One Survivor Remembers (#6)

1. What scenes or images were most powerful for you, and why? What lessons or messages did these scenes offer?

I think the scenes about Gerda's family were the most powerful for me. I was really moved by the fact that she lost her family at such a young and tender age. I've read about stories like Gerda's before, but actually seeing pictures and hearing her stories were very powerful. It made her story much easier to relate to, and I couldn't help but ask myself what I would be thinking had this had happened to me. I don't know how I would cope with seeing one of my parents leave me on a cart the way Gerda had to watch her mother leave. Gerda knew that her mother was going to die. That would've crushed me.

2. How did the Nazis dehumanize Jews? How did Gerda Weissmann work to overcome dehumanization, and who helped her?

The Nazis dehumanized Jews in many ways, both inside and outside of concentration camps. Outside of concentration camps, they made Jews identify themselves as Jews by forcing them to wear Yellow Stars. They also tried many times to humiliate Jews in public. In concentration camps, the humiliations were much more severe. Most prisoners had to have their heads shaved, as well as their bodies. They were stripped and tattooed. Gerda Weissmann learned that she had to be unified with her fellow prisoners to have the slightest chance of surviving the Holocaust. She was very friendly with the other inmates, and this gave her some hope, as well as something to do instead of being miserable. Her friends had a lot to do with her survival, just from their presence and the gift of their friendship. They all worked together to endure their tragic experiences.

3. During her ordeal in the Nazi camps, Weissmann says she fantasized about enjoying a simple morning with her family or deciding what dress to wear to an imagined party. What simple things in your own life do you think you'd fantasize about if everything were taken away? What ordinary things do you think you take for granted?

I would definitely fantasize about being able to wake up in a safe bed, and have a caring family to love me for who I am. I would also fantasize about having a safe environment at my school. It would be really tough to live in the conditions that Gerda had to face. Over the course of this unit, I've learned that I take many things for granted. I think I am owed a bed to myself, and a room to myself, as well as a roof above my head, and the lights on the ceilings, while I am really not owed any of these things. I also take for granted my heating and air conditioning, as well as the food that I can eat, and how I don't have to worry about going over a monthly budget while I'm being given my necessities.

4. This film focuses on the persecution of Jews in the Holocaust, but other also murdered, including Soviet prisoners of war, Roma (Gypsies), gays and lesbians, and Communists. In what ways do you see persecution happening in today's world? What groups do you see being targeted? What can be done to work against such prejudice and intolerance?

I think Muslims are being targeted and persecuted for their religion, because of the terrorist attacks. I know that most Muslims don't support terrorism in any way. In order to try to avoid prejudice and intolerance, I think members of our society need to get to know more Muslims, that way they know that almost all Muslims aren't terrorists or dangerous. If people don't live near any Muslims, they can become educated from the many documentaries focusing on Muslim life.

5. In many ways, this film is about hope for the future. Who are the heroes of the film? What did they do that makes you hopeful? What can you do to help make the world a better place?

I think that the heroes of this film are Gerda, Gerda's family, Gerda's husband, Gerda's friends, and a Nazi that helped Gerda stay alive during an inspection. Gerda and her friends made me hopeful that no matter how bad a situation is, you can still find happiness. Gerda's family stayed strong during this tough time, even if they knew that they would die soon. Gerda's husband proved that some people wanted to help the victims of the Holocaust. Gerda stayed alive and wasn't afraid to tell her depressing story, to try to ensure that the world didn't allow the same things to happen again. If I want to make the world a better place, I think I should learn to love everyone more than I do. If the Jews hated all Germans for their tragedies, and tried to kill them all, then they would've been just as bad as the Nazis, and there's no excuse for that.

Annexed Research (#5)

The photo on the left is a picture of the Annex; the building that Anne Frank's family, as well as Peter Van Pels - the main character of the book I'm reading - lived in. The house at Prinsengrach 263, in Amsterdam. This is a really small place to live in for eight people. These eight people were Mr. and Mrs. Otto Frank, their daughters, Anne and Margot, the Van Pels family - Papi, Mutti, and Peter - and Dr. Pfeffer. Many vital moments of the story take place in the attic, which can be seen at the top of the image. It gives the story new life and meaning to be able to actually see the place in which they were hiding. It's much easier to relate to the story now than it was before I had found this picture. This picture can be found on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's website.

The website also has an online exhibit about Anne Frank. I really enjoyed reading and learning about her, as well as looking through the various images of her. I haven't been able to read The Diary of a Young Girl, which is Anne's diary. It would've been very useful to have read her diary before I read Annexed, and I was becoming a little worried about my lack of background information about Anne. Now, I know a lot about Anne and this gives a new perspective about Anne, as opposed to Peter's perspective, which is rather critical of her. This page parallels with the story; the workers that are helping the hiding Jews are named, as well as many other characters and facts from Annexed. Sharon Dogar might have used this site as a reference while she was writing the story.

I'm really happy that I got a chance to research the characters from Annexed. I learned a lot and now understand the story much better than I would've had I not been able to use the ethe USHMM's website; it is an excellent resource that I'm going to use more over the course of the Holocaust unit. If a book that I'm reading ever has to do with a well-known story, I'll be sure to use my resources to find out more about the book. Thanks for reading!

Here are my citations for the website:

United States Holocaust Memorial Musem. "Anne Frank." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 02 Dec. 2011.

Kulturbesitz, Bildarchiv P. ANNE FRANK - PHOTOGRAPH. Digital image. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 02 Dec. 2011.

Holocaust Experience Comparisons (#4)

I am currently reading Annexed, a novel written by Sharon Dogar. In class, we are reading Night, a story written by Elie Wiesel, surrounding his Holocaust experience. I have also read Milkweed, a novel written by Jerry Spinelli. Annexed is about the boy who loved Anne Frank, Peter Van Pels. Night is about Elie, a 15-year-old Jew from Poland. Misha, from Milkweed, was a young orphan that lived in Warsaw, and later, the Warsaw Ghetto.

All of these boys had at least one dreadful experience. Peter, at the tender age of 15, saw the Nazis take away the family of his girlfriend. This is really depressing, and I think he really loved her. Elie had to deal with being separated from his sister and mother. I can't even begin to comprehend what would go through my head if this happened to me. Elie also has to endure many other demoralizing experiences, like seeing his father cry, as well as being stripped of his clothing and having all of the hair on his body shaved off. Misha has to see his friend's dead body hanging from a pole, loses the only family he ever thought he had, and gets shot. I think these are all typical Holocaust experiences, which is very frightening and disturbing to me.

All of these characters have some motivations in their lives. One common motivation is the will to survive. All of the characters all have a little spark of life left in them, and I think they all want to survive their experiences. They all also love their families, or the closest thing they have to families. Elie is focused on getting out alive, while Misha and Peter are still worrying about the comfort of their friends and families. I think this is because Misha and Peter aren't in concentration camps, while Elie is.

The characteristics of these characters are very different in the beginning of the stories, but I think their experiences will link them in some way. They are all victims and they are all growing. I've realized that Peter is much more of a pessimist than Elie and Misha are. This might be because Elie and Misha are more naïve about the Holocaust. All of these characters have similarities and are linked because of their experiences. I can't wait to finish all of their stories.

Annexed - Blog #3

I just started reading Annexed, a novel written by Sharon Dogar about the boy who loved Anne Frank. This boy's name is Peter Van Pels.

In the beginning of the book, Peter is very against going into hiding with the Franks. He has a girlfriend, named Liese. She, along with the rest of her family, are transported out of their home in the first chapter of the story. Peter is crushed by his immense loss. The same day that Liese is forced out of her home, Peter's family and the Franks move into hiding in the Annex. Peter doesn't stop thinking about Liese. He even has a wet dream about her, while in his cramped room in the Annex. Luckily, Mutti realizes what happened and is able to replace his sheets with new ones. Mutti is Peter's mother. It is very clear that Mutti has a great bond with Peter; she loves him with all of her heart. In addition to Mutti, Peter also has a father, Papi. They are living with the Franks. The Franks are made up of Mr. Frank, Mrs. Frank, Margot and Anne. Dogar quickly foreshadows Anne's importance in the story, because Peter quickly states that he hates her. Everything she does makes him angry. He describes her as loud and pompous. It is clear that over the course of Peter's time with Anne, Peter's feelings of hatred will transform into feelings of love.

The Annex is somewhere in Holland, a country taken over by the Nazis. The beginning of the book takes place in July of 1942. This is towards the end of the Holocaust, when talk of the war has already started. There are many major problems, with the largest problem being the mass-murdering and Anti-Semitism in Holland. Another problem is Peter's longing for Liese, and his hatred for Anne.

I am very excited to find out how Peter's feelings towards Anne change over the course of the story, and I look forward to reading farther into the book.

Milkweed Blog Post #1

I just started reading the book Milkweed, by Jerry Spinelli. Milkweed is a book about a boy who is living in the city of Warsaw. He may be living in the Ghetto. He doesn't recall having parents, brothers or sisters, or any other kind of family. He doesn't even know his name. He thinks his name is Stopthief, just because so many people have said that to him; He steals food as well as other items for a living.

In the beginning of the book, he is with his new friend, Uri. He is meeting Uri for the first time. Uri is a Jewish orphan that lives with many other Jewish orphans on the streets of the Warsaw Ghetto. The year is 1939. The main character, wants to be a Nazi. He admires the Nazis, with their wonderful jackboots and their hats with gleaming eagles. He is a Gypsy.

Everyday, He sees Nazi Soldiers doing something wrong to Jews. He doesn't understand what is actually going on, so he assumes it is just a harmless game or something. I have a pretty good sense of identifying anti-semitism and deciding if the book takes place during the Holocaust, being that I've previously learned about the Holocaust. This Boy has absolutely no clue what is going on. To me, it's obvious that anti-semitism is occurring in the story. The Jackboots have been saying bad things about Jews. The Nazis haven't taken these kids in the Warsaw Ghetto to concentration camps yet; they are still free to roam around inside the Ghetto barriers.

Something bad is about to happen. I haven't seen what yet, but I'm pretty sure he's going to be taken to a concentration camp. I can't really identify an actual problem in the story. The Boy is happy. However, I know something terrible is about to happen. Spinelli has done an excellent job keeping this story exciting. I can't wait until I can read more and figure out what the problem is.

Night

Today, I read a passage from Night, a memoir from Ellie Wiesel's Holocaust experience. Earlier in my life, I visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where there was an exhibit dedicated to Ellie Wiesel. He is a Jewish Nobel Peace Prize winner.

I feel that this passage mainly focuses on a woman that Wiesel knew, Mrs. Schächter. She had been separated from her husband and two of her sons by mistake. She was now with her 10-year-old son. Wiesel states that, "The separation had totally shattered her." Eventually, it becomes obvious that she has gone mad. She starts, screaming, "Look! Look at this fire! This terrible fire!! Have mercy on me!" There wasn't any fire, and it's clear that she is completely unaware of her surroundings. I have started to think that this is an average end to someone's life in the Holocaust. This seems like a horrible way to die. I feel terrible for her son, and this is a disturbing thing to have happen to a fragile, naïve child. This makes me wonder; how often did this type of thing happen? When did this woman die? What did she die from? These questions will almost definitely go unanswered. There were a few soldiers traveling with the prisoners. How could they see these things happening, and still deem it right to live the life of a Nazi?

This is a very sad passage. I am somewhat disturbed by it, but I am mostly saddened. I hope to read Wiesel's memoir some day. I am trying to prepare myself for the upcoming unit in school. It seems like it's going to be difficult for me to read about these wretched deeds.

My High School Debate

Before you read this, you should probably know that it has been exactly two days since my first high school interview. Don't worry; I'm perfectly qualified to be writing an informative article on this topic! I would like to point out that this is my decision, which makes me a primary source.

Anyway, I've visited George School and Lawrenceville. I'm going to compare these two fine academies. I haven't made my decision yet, but I do know the criteria that I will be making my decision from. My sister goes to George School, and I've always pictured myself there. I expect that I will be accepted into George School. I can't be sure if I'm going to get into Lawrenceville yet, being that it is a very difficult high school to get into. I really like both schools; nice campuses, great academic programs, small classes, and decently sized student bodies, among other things. I've been seeing George School my entire life. The first time I've ever been to Lawrenceville was yesterday. I was immediately struck by how supreme Lawrenceville appears to be. It looks like a great place to go to high school; but I'm really not sure if I'd like it there until I visited and actually got a feel for the place.

The main problem with Lawrenceville is that it is extremely inconvenient for me to be a day student there. A 45-minute drive to and from my house wouldn't be easy for my large family. I would have to seriously discipline myself, and my family also wouldn't be able to come to most of my sporting events.

Even though I'm wrapping up my piece, I can't say that I'm done writing it. I plan to come back and edit this when my decision is made. Either way, I know that when I finish this piece, I will have finished it knowing that I'm moving out of my current, lovely school, into a big, chaotic high school; I can't wait for the challenge.

Flower Garden

I recently read Flower Garden, a story written by Shirley Jackson. I found the story very interesting. Basically, it is about a woman, Mrs. Winning, living in an old Vermont manor house. She lives with her husband, her two children , her mother-in-law and her father-in-law. She had been living in this house for eleven years. Her life was changed when a new family moved into a cottage in her town. The new family was made up of Mrs. MacLane and Davey MacLane. Mrs. MacLane was a widow from New York. Mrs. Winning quickly discovers that she is developing a fond kinship towards Mrs. MacLane. They have a lot in common.

In Flower Garden, there is a lot of prejudice. This prejudice develops because Mrs. MacLane hires Mr. Jones, an African American man, to work in her garden. This story obviously takes place in a time period where people of African descent were not treated very well in American society. People of the town quickly begin to judge Mrs. MacLane for hiring Mr. Jones. It is unclear whether or not Mrs. MacLane is interested in a romantic relationship with Mr. Jones. Does it matter if she does? Apparently, to the townspeople, yes.

Mrs. Winning begins to realize that people are treating Mrs. MacLane differently because of Mr. Jones, and because Mrs. Winning is so close to Mrs. MacLane, people begin to treat Mrs. Winning differently as well. Mrs. Winning does not respond well to her judgmental neighbors.

Mrs. Winning is a dynamic character. Most of the time, the change a dynamic character goes through in a story is a positive change. In Flower Garden, there is a negative change for Mrs. Winning.

In the beginning of the story, Mrs. Winning is a nice lady. She is kind, friendly and doesn't judge others, like her mother-in-law. She has a genuine love towards Mrs. MacLane. She loves what she did with the cottage, she likes Mrs. MacLane's son, and she respects Mrs. MacLane. The author shows this by stating that, "Davey and Howard played daily after the school was out for the summer, and Howard was free all day. Sometimes Howard stayed at Davey's house for lunch, and the planted a vegetable patch together in the MacLane back yard. Mrs. Winnings stopped for Mrs. MacLane on her way to the store in the mornings and Davey and Howard frolicked ahead of them down the street." These two families are obviously very close now.

When Mr. Jones is hired to work in the garden, Mrs. Winning realizes that people are starting to treat Mrs. MacLane differently, and doesn't want to be treated differently as well. She avoids being treated differently by attempting to separate herself from Mrs. MacLane. One day, a mother from the town invites Howard to a birthday party, but doesn't want to invite Davey. She tells Mrs. Winning that she isn't inviting Davey. Mrs. Winning doesn't want to be treated differently than others because of her affiliation with the MacLanes.

To try to differentiate her family and the MacLanes, the following dialogue takes place. "'After all,' Mrs. Winning said carefully, weighing the words, 'she's like a second mother to Billy.'" This was a joke, and it made Mrs. Winning look incredibly rude.

Mrs. Wining eventually resents the MacLanes. At the end of the story, when Mrs. MacLane greets Mrs. Winning from her garden. The author then states, "Mrs. Winning swung around without speaking and started, with great dignity, back up the hill toward the old Winning house." Obviously, Mrs. Winning turned into a bad person during the story.

Query: June 4th

Hi, I’m Michael Silver.

Wow. The end of the year is here already. This year has been difficult for some, challenging for most and fun for all. Many of you are probably very excited for summer. The summer is a time for everyone to have extra fun. Before summer starts, let’s reflect on our school year, one last time.

If you think about it, there are probably a lot of wonderful things you’ve done this school year. Maybe you helped an old lady cross the street, or maybe you held the door for a friend. Maybe you volunteered at your local food bank. I’m sure you’ve also tried very hard to practice your simplicity. Maybe you’ve tried to save the Earth, or chose to read instead of playing video games. Either way, you’ve shown effort in practicing simplicity.

Simplicity is a challenge. Henry David Thoreau once said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.” He is saying that simplicity is a challenge. He’s also saying that, with hard work, comes achievement. If you challenge yourself to live simply, life will become simpler, and less complicated.

I found a video about hard work and challenging yourself on Values.com. I hope you enjoy it. This video takes place in Philadelphia. It is about a young boy who is pushed to work hard and achieve his goal of making a “Great Wall of Philadelphia”.

http://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/85-The-Wall

This video is all about hard work. You’ve probably realized this year that in order to achieve true simplicity, you have to work very hard. I’m sure you’ve been challenged by simplicity this year. I’m also sure that you persevered.

This week’s Query is: How have I practiced simplicity during the school year? How will I continue to practice simplicity throughout the summer?

Homework

Read the simplicity packet.

Choose an idea from the packet and write about it.

Be sure to quote the article or passage you are referring to and make sure you cite your source.

3 paragraph minimum.

Grammar and mechanics must be correct

Have you ever felt fragmented? Or preoccupied? I know I feel this way all the time. There is a great answer to feeling fragmented! Simplicity. Simplicity is "believed to be the ability for one to express what is on his/her mind in a plain and orderly manner" according to a simplicity essay on Wisdom Commons.

Duane Elgin wrote a book named Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich. In his book, he includes a passage about "Sophisticated Simplicity." In this passage, he discussed the term "Uncluttered Simplicity".

But just what is "Uncluttered Simplicity"? The website "Example Essays" states that the term clutter is referred to as thoughts on ones mind at that moment in time that doesn't have to do with what we are intending to write or talk about." Have you ever been particularly worried about something, and you've realized that you can't focus on other things? That is clutter.

So, according to Elgin, Uncluttered Simplicity means "taking charge of lives that are too busy, too stressed, and too fragmented." He goes further into his term, stating "Simplicity means cutting back on clutter, complications, and trivial distractions, both material and nonmaterial, and focusing on the essentials - whatever those may be for each of our unique lives." He is clearly saying that we need to stop worrying about everything, and start appreciating essential things in our lives. With this in mind, we can all live with a positive outlook on life.

An optimistic approach to life is infinitely valuable. You can think of problems as new ways to challenge yourself. You don't have to be materialistic; you can live a life full of appreciation. To have "Uncluttered Simplicity" is to not let life stress you out. In the busy, modern-day life of the 21st century, we are all prone to complications. Simplicity is the answer to ridding yourself of stress.

This I Believe

I believe that G_d created all humans to be kind and caring for each other. I don’t think we were brought into this world to be separated by pointless differences. I think G_d sends out many tests to us to judge just how well we can form a community. Everything happens for a reason. No matter how tragic an event may be, something good has to come out of it. For example, I think 9/11 occurred because G_d was testing our community. It’s very hard to come around to this idea, but somehow, we all have to benefit from sad things happening to us. After all, no one would want all of our lost souls to die in vain. There is a reason why some Americans just barely survived. There has to be. US citizens didn’t make the ultimate sacrifice for nothing to come out of it.


In the spring, I went to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. Many of my relatives died in the Holocaust. I went in to the museum completely naïve about the world around me. I truly couldn’t comprehend why one human would want to do those things to another human. I couldn’t take seeing all of those innocent faces. That day, I wanted to go to my room and cry. But, then I realized; there’s a reason why all of this happened. There’s a reason why some of my ancestors survived. G_d wanted me to see this. G_d wanted me to grow stronger. G_d wanted me to make sure, “never again” means what it’s supposed to mean. G_d didn’t create this world a perfect place. G_d didn’t create humans perfect. G_d created a world that imperfect humans could shape for themselves, and through experience, make this imperfect world a better place.

With the last two paragraphs being stated, I must admit, my faith hasn’t always been strong. My faith has been tested, bent, and almost broken before. When I went to the USHMM, I couldn’t believe my G_d would allow things like that to happen to these people, my people. I hadn’t thought of the Holocaust and G_d’s control over mankind the way I do now. All I could think about were the poor and hungry children. All I could see was a young boy’s face.

However, after seeing these terrible, hideous things, I realized that, as human beings, we are a community. For better or for worse. The Jews dying in the Holocaust weren’t just my people, they were our people. If we don’t strive to be a community, we’ll never stand up united. We’ll never survive.