EXAM QUESTIONS

THE HOLOCAUST AND BEYOND

150 points required
due Monday December 21 (at end of class)

1.
Using the documentary, the book, or researched information, cite examples
of the fact that not all people in any situation where persecution of the Jews was
taking place were part of the persecution. Give specific examples of what people did
to help rather than hurt. (20 points)
In the documentary, Kitty talks of another prisoner who told her what to say so that
she would avoid being sent to death immediately. If this prisoner had been
discovered, they would have been executed immediately. She also talked about her
group of friends, who would gather their resources together so that they would have
a better chance of survival. Because each had a different job, this meant that each
could provide something different and helpful.
In the book, Elie encountered a similar prisoner to the one Kitty had on her first day
in Auschwitz. The prisoner told them to lie about their ages, telling Elie to say he
was eighteen and Elie's father to say he was forty. Also, he met a blonde girl while
working who risked her life by giving him important advice (She risked her life
because nobody in the camp knew she could speak Yiddish, and if they found out
they would know she was a Jew. This would make life in the camp much more
difficult, if they did not kill her immediately for forging her papers).
+20

2.
Do the necessary research and describe the events after World War II that
led to the founding of the Jewish State of Israel. (15 points)
Modern Israel has its origins in the Zionism movement, established in the late 19th
century by Jews in the Russian Empire who called for the establishment of a
territorial Jewish state after enduring persecution (history.com). After the Holocaust,
the Jews still remained without a homeland. The UK requested that the General
Assembly make a decision about the question of Palestine. The General Assembly
voted that Palestine should be divided so that the Jews would be given more than
half of the nation. This left the Palestinians with the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Zionists were given Jerusalem, a sacred city in both the Islamic and Jewish
religions. On May 14, 1948 the chairman of the Jewish Agency, David Ben-Guiron,
proclaimed the state of Israel. In the distance, gunfire could already be heard
between the Jewish and Palestinian forces.
+15
3.
Explain some of the situations in the Mideast that have kept that part of the
world in a constant state of tension since 1948. (20 points)
The granting of so much land based on what a majority of people perceived as pity
enraged the other Islamic nations surrounding Israel, who then attacked the nation
in hopes of liberating it for Palestine. The first night that Israel spent as an
independent nation, it was bombarded by the Egyptian air force. The day after the
declaration, forces from Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq invaded. Israel
fought off these forces, proving that it could hold its own. However, the surrounding
nations did not give up. Israel ended up conquering almost all of the land that
belonged Palestine, as well as some land belonging to Egypt, Jordan, and Syria over
a course of about 30 years. This included multiple Arab-Israeli conflicts, including
the Six-Day War. Israel ended up defeating the Arabs in every conflict. Over this
time, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians left the country, leaving Israel with a
substantial Jewish majority that was not there when the country was originally
founded. In 1993 Israel and the PLO, or Palestinian Liberation Organization, signed
a major peace treaty that would implement the self-governing of Palestinians in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel also returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egyptian
control in return for recognition and peace. These events led to a period of peace,
but major conflicts reignited in the early 2000's and still continue today.
SOURCE?
+18

4.
Create and submit a Cut and Paste poem based on the novel Night.
Include the page numbers when you create the poem. (20 points)

I believed profoundly (1)

I ran to the Synagogue (1)
To weep over the destruction of the Temple (1)
Then one day German army cars (7)
had appeared in our streets (7)

"You're going to be expelled from here (12)

With your family, and all the rest of the Jews" (12)
We marched to the station (20)
where a convoy of cattle cars was waiting (20)
Madame Schater cried (23)
"I can see a fire! It is a furnace!" (25)
There was an abominable odor in the air (25)
Never shall I forget the faces of the children (32)
Whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke (32)
For the first time, I felt revolt rise up inside me (31)
What does Your greatness mean (63)
In the face of all this weakness (63)
This decomposition, and this decay? (63)
Why do You still trouble their sick minds, their crippled bodies? (63)
Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God (32)
+20

5.
There are several parts of Wiesel's story that make it clear that the Jewish
community of Sighet (and probably most places) was simply not willing to recognize
the danger it was in. Cite as many specific examples of this undying attitude of
hope and acceptance that you can find throughout the novel. (20 points)
"The Russian army's making gigantic steps forward... Hitler won't be able to do us
any harm, even if he wants to." (6)
"Was he going to wipe out a whole people? Could he exterminate a population
scattered throughout so many nations?" (6)
"Of course we had heard about the Fascists, but they were just an abstraction to us.
This was only a change in administration." (6)

"The Germans won't get as far as this. Theyll stay in Budapest." (7)
"There are your Germans? What do you think of them? Where is their famous
cruelty?" (7)

"The yellow star? Oh well, what of it? You dont die of it..." (9)

GOOD! +20

6.
Discuss the music of the Holocaust in terms of its moods and purpose. (15
points).
During class, we listened to a number of songs composed during or about the
Holocaust. Each composer was actually in at least one of the Concentration Camps,
especially Terezin. Terezin was one of the few camps that allowed for any
individuality or expression at all. The songs we listened to had a very dark and
eerie feeling to them. Some of them contained chanting and quickly moving music.
Others contained a slower, sadder feeling. I believe the songs that moved quickly
were meant to convey everyday life in the camps. These songs had an almost
frightening sound to them, which makes sense considering the circumstances. The
fast pace conveyed the quick rate at which their lives could be changed forever,
thanks to the undying cruelty of the Nazis. I also believe that the slower music was
meant to leave the listener with more of an understanding of what went on in the
camps. The songs represent the horror and sadness that constantly surrounded the
Jewish people while living there. At any moment you may be shipped off to your
death for not being strong enough or disrespecting authority. Almost no one had
any family members still with them, leaving the Jews in an even greater pain than
we can imagine. One song that especially stood out to me was "Tsen Brider,"
translated to "Ten Brothers." The lyrics are about how the composer went into the
camps with ten brothers, and came out alone. The song contains chants and
quickly moving music that leaves the listener with an uncomfortable, if not
frightened, feeling. I believe these songs portray each of the emotions felt in the
camps well, allowing the listener to get a better understanding of what the
Holocaust was really like.
+20
7.
Find the names of the various concentration camps and describe each
according to purpose, size and outcome. (20 points)
Auschwitz-Birkenau:

Extermination and Labor Camp

Purpose: 1) to incarcerate real and perceived enemies of the Nazi regime and the
German occupation authorities in Poland for an indefinite period of time
2) to provide a supply of forced laborers for deployment in SS-owned, constructionrelated enterprises (and, later, armaments and other war-related production)
3) to serve as a site to physically eliminate small, targeted groups of the population
whose death was determined by the SS and police authorities to be essential to the
security of Nazi Germany.
1,100,000 deaths
Belzec:
Extermination and Labor Camp
1) to incarcerate real and perceived enemies of the Nazi regime and the German
occupation authorities in Poland for an indefinite period of time
2) to provide a supply of forced laborers for deployment in SS-owned, constructionrelated enterprises (and, later, armaments and other war-related production)
3) to serve as a site to physically eliminate small, targeted groups of the population
whose death was determined by the SS and police authorities to be essential to the
security of Nazi Germany.
434,508 deaths
Culmhof:
Extermination and Labor Camp
1) to incarcerate real and perceived enemies of the Nazi regime and the German
occupation authorities in Poland for an indefinite period of time
2) to provide a supply of forced laborers for deployment in SS-owned, constructionrelated enterprises (and, later, armaments and other war-related production)
3) to serve as a site to physically eliminate small, targeted groups of the population
whose death was determined by the SS and police authorities to be essential to the
security of Nazi Germany.
152,000 deaths
Janowska:

Extermination and Labor Camp

1) to incarcerate real and perceived enemies of the Nazi regime and the German
occupation authorities in Poland for an indefinite period of time
2) to provide a supply of forced laborers for deployment in SS-owned, constructionrelated enterprises (and, later, armaments and other war-related production)
3) to serve as a site to physically eliminate small, targeted groups of the population
whose death was determined by the SS and police authorities to be essential to the
security of Nazi Germany.
40,000 deaths
Crveni Krst:
Concentration Camp
1) to incarcerate real and perceived enemies of the Nazi regime and the German
occupation authorities in Poland for an indefinite period of time
2) to provide a supply of forced laborers for deployment in SS-owned, constructionrelated enterprises (and, later, armaments and other war-related production)
3) to serve as a site to physically eliminate small, targeted groups of the population
whose death was determined by the SS and police authorities to be essential to the
security of Nazi Germany.
10,000 deaths
Jasenovac:
Extermination Camp for Jews, Serbs, Croats, and Roma
Purpose: to serve as a site to physically eliminate small, targeted groups of the
population whose death was determined by the SS and police authorities to be
essential to the security of Nazi Germany.
99,000 deaths
Majdanek:
Extermination Camp

Purpose: to serve as a site to physically eliminate small, targeted groups of the

population whose death was determined by the SS and police authorities to be
essential to the security of Nazi Germany.
78,000 deaths
Maly Trostenets:
Extermination Camp
Purpose: to serve as a site to physically eliminate small, targeted groups of the
population whose death was determined by the SS and police authorities to be
essential to the security of Nazi Germany.
206,500 deaths
Treblinka:
Extermination Camp
Purpose: to serve as a site to physically eliminate small, targeted groups of the
population whose death was determined by the SS and police authorities to be
essential to the security of Nazi Germany.
870,000 deaths
Warsaw: ??
Extermination Camp
Purpose: to serve as a site to physically eliminate small, targeted groups of the
population whose death was determined by the SS and police authorities to be
essential to the security of Nazi Germany.
200,000
+20
Purposes provided by: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?
ModuleId=10005189
These were the purposes described as having been served by each camp depending
on the camp's individual information

8.
Trace the changes in Elie's faith throughout the novel. (15 points)
In the beginning of the novel, Elie is a devout follower of Judaism. Every night he
runs to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Once they arrive in the concentrations camps and Elie sees what is going on, he
starts to lose this faith. He cannot understand why God would allow this terrible
thing to happen. On Rosh Hashanah, the Jews congregate and give up praises to
God. Elie starts to curse God at this time, believing God has abandoned them, His
Chosen People. This is when Elie abandons his faith for good.

+15

9.
List the phrases used in the novel to convey the idea of the injustice that is inflicted upon
the Jewish people. Include the page number when you make the list.(20 points)
"Eighty people in each car. We were left a few loaves of bread and some buckets
of water." (20)
The Jews being transported were left in these crowded cattle cars for days. They
were not able to sit down because of how close they were to each other. The eighty
people were also expected to live off that small amount of bread and water for a trip
that lasted a few days.
"Do you see those flames? Over there- thats where you're going to be taken.
That's your grave over there." (28)
Not only did the Nazis kill the Jews without a bit of remorse, but they even taunted
them about it. In this quote, a Nazi soldier tells Elie and his father that their group
is going to be sent to the ovens almost immediately after they have arrived. Some
of them seem to take pleasure in their jobs, and get amusement out of the
inhumanity occurring.
"They were burning something. A lorry drew up at the pit and delivered its loadlittle children." (30)
The Nazis spared nobody. In fact this especially pertained to children. Unless you
were of an age that the Nazis believed you could be used for forced labor, you were
sent to the gas chambers. They threw the bodies of the chldren into the graves as
if they were nothing more than trash.
"The third rope was still moving; being so light, the child was still alive... for more
than a half an hour he stayed there, struggling between life and death, dying in
slow agony under our eyes." (62)

Hangings were a regular occurrence in the Concentration Camps. If someone

disobeyed the rules it was common for them to be hanged, so that an example may
be made of them. This particular quote pertains to the hanging of a small child,
who was so light that they did not die for a half an hour. The Nazis just let him
suffer, though they could have easily ended it faster than they did.
"Every now and then, an explosion in the night. They had orders to fire on anyone
who could not keep up." (81)
In the story, the Jews are made to run 42 miles without rest to avoid the oncoming
Russian front. Because they were not allowed to stop, any Jew who slowed down or
broke rank was immediately fired at. Not being able to keep up meant that you
were giving up your life.

+20