Final Shoah Project

To Every Number, I Give a Name
Final Project, Shoah Unit

For your final project for this unit, you will bring the story of the Shoah to life. It will be your task to tell the story of the Shoah through the eyes of a fictional character. You may write in either 1st person or 3rd person limited Point of View.
To be included in your narrative:
1. A biography of your character, including: name, birthplace (a city in Germany, Austria, Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, or France.), age, parents names and professions, siblings/children/extended family, religious observance, languages spoken, and socio-economic status. Your character must be old enough to see and understand what is going on.
2. Life before the War. (1933-39) What was your character’s childhood like? Please remember that Germany will be different from the rest of Europe. Eastern Europe has a very rich Jewish life in this time period.
3. Life in Ghettos/Hiding. This is also the period of the Einsatzgruppen.
4. Concentration/Labor/Death Camps.
5. Recovery/DP camps/or not
6. Message to the World. Having experienced what they have, what message or wisdom does your character want to pass on?

To help you form the narrative of 2-5, you must include:
1. 5 incidents of people (either your character or otherwise) demonstrating individuality as shown by Zelda’s poem (see attached)
2. Moments of resistance – physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, etc.
3. 2 Multimedia components – 2D only. Pictures, maps, diagrams, etc.

You may need to do more research than we have done. I have attached a list of recommended sites. If you want to go “off-list” please check with me or Mr. Williamson to verify its accuracy.

EAQs
(Easily Anticipated Questions)

Q: Can I work with a partner?
A: No. I want this to show your individual work.

Q: How long does it have to be?
A: In short, as long as it needs to be. I don’t believe it could be done well in fewer than 5 pages, and it could easily go far longer.

Q: When is it due?
A: Early May. Precise date TBA?

Q: Will you look at it before then?
A: Yes. All students must schedule 2 check-in meetings either before school, during tutorial, or during lunch. These check-ins will be graded.

Q: How much is it worth?
A: Because of its size, it is worth 2 project grades, plus the two check-in grades (which will be homework grades)

Q: How can I present it?
A: In an album or small 3 ring binder. The project must be neat and protected.

Q: Does spelling/grammar count?
A: YES!

Q: What are you grading on?
A: I will be looking at the following:
1. Have you written a historically plausible story that shows good understanding of the Shoah and how it was different in different places?
2. Have you written an original story about a unique individual?
3. Have you incorporated all mandated components of your assignment?
4. Is your project compelling and interesting to read?

Research Sites:

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum www.ushmm.org
Yad Vashem www.yadvashem.org
For reasonable names, look at The Database of Names
Jewish Virtual Library
My Jewish Learning
Most concentration camps have a web presence in English.
There is a useful map at
DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA!




Each of Us Has A Name, by Zelda (trans. Marcia Falk)


Each of us has a name
given by God
and given by our parents

Each of us has a name
given by our stature and our smile (How we carry ourselves)and given by what we wear

Each of us has a name
given by the mountains (Our challenges and obstacles)
and given by our walls (What we keep in and keep out)

Each of us has a name
given by the stars (Our fate – what we cannot choose)
and given by our neighbors

Each of us has a name
given by our sins
and given by our longing (What we want most and desire every day)

Each of us has a name
given by our enemies
and given by our love (People, places, things, ideas)

Each of us has a name
given by our celebrations (What we take joy in)
and given by our work (What we try to do, build, and become)

Each of us has a name
given by the seasons (the passing of time)
and given by our blindness (what we cannot or will not acknowledge)

Each of us has a name
given by the sea (change and impermanence)
and given by
our death.