Justin Olmsteads Integrated Unit

Justin Olmstead 4492529
Teaching Humanities Integrated unit

Unit title The Holocaust and Jewish resistance
AUSVELS Level Year Level 10
AUSVELS learning focus, dimensions and standards
Learning Focus:

This unit will help students develop the ability to ask relevant questions;
critically analyse and interpret sources; consider context; respect and explain
different perspectives; develop and substantiate interpretations, and
communicate effectively.
1

Students will:
Understand that Nazi persecution, culminating in the Holocaust, was
incremental and didnt happen all at once

Understand that the Holocaust happened to individuals not the Jewish
race

Identify, plan and investigate (individually and as part of a team) specific
historical questions or issues
2

Identify and locate relevant sources, using ICT and other methods

develop questions about aspects of the past that require historical
argument

History Achievement Standard
Students will:
refer to key events, the actions of individuals and groups, and beliefs and
values toanalyse the causes and effects of events and developments.
3

explain the context for peoples actions in the past and explain the
significance of events and developments from a range of perspectives.
4

process, analyse and synthesise information from a range of primary and
secondary sources and use it as evidence to answer inquiry questions.

analyse sources to identify motivations, values and attitudes.

1
Ausvels History
2
Ausvels History
3
Ausvels History
4
Ausvels History
develop texts, particularly explanations and discussions, incorporating
historical argument. In developing these texts and organising and
presenting their arguments, [students] use historical terms and concepts,
evidence identified in sources.
5

Relevant sentences from Civics and Citizenship:
Students will:
investigate, using primary sources, how the Jews rights and
responsibilities as citizens, and democratic values andsocial justice and
equality were denied them by the Nazis, and what ways they used to
resist this persecution.

consider the effect of the Holocaust on Jewish human rights and social
justice issues at local, national and global levels.

Community engagement
Students will:
think critically about their own values, rights and responsibilities and
those of organisations and groups across a range of settings

explore the diversity in society during the class visit to the Holocaust
museum.
6

Relevant sentences from ICT:
The knowledge, skills and behaviours identified for this domain enable students
to:
develop new thinking and learning skills that produce creative and
innovative insights

develop more productive ways of working and solving problems
individually and collaboratively

express themselves in contemporary and socially relevant ways

communicate locally and globally to solve problems and to share
knowledge

understand the implications of the use of ICT and their social and ethical
responsibilities as users of ICT.

Synopsis

5
Ausvels History
6
Ausvels History
This unit is an investigation of the different ways the Jews resisted during the
Holocaust, while researching and analysing types of resistance. Through
individual research, group work, film and music analysis students will explore
the different ways Jews resisted Nazi persecution and the effectiveness of each
method. A major focus of the unit is the reality that the Jews were individual
people and not just a unified race, or united front resisting the Nazis, and had
their own personalities, jobs, abilities, families. The varied learning styles
supported within this unit will give all students a chance to actively engage with
the topic of Jewish resistance.

Focus questions
What was the Holocaust?
How did the Jews resist Nazi persecution?
In what ways did Jews resist Nazi persecution?
What was the goal of Jewish resistance?
What were the most successful methods of resistance? Why were they
successful?

Assessment strategies
A range of different methods of assessing the students work will be used for this
unit.

Informal assessments will incorporate discussion within the classroom, fostering
students analysis and discussion of their work, continually gauging what they
have learnt. Another informal assessment strategy employed will be checking
students work during class time.
Formal assessments will involve collecting and grading the range of tasks that
students complete work. These will include a creating a map, answering question
sheets, and completing a final research essay.
The final essay will be graded using a specifically designed rubric, which is listed
with the relevant assessment task.


Activities

1.) Introduction to the Holocaust
This activity introduces students to the Holocaust and the devastation it caused
the Jewish people. It situates the Nazis as a regime that sought to systematically
destroy the Jewish race for ideological reasons.
Key questions
1. What was the Holocaust?
2. Who perpetrated the atrocities and killings? How?
3. Who was affected?
4. Why did the perpetrators (Nazis) want to eradicate the Jews?

Materials
- Introduction to the Holocaust PowerPoint presentation

- Holocaust fact sheet

- YouTube video introducing the Nazi planning of Auschwitz and Jewish
experiences within this death camp:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n1x3lwSyhc

Procedures
Present Holocaust PowerPoint introduction, which outlines the causes and
perpetrators of the Holocaust and what the Jews endured. Encourage regular
discussions about different slides during the presentation, to gauge student
knowledge and to ensure their interaction.
Show short YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n1x3lwSyhc)
about the Nazis Final Solution and development of the Auschwitz death camp
to highlight the motives of the Nazis and the planning that went into trying to
eliminate the Jewish race. The video also features some harrowing accounts from
Jewish survivors that will emotionally engage the students.
Ask students to write down 5 6 things that they learned from the film about the
Holocaust. Discuss students answers with the class.
A Holocaust fact sheet is circulated among students.
Students are asked to consider what theyve learned so far (from the PowerPoint
presentation, YouTube video and class discussions), and with reference to the
Holocaust fact sheet (if they need it), to write down 3 things they would like to
know about the Holocaust. Explain that these questions will form the basis of
their research project at the end of the unit.

Appendix A: The Holocaust fact sheet

The Holocaust was the Nazi regimes deliberate, organized, and state-sponsored persecution and
murder of approximately six million European Jews. Holocaust is a word of Greek origin that means
sacrifice by fire.

Nazi ideology said that Germans were racially superior and that Jews were an inferior race and a threat
to the survival of Germany. Anti-Semitism, or hatred of Jews, had a centuries-long history in Germany
and throughout Europe, but reached its height during the Nazi era (1933-1945). The Nazis also claimed
that Roma (Gypsies), Slavs (Poles, Russians), and physically and mentally disabled people were sub-
human, and could therefore be treated inhumanely. Communists, socialists, Jehovahs Witnesses,
homosexuals and anyone who publically disagreed with the Nazi regime were also persecuted,
imprisoned, and murdered.

The Nazis came to power in 1933 when their leader, Adolf Hitler, was made chancellor. Hitler rose to
power in part by using Jews as scapegoats (made to bear the blame) for everything that had gone
wrong in Germanythe loss of WWI, the Treaty of Versailles that punished Germany after the war, and
the Great Depression. Jews were soon after forcibly removed from civil service jobs, medicine, the
judicial system, and the military. Jewish businesses were boycotted or shut down. The Nuremburg Laws
of 1935 denied Jews their German citizenship, forbade Jews to marry non-Jews, and took away most of
their political rights.

During Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass (November 9, 1938), a violent riot against Jews
organized by the Nazis, over 1,440 synagogues were burned, at least 91 people were murdered,
countless Jewish businesses and homes were vandalized and destroyed, and 30,000 Jews were sent to
Dachau, Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen and other concentration camps. By this point it had become very
difficult for German Jews to leave Germany because few countries would take them in. At this point, too,
it was difficult, if not impossible, for the world to claim it did not know how Jews were being treated in
Nazi Germany.

Once WWII began (September 1, 1939) and the Nazis overran Europe, Jews in conquered countries
were herded into ghettoswalled off sections of a city where the inhabitants lived in overcrowded,
unsanitary conditions with a lack of food, medical services, and heat. Starvation and disease led to
hundreds of thousands of deaths in the ghettos of Warsaw, Lodz, Vilnius, and many others. Many Jews
went into hiding, often relying on the kindness and bravery of non-Jewish friends. To hide a Jew was
dangerous and to be caught doing so meant prison or even death. Few Jews were able to survive the
war by hiding, as mostlike Anne Frank and her familywere found out and sent to concentration
camps.

In January 1942, high-ranking Nazi party members met at in the town of Wannsee to discuss the Final
Solution of the Jewish question. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were already in Nazi concentrations
camps being used as slave labor for the German war effort. Beginning later that year, the Nazis started
deportations from the ghettos and concentration camps to extermination campskilling centers in
Poland with specially designed gassing facilities, like Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Chelmno. With the
efficiency of the entire German state behind the effort, trains loaded with Jewish men, women and
children rolled daily into these killing centers. Most were sent directly to the gas chambers to be
murdered.

There were notable efforts to resist the Holocaust. A number of armed uprisings in the ghettos and
camps surprised the Nazis, but were ultimately put down. Some Jews escaped ghettos and joined
partisan movements fighting against the Nazis. Within the ghettos and camps acts of defiance were met
with brutality and murder, but occurred all the same.

When the Soviets, Americans, and British began to close in on Germany in early 1945, the Nazis forced
Jews on long marches away from the advancing Allied armies. Hundreds of thousands died of
exposure, violence, and starvation on these death marches. As the Allies moved into Germany and
Poland they liberated the concentration and extermination camps and were horrified by what they found.
Although news reports about camps had earlier informed the world of these atrocities, it wasnt until the
camps were liberated that the full extent of the Nazi crimes against the Jewish people was exposed to
the world.
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2.) Resistance brainstorming activity
This activity helps introduce students to the idea of resistance and the reasons people
resist. This activity is also designed to be an introduction to Jewish resistance to the
Holocaust.

Unfortunately, some people have the idea that Jews didnt fight back against what the
Nazis were trying to do to them. Others may recognize examples of Jewish resistance,
but define it much too narrowly.

Key questions

What does the word resistance mean?
What is necessary for someone to resist something?
Why would someone choose to resist something?
What forms can resistance take?
Objectives

Students will:

1. Brainstorm a list of activities that they think should be labeled as resistance.

2. Broaden their definition of resistance by defining its goals.

3. Broaden their understanding of resistance by considering the feasibility of various
acts under prevailing circumstances.

Materials

The only item needed for this activity is the Jewish Resistance Possibilities Chart
(Appendix B). Students may be given copies of the chart.

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http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-
history/at-a-glance/the-holocaust-at-a-glance.pdf
Procedures

1. Students are asked to define what Resistance means. Students responses are
written on the white board.

2. Using the student definitions as a starting point, students are asked to define what
they think is meant by the phrase, Jewish resistance to the Holocaust. Most
suggestions will probably have to do with fighting, at least at first. Some students may
begin to add nuances to the definitions that suggest a broader range of meaning.

3. Now students are asked to brainstorm a list of all the activities they can think of
that would fit their definitions.

4. Students can then be helped students to broaden their understanding of Jewish
resistance. This can be done in two ways.

First, students are asked to list all of the possible goals Jews might have had under
the circumstances of Nazi rule. There are quite a few reasonable goals to be
suggested. Trying to achieve any of them can legitimately be called resistance.

Second, examples are given (not related to the Holocaust or war) to illustrate what is
meant by active, passive, direct, and indirect.

A good example to use would be a football game. Kicking a goal against the other
team would be active-direct. Working hard at training to become a better player
would be active-indirect. Not responding to a provocation by an opposing player
(so that he gives away a free kick, not you) would be passive-direct. Resting
between plays would be passive-indirect.

5. Students are asked to place their earlier suggestions into the appropriate spaces on
the chart. Accept new suggestions for categories that were not previously well
represented.

6. Finally, the following poem is displayed via the data projector:

Blessed is the Match

Blessed is the match consumed
in kindling flame.

Blessed is the flame that burns
in the secret fastness of the heart.

Blessed is the heart with strength to stop
its beating for honors sake.

Blessed is the match consumed
in kindling flame.

The author of this poem was Hannah Senesh. She was a Hungarian Jewish girl. As a
result of growing anti-Semitism in Europe, she decided to go to Palestine in 1939. She
would have been safe from the Nazis there, but when Germany invaded her country in
1944, she joined the British paratroopers. She was dropped behind enemy lines with
the mission of aiding the resistance in Hungary. Just before she went into Hungary,
she gave this poem to a friend.

Unfortunately, she was captured, tortured, and finally executed, but never revealed the
secrets the Nazis were seeking. What types of resistance did she engage in?

Extension Activity

After reading and interpreting the poem above, ask students for suggestions on how
they can join in the resistance to the Holocaust today. One possible answer is to
remember and honor the victims whom the Nazis sought to dehumanize and destroy.
Students could write short poems in honor of specific Holocaust victims to preserve
their memory.

Appendix B: Jewish resistance possibilities chart
Active Passive
Direct The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Death Camp revolts at Treblinka,
Sobibor, and Auschwitz

Fighting as Jewish partisans and as
members of national resistance
groups

Sabotage during labour projects

Refusing to report
for deportation

Hiding

Refusing to wear the
Jewish star

Concealing Jewish
identity
Indirect Smuggling supplies or information
into the ghetto or camp

Producing or obtaining false
identification papers

Engaging in clandestine religious,
educational, or cultural activities in
spite of prohibitions

Escaping from camps, ghettoes, or
Nazi-occupied areas

Survival Refusal to
give up in spite of
conditions designed
to lead to death

3.) EXCURSION to Jewish Holocaust Centre in Elsternwick, Victoria.
Company Name: Jewish Holocaust Centre
Contact Address: 13 15 Selwyn Street
Elsternwick VIC 3185
Phone Number: (03) 9528 1985
Fax Number: (03) 9528 3758
Email:
Cost: Free ($6 - $8 donation recommended)
Resources provided: Documentary, guided tour, Holocaust survivor talk
1. This excursion supports students learning in this unit by engaging them
directly with Holocaust survivors. By enabling students to hear first-hand
accounts of life as a Jew during the Holocaust, students will develop a
greater appreciation of the human toll on individuals and give faces to the
statistics they learn about in books and films.
2. This excursion is linked to the Ausvels aim of understanding and use of
historical concepts, such as evidence, continuity and change, cause and
effect, perspectives, empathy, significance and contestability.

3. The expectation of this excursion is to draw the students into the topic of
the Holocaust and Jewish resistance by showing that the victims were
individuals, not just statistics. The emotions stirred by the visit will
hopefully leave a lifelong impression on the students and motivate them
to learn more about the topic.

4. During the visit the students will listen to a Holocaust survivor speech
and take part in a discussion with this survivor, take the guided tour,
watch a short documentary, and read descriptions and annotations within
the museum.

5. Before the excursion students will list three things they know and three
things they want to learn at the museum about the Holocaust. The
students will also prepare one question for the Holocaust survivor that
will speak with them. Students will also be instructed to be on the lookout
for examples of propaganda at the museum. When students arrive back at
school after the excursion they will list three things they learned during
the visit. The class will also discuss the answers to the questions they
received from the Holocaust survivor. The students will also complete a
brief written questionnaire on their visit, which focuses on the historical
representations within museums and intended audiences.

6. The excursion will be evaluated by informal discussions with the students
about what they learned and what it felt like to speak with a Holocaust
survivor. Students will also complete a questionnaire about their visit.

Appendix C: Holocaust museum excursion questionnaire

Why are museums important?

What are three things you learned during the visit to the museum?

Was the museum thorough in its representation of the Holocaust?

Was the museum accurate in its depiction of Jews? Of Nazis?

Who was the museum catering for? Why?

Did you see any propaganda at the museum? List any items that you saw.

How did propaganda help the Nazis advance their regime against the Jews?

Whats the difference between propaganda and objective historical facts?

What was it like to hear the Holocaust survivor speak?

What would you like to learn more about, after visiting the museum?

4.) Photo Narrative

Outcomes
At the conclusion of this activity students will:
identify a rationale for teaching/learning about the Holocaust
identify a narrative of the Holocaust that reflects their understanding of the
event
demonstrate a more complex, nuanced understanding of how and why the
Holocaust happened (if used as pre and post-assessment)
understand that every person approaches the Holocaust with a preconceived
narrative
understand that the Holocaust is more complex than their entry narrative
identify areas of interest for further study
Rationale
All learners bring preconceived notions about the Holocaust to the study of this
watershed event. Commonly this includes myths, misconceptions, or simplistic
narratives framed by each learners age, experience, and background. Many
narratives are too heavily focused on Hitler and the Nazis, for example, or on one
particular victim group or experience.
For teachers of the Holocaust, it is important to know these preconceptions so
they can create lessons that move the students from the simple to the complex
and encourage an understanding of not only what happened, but also how and
why the Holocaust happened.
Overview
This is used as a discussion-starter at the beginning of a unit of study on the
Holocaust. Paired with written reflections, it may be seen as a pre and post
assessment of a unit. Teachers may use it alone, in teams, or in a professional
development setting to spark an exploration of the critical content and concepts
when designing a Holocaust unit.
Materials
One set of photos for each group (an example set of photos is attached
Appendix D)
A large piece of paper per group
Glue sticks
Masking tape
Textas
Blue tack

Procedures
Students are arranged into groups of three or four. Each group is given a piece of
paper, a glue stick, a texta, and a set of photos.
1. The students are asked to select 6 photos that answer the question, Why
remember the Holocaust?
Select 6 photos that tell the story of the Holocaust. (It is clarified that students
are not being asked to make up a story, but to relate the key events of the
Holocaust)
Students select 6 photos that reflect their understanding of both how and why
the Holocaust happened.
For teachers: Select 6 photos that reflect what you want your students to
understand about the Holocaust
2. Once consensus has been reached on the six photos and the order they should
appear, they are glued to the sheet of paper, which is given a title that reflects the
theme, and it is place on the wall with blue tack.
Optional: Label each photo with a word or phrase that explains the reason it was
chosen. For example, a photo might have been selected to represent non-Jewish
victims or warning signs.
3. When the groups are finished, they must write/discuss a short reflection that
explains
Why they selected the photos they chose
Their groups process
Compromises they had to make
A photo they had a hard time giving up
A photo not in the original group that they would have used
How well they feel this reflects their understanding of the Holocaust
Topics of interest for further exploration
Debriefing
Each student is given several post-it notes and asked to do a gallery walk. As
they look at each photo narrative they are encourage to write observations,
questions and comments about choices of photos and place them on the photo in
question.
When they are finished, these post-its and the results of Step 3 are used to frame
a discussion about our perceptions of the Holocaust.
Notes
Students will inevitably reveal their preconceptions, and it is acknowledged that
no one approaches this subject as an empty vessel.

Appendix D: Photo narrative photograph examples
Photograph 1

Photograph 2

Photograph 3

Photograph 4

Photograph 5

Photograph 6

5.) Resistance in Diaries and Documents
We may study the efforts of Jewish resistance fighters, but understanding is difficult,
because our lives and circumstances are so different from theirs. One way we can try
to bridge this gulf is to see resistance through their eyes to read about it through
their words. This activity is designed to help students gain insight into Jewish
resistance by allowing them to encounter it in the immediacy of primary source
documents.

Objectives

Students will:

1. Read primary source accounts from and about Jews engaged in fighting
resistance.

2. Analyze the conditions under which resistance was carried out.

3. Evaluate resistance activities for effectiveness and possible alternatives.

Materials

1. Handouts 1 and 2 (Appendixes E and F): Diaries and Documents of Resistance -
reprinted from Documents on the Holocaust, Yad Vashem, 1981

2. Worksheet: Discussion Questions from Diaries and Documents of Resistance
(Appendix G)

Procedures

1. Introduce the subject by reading a short selection from Handout 1.

2. The activity is introduced by telling students that they are going to learn about
Jewish resistance through the words of people who were there. The following
background information about the quotes on the handouts:

The first (Appendix E) and second (Appendix F: #209) are public appeals to support
the resistance from the fighting organizations in the Warsaw and Vilna Ghettos,
respectively.

3. Read the quotation aloud. Students can read it silently afterwards too.

4. Pass out the worksheet and allow students time to complete the questions.

5. Discuss the responses in class.

Appendix E

Appendix F

Appendix G

Name: _____________________________________ Date:________

Jewish Resistance in Diaries and Documents Questions

Directions: Read the quotes contained in the handouts and answer the following
questions.

1. What argument does the author use to try to convince his readers to join the
resistance?

2. Why would documents like this have been important for Jewish resistance?

3. What two resistance choices does the author give his readers?

4. In what way does the author of document 209 disagree with the author of # 138?

5. Compare the tone of # 138 and # 209. Which one seems more aggressive and
confident?

Explain why this might be so. (Hint: A map of Eastern Europe gives one clue.)

6. The Warsaw Ghetto fighters could not hold out forever. They were doomed. In
light of this, do you think the Warsaw Ghetto Revolt was a success? Explain your
answer.

7. Given the circumstances described in these two documents, what other things do
you think people might have tried to resist the Nazis?

8. Do you think it was a good idea to appeal to Jews sense of dying like a man?
Why/why not?

9. What did the author think was the best method of resistance and why?

10. Evaluate the impact of calls for revolt. Why dont you think more Jews
honoured the pleas in these texts?

11. Why do you think the Jews didnt all arm themselves and revolt, given that if they
did, they might have been able to overthrow their Nazi oppressors?

6.) INCURSION: Visit from Melbourne University Nazi Germany lecturer
Company Name: The University of Melbourne
Contact Address: 1-100 Grattan Street, Parkville VIC 3010
Phone Number: (03) 9035 5511
Fax Number: (03) 9349 1291
Email: 13MELB@unimelb.edu.au
Cost: Free
Resources provided: Lecture and discussions on the Holocaust and Jewish
resistance
1. This incursion gives students a chance to learn a lot of information about
the Holocaust and Jewish resistance in a short period of time. It allows
them to take notes while listening. It also allows them to ask an expert
questions that may be answered a lot faster than if they researched and
answered them in their own time.

2. This incursion is linked to the Ausvels part of an examination of the scale
and significance of the Holocaust, in particular Jewish resistance, using
primary sources.

3. What is your expectation of this excursion/incursion? The lecturer will
talk about Jewish resistance from the point of view of an objective expert
in the field, which will contrast with the subjectively moving accounts of
Holocaust survivors at the Holocaust Museum.

4. What activities will the students do during the excursion/incursion? The
students will listen to the lecture, takes notes, and participate in post-
lecture discussions.

5. The students will each prepare a question for the guest lecturer. They will
also discuss with the teacher the main ideas that the lecturer spoke about,
evaluating them for any ideas for their end of unit essay.

7.) Spiritual Resistance in Poetry and Song

The term spiritual resistance is often used to describe religious, educational, and
cultural activities designed to sustain the Jewish community in the face of Nazi
oppression. It is sometimes considered to be the opposite of fighting, but in reality,
the two are complimentary.

Resistance fighters in the ghettoes and in partisan groups faced many difficulties. The
most obvious were the superior numbers, supplies, and weaponry of the enemy.
Trying to persevere in the face of these obstacles was a daunting task. It was vital for
the people in these circumstances to keep up their morale. Music and other creative
arts played a vital role in this struggle and gives us an opportunity to gain insight into
their lives that goes deeper than an historical account of their deeds.

Objectives

Students will:

1. Examine the role of music and lyrics in communication, persuasion, and
inspiration.

2. Interpret the songs as primary sources, analyzing the lyrics, instrumentation, and
circumstances of composition for insight into the situation facing the resistance
fighters.

3. Seek out and bring to class contemporary examples of music used to persuade and
inspire.

4. Make connections between Jewish resistance songs and contemporary resistance
music, and evaluate the impact of this contemporary music.

Materials

YouTube song, The Jewish Partisan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej8Aat7btfo
YouTube song, Shtil Di Nacht: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voBOGcm-
A78
Handout Sheet with Lyrics - The Jewish Partisan (Handout 4)
Handout sheet with lyrics Shtil Di Nacht (Handout 5)
Spiritual Resistance Worksheet (Handout 6)
Procedures

1. The topic is introduced by asking students to list reasons why people listen to
music. The list of responses is written on the board. The first responses will probably
be entertainment oriented. If necessary, students asked why Jewish resistance fighters
might have listened to music.

2. The songs are played through one time each before students have the lyrics. Ask
them to guess what the words are saying from the style of the music. Later, you can
inform the students that the music was not new, but they were Russian folk tunes
adapted to these lyrics.

3. Pass out the handouts with the lyrics and the worksheet.

4. Play the songs again and ask students to answer the questions on the Spiritual
Resistance worksheet.

5. Discuss the worksheet responses.

Extension Activity

Ask students to find examples of contemporary music that are used to persuade or
inspire. Have them bring samples to class to share. Appropriate limits set to guide
students in their selections.

If any students want to, allow them to compose a short musical and lyrical phrase
dealing with a subject of their choice.


Appendix H: The Jewish Partisan


Appendix I: Shtil Di Nacht - Hirsh Glik

Shtil, di nacht iz oysgeshternt,
Un der frost - er hot gebrent;
Tsi gedenkstu vi ich hob dich
gelernt
Haltn a shpayer in di hent.

A moyd, a peltsl un a beret,
Un halt in hant fest a nagan,
A moyd mit a sametenem ponim
Hit op dem soynes karavan.

Getsilt, geshosn un getrofn
Hot ir kleyninker pistoyl,
An oto a fulinkn mit vofn
Farhaltn hot zi mit eyn koyl.

Fartog fun vald aroysgekrochn,
Mit shney-girlandn oyf di hor,
Gemutikt fun kleyninkn n'tsochn
Far undzer nayem, frayen dor.
Silence, the night is all be-starred
And the frost burned strong.
Do you remember when I taught
you
To hold a machine-gun in your
hands.

A lass, a fur jacket and a beret,
Holding a pistol tight in her hand,
A lass with a velvet face
Watches over the enemy's caravan.

Aimed, fired and - hit,
With her dear little pistol,
She stopped a car - a nice one full of arms
- With one bullet.

At daybreak, she crawled out of the
woods
With snow garlands on her hair,
Encouraged by the precious little victory
For our new, free generation.

This song tells the story of three partisans who blew up a German military
transport on the outskirts of Vila in 1942. The partisans engaged in this act were
a girl (Vitke Kempner) and two boys (Itzik Matskevitsch and Moyshe Brause).
Hirsh Glik based his song on the episode, though references to frost and snow
were his embellishments. It is interesting to note the poet's use of three words,
shpayer, nagan, pistoyl, to denote the same object, an automatic pistol.
A former resident of the Vilno ghetto gave this explanation for the poet's license:
"Shpayer was common in the Vilno region; nagan was the Russian word; pistoyl
was the German term. The use of all three within one song demonstrated the
presence of Jews from all over Europe, often herded together by the German
occupationists within one ghetto, one concentration or death camp."
8

8
http://www.stolaf.edu/people/hend/songs/ShtilDiNakht.html

Appendix J

Name: ____________________________________ Date: __________

Spiritual Resistance Worksheet: Partisan Songs

Directions: After listening to the two musical selections, answer the following
questions. You may use the handouts with the lyrics to help.

Yid, du Partizaner (The Jewish Partisan)

1. What does the author call his friend? What does this suggest about his attitude?

2. What does he think makes the partisans effective fighters?

3. What kind of instrument was used in this song? Why do you think this instrument
might be popular with partisans living in the forest?

Shtil Di Nacht - Hirsh Glik

4. What event inspired Hirsch Glik to write the words to this song?

5. Why do you think Glik use the three words, shpayer, nagan, pistoyl, to denote
the same object, an automatic pistol?

6. Do you think this is a happy song or a sad song?

7. Do you think this would have encouraged more young people to take up armed
resistance? Why/why not?

Reflection

8. Can music change peoples behaviour? How?

9. Do you think music is an effective means of resistance? Why?

10. Can you think of any music that you listen to today, thats similar in the way that
it gives a group of people strength? What sort of music is it? Who does it give
strength to?

11. Think about rap music. How is it similar to these Jewish songs? What are the rap
artists trying to do when they create music?


8.) Jewish Resistance Group Project

The study of Jewish resistance to the Holocaust becomes more meaningful when its
variety is appreciated.

Key questions to be answered in projects

What type of resistance is your group researching?

How was this resistance type carried out?

How do primary source documents generally deal with this resistance?

Do you think more Jews should have carried out this resistance? Why?

What kind of people do you think employed this type of resistance?

What were the advantages of this type of resistance? The disadvantages?

How many Jews took part in this type of resistance? Is it possible to find this number?

Objectives

Students will:

1. Conduct research together with a group of fellow students into a specific sub-topic
of Jewish resistance, using the Internet and books found in the school library and
journal articles found on the library database.

2. Prepare a PowerPoint presentation based on research for a class presentation.

3. Compare research results with those from other student groups to draw general
conclusions about the possibilities and efficacy of Jewish resistance.

4. Recognize the impact of the topic of resistance on asserting the dignity and
humanity of the victims.

Materials

1. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website as starting point for
research: http://www.ushmm.org/

2. Any other materials from the school library, public libraries, or any other available
source to facilitate research.

3. Handout: Oral Report Summary Sheet (Appendix K)

Procedures

1. Independent workstations are set up in the classroom so students can use their iPads
and laptops or materials from the library to do research and prepare their group
project reports. Library and Internet sources can also be used.

2. The activity is introduced by telling students that they are going to do research
about the many people and groups that resisted the Holocaust. Students are informed
that they will be preparing oral reports to present in class. The

3. Students are referred to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website as
the starting point for their research.
http://www.ushmm.org/
This website is chosen because it houses extensive primary and secondary source
material on the Holocaust and engaging ways to discuss and learn from the Holocaust.

3. Students are informed that each groups presentation must consist of the following:

Identification and explanation of the type of resistance the group studied.

Explanation of the specific acts of resistance involved.

Explanation of the difficulties, dangers, and dilemmas faced in this type of
resistance.

Brief descriptions of several individuals or group members engaged in this type of
resistance and what happened to them.

Display of any visual aids that illustrate the material in the report (i.e. an appropriate
photo or map.

4. Each report should last from 5 to 15 minutes depending on the amount of available
material available to the group. Each member of the group should be responsible for
one segment of the report lasting from 1 to 3 minutes.

5. Students group themselves by choosing a topic, or are grouped by the teacher. The
number of students in each group should be kept fairly even (3-5 students per group).

The following possible resistance topics covered are highlighted for the students:

Spiritual resistance carried out through the teachings and under the guidance of
Rabbis

Fighting Resistance as seen in the example of Mordecai Anielewicz.

Fighting Resistance - partisan fighters operating from bases in the forests.

Resistance (strengthening the community) through help to the disadvantaged:
- The Doctor Warriors
- Women Fighters
- The Underground Press

Resistance from within concentration camps including spiritual resistance of
clandestine religious observances - could be broadened to include other acts of
resistance from within camps.

Resistance by Jewish fighters coming in to Nazi occupied territory from outside.

Resistance through escape. Eg. Jews leaving Europe to go to Palestine (could be
broadened to include other destinations as well. Though the motivations in going to
another place may not be completely the same as going to the land of Israel, both
represented moving beyond the reach of the Nazis).

Jewish fighters in national resistance movements in Western European countries.

Resistance by hiding

Resistance by concealing Jewish identity and/or helping others to do so.

Specific Jewish resistance groups (i.e. The Bielski Partisans, The Herbert Baum
Group in Germany, etc.)

The topics for this project are flexible in that they can be defined broadly or with a
high degree of specificity. There is a considerable degree of overlap to the
information in the text chapters. Also, the activity can be brief (using only the text and
the students responses to the questions at the end of the chapters) or extensive
(involving much independent research and work outside of class).

6. Students are given time to work on their research and presentations.

7. On the day of the group presentations, the Oral Report Summary Sheet is
circulated, and students and teacher to fill it out with brief responses during the oral
reports.


APPENDIX K: Jewish Resistance: Oral Report Summary Sheet

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________

Directions: Fill out the following chart with brief descriptions about each group
report.

Individuals or
Group involved

Resistance Activities

Difficulties, Dangers,
Dilemmas

Which types of resistance do you think were most effective? Explain your answer.

10.) Map out sites of major Jewish rebellions

Materials

Blank maps of Poland

Information sheets

Procedures

Introduce the activity

Hand out Background information sheets.

Using the background information as a starting point, students research on the internet
and in the library to locate the sites of 10 major rebellions carried out by Jews during
the Nazi occupation and represent them on a poster map.

Objectives

Students will:

- Research rebellions and plot them on a map to get a better idea of how
much armed rebellion actually took place, even though Jews are generally
thought to have been pacifists during the Nazi occupation.

- Analyse maps to analyze the impact of geographic factors on resistance
activities.

- Discuss why they chose certain rebellions over others.

Appendix L: Resistance in ghettos background information sheet

Between 1941 and 1943, underground resistance movements developed in
approximately 100 ghettos in Nazi-occupied eastern Europe (about one-fourth of
all ghettos), especially in Poland, Lithuania, Belorussia, and the Ukraine. Their
main goals were to organize uprisings, break out of the ghettos, and join partisan
units in the fight against the Germans.
The Jews knew that uprisings would not stop the Germans and that only a
handful of fighters would succeed in escaping to join the partisans. Still, some
Jews made the decision to resist. Weapons were smuggled into ghettos.
Inhabitants in the ghettos of Vilna, Mir, Lachva (Lachwa), Kremenets,
Czestochowa, Nesvizh, Sosnowiec, and Tarnow, among others, resisted with
force when the Germans began to deport ghetto populations. In Bialystok, the
underground staged an uprising just before the final destruction of the ghetto in
September 1943. Most of the ghetto fighters, primarily young men and women,
died during the fighting.
The Warsaw ghetto uprising in the spring of 1943 was the largest single revolt
by Jews. Hundreds of Jews fought the Germans and their auxiliaries in the streets
of the ghetto. Thousands of Jews refused to obey German orders to report to an
assembly point for deportation. In the end the Nazis burned the ghetto to the
ground to force the Jews out. Although they knew defeat was certain, Jews in the
ghetto fought desperately and valiantly.
Resistance in camps
Under the most adverse conditions, Jewish prisoners succeeded in initiating
resistance and uprisings in some Nazi camps. The surviving Jewish workers
launched uprisings even in the extermination camps of Treblinka, Sobibor, and
Auschwitz-Birkenau. About 1,000 Jewish prisoners participated in the revolt in
Treblinka. On August 2, 1943, Jews seized what weapons they could find--picks,
axes, and some firearms stolen from the camp armory--and set fire to the camp.
About 200 managed to escape. The Germans recaptured and killed about half of
them.
On October 14, 1943, prisoners in Sobibor killed 11 SS guards and police
auxiliaries and set the camp on fire. About 300 prisoners escaped, breaking
through the barbed wire and risking their lives in the minefield surrounding the
camp. Over 100 were recaptured and later shot.
On October 7, 1944, prisoners assigned to Crematorium IV at Auschwitz-
Birkenau rebelled after learning that they were going to be killed. The Germans
crushed the revolt and murdered almost all of the several hundred prisoners
involved in the rebellion.
Other camp uprisings took place in the Kruszyna (1942), Minsk-Mazowiecki
(1943), and Janowska (1943) camps. In several dozen camps prisoners
organized escapes to join partisan units. Successful escapes were made, for
example, from the Lipowa Street labor camp in Lublin.
Despite being vastly outgunned and outnumbered, some Jews in ghettos and
camps did resist the Germans with force. The spirit of these efforts transcends
their failure to halt the genocidal policies of the Nazis.
11.) Resistance in film - The Pianist
The Pianist is an excellent film which students may analyse regarding Jewish
resistance. It features many different forms of resistance from passive hiding of
oneself, Jews being hidden by Germans, armed resistance in the Warsaw ghetto,
and Jews smuggling food for others in the ghetto.
Materials
The Pianist DVD
Background information sheets
Film analysis question sheets
Procedure
Students watch The Pianist and answer questions about the different acts of
resistance that the protagonist uses in his escape from Nazi persecution.
Students also identify the other forms of resistance that are displayed by others
in the film.


Appendix M: The Pianist film analysis Background information sheet
Characters
Wladyslaw (Wladek) Szpilman: A talented Jewish classical pianist living in
Warsaw, Poland. He is 28 years old at the beginning of the movie.
Henryk Szpilman: Wladeks brother (age 24).
Regina Szpilman: Wladeks sister, a lawyer (age 26).
Halina Szpilman: Wladeks youngest sister (age 22).
Mother and Father Szpilman: The parents of Wladek, Henryk, Regina and
Halina.
Yitzchak Heller: A friend of the family who became a Jewish policeman when
the Nazis occupied Warsaw.
Benek: The owner of the restaurant where Wladek was hired to play piano.
Majorek: Wladeks friend who was organising resistance against the Nazis.
Janina: Wladeks friend who helps him go into hiding.
Andrzej: Janinas husband. Andrzej also helps Wladek go into hiding.
Dorota: A woman who Wladek meets at the radio station in the beginning of the
movie. Later in the movie, Dorota and her husband Michal help Wladek hide.
Michal: Dorotas husband. Michal also helps Wladek hide.
Antek Szalas: A friend of Dorota and Michal who is supposed to take care of
Wladek while he is in hiding.
Wilhelm Hosenfeld: The German army captain who allows Wladek to stay in
hiding and brings him food.

Useful Vocabulary
Allies: the group of countries that fought against Germany in World War II.
anti-Semitic: prejudiced against Jewish people.
Aryan: according to the Nazis, a person of Caucasian (white) race and not Jewish.
authoritarian: requiring strict obedience to the authority of the government.
Axis: the alliance of Germany, Italy, Japan and other countries during World War
II.
concentration camp: a place where large groups of people, often persecuted
minorities, are kept as prisoners in unsafe conditions. The prisoners are often
executed and/or sent to do forced labor.
ghetto: a part of a city where a minority group must live separately. During
World War II, Jews and other minorities were forced to live in ghettoes.
Holocaust: another word to describe the German Nazis mass murder of Jews,
gypsies, homosexuals and other minority groups during the years 1941 to 1945.
ideology: a system of ideas that can create political theories.
inferior: lower in status; worse.
insurgent: someone who rebels against a certain authority.
nationalist: a person who puts the interests of their country before other
countries.
occupy: to take control of a place by military force.
persecution: treating people badly because of their race, their politics, or their
religion.
propaganda: information used to promote a certain political cause. The
information may be false or it may cause people to have false ideas.
racist: someone who believes that certain races are better than other races.
Romani/Gypsies: a group of traveling people who speak Romany language and
live mostly in Europe, North Africa, and North America.
SS (Schutzstaffel): the Nazi special police force.
superior: higher in status; better.
treaty: an agreement made between countries.


Appendix N: Students film question worksheet
While They Watch
2.1: Germany Invades Poland 00.00 17.14
Exercise A: Complete the following sentences with words from the box.
Warsaw Nazi radio station war Germans limit star

1. Wladek is playing the piano at a __________ when bombs begin to explode
outside.
2. Wladeks family (the Szpilman family) is packing suitcases to leave __________
because the government has moved to another city and the __________ are
occupying Warsaw.
3. On the radio, the family hears that Great Britain has declared __________ against
__________ Germany.
4. The family also reads in the newspaper that all Jews will be required to wear
an armband with a blue __________.

Exercise B: Answer the questions below.
1. Why did Great Britain declare war on Nazi Germany?
2. Why do the Germans require the Jews to wear armbands?
3. From the Szpilman familys new apartment, they see men building a wall.
What is the wall for?

2.2: Life in the Warsaw Ghetto 17.15 37.21
Exercise A: True or false? If false, write the correct sentence.
1. German soldiers forced Jews to dance when they were waiting at an
intersection.
2. Yitzchack Heller tries to recruit Wladek and Henryk to become Nazi soldiers.

Exercise B: Read the quotes and discuss the questions in groups or as a
class.
1. It's nothing to do with you. It's me they wanted, not you. Why do you interfere
in other people's business?
a. Who did Henryk say this to?
b. Why is Henryk angry after being released from detention?
c. Why was Henryk released from detention?
2. Dont be clever with me, Henryk. Ive come here as a friend. Theyre bringing
Jews in from all over the country. Soon therell be half a million people in the
ghetto. We need more Jewish police
a. Who said this?
b. What is the advantage of joining the Jewish police?
c. Why do the brothers refuse to join?

2.3: From the Ghetto to the Camps 37.22 58:18
labour camp Wladek
Henryk policemen death camp

1. A German officer comes to the warehouse where the Szpilman family is
working and takes away __________ and Halina.
2. The father believes that they are all waiting to go to a __________, but Dr. Ehrlich
thinks they are being sent to a __________.
3. The crowd of Jews is pushed onto the train by German SS soldiers and Jewish
__________.
4. Yitzchak Heller pulls __________ from the crowd of Jews to save him from
boarding the train.

Exercise B: Discuss the following questions in groups or as a class.
1. Why does Wladek say to Halina that he wishes he knew her better?
2. When Yitzchak Heller pulls Wladek away from the train, why doesnt Wladek
immediately run?

2.4: Wladeks Escape 58.19 1.23.38
1. Majorek tells Wladek that the Germans will begin the final resettlement.
2. Wladek is safe after he escapes from the ghetto and the construction site.
3. While Wladek is hiding in a flat, he watches Jews in the ghetto start an uprising
against the German SS soldiers.

Exercise B: Answer the questions below.
1. What do they mean by saying the final resettlement?
2. Why is Wladek scared to open the bags of food for the German officer?
3. Why does Wladek have to hide when he is staying with Polish friends?
4. What happens on April 19th, 1943?
5. Why does Janina say that the Jews who fought in the uprising died with
dignity?

2.5: Wladek in Hiding 1.23.39 1.54.02
Dorota Wladek Polish police Allies Janina

1. Wladek must leave the flat because the Germans have arrested __________ and
her husband.
2. A neighbor knocks loudly on the door of Wladeks flat and yells, Open up or
well call the __________!
3. When Wladek goes to the emergency address, __________ opens the door.
4. Wladek receives news that the __________ are bombing Germany.
5. Antek Szalas was collecting money to buy food for __________, but he kept the
money for himself and did not bring any food.
6. The Warsaw Uprising begins on August 1st, 1944 when the __________
resistance begins to fight the German soldiers.

Exercise B: Answer the following questions.
1. Why does Wladek get very weak and sick? Why didnt Antek bring food every
day?
2. Who is fighting against who in the Warsaw Uprising?
3. Why does Wladek have to leave the flat he is staying in?

2.6: The Liberation of Poland 1.54.03 end
1. When Wladek is hiding inside an abandoned house, he hears a piano playing.
2. A Russian army captain finds Wladek hiding in an abandoned house.
3. The captain tells Wladek that the Russians are on the other side of the river
fighting the Germans.

Exercise B: Discuss the following questions in groups or as a class.
1. Why does the German captain bring Wladek food and allow him to keep
hiding?
2. Why is Wladek sad that the German prisoners of war have been taken away?
3. What emotions do you think Wladek feels when he realizes that Poland is
liberated?


12.) Assessment task Jewish resistance research essay
This assignment is designed to test students ability to work with historical data. As
they analyze each research document, they must remember its source and the authors
point of view.

Procedures

Students will:

Carefully read the context statement and the essay question.

Brainstorm what they know about the topic.

Read and analyze the documents, underline the key words, and write notes in the
margins where helpful.

Answer the questions for each document.

Organize their ideas before writing the essay

Write a well-organized essay that includes

an introduction with a thesis statement

several paragraphs that support their thesis, including:

- incorporation of historical argument
- a well organized argument
- excellent analysis and synthesis of primary and secondary sources
- accurate referral to key events, groups, beliefs and values

a concluding paragraph

Context Statement

During the German occupation of Poland in World War II, any individual who helped
the Jewish population risked immediate execution. Each individual had to choose
whether or not to obey the laws of the state.

Essay Question

How and why did certain citizens respond to the laws passed by the state during the
German occupation of Poland? How did their behavior impact history?

Appendix O: research documents
Document A
Survivors Testimony
1. From the 5th through the 7th of November 1941, a pogrom organized by the
Nazis took place in our village. My mother and I were hidden at my classmates
home. The mother of that family had three children to support. In such a terrible
time these people surrounded us with kindness and care. We lived like one
family; their nobleness, kindness and humanity cannot be described These
kind people saved our lives. Despite material shortages they helped other people
too, not only us.
Testimony of Sonya Berstein, who was saved by
Alexandra Ilyinichna Melnik and her family in
the Ukrainian village of Vydoshnya.

2. My mother learned about the Nazi order for Jews to gather in a particular
place and sent me with a kettle (as if for water) to her friends, the Ukrainian
family Patuta. She put a little note in the kettle and the Patuta family kept me
with them. My mother went to Babi Yar. Later I learned that the Patuta family
tried to rescue my mother and transport her to their daughters village and then
to partisans. But for some reason they were not successful.
The punishment for rescuing a Jew was execution. In spite of this fact, these
brave and noble people accepted me into their family. Five people, including a
newborn infant(the night before the daughter, Praskovia, had given birth to a
son), risked their lives to save mine.
I wont describe all the difficulty, danger and tragedy of living under occupation.
The remarkable thing was the Patuta family shared all the hardships of this life
with me. I became their son and grandson. Everything that belonged to them,
belonged to me. For the rest of my life I have been related to them, their children
and grandchildren.
Testimony of Iosif Georgievich,
who was saved by the Patuta family.

3. I hope that you understand what it meant to shelter two Jews in a Nazi-
occupied city. They risked not only their lives, but also the lives of their four little
children. The
youngest, Tolik, was five years old. Even this child knew that he shouldnt tell
anyone
about the couple who was living in the attic. I cant imagine anyone else being
capable of such self-sacrifice towards complete strangers.
My grandparents told this shocking story to their four children and then to us,
their
grandchildren. Pavel Danilovich and Anastasia Isakovna Stasyuk were
considered saints in our family.

Testimony of Tamara Efimovna Rybchinskaya,
whose grandparents were rescued by Pavel Danilovich
and Anastasia Isakovna Stasyuk in Ukraine.

Document A continued
Survivors Testimony
4. Two days later the Russian army entered the village and all of us were saved
and liberated. It is difficult to describe the joy we felt then; it was like a prisoner
sentenced to death who has got his life back as a gift, and we got our life back as
a gift, thanks to this noble spirited family, the fine members of the Urbanos
family.

Testimony of Yerachmiel Siniuk, a disabled escapee
from the Kovno ghetto, who was hidden by Maria and
Andrius Urbonas and their four children for several
months in Lithuania. Yerachmiel smuggled seven
other Jews out of the ghetto and hid them in the
Urbonos barn. The Urbonoses provided shelter, food,
and clothing to these eight men and women for the
duration of the war.

1. List two ways that these survivors were helped by non-Jews.

2. What risks did the non-Jews take by harboring Jews?

3. What impact did the actions of the rescuers have upon the Rybchinskaya
family?

Document B

PROCLAMATION
Regarding:
Aiding/keeping hidden Jews

Be warned that in regard to Decree 3 regarding physical restrictions within the
General Government of 15 October 1941Jews leaving the Jewish zone without
permission are subject to the penalty of death. According to this decree individuals
who knowingly provide shelter to such Jews, deliver food to them, or sell them food
products, are likewise subject to the penalty of death.

The local non-Jewish population is hereby warned against:
1) providing Jews with shelter;
2) delivering them food;
3) selling them food products.

The City Chief
Dr. Franke Czestochowa (Poland) 24.9.42

Grobman, Alex. Those Who Dared: Rescuers and Rescued: A Teaching Guide for Secondary
Schools, 36.Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust of the Jewish Federation. Los
Angeles, CA. 1994.

1. Who issued this proclamation?

2. What acts were made illegal by this proclamation?

3.What was the punishment for breaking the law described in the proclamation?

Document C
ENT B

Spectators watch as a Polish woman is led through the town square by two Jews
wearing armbands. The sign around her neck states: For selling merchandise to Jews.
She is supposedly being taken to an execution site. In Poland, the consequence for a non-
Jew helping a Jew was death. After 1940.
(Zydowski Instyut Historyczny Naukowo-Badawczy, courtesy of United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum Photo Archives).
1. For what audience do you think this photo is intended?
2. What was the photographer trying to capture?
3. What mood does the photograph communicate?

Document D

Rescuers Testimony

1. I did nothing special and I dont consider myself a hero, I simply acted on my
human obligation toward the persecuted and the suffering. I want to emphasize
that it was not I who saved them. They alone saved themselves. I simply gave
them a helping hand. To sum up, I should like to reiterate that I did no more than
help forty-nine Jews to survive the Holocaust. Thats all. With the suppression of
the Polish uprising in the fall of 1944, Wladyslav Kowalski converted the
basement of a razed building into a large bunker where he hid together with 49
Jews.

2. I risked my life and extended my hospitality not because they were Jews, but
because they were persecuted persons They had been condemned to
destruction for no offense on their part. This was shocking. I fulfilled a simple
human obligation. Dr. Ian Zabinsky, a Polish zoologist, helped dozens of Jews
fleeing from the Warsaw ghetto by hiding them in the Warsaw Zoo until more
permanent arrangements could be made.

3. We were all taught the second great commandment: You shall love your
neighbor as yourself. So I knew what I had to do It was no big thing. Tadeusz
Soroka helped 9Jews escape the Polish ghetto of Grodno and disguised as
railroad workers make their way to Vilna.

4. None of us thought we were heroes. We were just people trying to do our
best. During the occupation of France, Magda Trocme and her husband, Pastor
Andre Trocme, helped 5,000 Jews hide in and around the village of Le Chambon,
France.

5. As for myself, I am just an ordinary person, just someone who wants to help
his neighborI am nothing exceptional. John Weidner organized a rescue
network in France known as Dutch-Paris which helped approximately 800
Jews escape the Nazis.

The Path of the Righteous
The Courage to Care

Carol Rittner and Sondra Myers. Courage in Care: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust. New York University Press. New
York, NY 1989.

1. Who were the rescuers?

2. What were two reasons the rescuers gave for saying they were not heroes?

3. Choose two reasons that explain the rescuers actions.

4.What does this document tell you about individuals reasons for disobeying the
law?


Document E

We are somehow determined to view these benefactors as heroes: hence the search for
underlying motives. The Righteous persons, however, consider themselves as
anything but heroes, and regard their behavior during the Holocaust as quite normal.
How to resolve this enigma?

For centuries we have undergone a brainwashing process by philosophers who
emphasized mans despicable character, highlighting his egotistic and evil disposition
at the expense of other attributes. Wittingly or not, together with Hobbes and Freud,
we accept the proposition that man is essentially an aggressive being, bent on
destruction, involved principally with himself, and only marginally interested in the
needs of othersGoodness leaves us gasping, for we refuse to recognize it as a
natural human attribute. So off we go on a long search for some hidden motivation,
some extraordinary explanation, for such peculiar behavior.

Evil is, by contrast, less painfully assimilated. There is no comparable search for the
reasons for its constant manifestation (although in earlier centuries theologians
pondered this issue). We have come to terms with evil. Television, movies, and the
printed word have made evil, aggression, and egotism household terms and
unconsciously acceptable to the extent of making us immune to displays of evil.
There is a danger that the evil of the Holocaust will be absorbed in a similar manner,
that is, explained away as further confirmation of mans inherent disposition to
wrongdoing. It confirms our visceral feeling that man is an irredeemable beast, who
needs to be constrained for his own good.

In searching for an explanation of the motivations of the Righteous Among the
Nations, are we not really saying: what was wrong with them? Are we not, in a deeper
sense, implying that their behavior was something other than normal? Is acting
benevolently and altruistically such an outlandish and unusual type of behavior,
supposedly at odds with mans inherent character, as to justify a meticulous search for
explanations? Or is it conceivable that such behavior is as natural to our psychological
constitution as the egotistic one we accept so matter-of-factly?

Mordecai Paldiel, The Path of the Righteous: Gentile Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust. Jewish Foundation for Christian
Rescuers/ADL. New York, NY 1994.Mordecai Paldiel is Director of the Department for the Righteous, Yad Vashem.

1. Have the media influenced some peoples indifference to the Holocaust?

2. Who would agree with this message? Who would disagree? Why?


Appendix P: Assessment Rubric
Criteria High Medium High Medium Low Low
Development
of a text that
incorporates
historical
argument
Excellent
incorporation
of historical
argument that
supports the
text
Good
incorporation
of historical
argument that
supports the
text
Some
incorporation
of historical
argument to
support the
text

Little or no
incorporation
of historical
argument to
support the
text
Organisation
and
presentation
of argument

A highly
organized,
persuasive
and well-
presented
argument
An organized,
well-
presented
argument
A somewhat
organized
argument, but
the argument
is not as clear
as it could be
A
disorganized
argument that
doesnt offer
solid
conclusions

Analysis and
synthesis of
information
from a range
of primary
and
secondary
sources
Excellent
analysis and
synthesis of at
least two
primary AND
two
secondary
sources
Excellent
analysis of at
least one
primary AND
one secondary
source

Acceptable
analysis and
synthesis of at
least one
primary OR
one secondary
source

Includes
primary
and/or
secondary
sources but
fails to
acceptably
analyse either

Accurate
referral to
key events,
groups,
beliefs and
values

Accurately
refers to at
least four of
any of the
following: key
events,
groups, beliefs
or values
Accurately
refers to at
least two of
any of the
following: key
events,
groups, beliefs
or values
Accurately
refers to one
key event,
group, belief
or value

Refers to one
or more key
events,
groups, beliefs
of values, but
isnt entirely
accurate or is
inaccurate
Total


References
AUSVELS website: http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Level10
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005407
http://www.holocaustedu.org/pdf/Unit_Four_-_Jewish_Resistance.pdf
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-
history/at-a-glance/the-holocaust-at-a-glance.pdf
http://curriculumproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The%20Pianist.pdf
http://www.holocausteducationctr.org/clientuploads/curriculum/HHREC_Holo
caust_Curriculum_Lesson6.pdf
YouTube song, The Jewish Partisan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej8Aat7btfo
YouTube song, Shtil Di Nacht: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voBOGcm-
A78

PowerPoint presentation:
https://mrsgaunaswiki.wikispaces.com/space/content?q=holocaust

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