Children of the Holocaust

Approximately one and a half million Jewish children under 15 were murdered by the Nazis. The experience of children varied as you will see in today’s lesson.

The Kindertransport Followed Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass that we learned about. The British government allowed an unspecified number of children under the age of 17 to enter Great Britain from Germany and German territories.

The Kindertransport Private citizens had to pay for each child’s care, education, and emigration. Parents or guardians could not accompany children. The last transport from Germany was in September of 1939, just before the war started.

The Kindertransport The last transport left the Netherlands on May 14, In all, approximately 9,000-10,000 children left Most of these children would never see their parents again.

Children and the Holocaust In Poland and Eastern Europe, children went with their parents to the ghettos –Many became smugglers and beggars just to survive.

Children and the Holocaust Children in Western Europe were sent with their families to the transit camps. Towards the end of the war, children were deported with their parents directly to concentration camps.

Children and the Holocaust Why not resist? Parents who refused to be separated from their children were sent at once to the gas chambers.

Children and the Holocaust Many parents forced to make “choiceless choices” –Should they stay and face the future or go into hiding? –If they go into hiding, should they go together or individually? –Should a child be given to non-Jewish friends or strangers?

Children and the Holocaust Should a child be hidden in a convent or monastery where they might be protected, but cease to be a Jew? Some Jewish children could pass as non- Jew and took on new names. Led to confusion about their religion and their identity.

Children and the Holocaust Young children often endangered their parents. Why do you think this statement is true?

Two Types of Hiding Physical hiding- an attempt to hide one’s complete existence from the outside world. –Where would you hide? Identity Hiding –changing who you were in order to blend into society

Children and the Holocaust Gypsy children and twins were subject to medical experiments by Dr. Josef Mengele –Trying to create the Master Race

In the picture below, members of the Hitler Youth force Jewish youth to clean the streets.

Children of the Holocaust Why are we learning this information? One and a half million children is a high number, but it’s difficult to comprehend such a tragedy without connecting to it on a more personal level. Some of these children were your age; some were the age of your siblings. We’re going to do a text-to-self connection lesson that you’ll hopefully remember beyond just this school year.

The student can: odecide what to say and how to say it, adjusting their voice and style to suit the occasion, purpose, and audience, while always modeling their command of formal English when it is appropriate. You will each be given a bio of the life of a child who endured the Holocaust. You are to: 1.Highlight three things in the bio that stood out to you and be able to explain why. 2.Share your Child of the Holocaust with the two peers in your group of three. 3.Come to a consensus about one child to present to the class. Two of you will read the bio and one will discuss the three highlighted pieces of information. I will give you an example now.

Studying the Holocaust also helps you: Understand the roots and consequences of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping in any society. Develop an awareness of the value of pluralism (a condition or system in which two or more states, groups, principles, sources of authority, etc., coexist.), and an acceptance of diversity. Explore the dangers of remaining silent, apathetic, and indifferent to the oppression of others. Have a great understanding of the events that were happening as Anne Frank was writing in her diary (our anchor text).