Cindy and Aqsa
Post #1 - Introduction
Post #2 - Organizing The History
Post #3 - Photo Project
Post #4 - Individual Responsibility and Resistance
Post #5 - Perpetrators, Collaborators, Bystanders, and Rescuers
Post #6 - Final Project - The Suitcase Project
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Hi. My name is Aqsa.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding of Holocaust is that it started when Adolf Hitler was elected. Germany lost the World War 1 and blamed the Jews for the loss of the war. Jews were easy to blame because they didn’t have any of their own land. They were also hated by Christians because they believed that Jews put the Jesus on cross. It started slowly, the Jews were made to wear a Yellow star. There were also other laws that strict the Jews from a lot of their freedoms. Later in 1942, Jews were sent to ghettos and then Hitler thought that it was not enough to punish the Jews so he sent them to Concentration Camps. In concentrations people were treated like animals, they were beaten, and were forced to do labour not just this but they were also sent to gas chambers which was an immediate death. A few of the Jews were taken and experiments which resulted a horrible death. People were rescued in 1945 but it will never end because it will remain in the hearts of those who suffered from it.
The book Elly is a real story of a girl who survived holocaust. She was a little happy girl like the most of the Kids in world. Her mother and father were loving like everyone else parents. Some questions are:
1. Why do you think Elly went home crying for Umbrella?
2. What do you think you would say to the person who blamed you for chickens you never touched?
3. Elly was sensitive so how do you think she survived holocaust?
Hi, my name is Cindy. My knowledge about the Holocaust is that it all started when Germany lost World War I, and it was always easier to blame someone. The Jews were blame because they don’t have a homeland, and Christians believed Jesus was put on the cross for the Jews. When Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi party, was elected, he took the ideas into action. The Holocaust started with small steps, such as the Jews have to yellow stars, their property was taken from them, Jewish children were not allow to go to school. In 1942, the action got bigger. Hitler start to gather the Jewish people, and put into places called the ghettos. He thought it was still not enough to punish the Jewish people, so Hitler moved them to the Concentration camps. The Jews were treated really poorly, they live off 200 calories each day, and were forced into physical labours. A lot of Jews died because of exhaustion and hunger, some were send to the gas chamber. The Jewish people were rescued in 1945, but the effect never ended because the people are still affected or discriminated today.
ReplyDeleteThe book Elly is written in a verse portion. It is a real story based on the author. The main character was 15 when she was send to the concentration camp with her family. Some questions I have about this book are: How would you feel if you were Elly? Would you survive the Holocaust? Do you have the courage to live after the Holocaust?
As I’m reading the book, I am learning more knowledge about the Holocaust. The Holocaust started with small steps. It is started by one person with one idea. The Jews were first treated differently, for example, they had to wear a yellow star. And then their properties were taken away from them. Jewish people were blamed for the war, they were taken to the ghettos and were forced to work as physical labours. Many of them died because of hunger, diseases and exhaustion. The book Elly takes place in Romania, it takes time in 1940s.
ReplyDeleteThe book Elly is written in chronological order. It first talked about Elly’s childhood and free life before the holocaust, and then life during the holocaust, which made a huge comparison. During world war, many people died and life was difficult. It was easier to blame a group of people, a nation without a homeland, which are the Jews. On September 10, 1940, the Hungarian invaded Romania. The new government seized Jewish belongings and properties and gave them away for free to Hungarians. Later on, Elly was accused for stealing the tenant’s chicken. Nobody stood up for her. Elly’s mom paid for the chicken, although they don’t even have enough money for their living. That was their life under the Hungarian rule.
Germany started World War II by invading Poland on September 1, 1939. Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany on September 3. Within a month, Poland was defeated. On May 10, 1940, Germany began its assault on Western Europe by invading the Low Countries (Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg), as well as France. In May 1942, the British Royal Air Force carried out a raid on the German city of Cologne with a thousand bombers, for the first time bringing war home to Germany. This is similar to what was happening in the book. Hungary invaded part of Romania, which is the Character’s home town. The character was living under the Hungarian rule, and was treated unequally.
Respond to the post:
1. Why do you think Elly went home crying for umbrella? Because Elly left her umbrella at home, and she felt desperate. So she went home, crying for umbrella.
2. What do you think you would say to the person who blamed you for chickens you never touched? I would feel really angry and scared. Because the tenant might sent me to jail for something I never did. It is really unfair for Elly’s mom to pay for the chicken because she didn’t even touch it, and it was sad when her mom said: “thank goodness, the chickens returned. Who cares about an apology? Our worries are over.” It shows how difficult it was under the Hungarian rule, and how the Jewish people were discriminated against.
3. Elly was sensitive so how do you think she survived holocaust? I think it takes a lot of courage for Elly to survive the holocaust when none of her family members are alive. Her life in the concentration camp must be terrible, but she did not gave up hope.
Some questions I have:
1. How would you feel if you were accused for stealing the chickens?
2. Would you speak up for Elly if you were one of the witnesses? Why?
3. If you were one of the Jews, would you have the courage to live under that pressure?
By reading the Novel Elly, My understanding of the Holocaust is, it didn’t start with a sword or a gun instead it started with a pen. When Germany lost the war, German leader, Adolf Hitler united all his nation men and blamed Jews for the loss of World War 1, he thought that Jews were easy to blame because they never had their own land. On September 10, 1940 the Hungarian took over a part of Romania and brought devastation. At that time Hungary was part of Germany. Hitler made Jews wear a yellow star of Jesus. Then later Jews were restricted from their rights even they weren’t allowed to sit on the park benches. They were taken away from their home and were treated less than animals. They were taken away from their homes into camps without food or water.
ReplyDeleteElly was a happy and worry-free child. She spent her childhood as a sensitive little girl, full of happiness. She had a brother “Albertro” whom she wanted to see as a doctor or a lawyer. Her mother always said that she should listen to elders but she always tried to please them. When Hungarian took over Romania the food and a bunch of Jews belongings were shipped to Germany and were distributed among them. The loss of food and jobs was also blamed on Jews. Hitler made Jews wear a yellow star of Jesus, people on the street stared to make fun of Jews by saying “Miss did a star fall on you?” A tenant brought chickens and they got lost, that tenant blamed Elly for stealing those chickens when she had never touched those chickens.
When all this was happening in Romania, at that time in June, German encouraged the Soviet Union to eastern provinces and in July, German authorities expelled more than 3,000 Alsatian Jews from Alsace to southern (Vichy) France. In September, Vichy French authorities convert refugee camps in the south of France to detention camps for Jews and political prisoners.
Questions I have are:
Why do you think no one spoke up for the Jews?
Why were the Jews blamed for the loss of goods?
I wonder that Hitler could have done it faster with the gun but why did he did it slowly with the pen?
Answers for your Questions are:
I would not be able to smile after what happened in Holocaust.
I don’t think I can even survive 1 day in Holocaust because I think i am more sensitive than anyone else.
I will try not to commit suicide because after this much i will be emotionally dead.
Since I posted last time now I the book following things are going on. In the Holocaust during June 1942, Elly’s father was forced away from their home in Ghettos. Nazis killed a bunch of Jews, including Elly’s father in the Holocaust in Gas chambers. Then on 27 May 1944, Elly, her mother and her 5 year old brother were taken to Ghettos. Her family stayed in Ghettos for 3 day without food or water (they were sent on a train). “After 3 days train halted and some men in striped rags jumped in, one of them said to my mom, give child to someone else and to me he said, say you are 18. But I didn’t listen to him.” said Elly. Now Elly was sent in Birkenau where some pale people played soft music (may be to keep things calm) at the night. On June 2, 1944 Elly was directed to right (not yet condemned to die), she was told to hurry then she entered a room where in both German and Hungarian was written “tie your shoes and remember your hook number to find your clothes.” Elly only got rags to wear not anything else and wooden shoes even when it rained. Elly had to work as hard as she could, not to earn but to simply survive.
ReplyDeleteBefore Romania was taken over by Nazi, Elly was a happy and a sensitive girl. She played all the time with friends outside or at their home. She was living near a lake, where she and her friends float boats and had fun. Elly was living with her family like most of the kids do, she usually helped her mother. Elly also got punished for staying at her friend’s home for 1 hour late than she was supposed to come home. Elly’s father went out of country once and brought her a doll. She played with her doll with a friend, and then her friend broke the nose of the doll. Elly went home crying like most of the children do after breaking their toys.
The pictures in the links are real. In 1 is Elly with her ball at the age of 2 and the second one is of her parents.
1. http://digitalassets.ushmm.org/photoarchives/detail.aspx?id=1144209
2. http://digitalassets.ushmm.org/photoarchives/detail.aspx?id=1144204
Answers:
1. I would get mad at the lady, I would probably yell at her and tell her that I never saw her chickens.
2. May be yes! Depends on the situation because I won’t like to get a shot in my head for just saying don’t do it.
3. If I was a Jewish I would have lived crying all the time basically due to the pressure.
Questions I have:
1. Would you have allowed your mother to leave your 5 year old brother with someone you completely didn’t knew and come with you? And why?
2. Do you think you can stay Hungary for 3 day just with 2 glass water?
3. What would you say after staying 1 day without food or water?
The summary of this section is: In 1944, the Jews had to wear a yellow star, so people can recognize them from far away. On May 27.1944, The Jews were taken out of the ghettos, and forced into cattle cars without food and water for days. On June 2, 1944, the cattle car stopped and the Jews were taken to the concentration camp. Elly was directed to the right (physical labour), and her mother and brother were directed to the left (gas chamber). What happened next was like a nightmare. Elly lived seven days without food and water, her head is shaved. Her clothes are taken away, and her body is covered with rags. Every morning, the soldiers would choose 100 to 150 young women, and take them to the gas chamber. Elly was lucky enough to not be choose.
ReplyDeleteElly was a happy and carefree girl before the Holocaust. She was born in a beautiful city, surrounded by the Meses Mountains. Elly had a really memorable childhood. In the summer, Elly and her friends would float paper boats on the lake. Proud “soldiers” made from matches navigated the boats on the lake. She did not have much toy at that time, but her parents loved her, and at the age of 10, she had a baby brother. Everything changed during the Holocaust. Elly’s parents and her brother were taken to the gas chamber, and she was forced into physical labor.
Photo source:
http://digitalassets.ushmm.org/photoarchives/detail.aspx?id=1144209
The only picture of her at the age of two
Some questions I have:
1. How would you feel if you were trapped in the cattle car for 7 days, without food and water?
2. Why do you think Miri would save Elly’s life?
3. Do you think the musicians would feel guilty for seeing the newcomers being taken to the concentration camps, but not able to help them?
Respond to Post #2:
1. Why do you think no one spoke up for the Jews?
I think some people don’t care, and agree with Hitler. Some people might don’t agree, but are too scared to speak up.
2. Why were the Jews blamed for the loss of goods?
It’s easier to blame a group of people for all the causes, a nation without a homeland, which are the Jews.
3. I wonder that Hitler could have done it faster with the gun but why did he did it slowly with the pen?
It will waste a lot of bullet, to kill a mass of people, and things won’t work just by one people. So Hitler used a pen, and gathered millions of people, who agree with him, and have the same idea as him.
As I am reading the novel Elly I am learning more about how Jews were treated in the concentration. In concentration camps there were two roll calls every day where girls were selected to go to the gas chambers, they usually selected the sick girls. After the first roll call they distributed food which was 1 inch loaf of bread made from saw dust. There in 1944, new Cart of Jews arrived, they have been starved and looked like bones and later after a few days were taken away from the camps possibly in the Gas chamber. Nazis called them “dirty Jew” well if they don’t even give them water to drink and wash how do Nazis expect them to be clean.
ReplyDeleteOn summer of 1944, Jews from Theresienstadt arrived they were starved for years and now looked like bones with skin. Elly’s block was given green soup which they didn't like and passed to the new arrived Jews. Some factory owner also showed passive resistance by asking for 500 girls to work in his factory and Elly was selected for it. By working on painting machine Elly’s teeth started to get full of blood and a gentleman gave her salt. After a few days of bleeding teeth, Elly got sick and her back hurt and an officer helped her by giving her floor cleaning Job. Anne-Marie also admired Elly’s decorating skills and asked her to paint her bowl too.
Anyone who cared and saw Jews as humans will try to help them save their life in Holocaust. People may not show resistance actively but they did show it passively. Holocaust was an act of anti-Antisemitism, but people all over the world have different backgrounds, different culture and different religion but everyone doesn't think same as others. Some people think of others same as them by respecting their choice and caring for them and some show apathy by not resisting Nazis in anyway.
Questions I have are:
1. Why do you think Elly ate potato peels from the garbage?
2. How would you feel if someone decided your death on 1 hand move for twice a day?
3. How long do you think it takes to make someone feel bad about their religion (they would think and believe that their religion is bad)?
4. If the Nazi wanted Jews to kill why were they given mask, gloves, jacket and two cups of skimmed milk?
Answers for your Questions:
1. I would yell as loud as I could at the driver and people around me.
2. Because she cared for her was passively resisting Nazi and thought it was an easy task for her.
3. I think the Musicians didn't knew about the gas chambers and were trying to help Jews by not letting them cry and get beaten up by Nazis soldiers.
Summary: In Auschwitz-II//Birkenau there were two daily roll calls. The first began before sunrise and lasted till midday. The second roll call began after a short break and lasted until sunset. A one-inch slice of dark bread, made from sawdust was distributed to the Jews after the roll call. The SS officers would select 100 to 150 girls, usually the weak and sick ones, and take them to the gas chamber. After a few months, Elly was selected to be shipped with a large group of detainees to a factory near Fallersleben, Germany. Things were better there, they had warm water to wash themselves. In the factory, Elly was selected to work in the painting department. They worked in two groups, either for 12 hours during the day, or 12 hours at night. By October 1944, Elly’s mouth start to bleed from the paint fumes, she was so weak and sick, and the officer assigned her to wash floors in the living quarters. On April 14, 1945, the Allied and American soldiers rolled throught the gate. They saved the girls and send them free.
ReplyDeleteIn the book Elly, people showed their resistance by blowing up Crematorium IV. One day in the fall of 1944, with the help of seven brave young women, dynamite was smuggled into Crematorium IV. The brave men who worked as the sonderkommando blew up Crematorium IV. After the revolt, Mazi soldiers murdered every man who participated.
I think the reason Jewish people would show their resistance in the Holocaust is because they want to protect them from the Nazis, they don’t want to be beaten or send to the gas chamber. It could also because the Jewish people were innocent, and they want to fight against for the right they deserve. Showing their resistance can also be a way to warn the people, and make them realize, their apathy is wrong.
Questions:
1. What kind of resistance would you show if you were in the Holocaust?
2. What would you do if you were selected on the roll call?
3. Where would you go if you were rescued from the concentration camp?
Respond to post #3:
1. Would you have allowed your mother to leave your 5 year old brother with someone you completely didn’t knew and come with you? And why? It depends on the situation. If I don’t know my mother and brother are going to be murdered, I would not allow her to give my brother away. If I know that they are going to be murdered, I would allow her, because it would save one more person from death.
2. Do you think you can stay Hungary for 3 day just with 2 glass water? Yes, I think I could. 3 days without food won’t make me die of hunger.
3. What would you say after staying 1 day without food or water?
I would be really confused and mad for the treatment we got. But I would not scream or yell, because that will waste my energy, which will make it more difficult to survive.