Echoes and Reflections

Lesson 4:

The Ghettos

Important Information• The Nazis’ goal when closing Jews into ghettos was not only to

deprive them of their human rights, but also to deprive them of their human dignity. The ghetto period is often referred to as the ‘bypass death’ because so many died in the ghettos (over 80,000 Jews died in the Warsaw ghetto alone). Many people often mistakenly assume that the Nazis issued directives to establish ghettos in the Polish occupation zone in September, 1939 in an effort to confine Jews prior to deporting them to extermination camps. However, during this transitional phase, a detailed blueprint for carrying out mass murder did not yet exist. Rather, there was a wish to solve the so-called “Jewish Problem” in some rapid and radical way. It wasn’t until 1941, with the invasion of the Soviet Union, that the last “Final Solution” phase of the Nazis’ plan began—a plan in which they sought to murder every single Jew within their reach.

Important Information

• This lesson uses Lodz ghetto as a case-study in order to tell a larger story. While every ghetto was unique, this lesson uses Lodz as a prism to try to understand the ghettos in general and something of the mentality of the people who would confine human beings in such an inhumane manner.

Important Information• Students often wonder and ask why the Jews didn’t escape

from the ghettos. Remember that the Holocaust created a whole world of ‘choiceless choices.’ While in hindsight we can

look back and see what ultimately happened to the Jews, at that time they did not know that they would ultimately be sent to

extermination camps – especially when the Germans continuously employed many means to hide their actions. In addition, due to the conditions of the ghettos, the Jews were malnourished, weak, and ill. They did not have the physical

strength to rebel or design escape routes. They had lost all of their possessions, and their was a strong feeling of duty to take

care of family members, such as the young and the elderly, who would not fare well in a rebellion or in an escape. And,

even if there was an opportunity to escape, there was no place to go! Most non-Jews were not willing to help, and hiding Jews was punishable by death. Even prior to this time, Jews trying to

emigrate out of Europe faced difficulties due to immigration quotas and strict refugee policies which barred them from a destination. Overall, most of the Jews of Europe were, quite

simply, trapped.

Important Information• There is a great danger when asking people to write

creatively or role-play when asking to put yourself in the place of the Jews in Nazi Germany at this time.

Some people may over-identify with the events, become excited about the ‘power’ that the Nazis

gained in Germany, or even develop a fascination with the suffering of the victims. We must make sure to

recognize that this is a very sensitive topic. Instead, having students role-model neutral parties from the

time, such as a foreign news journalist or a concerned citizen writing to their representative in the USA during that time may be a more tactful way to approach these

types of objectives.

Rationale

• This lesson is designed to provide students with an opportunity to learn about the ghettos established

throughout Nazi Europe and to study primary sources that were rescued from the Lodz ghetto in Poland. Students should recognize that the ghettos were

another step in the continuum of Nazi racial policies that humiliated and limited Jewish existence and

caused many to lose their sense of human dignity. The ghettos were also a death trap caused by overcrowding, starvation, diseases, and grief.

Objectives

• Identify the aims of the Nazis in establishing ghettos

• Specify the countries in Eastern and Central Europe where the Nazis established ghettos

• Examine what life was like for Jews forced to live in ghettos

• Analyze primary source documents • Consider various ways that individuals respond

to unjust actions

What is a ghetto?• What do you know about the word ‘ghetto’?

• Show Video Testimony Part 1 of The Ghettos

– In their testimonies, Ellis Lewin and Joseph Morton share some of their early feelings and experiences in the ghetto. What kinds of things does Ellis talk about? What kinds of things does Joseph talk about?

– Based on these testimonies, how were ghettos during the Holocaust different from your understanding of what a ghetto is today?

– What visual picture has begun to emerge for you about ghetto life after hearing these two testimonies?

– How do you think Ellis and Joseph felt as they shared these memories? How did you feel as you listened to them?

Nuremberg Laws Analysis

• At the annual party rally held in Nuremberg in 1935, the Nazis announced new laws which institutionalized many of the racial theories prevalent in Nazi ideology. The laws excluded German Jews from Reich citizenship and prohibited them from marrying or having sexual relations with persons of "German or related blood." Ancillary ordinances to the laws disenfranchised Jews and deprived them of most political rights. –USHMM

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRjeAzTHtCQ (first 1:45)

Nuremberg Laws Analysis

• As you look through the handouts of the different Nuremberg race laws which were passed in Germany in 1935, analyze your assigned law section using the Document Analysis Worksheet.

• There are 6 laws to look at…work in groups to fill out the Analysis Worksheet

What do you remember from Joseph’s testimony about this bridge? The Lodz ghetto was separated by a bridge that spanned trolley tracks in the city of Lodz. Since Jews were not permitted to use the trolleys and had to be completely sequestered and isolated, the German occupiers built a bridge over the tracks to connect the two parts of the ghetto. Because the bridge was narrow, Jews often had to wait very long periods of time to get from one side of the bridge to the other. What do you think the Jews crossing this bridge were feeling as they looked down upon the trolley tracks below?

Ghettos

• Show Ghetto powerpoint

Occupation!• The next step in Nazi ideology was the

occupation. During the later 1930s, Hitler was able to take control of Austria and parts of

Czechoslovakia. In September of 1939, the Germans invaded and took control of Poland. Germany sought to conquer the whole world

and arrange it in a “new order” based on the laws of Nazi ideology. The populations living in

Poland were mostly Slavs and also a large Jewish population. These groups were

considered inferior by the Nazis and treated as such.

• “The Ghettos” reading and questions

The map aboveshows select Nazi ghettos. According to the latest findings, the Nazis established approximately 1,000 ghettos in occupied territories. Look at the map and answer the following:

1. In what countries were the ghettos located?

2. Why do you think

there were no ghettos found in Western Europe?

3. What are some other observations you can make from the map?

The Lodz Ghetto

The next part of the lesson will focus on the Lodz ghetto, which was located in Poland. You will learn background information about the ghetto,

but also analyze primary source documents and watch first-person visual history

testimonies from survivors of the Lodz ghetto. These sources will combine to provide a glimpse into what life was like for Jews

(particularly the children and youth) living in ghettos between 1940 and 1944.

Reading: The Lodz Ghetto

Small Group Activity

Class: Divide into groups of 2-3

View the Photograph from the Lodz Ghetto and Poems by Children of the Lodz Ghetto.

Use these resources and answer the questions.

Come together as whole group and discuss.

The Role of the Ghettos• The goal of the ghettos was to control, confine, and

weaken the Jews. • Divide a sheet of paper into three columns, and label

each: control, confine, and weaken. Then, listen to the following testimonies and write examples in each column.– Leo Berkenwald lived within the confines of what would

eventually become the Lodz ghetto. Even though he was still living in the same city, how did his life change once the ghetto was created?

– What does Milton Belfer’s testimony add to your picture of life in the ghettos? What does Leo’s add?

– What role did food play in George Shainfarber’s experience in the ghetto?

Small Group Activity

• Create a visual which summarizes examples of how the ghettos sought to control, confine, and weaken Jews.

• (drawing, cartoon, billboard…)

The Role of the Ghettos

• View the next three clip testimonies from Part 2. – What are some specific things that you

learned about what life was like for children in the ghettos from Eva Safferman, Ellis Lewin, and George Shainfarber?

– How was their behavior uncharacteristic for most children?

Diary Excerpts Activity

• Students read the Dawid Sierakowiak and Josef Zelkowicz diary excerpts.– Complete the precis activity to summarize

Dawid’s excerpts– Answer the questions which accompany these

readings

Essay 41. The establishment of ghettos marked the end of freedom of

movement for Jews. Write about what freedom of movement means to you and your life and describe what you think it would mean if you lost your freedom to move.

2. Even in the midst of chaos and misery, the children in the ghettos imagined and hoped for a better existence. Describe the importance of faith and hope, in society, in general, and in your own personal life. Use examples.

3. In his testimony, Ellis Lewin talks about what he sees as the only things that have the power to hurt children—losing the comfort of family, being beaten, and being hungry. Do you agree with Ellis’s assessment? Do you think there are other things that you would add to his list…if so, name one or two. Do you think that the things that have the power to hurt children are similar or different from those things that can hurt adults? Explain, and use one or two examples.

Additional Activity• There are 18 days which are part of Dawid

Sierakowiak’s excerpts. Each student will be assigned a day (most days will have two students assigned).

• On a sheet of paper, put the date at the top, and then draw a picture to summarize what occurred that day. – When finished, we will put these pictures on a wall in

order and view them and discuss how these pictures tell the story of Sierakowiak’s time at Lodz.

YOU MUST PUT YOUR NUMBER AND THE DATE AT THE TOP OF YOUR DRAWING!!!

Terezin

• Read poem “The Butterfly” and discuss questions

• Show Terezin powerpoint– 60 Minutes clip

• Voices of the Children