literature & thought

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VOICES OF THE HOLOCAUSTVOICES OF THE HOLOCAUST

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from Perfection Learning

The Literature & Thought series contains literature that

challenges the reader, promotes critical thinking, and encourages

independent exploration of genres, themes, and issues.

Books in each of the three series strands are listed below.

LITERARY GENRES

Ecology Fantasy Humor

Mystery Mythology Science Fiction Sports

LITERARY THEMES

Decisions Family Friendship

Heroes Identity Justice Survival

LITERARY APPROACHES TO HISTORY

American Frontiers Civil Rights The Harlem Renaissance

The Civil War The Great Depression The Holocaust

The Immigrant Experience Vietnam & The Sixties

Perfection Learning® Corporation

Logan, Iowa 51546-1099

perfectionlearning.com

Printed in the U.S.A.

#78510

Pe

rfe

cti

on

Le

ar

nin

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Voices of the holocaust

Pe r f e c t i o n L e a r n i n g

Editorial dirEctor Julie A. Schumacher

SEnior Editor Terry Ofner

EditorS Michael McGhee Cecelia Munzenmaier

PErmiSSionS Laura Pieper

rEviEwErS Jacqueline Frerichs Claudia A. Katz Sue Ann Kuby Ann L. Tharnish

dESign and Photo rESEarch William Seabright and Associates, Wilmette, Illinois

covEr art WARSAW 1952 Ben Shahn The Hebrew text incorporated into the painting is taken from the “Ten Martyrs’ Prayer” said on the Day of Atonement: “These I remember, and my soul melts with sorrow, for strangers have devoured us like unturned cakes, for in the days of the tyrant there was no reprieve for the [ten] martyrs murdered by the government.” Shahn omitted the word ‘ten’ (which referred to martyrs killed by the Romans) to make the quote applicable to the Holocaust.

acknowlEdgmEntS

“An Anti-Semitic Demonstration” by Gail Newman. Reprinted from Ghosts of the Holocaust: An Anthology of Poetry by the Second Generation, edited by Stewart J. Florsheim, by permission of the Wayne State University Press. First appeared in Eva Poole-Gilson et al., eds., Thread Winding in the Loom of Eternity: California Poets in the Schools State-wide Anthology, 1987 (California Poets in the Schools, 1987).

“The Ball” from Friedrich by Hans Peter Richter, translated by Edite Kroll. Copyright © Leonore Richter-Stiehl. Reprinted with permission of Leonore Richter-Stiehl. continued on page 151

Copyright © 2006 by Perfection Learning Corporation1000 North Second Avenue, Logan, Iowa 51546-0500Tel: 1-800-831-4190 • Fax: 1-800-543-2745

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America

14 15 16 17 18 19 PP 13 12 11 10 09 08

Paperback ISBN-13: 978-0-7891-5050-9Paperback ISBN-10: 0-7891-5050-6

RLB ISBN-13: 978-0-7807-9024-7RLB ISBN-10: 0-7807-9024-3

Could a Holocaust Happen Here?

The question above is the essential question that you will consider as you read this book. The literature, activities, and organization

of the book will lead you to think critically about this question and to develop a deeper understanding of the Holocaust.

To help you shape your answer to the broad essential question, you will read and respond to five sections, or clusters. Each cluster addresses a specific question and thinking skill.

Cluster One How could the Holocaust happen? analyze

Cluster twO How were victims oppressed? compare/contrast

Cluster tHree Was there resistance? generalize

Cluster FOur Why should we remember? synthesize

Cluster Five Thinking on your own

Notice that the final cluster asks you to think independently about your answer to the essential question—Could a holocaust happen here?

3p r e fa c e

4

Voices of the holocaustVoices of the holocaust

First they came for the Jews

and I did not speak out

because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists


because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists


because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me

and there was no one left

to speak out for me.

—pastormartinniemöller

(who spent seven years in concentration camps

after protesting the Nazi mistreatment of Jews)

5m e m o i r

Voices of the holocaustVoices of the holocaust

table of contents

Prologue “First they came For the Jews . . .” 4

Creating COntext 9Anti-Semitism • Map • Faces of the Holocaust

Timeline • Concept Vocabulary

Cluster One How Could the Holocaust happen? 15

thinkingskillanalyzing

The Ball

hans Peter richter short story 17

Serving Mein Führer

eleanor ayer biography 21

Family Album

amos neuFeld poem 28

An Anti-Semitic Demonstration

Gail newman poem 30

Broken glass, Broken lives

arnold Geier autobiography 32

Crystal Night

lyn liFshin poem 38

Address unknown

Kressman taylor fictional correspondence 40

responding to Cluster One

Writingactivityanalyzingtherootsoftheholocaust 54

6

7

Cluster twO How were victims Oppressed? 55

thinkingskillcomparing/contrasting

A Spring Morning

ida FinK short story 56

The little Boy with His Hands up

yala Korwin poem 62

Shipment to Maidanek

ePhim FoGel poem 65

A Survivor remembers

BereK latarus oral history 66

responding to Cluster two

WritingactivitycontrastingWarandeverydaylife 70

Cluster tHree was there resistance? 71

thinkingskillgeneralizing

Saving the Children

Frieda sinGer poem 72

rescue in Denmark

harold Flender historical account 75

The White rose: long live Freedom

JacoB G. hornBerGer essay 81

The Warsaw ghetto uprising

reuBen ainsztein diary 86

responding to Cluster three

Writingactivitygeneralizingaboutholocaustresistance 90

Cluster FOur why should we remember? 91

thinkingskillsynthesizing

letter from Dachau

1st lt. william J. cowlinG letter 93

reunions

Bernard GotFryd short story 99

return to Auschwitz

Kitty hart autobiography 109

The Survivor

John c. Pine poem 116

The Power of light

isaac Bashevis sinGer short story 119

responding to Cluster Four

WritingactivityWhyWeremember—asynthesis 124

Cluster Five thinking on Your Own 125

For the Dead and the living

elie wiesel speech 127

The Test Case

simon wiesenthal personal account 131

Hitler’s Heirs

GreG steinmetz article 136

genocide in Bosnia

mary ann licKteiG article 138

race

Karen Gershon poem 141

responding to Cluster Five 142

author Biographies 143

additional reading 148

8

anti-semitism: a History of Hate

A nti-Semitism means prejudice against Jews. People who are anti-Semites don’t want their children to marry or even be friends with Jews. Anti-

Semites don’t like to buy from Jewish businesses. Some anti-Semites burn crosses on the lawns of Jewish homes and paint swastikas on their temples. They blame Jews for everything that’s wrong and believe Jews are too smart or too rich or own too much land.

If you were a Jew in ancient times, you might have been enslaved by the Egyptians. You couldn’t be a citizen in the ancient Roman Empire. If you were a Jew, Christians sometimes called you “Christ killer,” an allegation so inflammatory that it became the rallying cry of anti-Semitism for centuries.

If you were a Jew in the Middle Ages, you were often forced to live in a walled ghetto. Non-Jews didn’t want you to influence them or their children and merchants didn’t want your businesses competing with theirs. Outside the gates of your ghetto, you were required to wear an identifying badge.

At the outbreak of the plague called the Black Death (1348), you might have been accused of poisoning the water. If you were a Jew in 15th-century Spain, the Inquisition, a series of religious trials, could have expelled you or worse.

If you were a German Jew in 1879, you would have been a target of Wilhelm Marr who taught that Germans belonged to the Aryan “master race,” while Jews were by nature a “slave race.” Marr founded the League of Anti-Semitism to keep Germany from being “taken over” by Jews.

If you were a Russian Jew in 1881, pogroms, or organized attacks, might have caused you and hundreds of thousands of others to emigrate to the United States or to establish colonies in Palestine.

In 1923, an embittered, young soldier named Adolf Hitler was jailed for his part in a failed government coup. Hitler used his prison time to write Mein Kampf (My Struggle), a book filled with his plans for the creation of the Nazi party and world domination, his belief in Aryan superiority, and, most ominously, his fanatical anti-Semitism.

Upon release from prison, Hitler and a group of devoted followers began to preach the philosophy of Nazism. An explosive combination of economic depres-sion in Germany and Hitler’s powerful blend of treachery and inflammatory

9a n t i - s e m i t i s m

C r e A T I n g C o n T e x T

speechmaking led to his appointment as Chancellor in 1933. In 1934 he was elected president and named himself Führer or supreme leader.

Once in power Hitler turned anti-Semitism into an official government policy. Within a decade that policy had led to the murder of nearly 6 million European Jews as well as gypsies, intellectuals, homosexuals, handicapped Marxists, and other “enemies of the state.” While millions were murdered outright through the use of gas chambers and other methods of extermination, hundreds of thousands of others died from disease, starvation, and slave labor.

10 a n t i - s e m i t i s m

G e r m a n y

d e n m a r k

n e t h e r l a n d s

l u x .

B e l G i u m

i t a ly

F r a n c e

P o l a n d

l i t h u a n i a

e s t o n i a

F i n l a n d

s w e d e nn o r w ay

l a t v i a

e a s tP r u s s i a

c z e c h o s l o v a k i a

r o m a n i a

h u n G a r y

u. s. s . r .

y u G o s l a v i a

a u s t r i as w i t z e r l a n d

Chelmno

Treblinka

Sobibor

Maidanek

BelzecNatz- weiler

ravensbrück

Sachsenhausen

gross- rosen

Buchenwald

Mittelbau

Flossenbürg

Dachau

Theresienstadt

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Bergen-BelsenStutthof

Concentration Camp Killing Center


ConCentration Camps and Killing Centers

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

Führer und

Reichskanzler.

He promised glory for

the Germans and

destruction

for the Jews.

Simon Wiesenthal (1908-)

A Holocaust survivor,

he gave up a career in

architecture to

become a relentless

Nazi hunter.

faces of the holocaust

Allied leaders meet at Yalta, in Russia. (From left) Winston Churchill (1875-1965)

British Prime Minister; Franklin roosevelt (1882-1945) U.S. President;

Josef Stalin (1879-1953) Dictator of Soviet Russia


Anne Frank (1929-1945)

Her diary, written while hiding

from the Nazis, brought

the horror of the Holocaust

to the world.

oskar Schindler

(1908-1974)

German businessman

who first profited

from the war but

later became a hero

by saving 1300

Jewish workers from

the gas chambers.

12 t i m e l i n e

1933January Adolf Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany

March Dachau concentration camp opens

April One-day boycott of Jewish shops and businesses; Gestapo (German internal security police) established

May Public burnings of books written by Jews, political dissidents, and others not approved by the state

1934AugustHitler proclaims himself Führer und Reichskanzler (Leader and Reich Chancellor)

1936MarchJewish doctors barred from practicing medicine in German institutions

AugustJuden Verboten (No Jews) signs displayed outside many towns are removed during the Olympic Games in Berlin

1937JulyBuchenwald concentration camp opens

1938MarchHitler annexes Austria

AugustItaly enacts sweeping anti-Semitic laws

octoberGermans mark all Jewish passports

with a large J to restrict

Jews from leaving the

country

SeptemberMunich Agreement: Britain and France accept German takeover of part of Czechoslovakia

october17,000 Polish Jews expelled from Germany

novemberKristallnacht (9–10) Decree forces all Jews to transfer retail businesses to Aryan hands. All Jewish pupils expelled from German schools

1935MayJews barred from serving in German army

September“Nuremberg Laws” passed. As a result, Jews no longer considered German citizens; Jews could not marry Aryans; nor could they fly the German flag

Major EvEnts of World War II and thE holocaust


13t i m e l i n e

1939SeptemberGermany invades Poland; World War II begins

novemberJews in German-occupied Poland forced to wear an arm band or yellow star

1940AprilGermany invades Denmark and Norway

MayGermany invades Holland, Belgium, and France; concentration camp established at Auschwitz

JuneFrance surrenders

AugustBattle of Britain (Germany’s attempt to bomb Britain into submission) begins

1942JanuaryHeydrich outlines plan to murder Europe’s Jews; German 6th Army surrenders at Stalingrad

octoberArmed revolt in Sobibor extermination camp

1943AprilWarsaw Ghetto revolt begins

AugustRevolt at death camp in Treblinka, Poland

1944JuneD-Day: Allied invasion at Normandy, France

JulyGroup of German officers attempts to assassinate Hitler; Russians liberate Maidanek killing center

octoberRevolt by inmates at Auschwitz

1941JuneGermany invades the Soviet Union

JulyHitler appoints Reinhard Heydrich to implement the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question”

September34,000 Jews massacred at Babi Yar outside Kiev, Russia

DecemberJapanese attack Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; United States declares war on Japan and Germany

1945AprilHitler commits suicide

MayV-E (Victory in Europe) Day: Germany surrenders; end of Third Reich

AugustFirst atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan

SeptemberJapan surrenders; end of World War II

Major EvEnts of World War II and thE holocaust


Concept vocabulary

You will find the following terms and definitions useful as you read and discuss the selections in this book.

Aryan race “Aryan” was originally applied to people who spoke any Indo-European language (in India, western Asia, and Europe). The Nazis, however, primarily used the term to refer to people of Northern European racial ancestry—especially those with blue eyes and blonde hair.

concentration camp Upon their ascent to power on January 30, l933, the Nazis established concentration camps for the imprisonment of all “enemies” of their regime: political opponents, Jehovah’s Witnesses, gypsies, homosexuals, and other “asocials.” Beginning in 1938, Jews were targeted for internment solely because they were Jews.

Final solution The cover name for the plan to destroy the Jews of Europe— the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question.” It began in December, l941. Jews were rounded up and sent to extermination camps in the East. The program was deceptively disguised as “resettlement.”

genocide The deliberate and systematic destruction of a religious, racial, national, or cultural group of people.

ghetto The Nazis revived the concept of medieval ghetto in creating their compulsory “Jewish Quarter.” The ghetto was a section of a city where all Jews from the surrounding areas were forced to reside, surrounded by barbed wire or walls.

Nazi From the German words for Na(tional-so)zi(alist). A nazi was a member or supporter of the National Socialist Party in Germany led by Adolf Hitler.

propaganda ideas or claims spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opponent’s cause.

scapegoat a person or group that bears the blame for others. Scapegoating is the process of blaming others for one’s problems.

Third Reich the German state during the Nazi period.

14 c o n c e p t v o c a b u l a r y


15m e m o i r

Cluster One

How Could the Holocaust Happen?thinkingskill analYzing

Boy in front of a synagogue. Mukachevo (Ukraine), 1937.

The Ball

Hans Peter ricHter

W e ran along the street. Friedrich kept close to the houses; I stayed on the curb. I threw the little rubber ball I’d been given in the shoe store. It hit the center of the sidewalk and bounced

high. Friedrich caught it and threw it back to me.“My father will be home any moment!” he called to me. “I must get

back soon. We’re going shopping today. Maybe someone’ll give me a ball, too!”

I nodded and jumped over a manhole. I waited until a pedestrian had gone by, then hurled the ball back to Friedrich.

Friedrich hadn’t been watching.There was a crash.The ball rolled harmlessly back to me.Friedrich stared openmouthed at the smashed shop window. I bent to

pick up the ball, not yet believing what had happened.Suddenly the woman stood before us. She grabbed Friedrich’s arm

and began to screech.Doors and windows opened. A crowd gathered.“Thieves! Burglars!” the woman shouted.Her husband stood by the shop door, hands in his pockets, smoking

a pipe.“This good-for-nothing Jewboy here broke my shop window,” she told

everyone who cared to listen. “He wants to rob me.” She turned to Friedrich. “But you didn’t quite make it this time, did you. Because I’m always watching. I know you, you won’t get away from me. You pack of Jews, they should get rid of you. First you ruin our business with your

17s h o r t s t o r y

department stores, then you rob us on top of it! Just you wait, Hitler will show you yet!” And she shook Friedrich violently.

“But he didn’t do it!” I yelled. “I threw the ball, I broke your window. We didn’t want to steal!”

The woman looked at me, eyes large and stupid. Her mouth dropped open.

Her husband had swept the broken glass into the gutter. He collected the rolls of thread, the stars of black and white yarn, the balls of colorful embroidery yarn from the display case and carried them into the shop.

The woman’s eyes grew very small. “How dare you interfere? What are you doing here anyway? Away with you! You don’t think you have to protect this rotten Jewboy because you’re living in the same house, do you? Go on, beat it!”

“But I threw the ball!” I said again.The woman lunged at me, without letting go of Friedrich. Friedrich

cried. He wiped his tears on his sleeve, smearing his whole face.Someone had called the police.Out of breath and sweating, a policeman arrived on a bicycle. He

asked the woman to tell him what had happened.Again she told the story of the attempted burglary.I tugged at his sleeve. “Officer,” I said, “he didn’t do it. I broke the

pane with my ball.”The woman looked at me threateningly. “Don’t you believe him,

Officer!” she said. “He only wants to protect the Jewboy here. Don’t you believe him. He thinks the Jew’s his friend just because they live in the same house.”

The policeman bent down to me. “You don’t understand this yet, you’re too young still,” he explained. “You may think you’re doing him a favor by standing up for him. But you know he’s a Jew. Believe me, we grownups have had plenty of experiences with Jews. You can’t trust them; they’re sneaky and they cheat. This woman was the only one who saw what happened, so . . .”

“But she didn’t see it!” I interrupted him. “Only I was there, and I did it!”The policeman frowned. “You wouldn’t try to call this woman a liar.”

I wanted to explain, but he didn’t let me.He took Friedrich’s wrist from the woman and led him toward our

house, followed by the woman and a long line of curious onlookers.I joined the line.Halfway there we ran into Herr Schneider.

18

voices oF the holocaust

s h o r t s t o r y

Sobbing, Friedrich shouted, “Father!”Astonished, Herr Schneider surveyed the procession. He came closer,

said hello, and looked from one person to another, obviously puzzled.“Your son—” said the policeman.But the woman didn’t give him a chance to go on. In one burst she

repeated her tales. The only part she left out this time was her insinuation about Jews.

Herr Schneider listened patiently. When she had finished, he took Friedrich’s chin in his hand and lifted his head so he could look into his eyes.

“Friedrich,” he asked seriously, “did you break the shop window inten-tionally?”

Friedrich shook his head, still sobbing.“I did it, Herr Schneider. I threw the ball, but I didn’t do it on purpose!”

And I showed him my small rubber ball.Friedrich nodded.Herr Schneider took a deep breath. “If you can swear on oath that

what you just told me is the truth,” he told the woman, “go ahead and register a formal complaint. You know me, and you know where I live!”

The woman did not reply.Herr Schneider pulled out his purse. “Kindly release my son, Officer!”

he said sharply. “I will pay for the damage at once.”

19

the Ball

s h o r t s t o r y

54

responding to Cluster One

How Could the Holocaust Happen?thinkingskill analYzing

1. From the selections in this cluster and what you already know, analyze the roots of the holocaust. (Analyze means to break something into parts and study each part.) You might use a chart such as the one below to record your analysis.

Selection Your Analysis

The Ball Friedrich didn’t break the shop window, but the owner blamed

him because he was a Jew. Many Germans hated Jews, so it

was easy for Hitler to blame them for the bad economy and

other major problems.

2. Why do you think so many young Germans were attracted to the Hitler Youth movement? Use examples from the selection(s) to support your answer.

3. In the poems “Family Album” and “Anti-Semitic Demonstration” which lines did you find most powerful? Explain.

4. Compare the poem “Crystal Night” with the autobiographical essay “Broken Glass, Broken Lives.” What did you learn about Kristallnacht (Crystal Night) from the poem that you did not learn from the essay?

5. In “Address Unknown” explain how Max Eisenstein gets revenge for the death of his sister.

Writing Activity: Analyzing the roots of the Holocaust

Analyze the selections in this cluster, looking for specific attitudes and/or actions that would allow the Nazis to take power and to commit the injustices that led to the Holocaust. The chart from Question one above can help you organize your ideas. Present your analysis in the format of your choice. You might present a timeline or chart or discuss your opinions in an essay.

A Strong Analysis◆ states the purpose for the analysis

◆ demonstrates careful examination of each part of the topic

◆ supports each point with evidence

◆ organizes information clearly

◆ ends with a summary of the ideas presented

r e s p o n d i n g t o c l u s t e r o n e

Perfect ion Learning

VOICES OF THE HOLOCAUSTVOICES OF THE HOLOCAUST

T e a c h e r G u i d e#78511ISBN0-7891-5053-0

The Literature & Thought series contains literature that

challenges the reader, promotes critical thinking, and encourages

independent exploration of genres, themes, and issues.

Books in each of the three series strands are listed below.

LITERARY GENRES

Ecology Fantasy Humor

Mystery Mythology Science Fiction Sports

LITERARY THEMES

Decisions Family Friendship

Heroes Identity Justice Survival

LITERARY APPROACHES TO HISTORY

American Frontiers Civil Rights The Harlem Renaissance

The Civil War The Great Depression The Holocaust

The Immigrant Experience Vietnam & The Sixties

Perfection Learning® CorporationLogan, Iowa 51546-0500

perfectionlearning.com

Printed in the U.S.A.

Editorial dirEctor Julie A. Schumacher

SEnior Editor Terry Ofner

Editor Michael McGhee

PErmiSSionS Laura Pieper

rEviEwErS Claudia A. Katz

Sue Ann Kuby

Jonathan R. Kahle

covEr art WARSAW 1952 Ben Shahn The Hebrew text incorporated into the painting is taken from the “Ten Martyrs’ Prayer” said on the Day of Atonement: “These I remember, and my soul melts with sorrow, for strangers have devoured us like unturned cakes, for in the days of the tyrant there was no reprieve for the [ten] martyrs murdered by the government.” Shahn omitted the word ‘ten’ (which referred to martyrs killed by the Romans) to make the quote applicable to the Holocaust.

The purchase of this book entitles an individual teacher to reproduce certain pages for use in the classroom. This permitted use of copy-righted material does not extend beyond the building level. Reproduction for use in an entire school system or for commercial use is prohibited. Beyond the classroom use by an individual teacher, reproduction, transmittal, or retrieval of this work is prohibited without written permission from the publisher.

Copyright © 2000 Perfection Learning® Corporation1000 North Second Avenue, Logan, Iowa 51546–0500Tel: 1-800-831-4190 • Fax: 1-712-664-2392

78511ISBN-13: 978-0-7891-5053-0ISBN-10: 0-7891-5053-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 PP 0 0 0 0 0 0

Table of ConTenTs

Features of the Student Book: Voices of the Holocaust 4

Features of This Teacher Guide 5

Three Teaching Options for Voices of the Holocaust 6

Introducing the Theme

The Preface • The Prologue • WhaT Do You KnoW? (anTiciPaTion guiDe) • creaTing conTexT 8

Cluster One How Could the Holocaust Happen?

Teaching the Critical Thinking Skill AnAlyzInG 10

Analyzing the Roots of the Holocaust (Handout/Overhead) 11

Cluster One Vocabulary (Handout) 12

Cluster One Selections

The Ball hans PeTer richTer shorT sTorY 13

Serving Mein Führer eleanor aYer biograPhY 14

Family Album amos neufelD Poem 15

An Anti-Semitic Demonstration gail neWman Poem 16

Broken Glass, Broken Lives arnolD geier auTobiograPhY 17

Crystal Night lYn lifshin Poem 18

Address Unknown Kressmann TaYlor ficTional corresPonDence 19

Responding to Cluster One (Answer Sheet) 20

Writing Activity AnAlyzInG THe ROOTS OF THe HOlOCAuST (Handout) 21

Cluster One Vocabulary Test 22

Cluster Two How Were Victims Oppressed?

Teaching the Critical Thinking Skill COmpARInG/COnTRASTInG 23

Contrasting Oppression and Freedom (Handout/Overhead) 24

Cluster Two Vocabulary (Handout) 25

Cluster Two Selections

A Spring Morning iDa finK shorT sTorY 26

The Little Boy with His Hands Up Yala KorWin Poem 27

Shipment to Maidanek ePhim fogel Poem 28

A Survivor Remembers bereK laTarus oral hisTorY 29

Responding to Cluster Two (Answer Sheet) 30

Writing Activity: Contrasting War and everyday life (Handout) 31

Cluster Two Vocabulary Test 32

Voices of the Holocaust2 L i t e r a t u r e a n d t h o u g h t

Cluster Three Was There Resistance?

Teaching the Critical Thinking Skill GeneRAlIzInG 33

Generalizing About Holocaust Resistance (Handout/Overhead) 34

Cluster Three Vocabulary (Handout) 35

Cluster Three Selections

Saving the Children frieDa singer Poem 36

Rescue in Denmark harolD flenDer hisTorical accounT 37

The White Rose: Long Live Freedom Jacob g. hornberger essaY 38

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising reuben ainszTein DiarY 39

Responding to Cluster Three (Answer Sheet) 40

Writing Activity: Generalizing About Holocaust Resistance (Handout) 41

Cluster Three Vocabulary Test 42

Cluster Four Why Should We Remember?

Teaching the Critical Thinking Skill SynTHeSIzInG 43

Why Should We Remember? (Handout/Overhead) 44

Cluster Four Vocabulary (Handout) 45

Cluster Four Selections

Letter from Dachau 1sT lT. William J. coWling leTTer 46

Reunions bernarD goTfrYD shorT sTorY 47

Return to Auschwitz KiTTY harT auTobiograPhY 48

The Survivor John c. Pine Poem 49

The Power of Light isaac bashevis singer shorT sTorY 50

Responding to Cluster Four (Answer Sheet) 51

Writing Activity: Why We Remember—A Synthesis (Handout) 52

Cluster Four Vocabulary Test 53

Cluster Five Thinking On Your Own

Teaching Cluster Five 54

Cluster Five Vocabulary (Handout) 55

Cluster Five Selections

For the Dead and the Living elie Wiesel sPeech 56

The Test Case simon WiesenThal Personal accounT 57

Hitler’s Heirs greg sTeinmeTz arTicle 58

Genocide in Bosnia marY ann licKTeig arTicle 59

Race Karen gershon Poem 60

Cluster Five Vocabulary Test 61

Research, Writing, and Discussion Topics (Handout) 62

Assessment and project Ideas (Handout) 63

essay Test (prompt) 64

Rubric: General Standards and Criteria for project evaluation 65

Related literature 66

What Do you Know? (Anticipation Guide) 67

Answers to Vocabulary Tests and Anticipation Guide 68

Voices of the Holocaust 3L i t e r a t u r e a n d t h o u g h t

Features of the Student Book

Introducing the Theme

Preface The Preface introduces the student to the Essential Question of the book. This question, together with the cluster questions and thinking skills, will guide student reading throughout the anthology. Use the Preface to set a purpose for reading.

Prologue The Prologue combines a strong visual image with a thematically relevant poem or quota-tion. The Prologue is designed to stimulate discussion and to set the tone for study of the anthology.

Creating Context The Creating Context section contains several features such as an essay, map, and timeline, as well as a concept vocabulary page. These features will create a framework for learn-ing and provide an opportunity to access prior knowledge.

The Selections

Clusters The anthology is divided into four or five clusters of selections. The selections offer a mix-ture of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.

Cluster Questions and Thinking Skills The selections in all but the last cluster are grouped around a cluster question and thinking skill, which are stated on the cluster opening page. Reading the selections in the cluster will help students answer the cluster question as well as exercise the think-ing skill.

Responding to the Cluster Rather than interrupting the flow of reading with questions after every selection, Literature & Thought anthologies present discussion questions at the end of the cluster. Many of these discussion questions address more than one selection, giving students the opportunity to consider a group of literary selections as a whole rather than as unconnected parts. These ques-tions can also be used as prewriting prompts for the writing activity that follows the cluster questions.

Writing Activity All but the last cluster end with a writing activity that integrates the cluster ques-tion with the thinking skill.

The Final Cluster

The Final Cluster Having practiced several thinking skills and with a core of literature behind them, students should be able to approach the final cluster of selections independently.


Features of This Teacher Guide

Planning and Scheduling Options Strategies for planning a 4- to 6-week unit, a 1- to 2-week unit, or using the student book in conjunction with a novel.

What Do You Know? (anticipation guide) To assess your students’ prior knowledge of the Holocaust, administer the anticipation guide on page 67.

Teaching Strategies for Introducing the Theme To set the purpose for reading, use the resources for teaching the Preface; use the Prologue for setting the tone of the theme study; and use the Creating Context section for setting the framework, or context, of the unit.

Teaching the Critical Thinking Skill Each cluster in the teacher guide begins with a lesson plan and handout/overhead for modeling the cluster thinking skill.

Cluster Vocabulary Handouts and Tests Students can use the reproducible vocabulary sheet to reference challenging words in each selection and to prepare for the Cluster Vocabulary Tests.

Selection Resources Every selection in the student book has the following teacher supports: selection summaries, reading hints, thinking skills, extension activities, discussion questions with suggested answers, and special focus sections that provide historical, literary, or bibliographical background on the selections.

Responding to the Cluster This resource page provides sample answers to the cluster questions.

Writing Activity Reproducible Sheet This graphic organizer integrates the writing activity and the cluster critical thinking skill.

Suggestions for Teaching the Final Cluster The final cluster provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their mastery of the content knowledge and thinking skills. Look for the following fea-tures: a final cluster planning guide, cluster vocabluary, selection teacher support, and handouts to help with research, writing, and project ideas.

The Essay Prompt This open-book essay prompt is based on the essential question of the anthology. Use it as a culminating essay test. You may want to give extra credit to students who correctly use Concept Vocabulary words and words from the Cluster Vocabulary Sheets.

Rubric Use or adapt the sample rubric prior to assigning, and while assessing, student writing.


Assessments

Discussing the Selection Use the discussion questions to assess student understanding of the selections.Responding to the Cluster The questions on the Responding to the Cluster pages can be used as informal assessments of the cluster content as well as the thinking skill.Cluster Vocabulary Tests These 10-point vocabulary tests assess student understanding of key vocabulary words.Writing Activities Writing activities are ideal for assessing student understanding of the con-tent and thinking skills of each cluster.Essay Prompt Use the final essay prompt to assess student understanding of the essential question of the theme study.

Three Teaching Options for Voices of the Holocaust

4- to 6-wEEk Unit

Page Numbers In Student Book Teacher Guide

Introducing the theme (1 to 2 days)

Read and discuss the following sections• What Do You Know?—Anticipation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 67• Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8• Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8• Creating Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9–14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Teaching the first four clusters (3 to 5 days per cluster)

• Introduce and model the cluster thinking skill using overhead/handout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 24, 34, 44

• Pass out cluster vocabulary sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 25, 35, 45• Set schedule for reading selections in first four clusters• For each selection, use appropriate discussion

questions and extension activities Cluster One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15–53 . . . . . . . . . . 13–19 Cluster Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55–69 . . . . . . . . . . 26–29 Cluster Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71–89 . . . . . . . . . . 36–39 Cluster Four . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91–123 . . . . . . . . . . 46–50

• As a class or in small groups discuss the Responding to the Cluster questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54, 70, 90, 124 . . . . . 20, 30, 40, 51

• Introduce Writing Activity with handout . . . . . . . . . 54, 70, 90, 124 . . . . . . 21, 31, 41, 52• Administer Vocabulary Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 32, 42, 53

Teaching the last cluster (5 to 10 days)

The final section can be structured as a teacher-directed cluster or as independent learning. Choose from the two models described below.

Teacher-Directed

• Pass out cluster vocabulary sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55• Set schedule for reading selections• For each selection, use appropriate discussion

questions and extension activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56–60• Administer Vocabulary Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61• Assign research projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62–63• Administer final essay test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Independent Learning

Have students• respond to one or more of the questions or activities

on the Responding to Cluster Five page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142• plan and present a lesson over one or more of the

selections in the last cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125–141• conduct additional research on a related topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62–63



Three Teaching Options for Voices of the Holocaust

1- to 2-wEEk Unit

Shorten the 4- to 6-week schedule by using one or more of the following strategies.

• Assign complete clusters to literary circles. Have each group share what they learn and/or teach the cluster to their classmates.

• Assign individual selections to groups. Have each group share what they learn and/or teach the selection to the entire class.

• Choose 8–10 significant selections for study by the entire class. The following list would provide a shortened exploration of the themes in Voices of the Holocaust.

Title Page Title Page

The Ball 16 The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising 86

Serving Mein Führer 20 Letter from Dachau 92

Address Unknown 40 The Power of Light 118

A Spring Morning 56 The Test Case 131

A Survivor Remembers 66 Hitler’s Heirs 136

The White Rose: Long Live Freedom 80 Race 141

USing Voices of the holocaust with rElatEd litEratUrE

Before Reading the Related Work

• Introduce the theme and the purpose for reading using the Anticipation Guide (page 67 of this teacher guide). From Voices of the Holocaust use the Preface (page 3), the Prologue (pages 4–5), and Creating Context (pages 9–14).

• Have students choose one or two selections and a poem to read from each cluster. Ask students to report on their selec-tion and how it helped them answer the cluster question.

During Reading

• Ask students to relate the readings in Voices of the Holocaust to themes, actions, or statements in the longer work.

• At strategic points, have students discuss how characters in the longer work would react to selections in Voices of the Holocaust.

After Reading

• Have students read the last cluster and respond to the cluster questions, drawing upon selections in Voices of the Holocaust as well as the longer work.

• Ask students to compare and contrast one or more selections in Voices of the Holocaust and a theme in the longer work.

• Allow students to choose a research topic from the options given in Research, Writing, and Discussion Topics (page 62) or Assessment and Project Ideas (page 63).

Related Longer Works

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. True story of a young Jewish girl who lived with seven other people in secret rooms in Amsterdam.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. An inspiring story of a Danish girl’s bravery when Nazis threatened her best friend’s safety.

Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene. This coming-of-age story is set in Arkansas during World War II. Patti Bergen’s Jewish family explodes over her friendship with a German prisoner of war.

See page 66 of this guide for other related titles.


I n t r o d u c I n g t h e t h e m e

Teaching the preface (page 3)

Could a Holocaust Happen Here?The question above is the essential question that students will consider as they read Voices of the Holocaust. The literature, activities, and organization of the book will lead them to think critically about this question and to develop a deeper understanding of the Holocaust.

To help students shape their answers to the broad essential question, they will read and respond to five sections, or clusters. Each cluster addresses a specific question and thinking skill.

CluSTeR One How could the Holocaust happen? AnAlyzInG

CluSTeR TWO How were victims oppressed? COmpARInG/COnTRASTInG

CluSTeR THRee Was there resistance? GeneRAlIzInG

CluSTeR FOuR Why should we remember? SynTHeSIzInG

CluSTeR FiVe Thinking on your own

Notice that the final cluster asks students to think independently about their answer to the essential question—Could a holocaust happen here?

Discussing the Preface Review the Preface with students. Point out the essential question as well as the cluster questions addressed in each cluster. You may want to revisit the essential question after stu-dents complete each cluster. The last cluster addresses the essential question directly.

Teaching the prologue (pages 4–5)

About the Image This photo documents the forcible removal of Jews from the Warsaw ghetto in 1940. The German army had earlier confined more than 400,000 Jews in the crowded ghetto. Many Jews died from starvation and disease, and about 300,000 more were sent to concentration camps.

The boy with his arms raised is Tsvi Nussbaum. He was sent to Bergen-Belsen camp, where he watched four generations of his family die. Tsvi survived the Holocaust and later emigrated to New York and became a physician.

Discussing the Image

• What do you know about the Holocaust?• There are two groups in the photo: people and soldiers. Describe the makeup of each group.• Who do you think took this photograph?• Why do the people have their arms raised?• Where do you think the boy with his hands up is going?

About the Text Martin Niemöller, the author of the famous speech “First they came for the Jews . . . ,” had originally welcomed the Nazi rise to power. But by 1934, he was disillusioned by Hitler and became the main figure in the Evangelical Church’s opposition to the Nazis. Arrested for “malicious attacks against the state,” he spent many years in the Dachau and Sachsenhausen camps. After the war Niemöller became a pacifist and advocated a neutral, disarmed, and reunited Germany.

Discussing the Text

• What do you think the speaker means when he says “they came for” the Jews or other groups?• Why does the speaker not “speak out”?• Why do they come for a separate group each time?• What do you think is the speaker’s point?

I n t r o d u c I n g t h e t h e m e


What Do you Know? (Anticipation Guide)

Discuss the following true false statements with your students to assess their knowledge of the Holocaust. The same questions are provided in reproducible form on page 67 of this teacher guide. Suggested answers are provided on page 68.

True or False

Only Jews were victims of the Holocaust.

The persecution of Jews was the cause of World War II.

Adolf Hitler believed that people of northern European descent were superior to other ethnic groups.

Nobody helped the Jews of Europe escape from the Nazis.

The Holocaust was the first time that the Jews were victims of oppression.

The Holocaust could never happen again.

Teaching the Creating Context Section (pages 9–14)

Use these Creating Context features to access students’ prior knowledge and build background about the Holocaust.

Anti-Semitism: A History of Hate (pages 9–10) This essay briefly explains the history of anti-Semi-tism in Europe. The essay culminates with a description of Hitler’s “Final Solution.” Use the following discussion questions to introduce the topic of anti-Semitism.

• Define prejudice.• What other forms of prejudice do you know about?• What do you know about anti-Semitism today?

Map of Concentration Camps and Killing Centers (page 10) Have students study the map of the con-centration camps and the killing centers. Use the following question to open discussion on the map.

• Why do you think the Germans placed the “killing centers” outside of Germany, mainly in occu-pied Poland?

Faces of the Holocaust (page 11) Have students study the images and captions on the “Faces of the Holocaust” page. Use the question below to open discussion on the individuals shown.

• Have you seen or heard of any of these people before? Tell what you know about them.

Timeline (pages 12–13) Students can use the timeline to get an encapsulated view of the Holocaust as well as to gain perspective to the selections in Voices of the Holocaust. Use the following activities to engage students in the content of the timeline.

• Prepare a classroom timeline to record the approximate time and place of the selections in Voices of the Holocaust.

• Assign each student 1 or 2 months of a year and have them read what happened. Have students record historical details in their journals throughout the unit study.

Concept Vocabulary (page 14) The terms on this page are important to understanding the Holocaust.

• Discuss terms that may be new to students.• Have students record new concept words in a journal as they read the anthology.


t e a c h I n g t h e c r I t I c a l t h I n k I n g s k I l l

Cluster One Analyzing

I. Present this definition to students. In analyzing you break down a topic or subject into parts so that it is easier to understand.

II. Discuss with students how they already use analysis by sharing the situations below.You use analysis when

• you study the good moves of an outstanding athlete.

• you pick out a new hair style or go shopping for new clothes.

• you learn the rules for a new game or learn how to use new software.

You might invite students to suggest other situations where analysis would be used.

III. Explain to students that they will analyze the selections in Cluster One to determine the roots of the Holocaust. Use the following steps to show how to analyze a selection.

A. Use the reproducible “Analyzing the Roots of the Holocaust” on page 11 as an overhead transparency or blackline master.

B. Show how a reader analyzed Model A to determine attitudes that were prevalent in German society and that helped fuel the Holocaust.

C. Ask students to analyze Model B. Help students find the following passages, and share how these passages reveal attitudes at the root of the Holocaust.

• Using the phrase “good-for-nothing Jewboy” stereotypes all Jews as “good-for-nothing.” You might introduce the term stereotyping at this time.

• The sentence “First you ruin our business with your department stores, then you rob us on top of it!” shows how the woman blames an entire group for her problems.

• The sentence “Just you wait, Hitler will show you yet!” shows how much appeal Hitler’s anti-Semitism has for the German masses.

Voices of the Holocaust 11© 2000 Perfection Learning Corporation • r e p r o d u c i b L e

name class DaTe

Root: People are willing to put up with unfair laws as long as the laws don’t hurt them.

Root: Laws made the “enemy” easier to identify.

Root: Widespread, public intimidation of Jews

Analyzing the Roots of the Holocaust

Cluster Question: How could the Holocaust happen?

Analysis: With analysis you break down a topic or subject into parts so that it is easier to understand.

Directions: Notice how a reader analyzed Model A and highlighted attitudes that helped fuel the Holocaust. Notice also the way the reader explained the highlighted text. Analyze Model B for similar attitudes and roots.

Model AHitler’s hatred of Jews didn’t dampen his image in most people’s minds. Good Aryans paid little attention to their hero’s darker side. Few of them objected to the many unfair laws that were now being forced upon the Jews. One of the newest demanded that all German Jews use only Jewish first names. If you were Jewish with a common first name like Karl or Heidi, the Nazis said you must change it to something “obviously Jewish” like Abraham or Sarah so you could be identified more easily.

All across Germany, the fate of the Jews was beginning to look more and more bleak. Headlines like this one screamed off the pages of the Völkischer Beobachter, the Nazi Party newspaper:

JEWS, ABANDON ALL HOPE!OUR NET IS SO FINE THAT THERE IS NOT A HOLE

THROUGH WHICH YOU CAN SLIP.

from “Serving Mein Führer,” page 26

Model B“This good-for-nothing Jewboy here broke my shop window,” she

told everyone who cared to listen. “He wants to rob me.” She turned to Friedrich. “But you didn’t quite make it this time, did you. Because I’m always watching. I know you, you won’t get away from me. You pack of Jews, they should get rid of you. First you ruin our business with your department stores, then you rob us on top of it! Just you wait, Hitler will show you yet!” And she shook Friedrich violently.

from “The Ball,” pages 17–18

Voices of the Holocaust12 r e p r o d u c i b L e • © 2000 Perfection Learning Corporation

name class DaTe

Cluster One Vocabulary

Watch for the following words as you read the selections in Cluster One. Record your own vocabulary words and definitions on the blank lines.

The Ball pages 16–19

Herr German term for Mr. or Sirinsinuation criticism; an indirect suggestion

meant to discredit someonesurveyed looked over

Serving Mein Führer pages 20–27

arrogant too proud; boastfulbleak cheerless; depressingfleeting short-lived; soon gonegoose-stepping marching with stiff-kneed and

straight-legged stepshigh mass an important religious service in which

main beliefs are celebratedinvincible unbeatablepunctuated broken or interrupted at intervalsswastika ancient cross-like symbol with four bent

arms. The Nazis reversed the direction of the arms.

Family Album pages 28 –29

cattle-cars railroad freight cars used to transport livestock

composed calm; quietengraved fixed in the mindprecipice steep cliff

An Anti-Semitic Demonstration pages 30–31

blue number a serial number tattooed on all concentration camp prisoners. This number was a person’s only source of identification.

indistinct blurred; unclear

Broken Glass, Broken Lives pages 32–37

affidavit sworn statementcajoled flattered; charmedembassy offices of a nation’s official representative

to another countryfurtive secret; clandestineGestapo Hitler’s secret policequota portion; number of immigrants legally

allowed to enter the United Statesspontaneous spur of the moment; unrestrainedtrepidation fear; anxietytumult disturbance; chaos

Crystal Night pages 38–39

shards pieces or fragments of brittle substance such as glass or pottery

synagogue Jewish place of worship

Address Unknown pages 40–53

abated trailed off; calmed downbaser lower; more evilJew-baiting abusing JewsJunker member of the former aristocratic class in

Prussia. Junkers tended to hang on to their privi-leges and to resist change.

pillage lootpogrom systematic killing; massacrepredominate prevail; here, outnumber othersPrussian related to Prussia, a powerful military

nation that became part of Germanyquickening coming to life; awakeningregime government; administrationvogue popular; faddish zealot person who gets carried away with enthusi-

asm for a belief or a cause; fanatic

c l u s t e r o n e s e l e c t I o n s


The Ball by Hans Peter Richter, pages 16–19 Short Story

SummaryFriedrich, a Jewish boy, and the narrator, a non-Jewish boy, are playing ball in the street. The nar-rator throws the ball to Friedrich, who isn’t watching, and the ball breaks a storefront window. Despite the narrator’s objections that he threw the ball, the woman owner of the store creates a scene, accusing the “Jewboy” of planning to rob the store. While a policeman escorts Friedrich away, Friedrich’s father happens along. After listening to the woman, Friedrich’s father offers to pay for the broken window immediately.

VocabularyHerr German term for Mr. or Sir

insinuation criticism; an indirect suggestion meant to discredit someone

surveyed looked over

Discussing the Short Story 1. What does the woman call the boys?

(Recall) Thieves! Burglars! 2. According to the woman, how are the Jews

ruining her business? (Recall) They are run-ning department stores. [You may want to explain to students that many people blamed Jews when hard times came. They believed that the Jews were getting rich at their expense.]

3. The policeman arrives to find out the truth. How does he use his authority? (Analysis) He ignores the narrator’s testimony. He sup-ports the woman’s prejudices. He implies that the narrator will get into trouble if the boy insists the woman is a “liar.”

4. Why won’t the woman take an oath that what she says is true? (Analysis) She did not see the incident. Her accusation is based on prejudice alone.

5. Do you think that the narrator and Friedrich will remain friends? Why or why not? (Analysis) Answers will vary. Some will say yes because the boys do not share the prejudice of the woman. Others may say no because the boys will grow up and take on the prejudices of the greater society.

For Further ReadingFor your students that enjoyed this story, rec-ommend the entire novel: Friedrich by Hans Peter Richter, Puffin: 1987. ISBN: 0140322051

Some students may have difficulty with German names. Tell them not to worry about pronouncing the names correctly.

What does the author want you to learn from this piece?

Speaking and Listening: Have stu-dents take the roles of the characters in this story and create a short improvisa-tional play of the story.

ReadingHint ThinkingSkill Extensions

Teacher Notes

literature & thought

Documents