One Survivor Remembers: A Note to Students

Students-
In class this week, we read an excerpt of "All But My Life" and watched the heart-breaking and inspiring video "One Survivor Remembers." In the memoir and award-winning video, Gerda Weissmann Klein recounts her harrowing experience as a Jewish girl separated from her family and forced into slave labor in a Nazi work camp.  She also speaks of the loss of her close friends on a death march, and of her ultimate survival and liberation.

There are several "primary documents" that will enrich your understanding of Mrs. Klein's story, and of the Holocaust.  PRIMARY DOCUMENTS are personal items which have been reproduced with Klein's permission and which were selected from her home with her guidance.  Because of their small size, this blog will be a better place for you to view and respond to these documents.  

You will also find maps which may aid in your understanding of Klein's amazing survival of a Death March  and of the enormity of the Nazi death camp operations, and examples of Nazi propaganda.  

Please view each document carefully and respond to the prompts using the comment section.  (You may click on the image to make it larger).  Use only your first name and last initial when commenting.  Use correct punctuation and spelling.  Please proofread before posting.   

*Photo and lesson plan credits: Teaching Tolerance (teachingtolerance.org), One Survivor Remembers, and the Gerda and Kurt Klein Foundation

Gerda Weissmann Klein Assigment #3: Faith in Humanity

Gerda Weissmann, age 16, in a Nazi identification photograph.  When she was liberated, Gerda weighed only 68 pounds, had not bathed in three years, and her hair had turned white.

Kurt Klein, an American soldier who came upon the abandoned women in Volary, gave this photo to Gerda.  The two were married in 1946, and had three children and eight grandchildren.

*Photos and information courtesy of Teaching Tolerance, One Survivor Remembers

"Why?  Why did we walk like meek sheep to the slaughterhouse?  Why did we not fight back?  What had we to lose?  Nothing but our lives.  Why did we not run away and hide?  We might have had a chance to survive.  Why did we walk deliberately and obediently into their clutches?  I know why.  Because we had faith in humanity.  Because we did not really think that human beings were capable of committing such crimes."  -- From All But My Life, by Gerda Weissmann Klein

In class, we read and talked about the poem, "The Divine." The video showed us those in Gerda's life, who, in the midst of the Nazi persecution, showed compassion.  (Frau Kugler, Merin, and of course, Kurt Klein).

In the comments section, please write one example of something that gives you "faith in humanity" today.  (It might be something you see here at school, in the media, in the community, etc.)  Write about one step YOU can take to illustrate or encourage "faith in humanity."  How can you put "faith in humanity" into action and make this school, town, and world a better place?  Use complete sentences and be mindful of writing rules.  

*Lesson plan courtesy of Teaching Tolerance One Survivor Remembers Teacher's Guide, pages 42-43.

Gerda Weissmann Klein Assignment #2: 20 Pounds

20 pounds...

A Writing Assignment

A photo, taken circa 1937, of Gerda's father, Julius Weissmann, which Gerda kept in her ski boot during her years in Nazi slave-labor camps.  Remember, Julius helped save Gerda's life by insisting that she wear her ski boots when the Nazis took her away.  She had boots on the forced death march while others were barefoot or wearing sandals in the snow.  

A photo, taken circa 1939, of Gerda's mother, Helene Weissmann, which Gerda kept in her  ski boot during her years in Nazi slave-labor camps.

A photo, taken circa 1937, of Gerda's brother, Artur Weissmann, which Gerda kept in her boot with the other photos.  Artur was the first in Gerda's immediate family to be taken away by the Nazis.  Sixty-seven of Gerda's relatives, including her mother, father, and brother, died in the Holocaust.  Only Gerda and her Uncle Leo, who had moved to Turkey, survived.  

In the film, One Survivor Remembers, Gerda Weissmann recalls being told her family had to leave their home with no more than 20 pounds of belongings, a plight shared by many Jews.

Imagine you are forced to leave your home.  You are allowed only 20 pounds of your most precious possessions.  What would you take?  What would you be forced to leave behind?  How would this make you feel?  On what would you base your choices?  Would monetary value (how much something cost) mean less or more than emotional/personal value?  Why? 

If you'd like, you may write your short response (around 100 words) in the comment section.  If this assignment is too personal for you to publish on the blog, feel free to word process your "20 pounds" response and either attach it in an email, or print it and hand it in on Monday. 

*Lesson plan courtesy of Teaching Tolerance, One Survivor Remembers teacher's guide, pg 21.

Gerda Weissmann Klein Assignment #1: Death Marches and Evacuations

Gerda Weissmann was held in several slave-labor camps, including this one, where she worked the looms in a factory setting.  She and the others lived in the building on the left; newly arriving prisoners were housed in the building on the right.  She and the other girls and young women were transferred to two other camps after this one before beginning the death march.  * Courtesy of Teaching Tolerance

The map below shows the routes of the death marches and evacuations carried out by the Nazis on prisoners in ghettos, concentration and extermination camps.  

The key in the top right-hand corner shows the measurement of 50 miles.  Gerda survived a 350-mile death march in the bitter cold of winter.

Using the internet, find somewhere approximately 350 miles away from our school.  How does this help you further understand the importance of Gerda Weissmann Klein's story of survival?    Respond to what you have found in the comments section.  Make sure you note the destination 350 miles away from HOMS, and try to find one that no one else in the class has chosen.

*Map courtesy of Teaching Tolerance.  Lesson idea based on One Survivor Remembers Teacher's Guide, page 24.

Poetry Annotations- Richard Cory

•Use a highlighter or a pen/pencil.

•Write your thoughts in the margin.  You must have at least 10 comments.

•Highlight or underline words that have strong connotation. 

•Think about what those words actually mean.

•Then think about the connotation of those words.

•What does the author want you to think or associate with the subject or speaker of the poem?

•Highlight or underline examples of imagery

•Words or phrases that appeal to your 5 senses

•Highlight or underline examples of figurative language.

•Similes, metaphors, personification

•Figure out who the speaker of the poem is. What is the Point of View?

•Read the title.  What does it tell you about the poem’s meaning?

Your annotations are due tomorrow.

S.E. Hinton

S.E. Hinton Bio

Complete your "Complex Text" Chart.

Write this on the back of your theme paper (chart):

What is the purpose of this article? (Choose 1)

•To persuade people to read The Outsiders

•To inform people about the plot of The Outsiders

•To inform people about S.E. Hinton

•To entertain people by making them laugh at S.E. Hinton’s writing.

Now, find five examples from the text that support your claim about the purpose of the piece.