Literature

Vocabulary Discussion Questions/Research Topics Reproducible Student Hand-Outs Bibliography Lesson Plans From the Teacher's Guide Links to lesson plans on other Web sites Florida Resource Manual on Holocaust Education

Vocabulary

Antisemitism: Opposition to and discrimination against Jews.

Aryan: A term for peoples speaking the language of Europe and India. In Nazi racial theory, a person of pure German "blood." The term "non-Aryan" was used to designate Jews, part-Jews and others of supposedly inferior racial stock.

Auschwitz - Birkenau /oushvits - biakenow/ : A complex consisting of concentration, extermination, and labor camps in Upper Silesia. It was established in 1940 as a concentration camp and included a killing center in 1942. Auschwitz I: The main camp. Auschwitz II (Also known as Birkenau): The extermination center. Auschwitz III (Monowitz): The I.G. Farben labor camp, also known as Buna. In addition, there were numerous subsidiary camps.

Belzec /belzets/ : Nazi extermination camp in eastern Poland. Erected in 1942. Approximately 550,000 Jews were murdered there in 1942 and 1943. The Nazis dismantled the camp in the fall of 1943.

Bergen-Belsen /beagen belzen/ : Nazi concentration camp in northwestern Germany. Erected in 1943. Thousands of Jews, political prisoners, and POWs were killed there. Liberated by British troops in April 1945, although many of the remaining prisoners died of typhus after liberation.

Concentration camp (Konzentrationslager abbreviated as KZ) /kontsentrationslahga/ : Concentration camps were prisons used without regard to accepted norms of arrest and detention. They were an essential part of Nazi systematic oppression. Initially (1933-36), they were used primarily for political prisoners. Later (1936-42), concentration camps were expanded and non-political prisoners--Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and Poles--were also incarcerated. In the last period of the Nazi regime (1942-45), prisoners of concentration camps were forced to work in the armament industry, as more and more Germans were fighting in the war. Living conditions varied considerably from camp to camp and over time. The worst conditions took place from 1936-42, especially after the war broke out. Death, disease, starvation, crowded and unsanitary conditions, and torture were a daily part of concentration camps.

Dachau /dakhou/ : Nazi concentration camp in southern Germany. Erected in 1933, this was the first Nazi concentration camp. Used mainly to incarcerate German political prisoners until late 1938, whereupon large numbers of Jews, Gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, and other supposed enemies of the state and anti-social elements were sent as well. Nazi doctors and scientists used many prisoners at Dachau as guinea pigs for experiments. Dachau was liberated by American troops in April 1945.

Death camp: Nazi extermination centers where Jews and other victims were brought to be killed as part of Hitler's Final Solution.

Dehumanization: The Nazi policy of denying Jews basic civil rights such as practicing religion, education, and adequate housing.

Eichmann, Adolph (1906 - 1962): SS Lieutenant Colonel and head of the Gestapo department dealing with Jewish affairs.

Einsatzgruppen /ainzatsgroopen/ : Mobile units of the Security Police and SS Security Service that followed the German armies to Poland in 1939 and to the Soviet Union in June, 1941. Their charge was to kill all Jews as well as communist functionaries, the handicapped, institutionalized psychiatric patients, Gypsies, and others considered undesirable by the Nazi state. They were supported by units of the uniformed German Order Police and often used auxiliaries (Ukrainian, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian volunteers). The victims were executed by mass shootings and buried in unmarked mass graves; later, the bodies were dug up and burned to cover evidence of what had occurred.

Genocide: The deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, cultural, or religious group.

Gestapo /geshtahpoh/ : Acronym for Geheime Staatspolizei /gehaime shtahtspolitsai/ , meaning Secret State Police. Prior to the outbreak of war, the Gestapo used brutal methods to investigate and suppress resistance to Nazi rule within Germany. After 1939, the Gestapo expanded its operations into Nazi-occupied Europe.

Ghettos: The Nazis revived the medieval term ghetto to describe their device of concentration and control, the compulsory "Jewish Quarter." Ghettos were usually established in the poor sections of a city, where most of the Jews from the city and surrounding areas were subsequently forced to reside. Often surrounded by barbed wire or walls, the ghettos were sealed. Established mostly in eastern Europe (e.g., Lodz, Warsaw, Vilna, Riga, or Minsk), the ghettos were characterized by overcrowding, malnutrition, and heavy labor. All were eventually dissolved, and the Jews murdered.

Holocaust: Derived from the Greek holokauston which meant a sacrifice totally burned by fire. Today, the term refers to the systematic planned extermination of about six million European Jews and millions of others by the Nazis between 1933-1945.

Judaism: The monotheistic religion of the Jews, based on the precepts of the Old Testament and the teachings and commentaries of the Rabbis as found chiefly in the Talmud.

Kapo /kahpoh/ : A concentration camp inmate appointed by the SS to be in charge of a work gang.

Kippah /kippa/ : The skull cap worn by Jewish men. A Kippah is worn to symbolize that man exists only from his Kippah down; God exists above the Kippah.

Nationalism: A movement, as in the arts, based on the folk idioms, history, aspirations, etc., of a nation.

Nuremberg Trials: Trials of twenty-two major Nazi figures in Nuremberg, Germany in 1945 and 1946 before the International Military Tribunal.

Partisans: Irregular forces which use guerrilla tactics when operating in enemy-occupied territory. During the Holocaust, partisans operated secretly in their efforts to assist Jews and others persecuted by the Nazis.

Reich /raikh/: German word for empire.

Reichskammern /raikskaman/ : Reich government departments.

Reichstag /raikhstag/ : The German Parliament. On February 27, 1933, a staged fire burned the Reichstag building. A month later, on March 23, 1933, the Reichstag approved the Enabling Act which gave Hitler unlimited dictatorial power.

Theresienstadt /tereysienshtat/ (Terezín /terezeen/) : Nazi ghetto located in Czechoslovakia. Created in late 1941 as a "model Jewish settlement" to deceive the outside world, including International Red Cross investigators, as to the treatment of the Jews. However, conditions in Terezín were difficult, and most Jews held there were later killed in death camps. Theresienstadt is the German name for the town; Terezín is the Czech name.

Third Reich /raich/: Meaning "third regime or empire," the Nazi designation of Germany and its regime from 1933-45. Historically, the First Reich was the medieval Holy Roman Empire, which lasted until 1806. The Second Reich included the German Empire from 1871-1918.

Treblinka /treblinka/ : Extermination camp on the Bug River in the General Government. Opened in July 1942, it was the largest of the three Operation Reinhard killing centers. Between 700,000 and 900,000 persons were killed there. A revolt by the inmates on August 2, 1943, destroyed most of the camp, and it was closed in November 1943.

Warsaw ghetto: Established in November 1940, it was surrounded by a wall and contained nearly 500,000 Jews. About 45,000 Jews died there in 1941 alone, as a result of overcrowding, hard labor, lack of sanitation, insufficient food, starvation, and disease. During 1942, most of the ghetto residents were deported to Treblinka, leaving about 60,000 Jews in the ghetto. A revolt took place in April 1943 when the Germans, commanded by General Jürgen Stroop, attempted to raze the ghetto and deport the remaining inhabitants to Treblinka. The defense forces, commanded by Mordecai Anielewicz, included all Jewish political parties. The bitter fighting lasted twenty-eight days and ended with the destruction of the ghetto.

Display vocabulary list on a separate page suitable for printing. NOTE: You will have to use your browser's back button to return to this page.

• Analyze the use of propaganda by the Nazis.

• Evaluate the continuing role of the mass media and propaganda in Nazi Germany.

• During Hitler's rise to power, the media was influential in shaping his image and influencing the country. Examine the role of the German media during World War II.

• The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most popular pieces of Holocaust literature ever written. Examine how Anne FrankÆs diary came to be published.

• Compare and contrast a writing of Primo Levi to Elie Wiesel and examine how the two men view life and their experiences during the Holocaust.

• Many Jewish families in Germany had roots in their towns and villages for generations. Research the contributions of German Jews to their country through the literary arts. To narrow your research, focus on a particular genre or historical period.

• Research and read testimony of women in the Holocaust. Discuss the contribution of women's writing to our understanding of the Holocaust.

• Discuss why books would be outlawed and destroyed during the Nazi regime?

• Find summaries of translations of three titles in German post-war literature that deal with Nazi-oppression.

• Read one of the titles and discuss differing views on German post-war reflection and collective conscience.

  Display discussion questions on a separate page suitable for printing. NOTE: You will have to use your browser's back button to return to this page.

  Reproducible Student Hand-Outs

  Kristallnacht. Map plotting concentrated areas of Nazi violence against Jews during the infamous "Kristallnacht."

  Ghettos in Europe. Map showing Jewish ghettos in Europe under the Nazis.

  Concentration Camps. Map of Nazi concentration camps in Europe.

  Railroads Leading to Auschwitz. Map of the rail system that brought victims to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Terezin: A Selected Bibliography from the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Diaries and memoirs bibliography.

Lesson Plans from the Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust

The Upstairs Room. A core book guide for The Upstairs Room.

Number the Stars. This plan by Carol Otis Hurst is based on the book Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.

Journey to America. A lesson on the book by Sonia Levitan.

Beginning Holocaust Studies. A thematic unit developed for fifth grade.

Book Talk. Suggestions for activities related to the reading of a Holocaust-themed book include keeping a journal and e-mail correspondence with another student reading the same book.

Diaries. Students explore the differences between Holocaust diaries and memoirs before creating their own diary.

Snow Treasure. Marie McSwigan. New York: Scholastic Books. 1958.

Testimony: A Lesson in Creating Poetry. Students create poetry by reformatting Holocaust testimony.

The Lily Cupboard, Shulamith Ley Oppenheim. New York: Charlotte Zolotow Harper Collins, 1992.

Lesson Plans on Other Sites

Assignment: Rescue. The Story of Varian Fry and the Emergency Rescue Committee, an eight-day unit for high school.

Student art and poetry may be viewed and posted at "Imagine: A Student's Forum" sponsored by the Cybrary of the Holocaust.

Florida Resource Manual on Holocaust Education

The following materials from the State of Florida Resource Manual on Holocaust Education, Grades 9-12 will enrich your class's study of this topic. This manual was distributed to all Florida high schools in the spring of 1999 and should be available in your school resource center.

Human Rights: An Activity Using Quotations	Unit 1	page 29
Sophal Leng Stagg, Cambodian Survivor	Unit 1	pages 32-34
Activity Using Articles on Ethnic Conflicts and Genocide	Unit 1	pages 39-40
The New Colossus	Unit 4	page 21
Headlines	Unit 4	page 26
Nuremberg Laws on Reich Citizenship	Unit 4	page 27
The Butterfly	Unit 5	page 3
Suggested Activities	Unit 5	page 17
I Have Not Seen a Butterfly Around Here: Children's Poems from Terezin	Unit 5	pages 21-23
In the Lead	Unit 5	page 45
Excerpt from Night	Unit 6	pages 29-31
Excerpt from All But My Life	Unit 6	pages 32-34
Where are the Children?	Unit 6	page 41
Only a Number	Unit 6	page 44
Nazi Language	Unit 6	pages 51-53
Diaries and Memoirs	Unit 10	page 43
A World War II Anthology	Unit 10	pages 44-47
News Watch	Unit 10	page 68
Indifference	Unit 10	pages 70-75

| Victims | Survivors | Resistance | Rescue | German Experience | Aftermath |

A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust
Produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology,
College of Education, University of South Florida © 2000.