Ghettos
« What’s a ghetto?
The term "ghetto" originated from the name of the Jewish quarter in Venice, established in 1516, in which the Venetian authorities compelled the city's Jews to live. Various authorities, ranging from local municipal authorities to the Austrian Emperor Charles V, ordered the creation of other ghettos for Jews in Frankfurt, Rome, Prague, and other cities in the 16th and 17th centuries.
During World War II, ghettos were city districts (often enclosed) in which the Germans concentrated the municipal and sometimes regional Jewish population and forced them to live under miserable conditions. Ghettos isolated Jews by separating Jewish communities from the non-Jewish population and from other Jewish communities.
The Germans regarded the establishment of ghettos as a provisional measure to control and segregate Jews while the Nazi leadership in Berlin deliberated upon options to realize the goal of removing the Jewish population. In many places ghettoization lasted a relatively short time. Some ghettos existed for only a few days, others for months or years. With the implementation of the "Final Solution" (the plan to murder all European Jews) beginning in late 1941, the Germans systematically destroyed the ghettos. The Germans and their auxiliaries either shot ghetto residents in mass graves located nearby or deported them, usually by train, to killing centers where they were murdered. German SS and police authorities deported a small minority of Jews from ghettos to forced-labor camps and concentration camps.
There were three types of ghettos: closed ghettos, open ghettos, and destruction ghettos.
The Germans ordered Jews residing in ghettos to wear identifying badges or armbands and also required many Jews to perform forced labor for the German Reich. Daily life in the ghettos was administered by Nazi-appointed Jewish councils (Judenraete). A ghetto police force enforced the orders of the German authorities and the ordinances of the Jewish councils, including the facilitation of deportations to killing centers. Jewish police officials, like Jewish council members, served at the whim of the German authorities. The Germans did not hesitate to kill Jewish policemen who were perceived to have failed to carry out orders.
Jews responded to the ghetto restrictions with a variety of resistance efforts. Ghetto residents frequently engaged in so-called illegal activities, such as smuggling food, medicine, weapons or intelligence across the ghetto walls, often without the knowledge or approval of the Jewish councils. Some Jewish councils and some individual council members tolerated or encouraged the illicit trade because the goods were necessary to keep ghetto residents alive. Although the Germans generally demonstrated little concern in principle about religious worship, attendance at cultural events, or participation in youth movements inside the ghetto walls, they often perceived a “security threat” in any social gathering and would move ruthlessly to incarcerate or kill perceived ringleaders and participants. The Germans generally forbade any form of consistent schooling or education.
During the Holocaust, ghettos were a central step in the Nazi process of control, dehumanization, and mass murder of the Jews.
« Where did the Nazi Army settle those ghettos?
The Germans established at least 1,000 ghettos in German-occupied and annexed Poland and the Soviet Union alone. German occupation authorities established the first ghetto in Poland in Piotrków Trybunalski in October 1939.
The largest ghetto in Poland was the Warsaw ghetto, where over 400,000 Jews were crowded into an area of 1.3 square miles. Other major ghettos were established in the cities of Lodz, Krakow, Bialystok, Lvov, Lublin, Vilna, Kovno, Czestochowa, and Minsk. Tens of thousands of western European Jews were also deported to ghettos in the east.
In some ghettos, members of Jewish resistance movements staged armed uprisings. The largest of these was the Warsaw ghetto uprising in spring 1943. There were also violent revolts in Vilna, Bialystok, Czestochowa, and several smaller ghettos. In August 1944, German SS and police completed the destruction of the last major ghetto, in Lodz.
« What’s the difference between a concentration camp and an extermination camp?
Concentration camps: Initially these were designed to incarcerate political prisoners (enemies of the regime), criminals and security risks. While conditions were, predictably, horrible in these camps, and while the death rates were high, there is no evidence that they were used for extermination purposes. By the late 1930s there were literally hundreds of camps scattered throughout Germany and with the Nazi takeover of Czechoslovakia, Austria, Poland, Holland and France, camps were established throughout the Reich. The death rates were so high, from malnutrition, typhus and exhaustion that the disposal of corpses became a serious problem.
Extermination camps: These camps were built primarily or exclusively for mass murder. From its rise to power in 1933, the Nazi regime built a series of detention facilities to imprison and eliminate so-called "enemies of the state." Most prisoners in the early concentration camps were German Communists, Socialists, Social Democrats, Roma (Gypsies), Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, and persons accused of "asocial" or socially deviant behavior. These facilities were called “concentration camps” because those imprisoned there were physically “concentrated” in one location.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005059
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005144
jueves, 12 de marzo de 2009
miércoles, 25 de febrero de 2009
Elie Wiesel
He was born in 1928 in Sighet, Transylvania. During the World War II, his family and he were sent to the German concentration camps where his parents and little sister died.
In his childhood, he spent a lot of time talking with Moshe in the synagogue.
In 1942, Elie hade his bar mitzvah and he continued studying the Bible and other Jewish books, he felt really attracted to Kabbalah. He learned a little bit about astrology, parapsychology, hypnotism and magic.
He and his two older sisters survived, they were freed from Buchenwald in 1945. He got in touch with them in 1947.
He was taken to Paris, he studied at the Sorbonne and he became a journalist, he is also a novelist and a Nobel Prize winner.
He lives in New York City, and he is a United States citizen.
A turning point in Wiesel’s life came when he interviewed the Catholic writer Fancois Mauriac. During the interview, everything Mauriac said seemed to relate to Jesus. Finally, Wiesel burst out that while Christians love to talk about the suffering of Jesus, "…ten years ago, not very far from here, I knew Jewish children every one of whom suffered a thousand times more, six million times more, than Christ on the cross. And we don’t speak about them."2 Wiesel ran from the room, but Mauriac followed him, asked Wiesel about his experiences and advised him to write them down.
In 1958, he published his first book “La Nuit”, a literary work about his experience in the concentration camps and how he lost everything, even the innocence. He was not ready to publicize his experiences, however, and promised himself to wait 10 years before writing them down in detail. He has written around thirty books, in many of his lectures he has concerned himself with the situation of the Jews and other groups who have suffered as him.
In 1986, he received the Nobel Peace Prize as “a messenger to mankind,” and “a human being dedicated to humanity.” He explained his actions by saying the whole world knew what was happening in the concentration camps, but did nothing.
He has dedicated his life to help persons who have suffered of racism and the ones who survived the Holocaust.In 1969, Wiesel married Marion Erster Rose, a divorced woman from Austria. In 1972, they had a son who they named Shlomo Elisha Wiesel, after Wiesel’s father.
nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1986/wiesel-bio.html
He was born in 1928 in Sighet, Transylvania. During the World War II, his family and he were sent to the German concentration camps where his parents and little sister died.
In his childhood, he spent a lot of time talking with Moshe in the synagogue.
In 1942, Elie hade his bar mitzvah and he continued studying the Bible and other Jewish books, he felt really attracted to Kabbalah. He learned a little bit about astrology, parapsychology, hypnotism and magic.
He and his two older sisters survived, they were freed from Buchenwald in 1945. He got in touch with them in 1947.
He was taken to Paris, he studied at the Sorbonne and he became a journalist, he is also a novelist and a Nobel Prize winner.
He lives in New York City, and he is a United States citizen.
A turning point in Wiesel’s life came when he interviewed the Catholic writer Fancois Mauriac. During the interview, everything Mauriac said seemed to relate to Jesus. Finally, Wiesel burst out that while Christians love to talk about the suffering of Jesus, "…ten years ago, not very far from here, I knew Jewish children every one of whom suffered a thousand times more, six million times more, than Christ on the cross. And we don’t speak about them."2 Wiesel ran from the room, but Mauriac followed him, asked Wiesel about his experiences and advised him to write them down.
In 1958, he published his first book “La Nuit”, a literary work about his experience in the concentration camps and how he lost everything, even the innocence. He was not ready to publicize his experiences, however, and promised himself to wait 10 years before writing them down in detail. He has written around thirty books, in many of his lectures he has concerned himself with the situation of the Jews and other groups who have suffered as him.
In 1986, he received the Nobel Peace Prize as “a messenger to mankind,” and “a human being dedicated to humanity.” He explained his actions by saying the whole world knew what was happening in the concentration camps, but did nothing.
He has dedicated his life to help persons who have suffered of racism and the ones who survived the Holocaust.In 1969, Wiesel married Marion Erster Rose, a divorced woman from Austria. In 1972, they had a son who they named Shlomo Elisha Wiesel, after Wiesel’s father.
nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1986/wiesel-bio.html
martes, 24 de febrero de 2009
Night
BAckgrOUnd
There are so many reasons for the Holocaust, but there’s not one single good answer to explain why this tragedy happened, the Holocaust was something terrifying!!! It would have never existed, so much pain, so much racism, someone who is capable to burn people alive is not human. Hitler must be burning in hell because of his acts, I hope so.
The main reasons are: racism, Germany’s humiliation following the Treaty of Versailles, hard economic times, international indifference and the great manipulative propaganda of Hitler’s Nazi Regime.
When Hitler came to have power in Germany he started giving speeches about the “inferior races” such as the Jews. He was supported by many politicians of that moment and that was the beginning of a great massacre.
They began with the media, anyone or anything who was opposing to the Nazi’s Rules were removed, like television, newspapers, radio and books. They burned a lot of books, mainly the one which were written by Jews, like Einstein.
According to Hitler, Jews were blamed of being the cause of the Germany’s problems, like economy.
Jews began to be treated well after the World War I, they had permission to work, to participate in any kind of activities, to have their own business, even they won a lot Nobel Prices, and fourteen of thirty eight prices were won by Jews.
Then, something changed, they were proclaimed as second-class citizens.
They were segregated from other people, Nazis destroyed their buildings, synagogues and they were not able to have business anymore. Jews were arrested every day, even women and children with no reason, just hate.
Jews were not the only race who was hated by the Nazis, black people, gypsies, scientists [who had the idea of changing the world in a better place], Jehovah’s witnesses and homosexual people were also burned and killed.
Many of them were put in concentration camps or prisons.
Jews tried to escape to other countries, they asked to be saved, but countries just made the escape more difficult, many of them made them harder to go out of Europe. Most of them weren’t able to get a visa.
The entire world criticized Germany because of Jew’s killing but they didn’t do anything to solve the problem.
There are so many reasons for the Holocaust, but there’s not one single good answer to explain why this tragedy happened, the Holocaust was something terrifying!!! It would have never existed, so much pain, so much racism, someone who is capable to burn people alive is not human. Hitler must be burning in hell because of his acts, I hope so.
The main reasons are: racism, Germany’s humiliation following the Treaty of Versailles, hard economic times, international indifference and the great manipulative propaganda of Hitler’s Nazi Regime.
When Hitler came to have power in Germany he started giving speeches about the “inferior races” such as the Jews. He was supported by many politicians of that moment and that was the beginning of a great massacre.
They began with the media, anyone or anything who was opposing to the Nazi’s Rules were removed, like television, newspapers, radio and books. They burned a lot of books, mainly the one which were written by Jews, like Einstein.
According to Hitler, Jews were blamed of being the cause of the Germany’s problems, like economy.
Jews began to be treated well after the World War I, they had permission to work, to participate in any kind of activities, to have their own business, even they won a lot Nobel Prices, and fourteen of thirty eight prices were won by Jews.
Then, something changed, they were proclaimed as second-class citizens.
They were segregated from other people, Nazis destroyed their buildings, synagogues and they were not able to have business anymore. Jews were arrested every day, even women and children with no reason, just hate.
Jews were not the only race who was hated by the Nazis, black people, gypsies, scientists [who had the idea of changing the world in a better place], Jehovah’s witnesses and homosexual people were also burned and killed.
Many of them were put in concentration camps or prisons.
Jews tried to escape to other countries, they asked to be saved, but countries just made the escape more difficult, many of them made them harder to go out of Europe. Most of them weren’t able to get a visa.
The entire world criticized Germany because of Jew’s killing but they didn’t do anything to solve the problem.
Night's Summary
Night’s summary (pp. 3-22)
The story begins with a boy telling us about a man, this man is called Moishe the Beadle. He was a poor man who didn’t like to be helped by the other Jews.
He liked to be alone and he was a good prayer, he knew how to pray, he prayed because he enjoyed asking God real questions.
This child had a family: mother, father and two sisters. He was the third and the only son. He wanted to study Kabbalah but his father tried to convince him of not doing that until he’s an adult. One day, he found Moishe and they started talking, they enjoyed wasting their evening talking about religion, Moishe decided to teach the boy the great and difficult Kabbalah.
One evening, all the foreign Jews were transported to another place, between all of them there was Moishe, and the days were sad for the boy, then it was all normal again. After a long time Moishe returned to Sighet, and tried to tell Jews that the situation in Europe was really bad, that his trip was a lie and that the ones who were in charge of his transportation let them die somewhere. Nobody believed him, everyone thought he had lost his mind, even the boy thought he was mad, nobody wanted to believe him, because it was the twentieth century, they thought those things were impossible to happen in a world like ours.
The days passed by and good news were present in Sighet, Germany was not entering in their territory; in less than 3 days German Army made their appearance.
Germans were kind with the Jews, everyone who was afraid, started to believe that German people was innocent, that they were not bad, Moishe was lying again. Then, they were forced to wear the yellow star, it was not lethal, that’s what they thought at the moment.
After that, ghettos were created and the boy and his family were sent to the biggest one, they were afraid again, but the days passed by and they recovered hope, the ghettos weren’t that bad, it was like a little city, they all know each other and they can be with their family. Everything was ok when something bad happened, a Jew policeman was called and after being nervous almost all the night, he came back, according to him they were going somewhere else, a journey.
They cannot take valuable objects with them, and they can just have some belongings, the family was scared but no one wanted to show any kind of weakness, even the girls were really strong, crying was not enough for the Germans.
Next day, all the Jews were forced to go out and stand in the ground with the sun, thirsty and tired some Jews were taken in the train, some others were staying at home until the next day.
Finally, the family was taken into the train, there were eighty persons by car, no one could escape from there, and if they tried to they would be shot.
The train started to walk to their cruel destiny.
The story begins with a boy telling us about a man, this man is called Moishe the Beadle. He was a poor man who didn’t like to be helped by the other Jews.
He liked to be alone and he was a good prayer, he knew how to pray, he prayed because he enjoyed asking God real questions.
This child had a family: mother, father and two sisters. He was the third and the only son. He wanted to study Kabbalah but his father tried to convince him of not doing that until he’s an adult. One day, he found Moishe and they started talking, they enjoyed wasting their evening talking about religion, Moishe decided to teach the boy the great and difficult Kabbalah.
One evening, all the foreign Jews were transported to another place, between all of them there was Moishe, and the days were sad for the boy, then it was all normal again. After a long time Moishe returned to Sighet, and tried to tell Jews that the situation in Europe was really bad, that his trip was a lie and that the ones who were in charge of his transportation let them die somewhere. Nobody believed him, everyone thought he had lost his mind, even the boy thought he was mad, nobody wanted to believe him, because it was the twentieth century, they thought those things were impossible to happen in a world like ours.
The days passed by and good news were present in Sighet, Germany was not entering in their territory; in less than 3 days German Army made their appearance.
Germans were kind with the Jews, everyone who was afraid, started to believe that German people was innocent, that they were not bad, Moishe was lying again. Then, they were forced to wear the yellow star, it was not lethal, that’s what they thought at the moment.
After that, ghettos were created and the boy and his family were sent to the biggest one, they were afraid again, but the days passed by and they recovered hope, the ghettos weren’t that bad, it was like a little city, they all know each other and they can be with their family. Everything was ok when something bad happened, a Jew policeman was called and after being nervous almost all the night, he came back, according to him they were going somewhere else, a journey.
They cannot take valuable objects with them, and they can just have some belongings, the family was scared but no one wanted to show any kind of weakness, even the girls were really strong, crying was not enough for the Germans.
Next day, all the Jews were forced to go out and stand in the ground with the sun, thirsty and tired some Jews were taken in the train, some others were staying at home until the next day.
Finally, the family was taken into the train, there were eighty persons by car, no one could escape from there, and if they tried to they would be shot.
The train started to walk to their cruel destiny.
domingo, 5 de octubre de 2008
The Colony age in Mexico
The Colony in Mexico
I would like to travel in time and go to the age of the colony in Mexico.
This time I chose is just after the conquest of Mexico, the colony, that age begun at the XVI century. The Spanish Hernán Cortés conquered Mexico and that fact give birth to a new age, we lost many natives because of the different religions, Spanish wanted them to believe in a single God, they wanted to teach about their religion, the Catholicism. Many Aztecs and many other cultures did not wanted to believe in the stranger the Spanish called God, they believed in their own gods, like the Rain God, the Thunder God, etc. The ones who did not wanted to take the Catholicism were killed. I would like to see how the cities were reconstructed in the Spanish way, also I would like to see how a culture was destroyed and a new one was born, it would be really interesting.
The colony lasted around 300 years, and in that times the Viceroys were the persons who took the control of Nueva España, they were chosen by the King of Spain and the viceroys protected the territory, they controlled the exports, they charged the taxes and many other things.
In Mexico were 63 viceroys.
I think the Colony is an interesting age; actually this one and the Conquest are the ages which changed Mexico’s history, surely we wouldn’t be equal as we are if the Spanish would not come here to make our ancestors suffer in the way they did.
I would love to see the dresses that the Spanish women used; this would the main reason why I would like to go back to Colony. The dresses were awesome! I know they may be too tight but they were beautiful, and they were so huge! On the other hand, they could not go to the bathroom [it was, and of course it is still being so nasty!].
Another thing I would love to see and of course to stay a while inside, were the carriages, I think it could be a little uncomfortable because you could get a headache or even worst you could feel really sick.
Maybe I would like to breathe the air, which was not polluted, it would be nice.
Well, maybe I am wrong about the decision I made, the Colony in Mexico is not the best place and time of world history, the did not have any type of electricity, the persons were often treated in a rude way, the natives were not having such a good time, the women [the native ones] were violated and the Spanish stole everything they could for sending it to the King, Carlos V; and they were very idiots because they let the pirates steal OUR gold and our richness, apart of wasting all the gold they could for building and creating big -huge might be a better description- churches.
However, I like the time I live, it is a good time in spite of all the world’s problems that seems to go worst in every step the human takes. I think it would be worst, like living with Hitler massacres or when the Aztecs extracted the heart of innocent persons.
This time I chose is just after the conquest of Mexico, the colony, that age begun at the XVI century. The Spanish Hernán Cortés conquered Mexico and that fact give birth to a new age, we lost many natives because of the different religions, Spanish wanted them to believe in a single God, they wanted to teach about their religion, the Catholicism. Many Aztecs and many other cultures did not wanted to believe in the stranger the Spanish called God, they believed in their own gods, like the Rain God, the Thunder God, etc. The ones who did not wanted to take the Catholicism were killed. I would like to see how the cities were reconstructed in the Spanish way, also I would like to see how a culture was destroyed and a new one was born, it would be really interesting.
The colony lasted around 300 years, and in that times the Viceroys were the persons who took the control of Nueva España, they were chosen by the King of Spain and the viceroys protected the territory, they controlled the exports, they charged the taxes and many other things.
In Mexico were 63 viceroys.
I think the Colony is an interesting age; actually this one and the Conquest are the ages which changed Mexico’s history, surely we wouldn’t be equal as we are if the Spanish would not come here to make our ancestors suffer in the way they did.
I would love to see the dresses that the Spanish women used; this would the main reason why I would like to go back to Colony. The dresses were awesome! I know they may be too tight but they were beautiful, and they were so huge! On the other hand, they could not go to the bathroom [it was, and of course it is still being so nasty!].
Another thing I would love to see and of course to stay a while inside, were the carriages, I think it could be a little uncomfortable because you could get a headache or even worst you could feel really sick.
Maybe I would like to breathe the air, which was not polluted, it would be nice.
Well, maybe I am wrong about the decision I made, the Colony in Mexico is not the best place and time of world history, the did not have any type of electricity, the persons were often treated in a rude way, the natives were not having such a good time, the women [the native ones] were violated and the Spanish stole everything they could for sending it to the King, Carlos V; and they were very idiots because they let the pirates steal OUR gold and our richness, apart of wasting all the gold they could for building and creating big -huge might be a better description- churches.
However, I like the time I live, it is a good time in spite of all the world’s problems that seems to go worst in every step the human takes. I think it would be worst, like living with Hitler massacres or when the Aztecs extracted the heart of innocent persons.
martes, 2 de septiembre de 2008
Harrison Gerberon
Page 27
2.- Harrison was tired of being trated like a bad person only because he is handsome and inteligent. He got on his nerves and then he reveals, he was tired of hearing the sound of his earphone.. he couldn't think!!
I admired Harrison because he had the value of showing that he disagreed of the way the government limited all the people.
3.- I feel so sorry for Hazel and George because for example, Hazel watched in T.V. how his son was being killed but she couldn't understand it.
It is awful to see how they didn't noticed that they didn't have a son anymore.
Hazel was crying but she didn't remember why and the worse part is that George told her to forget it, she should not remember bad things so she agreed and then they return to their "normal" life again, the sound George heard was the center of conversation again!!
How could they live like that?
-George really didn't have a handicap in that literal meaning. He was very intelligent, I think more than Diana, and it is unfair to read that he is controlled in that way.
He is frightened of competing again like in past times but it is insane not to do it.
I wish he could reveal as Harrison.
-Hazel is normal because she is like a fool woman, she was born like that and she was unable to think by herself so she didn't represent any danger for government. She was free of using earphones with horrible sounds, her brain didn't think like a normal person so as she can't reason she had a "perfectly average intelligence"
-Harrison was a brave man, he had the courage that nobody had, the courage to reveal against government without caring all the security. He enjoyed the moment in which he had the freedom to dance and almost kiss the ciling, also had the pleasure to kiss a beautiful woman.
I think he died happy.
5.- Societies must not be controlled because someone will always reveal, that's why countries' independences were made.
For example, when elections are made in countries the government try to distract people with many things like soccer or free concerts, so the people wouldn't think about the candidates.
Like romans said "For our town, just bread and circus"
2.- Harrison was tired of being trated like a bad person only because he is handsome and inteligent. He got on his nerves and then he reveals, he was tired of hearing the sound of his earphone.. he couldn't think!!
I admired Harrison because he had the value of showing that he disagreed of the way the government limited all the people.
3.- I feel so sorry for Hazel and George because for example, Hazel watched in T.V. how his son was being killed but she couldn't understand it.
It is awful to see how they didn't noticed that they didn't have a son anymore.
Hazel was crying but she didn't remember why and the worse part is that George told her to forget it, she should not remember bad things so she agreed and then they return to their "normal" life again, the sound George heard was the center of conversation again!!
How could they live like that?
-George really didn't have a handicap in that literal meaning. He was very intelligent, I think more than Diana, and it is unfair to read that he is controlled in that way.
He is frightened of competing again like in past times but it is insane not to do it.
I wish he could reveal as Harrison.
-Hazel is normal because she is like a fool woman, she was born like that and she was unable to think by herself so she didn't represent any danger for government. She was free of using earphones with horrible sounds, her brain didn't think like a normal person so as she can't reason she had a "perfectly average intelligence"
-Harrison was a brave man, he had the courage that nobody had, the courage to reveal against government without caring all the security. He enjoyed the moment in which he had the freedom to dance and almost kiss the ciling, also had the pleasure to kiss a beautiful woman.
I think he died happy.
5.- Societies must not be controlled because someone will always reveal, that's why countries' independences were made.
For example, when elections are made in countries the government try to distract people with many things like soccer or free concerts, so the people wouldn't think about the candidates.
Like romans said "For our town, just bread and circus"
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