crimes. Dancing with your jailor, participating in your own execution, that is an act of utmost brutality. My students witnessed it in show trials in television and enacted it every time they went out into the streets dressed as they were told to dress. They had not become part of the crowd who watched the executions, but they did not have the power to protest them, either.
The only way to leave the circle, to stop dancing with the jailor, is to find a way to preserve one's individuality, that unique quality which evades description but differentiates one human being from the other. That is why, in their world, rituals-- empty rituals-- become so central. There was not much difference between our jailers and Cincinnatus's executioners. They invaded all private spaces and tried to shape ever gesture, to force us to become one of them, and in that itself was another form of execution."
It is long, I know, and detailed. But really read it and think about it deeply. It has a lot to say.
I also learned a further Holocaust connection to another item that Ilan Ramon took with him on that fateful shuttle mission. You can read the story of a Torah scroll and comment on this story.
“Moon Landscape” connects the dream of one Jewish boy who is a symbol of the talent lost in the Holocaust, to the journey of one Jewish astronaut, who is a symbol of our revival. (Quote from Jewish education website)
We will talk a little in class about Petr and Ilan Ramon (the first Israeli astronaut who was killed in the Columbia space shuttle accident). I have been so moved by different stories I have discovered about their connection. Below are a few quotes and the picture. Please feel free to comment on this topic.
"Being the first Israeli astronaut -- I feel I am representing all Jews and all Israelis," Ramon said. Referring to his mother and grandmother, who both survived imprisonment in Auschwitz, he added, "I'm the son of a Holocaust survivor -- I carry on the suffering of the Holocaust generation, and I'm kind of proof that despite all the horror they went through, we're going forward."
"Speaking to the New York-based American Society for Yad Vashem from the Houston, Texas Space Centre where he was in training, Ilan Ramon said, "I feel that my journey fulfills the dream of Petr Ginz 58 years on. A dream that is ultimate proof of the greatness of the soul of a boy imprisoned within the ghetto walls, the walls of which could not conquer his spirit. Ginz's drawings, stored at Yad Vashem, are a testimony to the triumph of the spirit."
I wanted to commemorate the spirit of both these great souls, Ilan and Petr, by repainting young Petr's landscape in such a way as to show both of them, side by side, looking on the Earth from the vantage point of the dream they shared...as I like to think they now are. You can see the results of my efforts below.
The next time you look at the stars, think of them. They died so that one day, our children may turn to look at the distant Earth and see the pain and strife of this life in it's proper perspective. "
Barry Munden, Feb.1, 2003
I am more excited than I care to admit about talking about The Book Thief on Monday. We will also have a Maus discussion this week, so make sure that book is complete. This week is a little bit questionable because we have a possible skype-date on Tuesday, so things could move a day ahead.
Monday, 10/1
The Book Thief Seminar
Tuesday, 10/2
Possible Skype
if not,
Maus discussion
Wednesday, 10/3
Introduction to Ghettos
Lodz Ghetto notes
Poetry
Book Thief projects due
Salvaged Pages assigned
Thursday, 10/4
Chaim Rumkowski
Journal 4-homework
Friday, 10/5
Ghettos
"To the Little Polish Boy"
Salvaged Pages discussion
We talked for a bit in class about "Swing Kids" and your reaction to it. If you would like to, use this as an opportunity to comment on the movie. What were the most striking images from the film? How did your emotional reactions change as you watched? What are all the things you can think of that the film seems to be about? Did this film remind you of other stories you have read or movies you have seen? What role did propaganda play in this film?
Got a few things coming up and I just wanted to put the list on here so that you would have a reminder. 1. Honors ONLY: Metamorphosis needs to be read by 10/12. I will give you an assignment over this work at that time. 2. Book Thief due Friday, 9/28.
This week is going to be a little bit of an easier week for us, both work-wise and content-wise. To say that I am excited about getting to The Book Thief on Friday is a HUGE understatement. I cannot WAIT to discuss it with you and I ADORE the activities we will undertake with that book. :)
Monday, 9/24
Reading Day for Maus
Tuesday, 9/25
Group presentations
Wednesday, 9/26
"Swing Kids"
Thursday, 9/27
"Swing Kids"
Friday, 9/28
THE BOOK THIEF!!!!
Hitler's Time Magazine Man of the Year cover
A recent article I read on Holocaust education
Any thoughts on either of these?
In 1821, Heinrich Heine wrote, "Where one burns books, one will, in the end, burn people." Consider what Heine meant by this statement. In your opinion, what is the danger of burning books? How, if at all, does burning books jeopardize human life?
[Note: Somewhat ironically, Heine was a noted German author who converted to Christianity from Judaism in the nineteenth century. According to the Nuremberg Laws, Heine would have been considered a Jew; therefore, his books were also burned and forbidden.]
Here is a link to some of the books/authors as well.
Last Friday was a real downer. I know that, and I am sorry that we started our weekend on that note. However, as I said to you in the beginning of the semester, this is a study of some pretty horrific events and there are going to many days that are real downers. It should be. It should upset you and make you feel bad and make you want to see a world where teenagers don't have to die because of who they are. I struggle sometimes with the heaviness of all of this because I know that you are young and that some of this material is beyond what you might be emotionally ready to handle. So I try to present it in a way that eases you into it. But then we have a day like Friday, and it all seems like more than we are ready for. I want you to understand, though, that even though it is a study of tragic events, there were so many bright spots and shining examples of the best of humanity, even in the midst of the worst of humanity. We will get to stories of rescue and resistance (not always physical) and liberation that will hopefully inspire us to be better people. We just have to learn about a lot of the evil in order to get to the good. So stick with me, brace yourselves, and keep that eagerness to learn more that I saw evidenced on Thursday. I LOVED that day, when there were more hands up to ask questions and get more information than I could even call on. This week is the real beginning of the downward fall for Germany and the Jews. Kristallnacht was that turning point. Keep asking the questions, putting yourselves in the shoes of the people we are reading and talking about...
Monday, 9/17
Kristallnacht jigsaw
Tuesday, 9/18
Kristallnacht
Primary/secondary sources activity
Homework: Journal entry
Wednesday, 9/19
Library for research
Thursday, 9/20
Library for research
Friday, 9/21
Reading day (Maus)
We studied a lot of different examples of Nazi propaganda in class today. I am posting a few examples on here, but not all. Which of the anti-Semitic examples of Nazi propaganda did you feel was the most "effective" for the Nazi idealogy? Which ones struck you the most?
