Resources for the Classroom
Education Activity 1-2 lessons 14+
THE WARSAW GHETTO: FROM PERSECUTION TO RESISTANCE
Available in French
MATERIALS NEEDED
FEATURED MEMOIRS
• The Warsaw Ghetto activity instructions • Access to the digital exhibit Four Stories from the Warsaw Ghetto (see page 35)
• Technology for accessing Re:Collection • Re:Collection instructions
Amek Adler Six Lost Years • Born in Poland in 1928 • Arrived in Canada in 1954; lived in Toronto, ON
14+
DURING THIS ACTIVITY, STUDENTS WILL
After the German authorities create a ghetto in Lodz, Amek and his family escape to Warsaw, hoping to live in safety. Their respite is brief — forced into the misery of the Warsaw ghetto, life becomes unbearable, and Amek’s father makes a quick decision to escape once again.
• Complete a collaborative research task • Explore the digital exhibit Four Stories from the Warsaw Ghetto
• Explore the Warsaw ghetto special collection on Re:Collection
This inquiry-based activity uses survivor testimony to encourage students to gather knowledge. Using Re:Collection and the digital exhibit Four Stories from the Warsaw Ghetto , students will explore pre-war Jewish life in Poland, life in the Warsaw ghetto and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Pinchas Gutter Memories in Focus • Born in Poland in 1932 • Arrived in Canada in 1985; lives in Toronto, ON
14+
LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Develop an understanding of pre-war Jewish life in Poland, life within the Warsaw ghetto and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising • Recognize the impact of anti-Jewish
In the Warsaw ghetto, Pinchas studies in secret and observes the increasing starvation, death and despair that surrounds him. He tries to bury his emotions, but his fear is ever-present, and the images are ingrained in his memory.
attitudes and discrimination on Jewish life in Europe • Reflect on the agency of Jews during the Holocaust
Elsa Thon If Only It Were Fiction • Born in Poland in 1923 • Arrived in Canada in 1980; lived in Toronto, ON
16+
THE WARSAW GHETTO UPRISING
April 2023 marked eighty years since the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising stands as one of the most significant acts of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. After the devastating wave of deportations from the ghetto in the summer of 1942, Jewish resistance groups began preparing for future Nazi operations. When the Nazis entered the ghetto to deport the remaining inha- bitants in April 1943, about 750 organized ghetto fighters launched an insurrection, while the other inhabitants took shelter in hiding places and underground bunkers. After several weeks of battle, the resistance fighters were defeated, resulting in the destruction of the ghetto. Many Jews were killed, and the surviving population of the ghetto was captured and deported.
INTRODUCTION TO LEARNING ABOUT THE WARSAW GHETTO
Seventeen-year-old Elsa is faced with a monumental decision in the Warsaw ghetto — escape with her parents or stay with her sister who has joined a youth movement, driven by the hope of resistance. Amid the horrendous conditions in the ghetto, Elsa feels both trapped and uncertain, and she makes a fateful decision.
The Warsaw Ghetto From Persecution to Resistance
Of the over one thousand ghettos created by the Nazis to segregate and persecute Jews in Eastern Europe, the largest was located in the Polish capital city, Warsaw. Starting in the fall of 1940, more than 400,000 Jews would eventually be forced into the Warsaw ghetto, where they faced extreme overcrowding, violence, starvation and disease. In 1942, depor- tations to the Treblinka killing centre began. In one of the most significant acts of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust, Jewish ghetto fighters launched an uprising in 1943 that lasted for almost four weeks before being crushed by Nazi forces. In this activity, students will learn about Jewish life in Poland, the Warsaw ghetto and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising using Re:Collection, our digital resource. Re:Collection allows students to explore the history of the Holocaust using “recollections,” which are pieces of survivors’ stories told through video interview clips, memoir excerpts, photographs and artifacts. Students will also explore Four Stories from the Warsaw Ghetto, a digital exhibit featuring four Holocaust survivors. There are additional recommended resources for fur- ther learning. The pedagogical goals of this activity are to gain knowledge of the Holocaust and reflect upon the persecution experienced by those in the Warsaw ghetto during this period. In addition, students will gain an understanding of the various forms of resistance that occur- red in the Warsaw ghetto. Survivor accounts of the Warsaw ghetto include discussion of immense suffering and death, so we ask teachers to take into consideration the maturity of their students. We recommend this activity for students ages 14 and up. Learning through first-hand accounts helps students approach the history of the Holocaust in the most meaningful way. Personal accounts, when carefully grounded in their specific contexts, enable students to recognize the multiplicity of stories that make up this historical event. Read more about our educational philosophy.
Pinchas Gutter Even if this world exists for a thousand, million, trillion light-years, no one could ever be able to tell all the stories of the Warsaw ghetto. “ ”
Pinchas Gutter at the Warsaw Ghetto Wall, Poland, 2016. Courtesy of Pinchas Gutter and the Azrieli Foundation.
Cover page image: Construction of a Warsaw Ghetto wall, Poland, 1940. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Leopold Page Photographic Collection.
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The Warsaw Ghetto: From Persecution to Resistance
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The Warsaw Ghetto: From Persecution to Resistance
CLASSROOM INSTRUCTIONS
RESEARCH GROUP #1 PRE-WAR JEWISH LIFE IN POLAND
GUIDING RESEARCH QUESTIONS • What are some features or elements of Jewish life in pre-war Poland? • What forms of antisemitism did Jews experience in Poland in the early twentieth century?
LENGTH 1–2 lessons (90–120 minutes)
Re:Collection Arthur Ney (Warsaw) “Cowboys and Indians” “Family” “Pre-War Family Life” “Before the War” Pinchas Gutter (Lodz) “Pre-War Photographs” “Growing Up in Lodz”
Elsa Thon (Pruszków) “Childhood” “Pruszków” “Photography“
LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students learn about the Holocaust as they gain an understanding of pre-war Jewish life in Poland, life within the Warsaw ghetto and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Using excerpts from survivor memoirs and digital resources, students will develop their knowledge of these aspects of the Holocaust directly through first-hand accounts. Students learn from the Holocaust by acknowledging how anti-Jewish attitudes and discrimi- nation dramatically changed Jewish life in Europe. They will develop a greater understanding of how persecution occurred in many forms, as well as the importance of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. Students will engage in historical empathy and develop their critical thinking skills and their capacity to better understand contemporary global issues.
Amek Adler (Lublin) “Amek’s Family” “Family Photos” Four Stories from the Warsaw Ghetto Exhibit “Jewish Warsaw”
If you are interested in Jewish pre- war life in Poland and the Warsaw ghetto and uprising, you might also like these memoirs:
MATERIAL NEEDED • An internet-enabled computer or tablet • Research organizer (Page 9)
Before you begin teaching about the Holocaust, it is important to reflect on your knowledge, goals and methods. To prepare educators and build their confidence in teaching this topic, we have created a guide titled The First Step: A Guide for Educators Preparing to Teach about the Holocaust . As you move through the material and short activities in The First Step , you will gain familiarity with the core content of the Holocaust, reflect on your teaching rationales and consider best practices in how to bring this topic into your classroom. We encourage you to explore this guide before beginning any Holocaust education activity with your students.
Education Activity
14+
Arthur Ney (in back) and his family. Warsaw, Poland, 1932. Courtesy of Arthur Ney and the Azrieli Foundation.
memoirs.azrielifoundation.org
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