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.