The Death Mills

The Man Behind "Europa! Europa!"

Here are a few articles about Solomon Perel...

LA Times

History

NY Times

No Academy Award

"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?

20 lbs

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?

Response to ABML

Please respond to one (or both, if you are an overachiever) of the two questions below in response to the novel. Feel free as well to make other comments related to the novel.

1. It has often been said that major historical events provide an opportunity to see humanity's darkest side, as well as humanity's best side. What examples from the novel illustrate both points? Can you think of historical events from your lifetime that can be explained from each perspective? Give some examples.

2. There were so many instances in the text when someone did something that seemed insignificant for Gerda, yet it affected her strongly. Name some of those things and discuss how they had such an impact on her. Are there things that happen in your own life that might seem insignificant to others, yet are very encouraging to you?

Week of 11/11

I'm so glad you all enjoyed "Europa! Europa!" and I hope that you feel the same about "Escape from Sobibor" this week. While I have not yet looked closely at the cards to see how many read and how many didn't, I will admit to being somewhat disappointed at your participation and interest in the seminar. I feel like we have been doing so much better lately and I want you to keep it up. For a few of you with whom I have had direct conversations-- THANK YOU! You have made a massive improvement and I am so grateful.

Monday, 11/11
Finish seminar
Camps discussion/lecture
Watch "ABML"

Tuesday, 11/12
Resistance

Wednesday, 11/13
"Escape from Sobibor"

Thursday, 11/14
Finish "Escape"
Finish all of resistance

Friday, 11/15
Relief day

Week of November 4

This week is a mix of random things, but the biggest is to have All But My Life finished.

Monday, 11/4
Work of Memorial Project

Tuesday, 11/5
No Class

Wednesday, 11/6
ABML Book Circles
Letter to a liberator

Thursday, 11/7
Watch "Europa! Europa!"

Friday, 11/8
Finish it

Josef Neuhaus- Arrival and Daily Life in Auschwitz-Birkenau

Father Patrick DesBois

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?

Week of 10/28

I really appreciate those of you who are working so hard on your Memorial projects. I think they are going to turn out fantastic and you will really feel accomplished. This week will bring more information on the actual camps as well as a day that I started last year and really felt that they benefitted from. I'm looking forward to that day very much.

Monday, 10/28
Work on Memorial Project

Tuesday, 10/29
Camps E and R
Ecphrastic poetry due

Wednesday, 10/30
Camp Stations Information Day

Thursday, 10/31
Maus II Seminar

Friday, 11/1
Round table discussion

Week of 10/21

I may have missed last week, and I'm sorry. This week is going to be moving us into the much heavier stuff, so you need to be ready.

Monday, 10.21
Wannsee Conference clip

Tuesday, 10.22
Deportations

Wednesday, 10.23
Finish deportations

Thursday, 10.24


Friday, 10.25
Euthanasia program
Mobile killing squads

Monday, 10/28, is when we will work on our memorial projects again. Be ready for that. You cannot spend the period just wasting time. WORK, WORK, WORK. :)

Week of 9/30

Just when we really start getting to the hard stuff (this week), we get a week off (next week). That will be nice for us.

Monday, 9/30
Maus I Discussion
Salvaged Pages Discussion
Read Salvaged Pages

Tuesday, 10/1
Book Thief Proj due
Lodz Ghetto notes
Poetry
Ghettos

Wednesday, 10/2
Rumkowski
Journal Assignment 4

Thursday, 10/3
Share Journal 4
Ghettos
"To the Little Polish Boy"
Salvaged Pages

Friday, 10/4
Journal for hw
Evaluation

Week of 9/23

I am so excited to see your presentations this week and also for us to start THE BOOK THIEF!!!! :)

Monday, 9/23
Presentations

Tuesday, 9/24
Watch "Swing Kids"

Wednesday, 9/25
Finish "Swing Kids"

Thursday, 9/26
The Book Thief

Friday, 9/27
The Book Thief

Week of 9/16

We will be moving toward the ending of this unit this week and next.

Monday, 9/16
Kristallnacht

Tuesday, 9/17
Library/Lab

Wednesday, 9/18
Library/Lab

Thursday, 9/19
Catch up
Reading Day, Maus

Friday, 9/20
Reading Day, Maus

Week of 9/9

This week's schedule is somewhat disrupted (not even sure exactly how much), but we will push through. This week is the beginnings of the Nazi regime, Kristallnacht, etc. I am switching one thing on the calendar, by the way...

Monday, 9/9

College Fair

Salvaged Pages reading day

Tuesday, 9/10

Weimar Republic

Wednesday, 9/11

Nazi Germany's Anti-Jewish policy

Discussion

Thursday, 9/12

Kristallnacht jigsaw

Friday, 9/13

Watch "I'm Still Here"

Week of 9/2

We are starting to get past the foundations and into the core of the course. I am looking forward to taking this journey with you.

Monday, 9/2
Have fun!!!

Tuesday, 9/3
Judaism discussion

Wednesday, 9/4
Propaganda E and R

Thursday, 9/5
Propaganda

Friday, 9/6
Propaganda

Jewish Life Pre-WWII, Day 2

Carryover from Friday:
You need to complete your research and write your two paragraphs about the towns your photos originated from. In addition, try and locate the towns on your map I gave to you on Friday.

Assignment #1- Photo Response:
You brought a photograph from your own collection that in some way matches one of your researched photographs. Please write an organized, well thought out response in paragraph form that addresses the following questions. Don't just answer the questions, but rather use them to help you form a personal reflection paragraph.
In examining your researched photos, identify evidence that suggests that life was normal for Jews prior to the Nazis.
What did you discover as you looked through your own family's photos in comparison to those you had researched? Which photo of your family did you choose that relates and why?
How do the photos show the similarities between you, your family, or your community to those in European Jewish life prior to WWII?
What conclusions can you draw from this activity? What is your emotional response to this?

Assignment #2- Living On and Biography
Click on the Living On link that can be found here and select a Survivor, Refugee, or Hidden Child to research. Come tell me which person you have selected because each student will need to select a different member of Living On. Read the biography for that person and look at artifacts, etc. If there is a video available, watch it. Complete a rough timeline for the life of the person you have chosen. You will then complete another researched paragraph about the town where the Living On person you have chosen lived during the Holocaust.


All of this information is due in class tomorrow.

Week of 8/26

This week we are going to delve more deeply into Jewish life and culture, history, and religion. We will have a guest speaker this week, something I am really looking forward to. I loved having him last year and I hope you will enjoy it.

Monday, 8/26
Research

Tuesday, 8/27
Share and Discuss

Wednesday, 8/28
"Image Before My Eyes"
Give out "To Life!"

Thursday, 8/29
Guest speaker

Friday, 8/30
Judaism discussion, activity

Jewish Life Pre-WWII

In order to better understand what Jewish cultural and communal life was like in Europe prior to WWII, you will be finding photographs from that time period and analyzing them, as well as researching the town(s) where the photos were taken. Follow the assigments below in order, working at your own pace.

Sidenote: Spend a few minutes looking around the Holocaust Museum website. That link is here.

Assignment #1 Photo Collection
Think of two words that symbolize "everyday life". Ex: shopping, school, family time, sports, etc. Go to the USHMM Photo archives collection and type your word into the search engine. Don't pick the very first picture you find. Instead, browse the pictures. Spend some time looking at what is available and thinking about them. Your photo cannot be dated AFTER Nazi occupation, which varied by country. Below is a list of Nazi occupation dates:
Austria March 1938
Poland Sept 1939
Czech March 1939
Denmark 1944 but not really
Norway April 1940
Holland May 1940
Belgium, Luxembourg, France June 1940
Transylvania 1940
Greece April 1941
Yugoslavia April 1941
Russia June 1941
Hungary 1944
Slovakia, Romania 1940
Italy-->Albania April 1939
Sov Union -->Poland 1939
Sov U --> Finland 1940
Sov U --> Romania June 1940

The link to the archives is here.

Once you have found a photo for each key word that you really like, right click on it, copy it, and paste it into a word doc. Also copy and paste ONLY the date and locale (no other info like captions). Print it.

Photo requirements are that it must have people in it, cannot be what is classified as a portrait, and must be prior to German occupation.

Assignment #2 Photo Analysis
Use the worksheet provided to answer questions about ONE of the photos.

Assignment #3 Photo Research
Look up each town from your two photographs. You need to write a well-researched paragraph for each in which you will note the following:
How large was the town/city's Jewish population and how long had Jews been living there?
What was the Jewish life/culture in that town/city like prior to the Nazi invasion?
Where is or was that town/city located?
When and how did the town/city come under Nazi rule?
What was the fate of this particular town's/city's Jews during the Holocaust? What about the country?

Week of 8/19

I have enjoyed our discussions most days. I really hope that you can see the importance of the groundwork we are laying and also that you understand the value of participating in discussion. I told you from the beginning that this class doesn't work well unless people are willing to participate, so let's all get there! :)

Monday, 8/19
Unit 1 Test

Tuesday, 8/20
Elements of drama, begin "Fiddler"

Wednesday, 8/21
"Fiddler"

Thursday, 8/22
Finish "Fiddler", discussion

Friday, 8/23
Pre-WWII Jewish Life
Research photos

Ready for a Great Semester!

And I hope you are too. I am glad you have chosen to take Holocaust Literature. I typically get great feedback regarding this class and I hope it will be one you are grateful you have chosen to take.

Here is our first full week's schedule:

Monday, 8/12
Stereotyping

Tuesday, 8/13
GATTACA
(Bring form!)

Wednesday, 8/14
GATTACA and discussion

Thursday, 8/15
Racism

Friday, 8/16
Holocaust/Shoah
anti Semitism
Genocide