Liam M.

THE GERMANY NEWSLETTER \

May 1942

Issue No. Seventeen

\

Top Stories THE TOP NEWS TODAY

THE HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST

A Brief Recap Of The Horrible Events That Have Occurred In Germany And Europe, And What Is Happening In Present Day. Continued on Page 2

OFF TO AMERICA

Hundreds And Hundreds Of Jewish Children Are Being Shipped Off To America To Remain Safe From The Increasing Dangers In Germany.

Maecenas pulvinar sagittis enim.

Continued on Page 3

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The Editor Receives A Letter From A Nazi Soldier With His Opinion On The Current Events In Germany Continued On Page 5

Rhoncus tempor placerat.

THE GERMANY NEWSLETTER!

PAGE

The History Of The Holocaust By now most of the world is

do slave labor and continued to

aware of the horrific events unfolding in Germany.

Throughout the country, Jews are being caught, beaten, taken to concentration camps, and

day after day.

This went on, day after day, until eventually, the poor souls died of either disease or complete

even killed at the hands of the ruthless Nazi soldiers. Children are being sent away from their families to America and other countries that will be safer for

utter exhaustion. As the number of deaths rose up, the Nazis made mass graves for the victims. They piled

them. The entire thing is just a terrible tragedy. But it has been going on for quite some time now.

Things started to go wrong

up hundreds of bodies together in one space, creating one horrifying and greatly depressing sight.

back in 1935, when, in Germany, various laws were enacted to exclude the Jewish people from civil society. Over time, the Nazi soldiers’ treatment of Jews

other than Adolf Hitler. He saw the Jews as an evil race attempting to gain control of the world. He was uninterested in expelling them from the country.

became harsher and more aggressive. Concentration camps were established and hundreds upon thousands were captured and forcefully taken to

In his mind, the only solution to his so-called “Jewish Problem” was to completely exterminate and wipe out the Jews once and for all.

the camps. They were forced to

Adolf Hitler

The tyrant behind this was none

2

THE GERMANY NEWSLETTER!

The Deutschland, A Boat That Brought People From Germany To America

The Rescue Missions It didn’t take long for Jews to

bring them all and one child

become concerned about their

would go all by themselves.

children. They did not want them

Some children could be quite

to be hurt or killed by the Nazis.

overwhelmed if they were very

So a rescue mission - known as

young.

Kindertransport - was created in

Once the children arrived in

order for children to immigrate

America, they would first go to

from Germany to America, where

Ellis Island and be checked for

they would be safe.

diseases, and fill out some

Hundreds of children would

papers. They would then go to

board boats to America. It was a

live with a family that had agreed

journey that took several days.

to take them in. It could

Some entire families went

sometimes be relatives but they

together. Although, most of the

would often be host families

time the family could not afford to

willing to let them stay there.

PAGE

3

Mutti Westerfield

In Loving Memory Mutti Westerfield The date of Mutti’s birth is unknown. She lived in the town of Stockstadt An Rheim. Because she was a Jew, she was taken to a concentration camp, where she died in April 1942.

It was not long before her husband, also in a camp, died as well.

Mutti is survived by her two daughters, Edith and Betty.

THE GERMANY NEWSLETTER

Dear Jakob: I Need To Bring My Family To America Dear Jakob, I Have Recently Arrived In Chicago From Germany. I Was Sent Here By My Family Due To The Holocaust Becoming Increasingly More Dangerous. I Have Been Constantly Asking My Vati (Father) When They Will Be Joining Me In America, But He Has Never Given Me A Straightforward Answer. I Am Becoming Concerned That They Will Not Be Able To Join Me. What Should I Do To Help Them? Do You Think That There Is Any Way I Can Help Them Get Here?

Sincerely, Edith W.

Dear Edith, I Would Not Be Concerned About Your Family.

I’m Sure That They Are Doing Everything They Can To Join You In America. In The Meantime, Though, Perhaps You Could Try Making Some Extra Money To Help Pay For Their Trip. You A Photo Of Chicago Sent From Edith W. Could Try Getting A Paper Route Or You Could Create Your Own Products (Arts And Crafts) And Try To Sell It. I Know That Your Family Will Be Glad That You Are At Least Trying.

-Jakob

THE GERMANY NEWSLETTER!

PAGE

Editor’s Column A LETTER FROM A NAZI SOLDIER

To The Editor: Many People May

World. We Are Not An

We Are Doing A Good

Evil Race. The Jews Are Thing.

Think That We Are An The True Evil Race. The Evil Race Trying To Get Führer Believes That Rid Of Jews For No

They Must Be Stopped.

Particular Reason.

We Are Not Getting Rid

However, I Think That Of The Jews. We Are People A r e Simply Cleansing The Misunderstanding What World Of Jews. That Is We Are Doing. We Are A l l . I H o p e Y o u Trying To Help The Understand Now That

-Anonymous Nazi Soldier

5

Liam’s Lexicon Organizer Word & Page #

anti-­Semitism -­ Page #9

Part of Speech (noun, verb, adj) noun

Definition

Hostility to Jews

Sentence from book

“He told my mother that he could only see one solution to the anti-­Semitism in Germany.”

“The train would take us from our little town of Stockstadt an Rhein all the way to Bremen.”

Relevance or importance to topic.

Germans obviously demonstrated hostility to the Jews.

Use the word in a new sentence. (your own!)

Someone needed to put a stop to this, or all the anti-­Semitism would continue.

Bremen -­ Page #3

Noun

A state in Northeastern Germany.

Jews that lived in Bremen is south of this town (and Ritterhude. many others) were stripped of privileges.

brownshirts -­ Page #16

noun

A member of an “Many of our friends spoke They could be very The brownshirt glared early Nazi militia of Brownshirts -­ the Nazi forceful to Jews. at me, his eyes founded by Police.” narrowed.

Hitler.

Concentration Camp -­ Page #43

noun

Labor camps for “ ‘Camp? Concentration Jews during camp’?” I asked, stunned.

WWII.

Thousands of Jews were taken to and killed at concentration camps.

Jews were beaten and killed at Concentration Camps.

Liam’s Lexicon Organizer Das noun Deutschlandlined -­ Page #8

Nazi National Anthem

“They burst into the Nazi national anthem, ‘Das Deutschlandlined.’”

Anthem of Nazi Germany.

The sound of the soldiers singing “Das Deutschlandlied” echoed throughout the streets.

Degenerate -­ Page #66

adjective

having lost the qualities considered normal and desirable

“ ‘They call that music degenerate, Bolshevik, or Jewish, even though it has nothing to do with us’.”

A term used by the Degenerate was used Nazis to refer to for anything only something that the Jewish.

Jews do.

Deutschland -­ Page #36

noun

An immigration boat.

“I only know that somehow It got children out all of us got from the of Germany to smaller boat onto the America.

Deutschland, and then set off on our real journey.”

Enemy Alien -­ Page # 173

noun

A citizen of a country which is in a state of conflict with the land in which he or she is located.

“Under the United States statutes contained within Title 50, you have been identified as an enemy alien.”

Fraulein -­ Page #38

noun

a title or form of “ ‘And what’s your name, address for a Fraulein’?”

German-­speakin g woman

The Deutschland started to pull away from the harbor.

Jews had to fill out As an enemy alien, registration after you must prove your the U.S declared citizenship war.

The narrator’s Fraulein is a term friend calls her this usually used for a to be polite. young woman.

Liam’s Lexicon Organizer Fuhrer -­ Page #7 Noun

A ruthless leader (ex.

Hitler).

“In German, it was a pun that suggested the Fuhrer, Hitler, would be gone.”

Hitler was often referred to as Fuhrer.

The Nazis had to obey the Fuhrer.

Greenhorn -­ Page #107

noun

a person who is “One word I heard from the The narrator is new to or moment I arrived was referred to as this inexperienced at ‘Greenhorn’.” by mean a particular Americans. activity.

“Greenhorn,” they scoffed as they glared at me.

Heimat -­ Page #70

noun

the relationship of a human being towards a certain social unit.

“Still, it was our Heimat.”

The narrator is referring to her home.

Your heimat is where you were born and spent your childhood.

Hitler -­ Page #6

Noun

A German Leader.

“I’d often heard my parents He started the talk about how Hitler urged holocaust. towns to make themselves ‘free of Jews.’”

Hitler was the tyrannical leader behind the Holocaust.

Liam’s Lexicon Organizer Iron Cross -­ Page #5

Noun

The highest German military decoration for bravery, instituted in 1813.

“The famous Iron Cross, trimmed white, with the year 1914 engraved on it’s face.”

Awarded For Bravery During WWII.

The soldier was given the Iron Cross for his bravery.

Judenfrei -­ Page #6

Noun

A Nazi term, used to designate an area “Clean” of Jews.

“Judenfrei, It said. That town had met its goal.”

Meant that the Germans had rid the area of all Jews during the Holocaust.

Several signs were posted around town, all with the same message: Judenfrei.

Kindertransport -­ Page #17

noun

A rescue mission for Jewish children.

“Some parents shared information about organizations that might help, like the Kindertransport that arranged for thousands of children to go to England

It helped children get out of danger from the war.

Many Jewish children immigrated to England using Kindertransport.

Kraut -­ Page #117

noun

An offensive name to call a German

“ ‘Dirty Kraut’,” one boy said in a low voice.

Americans called Jews many nasty names, including this one.

People would call Jews Krauts and say nasty things like “Go back where you came from.”

Liam’s Lexicon Organizer Kuhkopf -­ Page #70

noun

An island in Germany.

“That one word describes the people, the Kuhkopf and the Rhein River.”

The narrator says this is part of her home.

The kuhkopf formed an island in the Hessian Ried.

Nazi Salute -­ Page #113

noun

A gesture or salute used by the Nazis.

“I gasped, remembering when students in my German classroom started using the Nazi salute.”

This was the salute that meant “Heil Hitler.”

The entire row of soldiers gave the Nazi salute.

Pfenings -­ Page #13

noun

A monetary unit of Germany

“On this Sunday, Vati gave It was a German me ten pfenings for the currency. show and insisted that I go.”

Sponsorship -­ Page #135

noun

Financial “We can’t leave Germany support received without sponsorship and we from a sponsor. can’t get sponsorship without lining up a job somewhere first.”

Star Of David -­ Page #73

noun

A Jewish and Israeli symbol.

“I couldn’t take my eyes off During the her necklace either -­ a Holocaust, Jews shiny Star Of David.” could not wear these.

Passover was a very festive time.

Swastika -­ Page #50

noun

The emblem of the German Nazi party.

“He was wearing a blazer It was the symbol decorated with a swastika.” on Nazi uniforms.

The swastika emblem was seen on the uniform of every Nazi.

Some families could not leave Germany without sponsorship from a family member.

One Pfening was all I could manage.

We required sponsorship from our cousins in order to go to America.

Works Cited Chapman, Fern Schumer. Is It Night or Day? New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2010. Print.

"Holocaust." - New World Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

"Holocaust (European History)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.

"The Holocaust." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

"Holocaust." Holocaust. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.

"Http://jwa.org/sites/jwa.org/files/styles/scale_width_225px/public/mediaobjects/ Schupper-Hella.jpg?itok=mrbPVw9X." N.p., n.d. Web. WEGNER, GREGORY PAUL, "Holocaust, The." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. 2008, JEFFREY T. ZALAR, Dan Michman, "Holocaust." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2013, Elizabeth Knowles, "holocaust." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009, "Holocaust, The." World Encyclopedia. 2005, T., John Bowker, and "holocaust." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. "Holocaust." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2003.

Web. 28 Feb. 2014.