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| Gerda Weissmann, age 16, in a Nazi identification photograph. When she was liberated, Gerda weighed only 68 pounds, had not bathed in three years, and her hair had turned white. |
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| Kurt Klein, an American soldier who came upon the abandoned women in Volary, gave this photo to Gerda. The two were married in 1946, and had three children and eight grandchildren. |
"Why? Why did we walk like meek sheep to the slaughterhouse? Why did we not fight back? What had we to lose? Nothing but our lives. Why did we not run away and hide? We might have had a chance to survive. Why did we walk deliberately and obediently into their clutches? I know why. Because we had faith in humanity. Because we did not really think that human beings were capable of committing such crimes." -- From All But My Life, by Gerda Weissmann Klein
In class today, we talked about what "faith in humanity" means. We talked about those in Gerda's life, who, in the midst of the Nazi persecution, showed compassion. (Frau Kugler, Merin, and of course, Kurt Klein).
In the comments section, please write one example of something that gives you "faith in humanity" today. (It might be something you see here at school, in the media, in the community, etc.) Write about one step YOU can take to illustrate or encourage "faith in humanity." How can you put "faith in humanity" into action and make this school, town, and world a better place? Use complete sentences and be mindful of writing rules.
*Lesson plan courtesy of Teaching Tolerance One Survivor Remembers Teacher's Guide, pages 42-43.
One thing i see that gives me faith in humanity is how we are reading this book how Gerda put a disturbing chapter of her life out for us to see and how kids in germany learn about this horrible chapter in history and how to come to terms how there contry and even ancestors had played an evil role. when i see growth instead of ignerance it gives me hope in humanity
ReplyDelete-a 9th grader who just read the book and stumbled upon this page..... Have a great day
for us to learn from not only see just to clarify
Deleteplz whichever teacher put this up if u see this reply plz want to know this wasnt for nothing