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This book is about a young Jewish girl who leaves Russia with her family to avoid persecution.  She writes letters to her cousin in Russia to distract herself from the terrible things she has experienced.
Ideas for use:
1. Write a letter to a friend or family member pretending you had to leave your home.  What would you say? How would you feel?
2. Discuss what Elie Wiesel might have written to his family if he was able to.  How would this be different from the girl in Letters from Rifka?
3. Research religious persecution in Russia or another part of the world.  Based on you research, write a paragraph about why you think religious persecution happens.

Hesse, K. (2009). Letters from Rifka. New York: Square Fish Books.

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This book is about a young Jewish girl who was hidden in an attic with her sister while her country was occupied by Nazi Germany.
1. How would your life change if you could not leave your house? Create a graphic organizer comparing the potential changes in your life and the changes the sisters face in The Upstairs Room.
2. Research others who hid Jewish people during this time.  Why did they choose to do this? How common was it?
3. Research the true story behind The Upstairs Room.  Compare and contrast your findings in a Venn diagram with information you learned from reading the book.

Reiss, J. (1990). The upstairs room. New York: HarperCollins.

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This webpage describes the treatment of people with disabilities in Nazi Germany.
1. Compare this information with Elie Wiesel's observations in Night.  Does he appear to be witnessing this?
2. It is implied in both this article and Night that the German people had some knowledge of what was happening to Jewish people, those with disabilities, and others.  Why do you think they did not try to prevent this from happening? What would you do in their situation?
3. Listen to the audio clips in this article.  Write a short reflection about how the "fit" and "unfit" labels effected Elie Wiesel's time in the concentration camps.  How did he avoid being labelled "unfit"?

Nazi persecution of the disabled: Murder of the "unfit." (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/special-focus/nazi-persecution-of-the-disabled.

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The Nazi persecution of persons with disabilities in Germany was one component of radical public health policies aimed at excluding hereditarily "unfit" Germans from the national community. These strategies began with forced sterilization and escalated toward mass murder. The most extreme measure, the Euthanasia Program, was in itself a rehearsal for Nazi Germany's broader genocidal policies.

The ideological justification conceived by medical perpetrators for the destruction of the "unfit" was also applied to other categories of "biological enemies," most notably to Jews and Roma (Gypsies). Compulsory sterilization and "euthanasia," like the "Final Solution," were components of a biomedical vision which imagined a racially and genetically pure and productive society, and embraced unthinkable strategies to eliminate those who did not fit within that vision.

Throughout this Special Focus page and its related links, you will see translations of terms used during the Nazi regime; please note that although many of these terms are unacceptable or offensive today, they are included here as examples of Nazi terminology and the propaganda campaign used to justify mass murder.

Listen to Museum historian

From a 2002 interview with subject matter expert Patricia Heberer:

"...political and medical authorities began to divide their community between its 'fit' and 'unfit' members." Play audio

"...an idea that human heredity was fixed and immutable." Play audio

"...the program would be a secret one and at first would target infants and toddlers." Play audio

"...within hours of her arrival she had perished, in the Hadamar gas chamber, in May 1941." Play audio

"...the medical community closed rank." Play audio

AN OPEN SECRET

On July 14, 1933, the German government instituted the "Law for the Prevention of Progeny with Hereditary Diseases." This law called for the sterilization of all persons who suffered from diseases considered hereditary, including mental illness, learning disabilities, physical deformity, epilepsy, blindness, deafness, and severe alcoholism. With the law's passage the Third Reich also stepped up its propaganda against the disabled, regularly labeling them "life unworthy of life" or "useless eaters" and highlighting their burden upon society.

The term "euthanasia" (literally, "good death") usually refers to the inducement of a painless death for a chronically or terminally ill individual. In Nazi usage, however, "euthanasia" referred to the systematic killing of the institutionalized mentally and physically disabled. The secret operation was code-named T4, in reference to the street address (Tiergartenstrasse 4) of the program's coordinating office in Berlin.

Ashes from cremated victims were taken from a common pile and placed in urns without regard for accurate labeling. One urn was sent to each victim's family, along with a death certificate listing a fictive cause and date of death. The sudden death of thousands of institutionalized people, whose death certificates listed strangely similar causes and places of death, raised suspicions. Eventually, the Euthanasia Program became an open secret.

On August 18, 1939, the Reich Ministry of the Interior circulated a decree compelling all physicians, nurses, and midwives to report newborn infants and children under the age of three who showed signs of severe mental or physical disability. At first only infants and toddlers were incorporated in the effort, but eventually juveniles up to 17 years of age were also killed. Conservative estimates suggest that at least 5,000 physically and mentally disabled children were murdered through starvation or lethal overdose of medication.

Personal History

Eyewitness testimony- Robert Wagemann
Historical film footage- US Soldiers Inspect Hadamar
ID Card- Helene Melanie Lebel

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Online Exhibition - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

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The Nazi persecution of persons with disabilities in Germany was one component of radical public health policies aimed at excluding hereditarily "unfit" Germans from the national community. These strategies began with forced sterilization and escalated toward mass murder. The most extreme measure, the Euthanasia Program, was in itself a rehearsal for Nazi Germany's broader genocidal policies.

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In this movie, an American girl who is uninterested in her Jewish heritage is taken back in time to the beginning of Nazi influence in Poland.
Ideas for use:
1. Use a character map to follow how the main character changes throughout the movie.
2. Discuss what caused the main character to change her mind about her Jewish heritage.
3. Discuss the importance of the setting of this film.  How could the main character have learned about her heritage without time travel? Do you think this would have had as significant of an impact?

Schisgal, M & Weintraub, F. (Producers), & Deitch, D. (Director). (1999). The devil's arithmetic. [Motion Picture]. The United States: Millbrook Farm Productions.

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This webpage describes how black people were treated in Nazi Germany.
Ideas for use:
1. Why do you think the Nazis were so against people of other races?
2. Research the Geneva Convention.  Write a short response about how the treatment of black people in Nazi Germany broke the rules outlined in that agreement.
3. Discuss why you think these events are not spoken about or taught as often.

Blacks during the Holocaust. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005479.

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European and American blacks were also interned in the Nazi concentration camp system. Lionel Romney, a sailor in the US Merchant Marine, was imprisoned in the Mauthausen concentration camp. Jean Marcel Nicolas, a Haitian national, was incarcerated in the Buchenwald and Dora-Mittelbau concentration camps in Germany.

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The Creed of a Holocaust Survivor by Alexander Kimel

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The Creed of a Holocaust Survivor by Alexander Kimel

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This poem is about the narrator's faith in humanity despite the cruelty that has happened in the world.
1. Do you think people are generally moral? Why? Discuss your answers with a partner.
2. Write a short paragraph about your thoughts on how and why terrible things like the Holocaust can happen.  Do you think we can keep this from happening again in the future?
3. Research Alexander Kimel's life.  How do you think his experiences shaped his outlook on life? Would you be able to be this positive if you had experienced similar things?

Kimel, A. (n.d.). The creed of a Holocaust survivor. Retrieved from: http://remember.org/witness/kimel2.

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The Holocaust History - A People's and Survivor History - Remember.org

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I C A N N O T F O R G E T

THE ACTION IN THE GHETTO OF ROHATYN, MARCH 1942.
by Alexander Kimel- Holocaust Survivor.

Do I want to remember?

The peaceful ghetto, before the raid:

Children shaking like leaves in the wind.

Mothers searching for a piece of bread.

Shadows, on swollen legs, moving with fear.

No, I don't want to remember, but how can I forget?

Do I want to remember, the creation of hell?

The shouts of the Raiders, enjoying the hunt.

Cries of the wounded, begging for life.

Faces of mothers carved with pain.

Hiding Children, dripping with fear.

No, I don't want to remember, but how can I forget?

Do I want to remember, my fearful return?

Families vanished in the midst of the day.

The mass grave steaming with vapor of blood.

Mothers searching for children in vain.

The pain of the ghetto, cuts like a knife.

No, I don't want to remember, but how can I forget?

Do I want to remember, the wailing of the night?

The doors kicked ajar, ripped feathers floating the air.

The night scented with snow-melting blood.

While the compassionate moon, is showing the way.

For the faceless shadows, searching for kin.

No, I don't want to remember, but I cannot forget.

Do I want to remember this world upside down?

Where the departed are blessed with an instant death.

While the living condemned to a short wretched life,

And a long tortuous journey into unnamed place,

Converting Living Souls, into ashes and gas.

No. I Have to Remember and Never Let You Forget.

THE CREED OF A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR
by Alexander Kimel

I do believe, with all my heart,

In the natural Goodness of Man.

Despite the blood and destruction,

Brought by one man, trying to be God,

In the Goodness of Man, I do believe.

I do believe, with all my heart,

That God gave man the blessing and the curse.

Man can select the curse of envy, hatred and prejudices,

Or the blessing of love, harmony and beauty.

Despite the painful curses of the past,

In the blessing of the Creator, I do believe.

I do believe, with all my heart,

That God created a beautiful world,

The sun and the trees, the flowers and the bees.

And the best way to serve God, is

To enjoy the fruits of His labor of love.

Despite the painful memories from the past,

In the joyful celebration of life, I do believe.

I do believe with all my heart,

That God has created man in image of His own.

And killing of man, is like killing of God.

Despite the massacres in Rwanda, the cleansing in Bosnia,

The folly of Muslim fanatics, and the cruelty of Pot Pol.

In the love and compassion of the Creator, I do believe.

I believe with all my heart,

That the Messiah and the Kingdom of Heaven will come;

When man will conquer his destructive urge,

And learn how to live in harmony with nature and himself.

When all the preachers of hate will be silenced,

And man will become his brother's keeper.

When man will stop killing man, in the name of God,

And nation will not lift weapons against nation.

When it will be, I do not know, but

Despite all the signs to the contrary.

In the dawn of a Better World, I do believe.

Best Regards:

Alexander Kimel - Holocaust Survivor
PEOPLE THAT CANNOT FACE THEIR PAST CANNOT ADAPT FOR THE FUTURE.
Alexander Kimel was born in Podhaje, Galiza, in the late 1920s. In 1940 Kimel's family moved to the ghetto of Rohatyn, to avoid the Red Army, who where advancing.
Ghetto life was draining, with Kimel being forced to do hard labour everyday. Between 1941-1943, 9,900 out of 10,000 Jews were killed in the ghetto. There were also extreme sanitation issues, resulting in the death of Kimel's mother and hundreds more.

In May 1943, Kimel ran away, just one month before the ghetto and everyone in it was destroyed. Kimel lived in surrounding villages and forest before coming to America.

He attended the 70-year anniversary of the Holocaust service at the New Synagogue of Fort Lee (2010). When asked what he learnt through the Holocaust, he replied,

"We have to be tolerant. I don't care if you're Catholic, Muslim or something else, as long as you're a decent human being. That's really what it is. "

Source: Legacy.com

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"I Cannot Forget", two poems by Alexander Kimel | The Holocaust History - A People's and Survivor History - Remember.org

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THE ACTION IN THE GHETTO OF ROHATYN, MARCH 1942. by Alexander Kimel- Holocaust Survivor. Do I want to remember? The peaceful ghetto, before the raid: Children shaking like leaves in the wind. Mothers searching for a piece of bread. Shadows, on swollen legs, moving with fear.

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This book follows the life of a young girl named Liesel living in Nazi Germany.  She loves to read and shares her stolen books to bring happiness to those around her.
Ideas for use:
1. Research what life was like for an average family in Nazi Germany.  Is the description of the family in The Book Thief accurate?
2. Discuss the potential dangers of hiding a Jewish person in Nazi Germany.  What would you do in the family's position?
3. Why was stealing books dangerous during this time? Do you think it was worth the risk? Write a short essay about your findings.

Zusak, M. (2005). The book thief. New York: Random House.

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In this book, two young girls of different faiths work together to escape religious persecution in Ethiopia.
1. Write about the main idea of this book.  How does it relate to Elie Wiesel's message in Night?
2. Research a religion or culture you know very little about.  Use this information to create a short presentation about your findings.
3. How do the girls in this story overcome their fears of leaving home?

Kurts, J. (1998). The storyteller's beads. New York: Scholastic.

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Virtual Tour of Auschwitz Concentration Camp

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Virtual Tour of Auschwitz Concentration Camp

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This website shows images and descriptions of different areas of Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
1. Discuss the conditions of this concentration camp.  How does this resource compare to Elie Wiesel's description of Auschwitz in Night?
2. Compare the images of Auschwitz to Elie Wiesel's description of the camp.
3. Discuss how these images might change the way you understand Night.

Auschwitz I. (2005). [Interactive walk through of the Auschwitz concentration camp]. Virtual Tour of Auzchwitz. Retrieved from https://scrapbookpages.com/AuschwitzScrapbook/Tour/index.html.

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Auschwitz I - Gas Chamber, Black Wall, Block 11, Arbeit Macht Frei Gate

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Elie Wiesel's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech

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Elie Wiesel's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech

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In this speech, Elie Wiesel discusses his feelings about winning the Nobel Prize and the importance of helping those who are persecuted for their race, religion, or other traits.
Ideas for use:
1. How are the values Elie Wiesel expresses in his speech seen in Night?
2. Discuss how Elie Wiesel's ideas can be applied to current events today
3. Summarize Elie Wiesel's speech in three sentences or less.  What point do you think he was trying to get across in his speech?

Rikskringkasting, N.  (2014). Acceptance speech by Elie Wiesel.  Retrieved from https://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=2028.

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Watch, listen - and enjoy - NobelPrize.org

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A button that allows you to close the search form if needed

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This book is about a young girl who is nervous to celebrate Hanukkah with her aunt who has just come from Mexico.
Ideas for use:
1. Compare the main character's celebration with a holiday you celebrate with your family.  How are they similar or different?
2. Compare the Jewish customs in this book with those described in Night.  How are they similar or different?
3. Discuss the importance of learning about different people and cultures.

Costa, D.D. (2007). Hanukkah moon. Minneapolis, MN: Kar-Ben Publishing.