Chapter 4 Questions

1. To a prisoner that was forced to work in the death camp, anything that didn't involve dead bodies and the smell of burning flesh would seem like a miracle. Buna was a rubber factory so they did not have to throw the bodies of their friends and family in the fire. Even throwing someone you did not know into a fire would be terrible. Knowing that you are condemned and helping that fact along would be a terrible feeling. Birkenau was a death camp so the people there were used to help the killing along only to be murdered later. At Buna the workers were healthier than those waiting to die at Birkenau so it was easier to keep their faith and hope alive. There was less of a cloud of misery over their heads because they had come face to face with death and seen what could have been, then they got to go somewhere else. They were almost grateful and happy to be there.

2. The French girl wanted to be sent to the concentration camp where she would be forced to work because by working and pretending not to be Jewish, she would have a chance to live. If the Nazis would have found her and found out she was a Jew, they would have killed her on the spot. By being deported to Buna and pretending not to speak German, she preserved the identity she had, one as an Aryan. She was just hoping to make it through alive.

3. From our measurements (which may be a little off so just go with it-don't attack us over it) the distance between Birkenau and Buna was about 6 miles. The march may have taken so long because there were so many people and it was freezing cold outside and people were dying all around them. They went through villages and there were so many subcamps around to go through. It took so long because of the magnitude of the group and the places they had to go through to get to Buna. If there were wide open spaces that everyone could just walk freely toward the camp they could have gotten there in an hour, but they had to condense the lines and walk after each other.

By: E-Dizzle, Snoozy, D-Ray, and Ashtard

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1.When Elie arrives at Buna an inmate says, "Buna is a very good camp..." Explain why he would say this. Compare and contrast Birkenau and Buna.

1) We think that the inmate would say Buna is a good camp because Buna was a work camp where they received more food and had better conditions overall, whereas the conditions at Birkenau were much, much worst. At Birkenau the officers treated the Jews very harshly, food was scarce, living conditions were horrible, and more people died per day at Birkenau than at Buna.

2.The French woman who consoles Elie asked to be sent to work in the concentration camps as a civilian worker. Explain some possible reasons why she would request to leave her home to go to Poland where discovery would mean instant death.

2)She was afraid that if she was caught as a Jew in France that she would be taken as a prisoner to a camp and could quite possibly be killed. However, by posing as an Aryan and voluntarily going to a camp she created a good cover for herself. At the camp she worked for the Germans and was not noticed because she was not suspected of being Jewish. Under her creative cover, she was not so endangered of being killed.

3.Elie says he marched for four hours to get from Birkenau and Buna. Why would it take so long? He was still in Auschwitz. Go to the USHMM website and watch the presentation, look at the maps of Auschwitz, and determine the distance from Birkenau and Buna. Use the picture with this post to help you. Here is another link to information about Buna.

3) Even though there was only 6 miles or so to travel, it took four hours for them to reach their destination because they were not in a hurry. They walked slowly through the villages so as to humiliate the prisoners by letting all the Germans see them. There were around one-hundred or so prisoners marching, not to mention the number of guards. Also along the way the guards flirted with the German girls.

Shorty, Constancana, Schviener Shnitzel, Smartie Pants , Crouching Tiger Hidden Shelby :)

Chapter 4

The inmate would say that Buna was a good camp because it was a work camp while Birkenau was a extermination camp. The conditions at the work camp were not as harsh as those in Birkenau. For the most part, Buna wasn't a bad place to be, compared to the other camps. They had a place and opportunity to sleep, had some food and were alive. We think that Buna was about 4 miles from Birkenau. It would take so long to get from camp to camp because there were thousands of people and they were all traveling at a slow pace because they probably were all very weak. Also, the weather conditions were not ideal either. It was freezing cold and snowing outside.

A possible reason that the woman would want to leave her home and come to Poland because she had already been passed as an Aryan and may have wanted to be able to be at Buna where she could fly under the radar by working for the Germans. Buna was a camp where the people were not listed to be exterminated. This would mean that as long as the woman didn't draw attention to herself that she could get away with just working at the camp as a Frenchwoman. Also, France had been taken over by Germany and the woman may have been afraid of staying in France and getting found out.

Birkenau to Buna

1. When Elie arrives at Buna an inmate says, "Buna is a very good camp..." Explain why he would say this. Compare and contrast Birkenau and Buna.
The inmate says Buna is a very good camp because Buna was a work camp instead of a death camp. The Jews did not have to be afraid for their lives all the time here. At Buna, the Jews worked for small rations of food and were not beaten unless there was a reason. This is unlike Birkenau where they were in constant fear of extermination. The officers at Birkenau hit anyone they could reach for no apparent reason. In addition, there was not a constant food supply at the camp for the Jews.

2. The French woman who consoles Elie asked to be sent to work in the concentration camps as a civilian worker. Explain some possible reasons why she would request to leave her home to go to Poland where discovery would mean instant death.

She enlisted to work at the camp because if she would have been discovered in France they would have sent her there as a prisoner of the camp. She was a German-Jew who had false papers to pass as Aryan so she was not discovered as a Jew with her family. The Germans were invading France and she did not want to be discovered and sent straight to a death camp.

3. Elie says he marched for four hours to get from Birkenau and Buna. Why would it take so long? He was still in Auschwitz. Go to the USHMM website and watch the presentation, look at the maps of Auschwitz, and determine the distance from Birkenau and Buna. Use the picture with this post to help you. Here is another link to information about Buna.

We cannot determine an exact answer to why it would take so long. However, we have a couple different reasons to answer this. One reason it could have taken so long is because of the route they took. There are a few different routes they could have taken. They probably took one of the longer routes to get there. Also, there were about 100 Jews marching and Elie says they were walking slowly because the guards were in no hurry. They passed through the towns which could have made the march take even longer.

Chapter 4

Once again, I am amazed with the body of work you students are building here. You should be proud of your selves. This last discussion has been a source of real pleasure for me. Discussing faith and its role in our lives is serious stuff. The emotion in your responses and comments really came through, loud and clear, and I am loving it. Let's keep it going!

1. When Elie arrives at Buna an inmate says, "Buna is a very good camp..." Explain why he would say this. Compare and contrast Birkenau and Buna.
   
2. The French woman who consoles Elie enlisted to be sent to work in the concentration camps as a civilian worker. She was not FORCED to be there. Explain some possible reasons why she would request to leave her home in France to go to Poland where discovery would mean instant death.
3. Elie says he marched for four hours to get from Birkenau and Buna. Why would it take so long? He was still in Auschwitz. Go to the USHMM website and watch the presentation, look at the maps of Auschwitz, and determine the distance from Birkenau and Buna. Use the picture with this post to help you. Here is another link to information about Buna.
   

Loss of Faith= Loss of Life?

1. Some members of our group took a more literal view on the first question. They say yes you are still living because you’re heart is still beating. Others think that if you abandon your faith, you have given up the reason for living in the first place. We feel that if you lose your faith in everything, you are just an empty shell.


2. If you are really strong in your faith, it shapes who you are as a person and how you live your life. People who live their life for God typically don’t do bad things…we can assume anyway. If you don’t live solely for God, you might do things that others may not find acceptable but you don’t regret doing it.


3. Some members of the group say that if you don’t have any faith you aren’t dead because there is a lot more to life than just your faith. So we don’t necessarily think that having no faith could be the equivalent of being dead. We are still alive and coexisting with people who are strong in their faith. We do the same things as them. We live, eat, breath, and sleep just the same as everyone else.

McCool Group
Wade T., Seyd P., Don P., Natasha A., and Shelby R.

The Loss of Faith

Faith can be different for every person, its not just believing in God or an after life. Having faith is believing in that one thing in your life that is consistent, that brings you joy and that lifts you up from your pain. Everyone has faith in something, otherwise we are all just wandering around with no direction like a hollow, empty shell. When something happens to make us question our existence or make us sorry for being who we are we question that guiding light. We blame that light for guiding us into pain because we trust that it will take us to places we want to go; that is what having faith is. After our faith is questioned we will never have that undivided doubtless belief in it again. Being led to death as the world watches and believing all the while that your God will save you, but instead you see your friends and family die, is enough to make anyone question their faith in God. They followed blindly after him thinking he would never lead them into that situation, and when they got into that situation they were very quick to blame him. That is how life goes though, we blame the ones and things we love because we know they will always be there. After you have been through so much pain and tragedy your soul becomes numb to happiness and hope because sorrow is the one thing it is used to feeling. Losing your faith is like dying, but not having the luxury of peace. Your soul is in turmoil and is never settled or fulfilled after you lose faith because faith is the glue that holds us all together. Without it no one will ever be whole.

By: Erika Keithley, Ashley Urtado, Suzy Byers, Darius Jones

YEAH TOAST!

Is a person truly alive if he or she has abandoned all faith...faith in God, faith in life, faith in man? What part of our identities does faith play? How can the abandonment of faith be the equivalent of death? Or can it?
A. No, you cannot be truly alive if you have abandoned all faith. The reason why is because faith is hope, and hope is everything, without faith, without hope, all is lost. Faith plays everything in our life. Every decision we make is based on faith, everything. As for the abandonment of faith be the equivalent of death, yes it is. When you abandoned faith, you pretty much abandoned everything. Faith is everything - the way you make decisions, the way you think, the way you live. And when you abandoned it because life is too hard, you're pretty much dead. When you abandoned faith, you abandoned everything.



McCool Group

Alex S., Jackie M., Shane L., Jackie G.

Faith is Everything

Is a person truly alive if he or she has abandoned all faith...faith in God, faith in life, faith in man? What part of our identities does faith play? How can the abandonment of faith be the equivalent of death? Or can it?

If a person has abandoned all faith then they are not truly alive; they are alive in body but not in spirit. The reason for our answer is because if you do not have any faith in anything, then your soul is dead. Therefore, your spirit is dead because you just go through the motions not believing in anything.

Faith plays a different part in each person's identity. For instance, if you are a Christian, your actions and thoughts should reflect that you actually do have a relationship with Christ. The Bible tells you to act in a certain manner and if you truly believe, you will do what it says. Those who truly believe will show through their actions that they honestly do keep the faith because if not, they will fall away at the first trial in their life. For those who do not have a strong belief or do not believe they will do less for Christ. You should be able to tell through anyone's actions whether they are faithful people or unjust servants.

If you abandon your faith then you are spiritually dead. Therefore, you have nothing to live for. Although your body is alive, everything else is dead, whether you think it or not.

If you do not have faith, it is possible to gain it. You are not born with faith, it is something you decide you need in life. All you need to have a close relationship with Christ is the want and desire to love are serve him. If you have this, everything else will take care of itself and you will have a pure life.

Posted by: Tyler Abma, Ryan Morris, and Josh Harlow

Faith

Physically, you are alive, even if you don't have faith. But, everything else about you would be dead. Without faith a person really has no reason to live.
There is no purpose in their lives. Everyone has faith in something. What you believe in makes up who you are. It also influences your morals, actions, and thoughts. The abandonment of faith is the equivalent of death because without anyting to believe in, a person has nothing to live for. They would feel dead inside because they wouldn't have hope in any thing.

Faith

To lose faith in God is to lose faith in yourself. When God is out of your life if you had a strong faith before, there’s not much to live for. When faith is gone, there is no life. If there’s no faith, there’s no will to go on. Alive? Who is alive without God, there’s no one to thank, no one to praise. If there’s no faith, then life it self does not exist. The Jews needed the faith to survive day by day. With what the Nazis did to them it was hard to hold on, to go on. They needed something to live for. Some Jews lost faith, others somehow in their ways kept their faith strong, others just in life gave up.
Faith plays a huge role in our lives. It decides where we end up, how far we will go, what road we will take, what breath will be our last. Maybe the Jews lived by that, fought for that, praised for that. Others gave up on that, died with out that, they lost their last breath in the ashes of their faith being…. gone. Identity is who you are, what you are. When a piece of it is gone, it somehow falls apart. When faith is gone, God is gone. When he is gone, your protector is gone. Although some lost faith, He still cared for them just as much as the ones who still believed in him, who lived for him.
When you have nothing to believe in there’s nothing to live for, nothing to pray for. It was obviously very easy to lose faith.
Lindee, Brady, Kyle, Andrea
(McCool Group)

Are you Alive?

In our opinion we don't believe you are truly alive when you abandon everything. If you take away your faith in God, life, and man what is there really to believe in? If a person lost their faith they would be nothing, they would have no personality and they would feel "dead" inside. What would they have to go to when they need someone to believe in? There are people in this group that don't attend church every Sunday but we still have our faith in God. Just because we don't that doesn't mean that we lose faith in any way. Faith is one big part of a persons life. It's who a person really is, what they do, what they believe in. Faith tells who a person is inside and out. This faith tells how you go about life every single day. If you don't have faith in your life there is really no reason to keep living. Everything in your life would be pointless. The Jews needed a sense of faith to keep them on their feet when they were on the train. They believed in God, they didn't want anything bad to happen to them, but when something did happen to them they had to of lost their faith in God. How could anyone live without their belief in God and life? It would start to tear you apart piece by piece. When your faith is gone, everything is gone. There are people out there that pray every night. Just think if the little kids that believe in God had lost their faith. How would they feel if they lost that? They would lose a piece of themselves. Without faith who are you?

McCool Group- Shelby E., Nikki W., Scott B., Mike M.

Faith in God...

Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed.
Never shall I forget that smoke.
Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.
Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever.
Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live.
Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes.
Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself.
Never... (p 34)

"Yisgadal, veyiskaddash, shmey raba...May His name be celebrated and sanctified..." whispered my father.
For the first time, I felt anger rising within me. Why should I sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for? (p 33)

The night had passed completely. The morning star shone in the sky. I too had become a different person. The student of Talmud, the child I was, had been consumed by the flames. All that was left was a shape that resembled me. My soul had been invaded--and devoured--by a black flame. (p 37)

Is a person truly alive if he or she has abandoned all faith...faith in God, faith in life, faith in man? What part of our identities does faith play? How can the abandonment of faith be the equivalent of death? Or can it?Discuss the prior questions in your group. It is not necessary to answer all of the questions, but rather to post an honest response and reflection of your group's conversation.

Chapter 3 Questions

1. In Auschwitz Jews went through a process. Describe the first 48 hours for Jews once the doors opened to the cattle cars. Describe what is lost or gained with each significant event.

When the Jews first got off of the train they had to leave every little piece of home and the life they once knew behind. Every little trinket that may have given them a little hope was stripped from them. Then they were marched to the barracks and were forced to strip and were only allowed to keep only their shoes and belt , ”For us, this was true equality: nakedness.” Then their bodies were shaved. This series of events made the Jews feel inhuman like they were just animals. They didn’t have names anymore they were just Jews all faced with the same horrific destiny. All sense of pride or self worth had deserted them.

2. Elie comes face to face with Josef Mengele. During the rest of the chapter Elie refers to him as the Angel of Death. Explain how Mengele wound up with this nickname. Describe the things he did to make himself notorious. What happened to the Angel of Death after the war?

Dr. Mengele was a disturbed person who was fascinated by twins and dwarves. He did twisted medical experiments that caused long, drawn-out deaths. He was so obsessed with twins that one night he had an assistant round up thirteen pairs of twins and he killed them all by injecting chloroform into their hearts and then he proceeded to dissect them and study every piece of their body. He did all of his surgeries without anesthesia. Almost all of the patients died from blood loss, infection or other complications. After the war was over After the war Dr. Mengele hid in Austria with a new identity, then escaped and began moving all over the world trying to lay low. He died in Bertioga, where he drowned in the sea after suffering a stroke. His identity was confirmed by using DNA testing on his remains.

-Wade T., Don P., Shelby R., Natasha A., Seyd P.

The Angel of Death

1. In Auschwitz Jews went through a process. Describe the first 48 hours for Jews once the doors opened to the cattle cars. Describe what is lost or gained with each significant event.

Once the doors opened to the cattle cars, the Jews were split up according to gender. They were then put into groups of five, and were asked their age and occupation. From there, depending on which group they were in, they were either sent to the crematorium directly or sent to a work camp. Once in a barrack of the camp, they were stripped of all their clothes and were sent to the barber. They were then sent to barrack after barrack, having to be soaked in a disinfectant liquid and given multiple showers and clothing. After standing for hours, officers came to take those who had specific training in certain occupations, such as locksmiths, carpenters and electricians. After days of standing and traveling to different barracks, the prisioners were tattooed numbers on their left arms which replaced their names. Every day they had several roll calls where every prisioner was accounted for.

2. Elie says, "We spoke of everything mentioing those who had disappeared." Why would they not speak of them? To whom is he referring?

They would not speak of them because they knew the others were dead. "The others" refered to those who hadn't made it through the first selection process. It was so much easier for the ones remaining in the camp to think of every thing else but how their loved ones had been exterminated. If they had thought about it, then they might have realized that death could happen to them as well.

Posted by the most amazing group ever: Taylor, Sam H, Katrina the bomb Logan, Samantha, And Elizabeth (Awesome)

The First Fourty-Eight

1. In Auschwitz Jews went through a process. Describe the first 48 hours for Jews once the doors opened to the cattle cars. Describe what is lost or gained with each significant event.
The first thing that happened was when the doors were opened they saw the Germans, crematoriums and all the other people. The Germans then filed them into two sections, men and women. Then they were divided further by those who were going to the barracks and those who were going to die. Throughout the next few days they were shuttled from barrack to barrack, each time being disinfected, shaved and given clothes to wear. During the day they were sent to work. They were given very little food or water each night.
At first they lost all their possessions, friends and family. Throughout all of the rest of the events they lose their freedom, confidence, and hope that they will survive.

3. Elie says, "We spoke of everything without mentioning those who had disappeared." Why would they not speak of them? To whom is he referring?
Without speaking of them one does not have to think of the fact that they are probably dead and they can keep the hope alive that they will be seen again. Also without thinking of what happened to them you could keep believing that it would not happen to you. He is referring to the loved ones that were lost to the cruelty of the Nazis.

Schveiner Schnitzel, Smartie Pants, Shortie, Martial Artist, The Meanie Green Giant

Chapter 3 Response to Q 1&3

1. Upon arriving at Auschwitz, people were sorted by a selection process. Young children, the elderly, and pregnant women were immediately sent to the gas chambers. Everyone that looked healthy or strong enough for forced labor were sent on in the selection process. From there they were forced to march in five lines and sent to the barracks. They made another selection, where they were chosen for jobs. They were forced to strip and then they ran to the barber. The barber shaved all of their hair off and took all of the rest of their belongings. They were disinfected and then thrown clothes. They were sent to another barrack and told to stand and wait for Dr. Mengele. From there they were separated into more groups of workers, those who could not were sent to death. The process continued on like this until there were new workers and the old ones could be sent to death.

3. When Elie spoke to Yechiel, the brother of the rabbi from Sighet, he did not speak of those who had died or been taken away from him. His mother and his sisters were sent away and he did not know if he would ever see them again. They embraced and tried to share words of hope, but there is only so much hope you can have when you are awaiting death. He was numb to everything going on around him and speaking of loved ones would open that wound inside him up and break him for good.

By: Ashley Urtado, Darius Jones, Erika Keithley, Suzy Byers

Faith to Gain or Faith to Lose.

1)In Auschwitz Jews went through a process. Describe the first 48 hours for Jews once the doors opened to the cattle cars. Describe what is lost or gained with each significant event.

After the doors to the cattle cars opened, the Jews went through a selection process which separated the men and older boys from the women, girls, and young children. After that, men above the age of 40 and below the age of 18 were separated from the rest of the men. Families were split and this caused great torment among the people. Later, the men were stripped of their clothes and forced to stand in the mud for hours on end. This was most likely the lowest point in their lives. They lost their dignity, pride, and most of all, their faith.

After they lost practically everything, they gained a few things. First of all, they got new clothes when they were moved to Auschwitz. Standing naked in the mud for hours helped them to gain mental strength because nothing anyone could do to them after going through this could make them feel any lower. The Jewish men then gained a sense of hope when they were transported to a work camp from the death camp. They also received food regularly at the work camp, not a lot, but more than before. At this point they also gained a sense of faith, because things were now getting better inch by inch.

2) Elie says, "We spoke of everything without mentioning those who had disappeared." Why would they not speak of them? To whom is he referring?

Elie is referring to the families of the men who were still alive. They will not speak of them because they all assume their families have already been murdered. It also would be very hard to speak of people you got seperated from and had a relationship with your whole life. However, not speaking about them gives them a sense of hope they are still alive in the camp somewhere. In addition, it would be hard to talk about them because they just lost them and have little hope that they are still alive or will see them again.

Blog posted by: Tyler Abma, Ryan Morris, and Josh Harlow.

Dr. Josef Mengele

Left to right: Dr. Josef Mengele, Rudolf Höss, Josef Kramer, and an unidentified officer.

1. In Auschwitz Jews went through a process. Describe the first 48 hours for Jews once the doors opened to the cattle cars. Describe what is lost or gained with each significant event.

A. When the Jews would arrive, they would go through sorting, from those who were dead, unable to walk, and able to walk. Then they were separated by sex, but the younger children were able to stay with their mothers. Then came selection, either you were condemned to death or condemned to work. Either way, you would after that you would surrender your valuables, then you clothing, then hair removal. If you were condemned to death, you were then gassed, then cremation. If you were chosen to work, you would simply go work. With in the selection time, there were many things lost then. Right off the bat you would loose your mother or father. Then after that, you would loose what was valuable to you, then your clothes. If you were condemned to work, you would get new clothes, but the clothes usually didn't fit. But if you'd be condemned to work, you then would meet up, if you were lucky, with old friends and families.

2. Elie comes face to face with Josef Mengele. During the rest of the chapter Elie refers to him as the Angel of Death. Explain how Mengele wound up with this nickname. Describe the things he did to make himself notorious. What happened to the Angel of Death after the war?

A. Josef Mengele got his nickname, the Angel of Death, by just walking in the room you could feel a since of evil coming from him. “The notorious Josef Mengele, would torture Jewish children, Gypsy children and many others. “Patients” were put into pressure chambers tested with drugs, castrated, frozen to death, and exposed to various other traumas.” But the big reason why Mengele got his nickname was by the way he enjoyed killing people. Once a whole block had lice, so by curing the problem, he gassed the 750 women that were assigned to that block. Then, he drew a line in a children’s block up to 5 feet, and all of those who were shorter then were sent straight to the gas chambers.
After the war, he fled to South America, married his brothers widow, and had a son. Then one day he went for a swim in the ocean, and while he was out there, he suffered from a massive stroke, and drowned. He lived till 1979.

Sources: http://www.auschwtiz.dk/mengele.htm
McCool Group Alex S, Jackie M, Shane L, Jackie G

"Angel of Death"

1. The first step, into hell, the last step into defeat, questions that don’t stop, continuing to be there. Looking at people who were barely human anymore. The fire that not only took peoples life, but their faith. Their faith to go on, their faith to live, burnt like ashes. There wasn’t very much gained from when they entered Auschwitz, maybe just the knowledge of what was going on. What was lost? Everything, family, life, laughter, freedom.
2. “Angel of Death”, the man that always showed up with a look of death. The power that he had over the Jews. Doctor Mengele, a man that warned with a bitter tone. He has the nickname, because when he was around he even scented of death. Elie even said that when he came it felt like the Angel of Death. He used his power to let the Jews know that they were at a concentration camp, that if they didn’t work their only option was death. He left the word chimney as a bad taste in the Jews mouths. The sickening doctor escaped after the war to Austria and then lived in South America, he later died of a stroke.




McCool group: Lindee, Andrea, Brady, Kyle

Chapter 3 Questions

When they first arrived they were separated. Women were sent to the right while men were sent to the left. Elie was now with his father. His mother and his little sister Tzipora were on their own. Then an inmate asked Elie how old he was. Elie told him but the man yelled at him and told him he was eighteen. The same happened with his father, he told him his age but the man yelled at him and said " Not fifty, Your Forty." Then a second inmate appeared yelling at them. He didn't understand why they came here. The man said "You should have hung yourselves rather than come here." They didn't know what was going to happen to them, nobody had told them anything. The man started to yell at them about the crematory. He told them "Look over there that's where their going to take you!" Then there were in line to go to Dr. Mengele. People were again separated. Some would go one way and some the other way. Elie and his father luckily stayed together. They were sent on the road to the crematorium but they had no clue. When they came closer to the flames they seen babies and children getting thrown into the fire. How could anyone want to kill these people this way? After they were sent into many different camps.

Dr. Mengele was soon named the Angel of Death from Elie. Elie said when he seen him he could just smell the Angel of Death on him. He was a tall man in his thirties with crime written all over his forehead. He told them to remember that they were in Auschwitz. They were in a concentration camp not a convalescent home. If they didn't work he told them they would be sent to the crematorium. Some of Dr. Mengeles experiments were placing subjects in pressure chambers, testing different drugs on people, freezing them to death and other fatal traumas. Mengele especially liked twins. Starting in 1944 he sent twins to special barracks. He attempted to change eye color by injecting chemicals into children's eyes. He had many amputation and brutal surgeries. Right after he left Auschwitz he turned up in Gross-Rosen, a work camp but he left before it was liberated. He was captured as a prisoner of war but was released because they had no idea who he was. He went to Argentina where many other Nazi officials sought refuge. He then divorced his wife Irene then in 1958 he married is brothers widow. In 1978 he died of a stroke while swimming in the ocean and drown. He was not tracked down by Nazi hunters until 1992 when DNA tests on his bones confirmed his identity.

McCool Group
Shelby E., Nikki, Scott, Mike

Chapter 3 - Selection & the Angel of Death

I am continually impressed with the body of work you have been producing here in Breaking Down Barriers. The writing you continually put forth in your posts and comments increases your writing vocabulary and fluency and decreases your grammatical and spelling errors. Lately, I have seen you develop the skills to engage in written discussion, not always an easy task. It takes real skill to write about how you disagree with someone without coming across to some as rude. However, if you read something disagreeable with something you have written, look at this as an opportunity for discussion. In order to effectively discuss something, you need two things. First, you need to be well informed. In our case, this means you have read and understand the text. Second, you need an open mind to be able to see things from someone else's perspective. No one has a monopoly on "right." True enlightenment comes from an open mind.

To start our discussion of chapter 3 respond to two of the following questions/prompts.

1. In Auschwitz Jews went through a process. Describe the first 48 hours for Jews once the doors opened to the cattle cars. Describe what is lost or gained with each significant event.

2. Elie comes face to face with Josef Mengele. During the rest of the chapter Elie refers to him as the Angel of Death. Explain how Mengele wound up with this nickname. Describe the things he did to make himself notorious. What happened to the Angel of Death after the war?

3. Elie says, "We spoke of everything without mentioning those who had disappeared." Why would they not speak of them? To whom is he referring?

For the most part, your pictures have been great! Keep posting pictures appropriate to your posts.

More answers to Chapter 2

1.What would you have done if you were on the train?

Honestly, we have no idea. We were not on the train so we are not sure what we would do. We probably would have gone insane. Starving, cold, crowded, lonely, and not knowing where we were going, or what was going to happen to us, we would have gone insane.

2.When Mrs. Schachter saw the fire, was it a mental breakdown or was it a premonition? Defend your answer.

Both. She was dealing with a lot of grief from losing the majority of her family, which put her on the edge of losing her mind. On the other hand, you cannot ignore how accurate her visions and screams were. We think that without the mental breakdown, she could not have had the premonitions. She was under a lot of stress, which opened up her mind in weird ways and allowed her to have the premonitions.

3.What was going through the minds of the Jews when the doors of the train opened and they saw the flames from the crematorium? Were they in a state of mind to feel regret for their actions against Madame Schachter?

They were terrified to see the flames, and learn that everything that everyone had been telling them was true. They were shocked to see that Madame Schachter was right. They lost all hope in that moment. For a brief moment some probably did regret the way they treated Madame Schachter but then survival mode kicked in and Madame Schachter was forgotten and all they could think about was keeping themselves and their loved ones alive.

Constance Leavitt, Shelby Smith, Melanie Atwell, Whitney Gumm, Jordan Byrum

Chapter Two- Extended

If we had been on the train, we would not have known what to do. There was so much going on that there would have been so much confusion. Also, we would have been so scared. Therefore, we probably wouldn't have done anything. Like everyone else, we would have probably gone insane. As for whether or not Mrs. Schacter was having a premonition or a mental breakdown, we think it was a little of both. She was actually seeing the fire of the crematorium, which was a premonition, but if she had been in the right state of mind, she would have known to not create even more panic. Also, she was getting beat to death and she didn't fight back. Anyone would have quit with the yelling after multiple beatings. When the Jews arrived at Birkenau and the doors of the train opened, showing the flames from the crematorium, they were scared for their lives. We think that when they first saw the flames, a feeling of regret must have passed through their mind. But then after getting over the shock, the Jews had to have been more concerned about their fate. Death would have been more terrifying and disturbing than the thought of how they treated Mrs. Schacter.

By the Awesome Group: Elizabeth, Sam H, Sam G, Stud Logan (Katrina), and Taylor

answers to extended ch.2 questions

"The picture to the left is a painting of the flames coming from the crematorium and some Jews in front of it."

1. We would stand or sit in the back just thinking of what we could do to get out of the mess we were in. If anything we would try to calm everyone down and try to come up with solutions or plans to escape. We would probably be thinking of a happier place to keep our minds off the things that were happening around us.
2.Well we think it was a little bit of both. She might have actually seen the fire and the crematorium, but she was acting too crazy for anyone to believe her. She kept screaming and screaming when it really wasn't necessary.
3.We believe that the Jews were thinking how horrible it was going to be after the train ride when those doors opened and they saw the crematorium, they thought of their loved ones and about how death was soon to come. We think that they did not regret treating the way they treated her because they did what they had to do, if she did not be quiet the Nazi's would have killed them all. One life gone is better than a train full of lives taken, they did what they had to do, even if it was wrong just to save themselves.
Ashley U, Darius J, Suzy B, Erika K

To Regret or Not To Regret

1) What would you have done if you were on the train?

If we were on the train we probably wouldn't have done much of anything. We wouldn't have been the one beating the woman, nor would we have stopped anyone from beating her. The silence would have been a relief after all of the chaos that was going on. We can't imagine being on the cattle car, packed with nothing to eat or drink.

2)When Mrs. Schachter saw the fire, was it a mental breakdown or was it a premonition? Defend your answer.
We think that Mrs. Schachter was probably having a mental breakdown. She was probably having a mental breakdown because lack of water and food. With extreme conditions like those, it makes it very believable that she was having a mental breakdown. Another reason we think that she had a mental breakdown was because we don't believe that they were yet close enough to see the fire or furnace, and she had could not have previously been there to see it. She also might have been thinking of what Moishe the Beetle said, then as they got closer she might have started believing what he said.

3)What was going through the minds of the Jews when the doors of the train opened and they saw the flames from the crematorium? Were they in a state of mind to feel regret for their actions against Madame Schachter?

We believe the Jews were instantly thinking of torture and death as soon as the doors of the train opened. The flames from the crematorium might have made them think Madame Schachter had not been crazy all along. We don't think they felt regret for beating Mrs. Schachter because they were not worrying about previous events but focusing on what was ahead. They also would not have felt regret because they needed her to be quiet so they could have some peace and so they would not get in trouble by the officers in charge.

Blog Posted by: Tyler Abma, Ryan Morris, Jared Andrews, and Josh Harlow.

Train Ride

Hungarian Jews arriving Birkenau.












1. What would you have done if you were on the train?
A. Honestly, we wouldn’t know what to do. We would try to sit it out, but in the end we probably would have went insane. Sitting in a crowded train with a bunch of people doesn’t sound too appealing to us.

2. When Mrs. Schachter saw the fire, was it a mental breakdown or was it a premonition? Defend your answer.
A. We think that it was a little bit of both. She was having a mental breakdown because she was going insane from losing everything but her youngest child. Then it was also a premonition because she might have been actually seeing something, like she was meant to warn them from what was going to come up, but no one believed her.

3. What was going through the minds of the Jews when the doors of the train opened and they saw the flames from the crematorium? Were they in a state of mind to feel regret for their actions against Madame Schachter?
A. They were thinking death, the loss of hope, confusion, everything was running through their weak minds at that time the doors opened into the gates of “hell.” Yes, they did regret not listening to her. She was right after all and they should of listened, but would you of listened to a lady crying out fire in the night time?

McCool Group
Alex S., Jackie M., Shane L., Jackie G.

Chapter 2 Questions

Crematorium in Birkenau

If were we on the train we would have freaked out. I mean how would you feel when you are put on a train with a bunch of people and you don't even know were your going? You don't what lies before you, if your going to live or die. We would be scared. You have a women in there screaming that she is seeing a fire and no one believed her. Mrs. Schacter's son was only ten, he was so young and he was surrounded by people he didn't even know. I would be so scared if i was so young and we didn't know where we were going. In our opinion we thought when Mrs. Schacter saw the fire that see was actually seeing a premonition. She knew something was going to happen. She could tell there was a fire somewhere and she was right. She knew they were headed somewhere where fire was. The people pretty much thought she was going crazy but she kept seeing these visions of fire so she knew something bad was coming for them. When the doors of the train opened the Jews had to of felt a little bit of regret, but if they were out to hurt people why would they feel bad for hurting her. They didn't treat anyone with respect so why would they start with her. They might have felt a little bit bad for treating her so bad but not so much regretting what they did.


McCool Group
Nikki W., Shelby E., Scott B., Mike M.

Questions for Chapter 2

If we were on the train we would have more than likely done the same that they did. We wouldn’t know what was going to happen. We would be just as scared as they were.
We think it was a little of both. She did have a mental breakdown from losing her husband and two of her sons. But yet she was trying to warn the others of what she saw. But because she had a “mental breakdown” people thought she was crazy and they didn’t believe her.
She was right! How would you feel if you had all of these thoughts about her being crazy and then saw that? You would be in shock not knowing what was going to happen. How would you survive? Yes they should regret how they treated her. She was only trying to warn them of what was going to happen. No one should ever be treated that badly even if they thought she was crazy. But they were in too much of a shock to even think about how they treated her.
Lindee, Kyle, Brady, Andrea
(McCool Group)

Extended Ch. 2 Questions

1. What would you have done if you were on the train?

I probably would have just stood back and let the people do what they were doing. They didn’t really have a choice and I wouldn’t have stood in the way of a bunch of Jews whose lives were in danger. There wasn’t much else they could’ve done. I probably wouldn’t have changed what they were doing anyway. It was either beating one person just enough so that she’d be silent or risking the lives of a whole cattle car packed full of people.

2. When Mrs. Schachter saw the fire, was it a mental breakdown or was it a premonition? Defend your answer.

It was a premonition because she kept screaming that she saw a fire, that it was a furnace, so we think that it was a premonition more than a mental breakdown because she seemed to have a very vivid picture of the fire in her mind and it was as if she somehow knew what their future was.

3. What was going through the minds of the Jews when the doors of the train opened and they saw the flames from the crematorium? Were they in a state of mind to feel regret for their actions against Madame Schachter?

They were in a state of shock because what Mrs. Schachter was screaming was actually true. We don’t think that anyone really regretted what they had done to Mrs. Schachter. They needed her to be quiet and that is what mattered. They weren’t beating her because of what she was screaming, they beat her because she was screaming. So we don’t feel that anyone was in a state of regret. It was probably more like shock at what they saw and what she had been screaming.
-Natasha A., Shelby R., Seyd P., Wade T., Don P.

Extended Discussion Questions (Ch. 2)

Answer the following discussion questions in your small group. Be honest in your responses and support every declaration you make.

1. What would you have done if you were on the train?
2. When Mrs. Schachter saw the fire, was it a mental breakdown or was it a premonition? Defend your answer.
3. What was going through the minds of the Jews when the doors of the train opened and they saw the flames from the crematorium? Were they in a state of mind to feel regret for their actions against Madame Schachter?

(Add an image to your post that reflects what you have stated.)

Fire!!!

1. Describe Mrs. Schacter's son's thoughts as he watches his mother on the train and others' reactions to her.
A. Well at the beginning, he was scared for her, was trying to comfort her, but then as the train ride went on, he became uncaring for her, he didn’t care as much for what the other people did to her, he just wanted her to be quiet, and he didn’t say anything to calm her.

2. Did the Jew's treat Mrs. Schacter appropriately? What could they have done differently?
A. At the beginning, they believed her, they ran to the window to see what she was yelling at, and when they didn’t see anything, they just felt pity for her. But as the train ride went on, as her continued to yell about fire that wasn’t there, they began to beat her, and they didn’t care what happened to her, they just wanted her to shut up.

3. Why do the Jews so quickly reject Mrs. Schacter but just as quickly believe the news from the men who gathered water? How do they feel when the cattle car doors are opened in Birkenau?
A. Because when she would yell fire, they didn’t see anything, and like so many other people on the trains, they just thought that she was going crazy. The reason they believed the men who gathered water was because they gave them good news, news that didn’t have to deal with fire or death. And anyone would believe good news over bad news any day. The way they felt when they arrived at Birkenau was a little bit happy to get off the train, confused on why they were there, and scared and frightened for being in a place where they didn’t know where it was.

Alex S., Jackie M, Jackie G, Shane L.
McCool Students

Chapter 2 Questions

1. Describe Mrs. Schacter's son's thoughts as he watches his mother on the train and others' reactions to her.
At frst her son was crying and trying to calm down his mother. He told her there was no fire and asked her to sit down. Then when the people on the train started beating her the little boy didn’t do anything. It was like he understood that it was important that she be quiet. The other people on the train tried to talk to her first to try to calm themselves rather than her. Eventually they had to start beating her to get her to be quiet.
2. Did the Jew's treat Mrs. Schacter appropriately? What could they have done differently?
Because she was starting to create a panic, we don’t really think the Jew’s mistreated her. We also don’t think that there was anything the Jew’s could have done differently. Her screaming was starting to drive them mad also so they had to do something to keep her quiet in order to preserve their sanity.

3. Why do the Jews so quickly reject Mrs. Schacter but just as quickly believe the news from the men who gathered water? How do they feel when the cattlecar doors are opened in Birkenau?
They didn’t believe Mrs. Schachter because they were on a moving train and they didn’t want to believe something that they couldn’t see and something that was obviously bad. They so readily believed the people gathering water because everything the Jews were being told was good. The water gatherers were giving them hope that something good was coming. When they arrived at Birkenau they lost all their hope because they could see the fire and smell the burning flesh and they realized that this was not a very good place and that what the people gathering water were telling them was not true.

McCool group
-Natasha A., Shelby R., Wade T., Seyd P., Don P.

Questions 1&2

1) He was in complete shock. He was scared. Thoughts of why was my mother saying these things? There’s nothing there. Even to see her son act this way was hard for Jews to watch, usually the mothers are suppose to calm the children. He shut out the fear, the world, and the pain, just stood there at the side of his mother comforting her.
2) They treated her as a crazy person. They didn’t listen to the words she was screaming, fire, fire. The first time it was believable the later times it was just a situation that they didn’t want to listen to. Every time fire was screamed it was like they would some how believe her each time. The thing is they didn’t want to believe her, they didn’t want to believe that the fate ahead of them would possibly burning a slow death that they didn’t see coming. They could’ve actually tried to stand up to Germans if they wanted to survive. If they would’ve believed her maybe, just maybe they could’ve escaped from life in death. They could’ve gotten away from the smell of burning flesh, the witnessing of family killed, their faith burned in the very fire that killed many people. They possibly could’ve….escaped from hell.
Lindee, Brady, Kyle, Andrea
(McCool Group)

Fire Fire!

Mrs. Schacter was a women who seen visions of fire on her way to Auschwitz. She was known to have "lost her mind" when she was separated from her family. On the third night of the journey to Auschwitz she began to scream "Fire! I see fire! I see fire!" Some of the women tried to calm her down and someone brought her a damp cloth to help her, but she continued to scream. The people thought she was hallucinating and she was possessed by an evil spirit. Her son sat next to her crying he had to of felt scared and wanted to help his mother but nothing could help her. The people were telling them to "keep her quiet, make that mad women shut up, she's not the only one here." The German police began to hit her in the head, as the boy clung to his mother he was no longer crying. As afternoon hit Mrs. Schacter remained huddled in her corner with her son stroking her hand trying to keep her calm. As night came she began screaming again. She pointed towards the same spot every time she screamed. The police hit her again with great strength, but she would still would not be quiet. Someone asked a German officer to take her to a hospital. The Jews could have treated Mrs. Schacter differently by treating her with respect. She was the only one that was treated badly because she was seeing the fire that wasn't even there. It was like she was seeing Auschwitz before she even got there. When they arrived there was actually a fire burning. No one believed her because she had been screaming through the nights so they thought she was possessed by the "evil spirits."

(McCool Group)
Shelby E., Nikki, Mike, Scott

Runaway Train! Cattlecar Blues! Burning Ring Of FIRE!!

2. Did the Jew's treat Mrs. Schacter appropriately? What could they have done differently?
Yes and no. Yes because they were worried that if the Nazis heard her then they would have come back to see what was going on and then all of their lives would be at risk. If they would have come back then there was a good chance that she would have been beaten worse than what her fellow Jews were doing to her, so it was better for them to take care of her themselves. No because being stressed and afraid does not justify beating up a defenseless woman. They could have found a less violent way to shut her up and figure out why she was screaming.

3. Why do the Jews so quickly reject Mrs. Schacter but just as quickly believe the news from the men who gathered water? How do they feel when the cattlecar doors are opened in Birkenau?
They reject her because she did not make any sense. She was just hysterically screaming crazy things. She kept saying she saw fire and flames but when they looked out the window they did not see anything. Just like the boy who cried wolf. They believed the men who gathered water because they were outside of the cattlecar and had saw these things happening. They did not want to believe it while in the cattlecar because there was no evidence to support it but with proof from outside of the cattlecar they were forced to believe it. The book does not say exactly how they felt but it explains how they saw the flames and they smelled the burning flesh. But it can be inferred that they were terrified that strange men were beating them and forcing them out of the car and they were scared because they saw the flames and realized that this place was nothing like what they thought it was going to be.


Melanie Atwell, Constance Leavitt, Shelby Smith, Jordan Byrum, Whitney Gumm

Answers to questions 1 & 2

This is a picture of the cattle cars they were forced into, to transport them to death camps.

Mrs. Schachter's son was only ten years old, so he must have felt very frightened when his mother was screaming about her "visions." At first he held her hand and tried to comfort her, but when he saw how other people in the car responded to her, by hitting her and yelling at her, he started to feel like the others. We think he knew that death was coming and he wanted her to stop drawing attention to them. He tried to do what was best for her, what would save her from more pain, by stepping up and being the strong protector. He could not stop the other people in the car from hurting her so he just tried to make her stay quiet so they would have no reason to.

There is no doubt that Mrs. Schachter was treated inappropriately. It is never right to beat someone near death, especially over some yelling. At the same time, though, the prisoners had to do what was necessary to stay alive. They were so frightened of what the police would do to them if they heard her that they believed they could sacrifice her to keep the rest of them safe. Also she represented a sort of reason why the Nazi's hated the Jews. They believed by complying with the Nazi's, they would forget about them, especially if they didn't stand out. She stood out in that group so they saw her as the reason why they were being taken to these camps and doomed to death. They took out their anger on her, not necessarily to keep her quiet, but more out of frustration at their situation. The prisoners could have handled the whole situation differently because the beating didn't stop her. If they really needed her to be quiet, obviously talking to her didn't work, they could have focused more on gagging her or isolating her. They could have tried harder to get her to be quiet but still give her some dignity. Being locked in a cattle car for days can make a person go crazy; they should have been more understanding instead of so hostile.

By: Ashley Urtado, Darius Jones, Erika Keithley, and Suzy Byers

Problems with Mrs. Schacter.

---Describe Mrs. Schacter's son's thoughts as he watches his mother on the train and others' reactions to her.
Mrs. Schacter's son had a mixture of emotions. He was terrified that his mother was getting beat, but he knew deep down inside his actions would just make matters worse. The son was probably angry with the other Jewish people for doing such harsh things to his mother. Instead of standing out, the son gently tried to calm his mother down by rubbing her hand and comforting her. The son also felt very embarrassed that his mother was sputtering words of hallucination, and causing a scene in such a small place. Overall the son might have been very relieved because everything was quiet and calm.


---Why do the Jews so quickly reject Mrs. Schacter but just as quickly believe the news from the men who gathered water? How do they feel when the cattle car doors are opened in Birkenau?

There were a couple of reasons that the other Jewish people could have believed the men over the rampaging woman. One reason was that there were many men to believe as to one single woman. The men could see more since they were outside the cattle car as opposed to the woman peeping out a little window. In addition, when the woman shouted "Fire," there was no possible way that she could have seen such things. When the doors opened at Birkenau, people most likely felt ashamed for beating the woman when her hallucinations became a reality.

Posted by: Ryan Morris, Jared Andrews, Tyler Abma

Cattle Cars

1. Mrs. Schacter's son was probably very distraught at seeing his mother in the state that she was in. The actions of the other people against his mother would have made him feel angry and helpless. There was no way that he could help his mother, except for to be there to try to reassure her of hope. As he watched the other people beating his mother, he felt as though if he intervened, that he would just end up getting hurt as well.

2. The people in the cattle car quickly believed the men with the water because they brought good news. The men had said that they were at the final destination, which was a labor camp where conditions were good, and families would not be separated. This was exactly what the Jews were hoping for. The people were gaining confidence because they finally got news of what would be happening to them. The Jews did not easily believe Mrs. Schacter because not only did she repeatedly scream that there was a fire, but they also did not want to believe there was a fire. If there really had been a fire, it would have been a bad sign of what was to come. All the people on the cattle car were at their last nerve and were scared and nervous about what was happening.
Posted by: Elizabeth, Taylor, Katrina, Sam G, and Sam H

Chapter 2 Questions

1. What is Zionism?
Zionism is an organization of Jews whose goal is to create a nation for Jews.

Zionism is the national revival movement of the Jewish people. It holds that the Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.

2. What is an anti-semite?
A word expressing antagonism to the political and social equality of Jews.

3. Why were foreign Jews deported first?
The foreign Jews were deported first to make the other Jews feel safe and keep them from fleeing. It helped avoid panic and kept the Jews where they were because they didn’t feel threatened.

4. What were the duties of the Gestapo?
The duties of the Gestapo included killing the Jews quickly and without argument. They played a large part in the murder of the foreign Jews, as Moishe witnessed.

5. What is Rosh Hashanah?
It’s the Jewish New Year. All the Jews celebrated Rosh Hashanah while they were in the ghetto by baking goods, praying and having religious services.

6. Why did Eliezer pray, and why did he cry when he prayed?
Eliezer prayed because he was so close to God. He was one of those people that was so spiritual and in touch with God that it just felt natural to him to pray. He felt many powerful emotions that he just had to weep when he prayed to release everything he felt when he prayed.

7. What does Hasadic mean?
A sect founded by Baal Shem-Tov in Poland in the 18th century. Hassisism is characterized by it’s emphasis on mysticism, prayer, ritual strictness, religious zeal and joy.

8. What is the central tenet of Maimonides philosophy?
In the first chapter Elie’s father is discussing to him that he is too young to study the Kabalah. He says to Elie, ”Maimonides tells us that one must be thirty before venturing into the world of mysticism.”

-Natasha A., Seyd P.,
Don P., Wade T.,
Shelby R.

"Fire! I see a fire!" Chapter Two

I am much amazed with what I see going on here in our BDB blog. Most of you are posting some quality responses demonstrating some well discussed answers. However, the comments, while fairly accurate in context, become quite redundant after reading virtually the same comment over and over. Mrs. Bethune and I will do something to prevent this from happening. I would like to also mention, that when someone or several people comment in a way that suggests a disagreement with something posted to look at this as an opportunity for discussion. Many questions require you to figure out on your own what happens within a series of events when some details are left out. In this light, when question are truthfully engaged there are no 100% right or wrong answers.

Keep up the good work!

For today's post, answer two of the following questions/prompts:

1. Describe Mrs. Schacter's son's thoughts as he watches his mother on the train and others' reactions to her.
2. Did the Jew's treat Mrs. Schacter appropriately? What could they have done differently?
3. Why do the Jews so quickly reject Mrs. Schacter but just as quickly believe the news from the men who gathered water? How do they feel when the cattlecar doors are opened in Birkenau?

Everyone should post a picture of a cattle car that illustrates Jews arriving at a camp.

Answers to Questions

1. What is Zionism?
A. An international movement originally for the establishment of a Jewish national or religious community in Palestine and later for the support of modern Israel

2. What is an anti-semite?
A. Hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group

3. Why were foreign Jews deported first?
A. Because there would be less of a struggle. If people that you didn’t know started to deport foreigners from your country, you probably would think anything about it. You would think that they were just doing something that really wasn’t doing you or anyone any harm.

4. What were the duties of the Gestapo?
A. They were pretty much the German Officers that ran the ghettos, who stayed and who left for the concentration camps.

5. What is Rosh Hashanah?
A. It is the Jewish New Year. Which is was also the same day they left the ghetto.

6. Why did Eliezer pray, and why did he cry when he prayed?
A. Eliezer did not know why he prayed, and as for crying while he prayed, he just thought that something inside of him needed tears.

7. What does Hasidic mean?
A. A member of a Jewish sect of the second century B.C. opposed to Hellenism and devoted to the strict observance of the ritual law.

8. What is the central tenet of Maimonides philosophy?
A. “One of the central tenets of Maimonides's philosophy is that it is impossible for the truths arrived at by human intellect to contradict those revealed by God.”

wikipedia.com

Alex S, Shane L, Jackie M, Jackie G

Chapter 1 Questions

Zionism ~it’s a national movement of rebirth and renewal
Deals with his religion.

Anti-Semite ~ is people who believe in practicing anti-Semitism
The Nazis and Hungarian Police.

So then the other Jews wouldn’t get curious of why they were taking certain people. They were taking one group at a time and the other Jews had no clue that they were going to get taken away.

A secret police that plotted against people who were suspected of disloyalty. They started out being nice and acting like they were trying to protect them. In the end the Jews figured out that it was just an act and met their true identities.

It means first of the year. It’s the Jewish New Year.

He prayed because he had faith. It was as if God wanted him to pray. Like his emotions new what was going to happen but his body didn’t. Something inside him felt the need for tears he just didn’t know what. It was as though part of him didn’t know but his emotions did.

That God’s presence was in all of one’s surroundings and that one should serve God in one’s every deed and word. That’s what they believed.

Their beliefs are that if you’re to young they shouldn’t study mysticism. In order to work up to learning about that they should learn from the beginning.

Lindee, Kyle, Brady, Andrea

Night

We didn't answer all the questions asked because we were stuck on discussing just a few questions throughout the time we had together.

Zionism is the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland.
The Rosh Hashanah was the Jewish New Year.

We felt we had so much to say about the question they asked Elie about his praying. When they asked Elie why he cried when he prayed he answered, “I cry because… something inside of me felt the need to cry.” When they asked him why he prayed he answered, “Why did I pray? Why did I live why did I breathe? I don’t know.” How does anybody know why he or she prays or why they cry? It’s a feeling inside because he’s close to God in his life right now and he needs him to help. Moishe told him that a person comes closer to God through the questions he asks him. Why do you pray? This is a very confusing topic. For some people its hard to pray because they have so many feelings. How can anyone know why they cry when they pray. If they have many emotions inside of them it might be harder for them to pray and it might be hard to keep all those emotions inside.
Another question we had a big discusion about was When they asked why were the foreign Jews deproted first? The foreign Jews were deported first to make it seem like the Germans wanted the people who were less important. So it would seem as if they weren’t going to come back for the other people. “Days went by then weeks and months life was normal again a calm reassuring wind blew through their house.” When it says that, it means that they thought that nothing else was going to happen that the Germans weren’t going to come back for anyone else.
Although we didn't answer all the questions asked we were stuck discussing these two questions in our group.

Nikki Whiteford, Scott Bellows, Mike Moser, Shelby Engel, Erin Marker
(Group in far, back corner.)

Chapter 1 Answers

First off we'd like to say THANK YOU WIKIPEDIA.

1. The philosophy that Theodor Herzl theorized that the only way to stop the Holocaust was to build a Jewish homeland.

2. Anti-Jews

3. The foreign Jews fled from the countries that Germans were invading so when they got to the countries that they fled to they got rid of them first.

4. "The Gestapo has been entrusted the mission by the Fueher to watch over and to eliminate all the enemies of the party and the Socialist state as well as disintegrating forces of all kinds directed against both."

5. Jewish New Year

6. He cried when he prayed because he just always felt like crying, but he didn't really know why.

7. "Of or relating to the Jewish hasidism or its members or beliefs and practices."

8. "It is impossible for truths arrived at by human intellect to contradict those revealed by God."

By: Erika Keithley, Ashley Urtado, Darius Jones, and Suzy Byers

Answers to Mr.Neub's questions.

1.Zionism was a Jewish movement that arose in the late 19th century in response to growing anti-Semitism and sought to reestablish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Modern Zionism is concerned with the support and development of the state of Israel.
2. An anti-semite is someone who hates Jewish people.
3.In our opinion foreign Jews were deported first because they were seen as a bigger threat than native Jews. Because the foreign Jews were fleeing from surrounding countries and had already seen what was about to come. They had already witnessed the inhumane cruelty that the Nazi Germans could inflict.
4. The Gestapo were in charge of rounding up the Jews and putting them in cattle cars to be deported to camps. They were also in charge of making the Jews miserable and stripping them of their rights and their belongings. They enforced Nazi rules and policies.
5.Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish high holy day that marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year, celebrated on the first and second days of Tishri by Orthodox and Conservative Jews and only on the first day by Reform Jews.
6.He prayed because to him it was the natural thing to do, like living and breathing. He cried when he prayed because something inside of him felt the need for tears.
7.A Hassidic Jew is a member of a Jewish mystic movement founded in the 18th century in eastern Europe by Baal Shem Tov that reacted against Talmudic learning and maintained that God's presence was in all of one's surroundings and that one should serve God in one's every deed and word.
8.One of the central tenets of Maimonides's philosophy is that it is impossible for the truths arrived at by human intellect to contradict those revealed by God.
Sites used: wikipedia.com and dictionary.com
Melanie Atwell, Jordan Byrum, Shelby Smith, Whitney Gumm, and Constance Leavitt