Jews and Gentiles

How did the Nazis determine if someone was Jewish?
They would look back at people’s histories and see if their ancestors were Jews and even if their great grandfather were a Jew they would still consider them a Jew by relation. Also, the German soldiers would walk into the synagogues and demand the membership list from the rabbi. (wiki.answers.com)

If a Christian says they are not a Christian, are they still a Christian?
If a Christian denies being a Christian are they still a Christian? If they deny being a Christian it’s like they’re denying God. And if your denying God your not a true Christian. And you can believe in something else that isn’t God, so therefore you would not be a Christian. But that does not make you a bad person.

If a Gentile marries a Jew it doesn’t make the Gentile a Jew unless they decide to convert to a Jew?
Just being married to someone doesn’t mean you must have the same faith. Many people choose to convert to their spouse’s religion but some stick to their own faith. (wiki.answers.com)

-Natasha A., Wade T., Seyd P., Donnie P., Shelby R.

Which were you?

1. How did the Nazis determine if someone was Jewish?
A. Well you could walk in to any community and tell if it was a Jewish community. Then they could also look at records. And also last names can tell if the person was of which race, sometimes.
2. If a Christian says they are not a Christian, are they still a Christian?
A. Yes and no. It all depends on how you say if you’re not a Christian or not. If you say you’re not a Christian just to cover up so you won’t get yourself in trouble, then yes you are still a Christian. But if you strongly believe that your not a Christian, and you don’t believe in any of the religion, then you are not a Christian.
3. If a Jewish woman marries a Gentile, is the man considered Jewish?
A. It depends on how the marriage goes. He could become a Jew if he wanted to, or it could be the other way around. He could have her become a Gentile instead of a Jew, but it still the fact that she was a Jew, and during the Holocaust, there were many who didn’t even know that they were Jewish till the Nazis showed up at the front door and took them away. So to answer this last question, it could go either way, it all depends on the agreements in the marriage.
McCool Group
Alex Siebert, all alone.......

Us

Race or Religion?

Jews were determined by their backgrounds. They were traced all the way back to their grand parents and great grand parents. They were required to hand in paper work when the Nazis came to each town. They had to prove they were Aryan all the way back to 1750. It was said that later on the Jews were determined by their isolation in the ghettos.
It depends, if you say they you not a Christian there has to be a reason to why they would say something like that. Anyone can say they are or their not a Christian. Only God really knows if that person is truly a Christian or not. Being a Christian is your choice and your choice only. In our eyes to be Christian you should believe in God and practice the faith. The "Torah" forbids a Jewish man to marry a Gentile woman, and if he does, his children will not be Jewish. If the women is Jewish and she marries a Gentile man her children with be Jewish. Some of the survivors probably didn't even have homes to go back to anymore. Some might have went back but all of them didn't. In a way it probably did help them get stronger. After everything they were put through wouldn't that make you stronger as a person? We think if we were in their shoes it would be very hard to get over what we went through, but in the end you realize you made it and that has to make you a little bit stronger.

Resources:

http://www.holocaust-history.org/questions/definition.shtml

http://christianpolitics.today.com/2008/10/30/anyone-can-say-they-are-a-christian/

http://www.beingjewish.com/identity/whoisajew.html

McCool Group- Shelby E., Nikki W., Scott B., Mike M.

Once a Jew...

Once someone in your family was a Jew, even if you didn’t believe, you were still a Jew. They also were prejudice, if you didn’t have blond hair and blue eyes they usually thought that you were Jewish. Abandoned, even if say your Jewish religion was abandoned, say your parents were Jewish, but you didn’t want to, well when it came down to it you were still considered a Jew. Even if you didn’t breath the Jewish life, breath the faith they did, you still lived with the Jewish life. You couldn’t run away from it, you couldn’t hide from it, if one of your parents were a Jew, you were one to. So to determine if they were a Jew, if your parents lived the religion or if your grandparents followed it, they put you as a Jew, they put you down as different.
To say that you aren’t a Christian, is to be scared of his power. If you were once a Christian and then when life is down we kind of just kick him to the curb. He never gives up on us, so why should we have room to? We think that if you were a Christian and then you give up, then it’s kind of a no. If you don’t want God in your life then you deny him. They abandoned him, even though he still accepts them, they gave up, why wait? Once faith is abandoned, life is done, there’s no one to praise no one to thank. So are you still a Christian if you don’t believe?
The torah forbids a Jewish woman to marry a gentile man, but if they do if they have children they are still Jewish. Now if a man marries a gentile woman and they have children they will not be Jewish.
Survivors, when life ends from a sight of hell, life stays in shock. It became a blur. Many of the survivors were homeless, wondering of where to go. They didn’t want to return to that part of home where families were taken property was lost and life ended. Who would want to return to the start of death?
Home, when home is where life ended, they didn’t want to return. It was what was left of a terrible memory. They didn’t want to return to where life was taken over by men who saw themselves as God, where hell became visible, where children were dogs. Where reality didn’t seem real, where it was so real that they could touch it. They didn’t want to touch that part of death anymore though, who would want to return to their grave that took everything?
The international community opened their arms to those children who didn’t want to look at soup, didn’t want to breath death anymore. They took in the Jews like orphans, they cared. In a way it was like a hug from God saying, that he cares and he always will.
McCool Group: Andrea, Lindee, Kyle, Brady

Resources: http://www.beingjewish.com

How did the Nazis determine if Someone is Jewish?

As I read the posts from this morning, I see that the answer to the question of how the Nazis determined if someone was Jewish still eludes those who have tried to figure out the answer. It is a difficult question, but rather than having everyone continue to wrestle with the question, I am linking you to a source that accurately describes German law during the time of the Third Reich. Use this article to guide your group discussions.
The Concept "Jew" in Nazi German "Race" Legislation

answers to questions

One way the Nazis determined if you were a Jew is if people had brown hair and brown eyes and where they lived. If they lived in a Jewish community then they where considered a Jew. Also, by their background like if they where born a Jew or had Jewish ancestors. If they converted to the Jewish religion they where taken to be a Jew.

No, because you can choose to be a Christian or not. It isn't something your born into like being a Jew or Catholic.

No he is not because the Torah says the only way the man can become Jewish is if he converts, he cannot marry a Jewish woman to become Jewish.
(http://www.beingjewish.com/)

Some Holocaust survivors returned home and others did not. Some didn't even have a home to go to anymore. Many Jews went to "Displaced Persons Camps" which became their new home. Also, many Jews moved to Great Britain, France, Canada, and America to start a new beginning. The international community helped them by opening their borders and allowing them to move to their country. (http://night2007.wikispaces.com/Aftermath+of+the+Holocaust?f=print

By:E-Dizzle, Chop Suey, and Ray-D-Ation, Ashtard

Home

1. The Nazis determined whether or not a person was a Jew by official documents such as passports and other government issuances stating their race. Also, there were many all-Jewish communities in Poland and Germany.

2. Christianity is a religion, not a race. Someone who says they are not a Christian means that they are not a Christian. Christianity is strictly a religion, and those people who are Christians would never deny it.

3. If a Jewish woman marries a Gentile, the man wouldn't necessarily be a Jew. We think that the man would still be whatever he was before. Just because someone marries into a Jewish family doesn't mean that person has to share the same beliefs.

After the Holocaust, some of the survivors went home. Others probably tried to make a new life for themselves in other places. The Jews wouldn't have much left from their lives before the Holocaust. It would be really hard to go back to the same life, and bring back memories of how their lives used to be.

By: Elizabeth, Sam, Samantha, Taylor

A Fresh Start

How did the Nazis determine if someone was Jewish?

Some of the Nazi leaders went to the Rabbi of the synagogues and told them to give them a list of all Jewish people who attended the temple.

If a Christian says they are not a Christian, are they still a Christian?

Through our groups faith we believe that if a Christian was to denounce Christ like that then they never were truly a Christian. For if you have true faith then through any circumstances you will be comfortable to say that you are a Chrsitian. For no Christian should fear anything including death as the Bible states.

If a Jewish woman marries a Gentile, is the man considered Jewish?

The man is not considered Jewish, if he is a Gentile that is married to a Jewish woman. However the children they have would be considered Jewish according to the Torah. The Torah states that the original and current Jewish definition of a born Jew is someone whose mother is Jewish. If a Jewish man marries a Gentile woman then the children born to them are not considered Jewish.

What happened to the survivors of the Holocaust? Did they return home? Why or why not? How did the international community help them?

They did not return to their previous home because most likely their home was inhabited by someone else. They currently had no home. For some Jews it was just to much to go back home. For most of them they just wanted a fresh start. They allowed them to immigrate to different countries.

A Big Thanks to All of Our Sources:

wiki.answers.com/Q/How_did_the_Nazis_know_if_you_were_Jewish

beingjewish.com/identity/whoisajew.html

NIV Study Bible/ And Coach Stokes for letting us borrow it.

Blog posted by: Tyler Abma, Ryan Morris, Jared Andrews, and Josh

Going Home Where There Is No Home.

(Picture of the anti-semitism graffiti against the Jews)


How did the Nazis determine if someone was Jewish?


The Nazis determined if someone was Jewish by many different ways. One way was by the way they looked. If people had brown hair and brown eyes they were thought to be a Jew. Another way was by where they lived. If they lived in a Jewish community then they where considered a Jew. Also, by their background like if they where born a Jew or had Jewish ancestors. If they converted to the Jewish religion they where taken to be a Jew.





If a Christian says they are not a Christian, are they still a Christian?


No, because being a Christian is a choice. You might be born into a Christian household, but ultimately it is your choice to follow or not. Christian is not a race, it is not something that you are born into since it is just a religion.



If a Jewish woman marries a Gentile, is the man considered Jewish?


No he is not because the Torah says that the mother has to be Jewish for the children to be Jewish. So since his mother was not Jewish he cannot be Jewish either. It does not matter who he marries. His children will be Jewish since he married a Jewish woman. The only way the man can become Jewish is if he converts, he cannot marry a Jewish woman to become Jewish.


(http://www.beingjewish.com/)





Night ends with Elie surviving. What happened to the survivors of the Holocaust? Did they return home? Why or why not? How did the international community help them?


Some Holocaust survivors returned home and others did not. Some could not return to their homes because they did not have homes anymore. They were taken over by anti-semitics who were rioting against the Jews. It was almost impossible for Jews to go home in Poland. Many Jews went to "Displaced Persons Camps" which became their new home. Also, many Jews moved to Great Britain, France, Canada, and America to begin a new life. The international community helped them by opening their borders and allowing them to move to their country.


(http://night2007.wikispaces.com/Aftermath+of+the+Holocaust?f=print)





By: Smartie Pants, Constanca, Crouching Tiger Hidden Shelby, Pop Tart, and Schviener Shnitzel

Greetings from San Antonio!

I just arrived back at my hotel after having a nice dinner with Mrs. Bethune and some friends. I was a little irritated that I needed to come up with another assignment for you when what I really wanted to do is crawl under the covers and go to sleep. However, I am wide awake after reading your latest posts and comments. All of you should be proud of the work you are doing here. Mrs. Bethune and I are bragging about your discussions to everybody who will listen here in San Antonio. Believe it or not, there are educators across the United States who are monitoring what you are doing here. Keep it up!

Today, you need to reconsider the issue of Judaism and whether or not Judaism is a race or a religion. The question was either incorrectly answered in your last post or needed more explanation. I realize there wasn't enough time to really determine the answer. In addition to this, you will have to search the internet for the answer. For those who thought you could tell a Jewish person by looking at them, well, that is just plainly wrong. So, today, you will address these questions:

1. How did the Nazis determine if someone was Jewish?


2. If a Christian says they are not a Christian, are they still a Christian?


3. If a Jewish woman marries a Gentile, is the man considered Jewish?

After working the above problems out in you groups, discuss the following:

Night ends with Elie surviving. What happened to the survivors of the Holocaust? Did they return home? Why or why not? How did the international community help them?

Since the answers of these questions require some research, CITE YOUR SOURCES. Have fun! Mrs. Bethune and I are!!!!

Guilty or Not Guilty???

Q: Why is there so much suffering in the world and what kind of God would allow it to happen?
A: The Holocaust was a big affect in history. The world is still suffering because history is repeating itself all over the world today. Honestly, what God would let it happen? That question is beyond us. No kind of God should let it happen! Its still happening and He shouldn’t be allowing it.
Q: Is God punishing the Jews?
A: In away He is and in away He isn’t. He shouldn’t be punishing them because He has no right too. They believe that Jesus wasn’t the Son of God. So we can see both ways where God could be punishing the Jews and where He couldn’t be punishing them.
Q: Does the punishment fit the crime?
A: The Jews didn’t do anything to hurt anyone. They were living their lives the way they wanted. Even though they had different religious beliefs, it shouldn’t be a crime. They didn’t do anything at all to anyone.
Q: Is their suffering a test of faith?
A: Yes, because they lived through hell and were being tortured to death in the cold and blazing hot weather. They thought God was making them go through the living hell that they did.
Q: If God is so powerful, why does He not help His people?
A: Because God wanted to test them, He wanted to see how much faith they actual had. God does this everyday, and it is different measures for everyone. He tests us to see how much we believe in Him, because in the end, He will show us how much he can do for us if we believe in Him. For the Jews at that time, they were brought out of the Holocaust, because there were many that still believed in Him. That is the power of God.
Q: Is Judaism a religion or a race?
A: To religious people, it is, but to regular people who don’t have any real religion, it is a race, so it can look at two different ways. We all think that it is just a religion.
Q: How did the Nazis determine who was Jewish and who was not?
A: By looking at family records, or just how the people lived their normal lives. It was easy to just to walk in to a village and tell if it was a Jewish community or not. Obviously if they had blonde hair and blue eyes they weren’t Jewish. They had to have dark hair and green or brown eyes.

McCool Jct. Group
Jackie M, Alex S, Shane L, Jackie G

Who to Question?

Suffering…..life is great when all goes well, but when life turns upside down there’s someone to blame. We thank when everything is so great we thank him, but when its not we question him. To question him is to question life. God is powerful and people wonder why when they are being killed why isn’t he stopping this. They are quick to over look that when a weed starts to grow they multiply, but with time they die off, with care they go away. When Jews were in the concentration camps, Nazis multiplied death grew, with time the war ended, with care the Jews were saved.
Punishing, as they told in the movie there was many tragic events that happened to the Jews, but there was always an end result, he saved them, the Jews lived. They didn’t ever vanish they lived. We don’t feel that he was punishing them, after the war Jews lived to get land back in Israel to call their own, to make theirs. Maybe life at the time seems as though punishment was hell, that God was favoring the others. The Jews where dying and the Nazis were living. They were killing, but yet living, they felt abandoned. So maybe it felt like punishment, but they lived, they prevailed, they gained. Some lost, many died, but the war did end, and the Jews lived on.
Some thought they were being punished, but were they? Where they being punished by God? Never, Hitler was not their God he was that bad angel, Satan. God loves everyone the same amount, its said something like this in the Bible that God loves the tax collector just as much as a Christian. Hitler on the other hand was that tax collector, God loves all the same, but he never punished them. Didn’t he always save them? Did Hitler save them, no.
Faith, did Jews lose faith? It was their choice, they either let it burn or they kept it to keep burning, to go on. Was it a test? It wasn’t a test like you chose the letter C if you don’t know the answer. If your questioning faith, the test failed, if you picked to love God more, to go on to believe more, the test past with flying colors.
Why didn’t he save them, they were his people? Jews are the chosen people why didn’t he help them? Why didn’t we have the Germans in concentration camps and the Jews in charge? Why, because he cared about them. To show the world that the Jews did live on, that their flame never went out. They were shot down many times, but they always lived on, they chose life. My favorite part in the movie, was when the “judge” brought the two aside and said, I don’t know much about your God but, these men they took your property, took your family, took your name, but keep your God they cant take your God, keep him. So even people that didn’t have faith, started to, they realized that God was out there that at least someone was out there.
Race, there is Caucasians , African Americans, Hispanics, Oriental. There’s not the Jews, the Christians, the Muslims. When it comes back all of those other categories of races all of them are different religions, but all of them have someone in their race that have the same religion as the next guy. When it comes down when you take away race, religion, their just humans. Judaism is religion, some choose to live with it, to praise it, others left it, didn’t want anything to do with it. You can't choose to be African American, or Hispanic; you’re born with it. You choose to be a Christian, a Jew. Religion is a choice, race is not.
If you were once a Jew you are always a Jew. That’s how the Nazis determined that. How did they act on it, they were prejudice they chose to put death on rather than life. They thought they were doing Gods will by killing all who were different, different isn’t that what it comes down to, but if you think about it they had something in common, they judged. The Nazis judged the Jews, the Jews judged God, determine now how they new who was a Jew and who wasn’t.
McCool Group: Lindee, Andrea, Kyle, Brady

Jews Aren't Criminals

Why is there so much suffering in the world and what kind of God would allow it to happen?

There is going to be suffering in the world no matter what. As long as there are humans around there will be suffering. Human beings are cruel and imperfect. There will always be a child with an empty stomach, somebody who is slowly dying from a disease that they don’t have the resources to get the medical help they need. God can’t just interrupt people’s lives to help everyone. People need to learn to help themselves before they can expect God to just jump in and say, “I’ll save you!”

Is God punishing the Jews?

No it’s not a punishment. It’s a test of the Jew’s faith. The Holocaust was a horrific event but it was a good test of faith. It made the religious even stronger and in the end all they had was their faith. In a sick way it made some people stronger because their faith became so strong that they wouldn’t let their sick bodies, that were wasting away die. Their faith was the only thing that kept their hearts beating.

Does the punishment fit the crime?

The Jews didn’t commit any kind of a crime. They just lived life. They were being punished by the Nazis just for being themselves.

Is their suffering a test of faith?

Yes it made the religious stronger and the people who weren’t religious got weaker and lost their faith and will to live.

If God is so powerful, why does he not help his people?

Like we said before God cannot always step in and save everyone. People have to stay strong and fend for themselves. God will take care of you if you believe.

-Natasha A., Wade T., Seyd P., Shelby R., Donnie P.

God on Trial

Why is there so much suffering in the world and what kind of God would allow it to happen? If God is so powerful, why does He not help His people?

This is a really difficult question. Its not as if God wants his people to suffer. I think this is where people's free will comes into play. Because people are allowed to do whatever they want, we may not do or think the right things. And, because of this, humans don't always think of what is best for others as a result. Since God granted free will, people take advantage of that. I think this also ties into the last question.(that is why i added it at the top where the question is stated.) In a sense, it is kind of the same question. Anyway, God is always there. All a person has to do is reach out to Him, and He will be there. He will help those who call on Him. It pains God to see His people suffering. But, people have a choice on how they act and how they react to things.

Is God punishing the Jews?
I don't think God was necessarily punishing the Jews. Nor is it our place to determine if it was punishment or not. God does things in the ways that he does for them a reason, and we as humans may never understand why. I do believe that it was a divine test of faith, however. Any one going through those circumstances would experience some strain on whatever it is they believed in. Also, i don't think that God punishes people. I believe that God presents consequences for people's actions and tests them, but does not punish.

Is their suffering a test of faith?
Yes. Being in the conditions that the Jews were in during the Holocaust is probably the biggest test of faith a person could experience. A person's true colors would show in times like those. It is really easy to go through the motions and act like you are spiritual and following God. It is in really difficult times that faith becomes even more a necessity than an ordinary, everyday thing. To those whose faith had grown, it had probably became more needed to live. When you are on your deathbed, like the Jews were, you either become more faith-filled or you lose all faith and trust in God's plan. Faith played a big role in the Jews' suffering.

By: Elizabeth-all-by-herself

God on Trial

In the world today there are so many things happening that God isn't able to help everyone at once. He does have the power to help people when they need it, but some things just happen for a reason. If nothing in the world was happening wouldn't it just be weird? How could God possibly punish the Jews? It's not like God told the Nazis to attack the Jews. They made the choice to take them down and they can't blame everything on their God. The way they are suffering does seem to play a role on how they keep believing in God and faith. They keep blaming everything on God and that makes them loose faith every time they talk about it. When they are doing the trial they keep saying bad things about God. If they keep bashing him then how do they still have faith in him? They say over and over that God is punishing them. God is powerful, but how can he help everyone in the world? Like we said before, he does have the power to help everyone, but some things happen and he can't control everything. There are things that happen and he can't help everyone at once. It seems like everyone thinks that God can fix everything. He can't, you have to do things for yourself sometimes and he will always be there for you but there are times he can't be. He is always there in faith . Judaism is both a religion and a race. It was said that Judaism is a religion by how they live and how they act, but its also a race because of "anti-discrimination" laws. The Jews were determined to be Jews by their background such as your grandparents, and what they believed in. They required paper work to be listed at Jews in each city they lived in.

McCool Group- Shelby E., Mike M., Scott B., Nikki W.

Honestly, we do not know. We are not God so we do not know why He does what He does. We can have our opinions and thoughts as to why He does what He does, but we really do not know. The following are our opinions.
Maybe when you anger God is when you suffer. It is like when you sin you make God unhappy, but we do not think that He is the true reason behind why there is suffering in the world. The evil in the world is what creates the suffering.
Maybe there is suffering in the world because there is sin in the world. When sin entered the world the devil gained partial control of this world. The Lord allows him to make people suffer so that when we are broken down we will finally realize just how much we need God in our lives. God does not make people suffer, he allows it to show us how much we need him.
Maybe since there are so many different religions in the world that the blame should not be placed on one God but divided among the different ones according to how much suffering is going on in that religion. Not everyone believes in the same God so therefore how can just one God take the blame for every piece of suffering that is out there.
Or maybe the suffering in the world is not caused by God at all but rather by the evil within ourselves. Maybe the Holocaust was a way of Him allowing our eyes to be opened to this evil and therefor trying to keep something so horrible from happening again. When you think about it, doesn't God usually use the Jews when he wants to make a point?I don't mean this in a bad way. He doesn't just sit on his throne and think of ways to cause people pain. Not at all. But look at what happened in Egypt. According to the Old Testament, the Jews were enslaved for many years, but in the end he delivered them and in doing so proved his existence to the rest of the world. To be honest I don't know. Who am I to question the Almighty God? But maybe it was a way to show us exactly what horrible things we are capable of and to keep us from doing something so terrible again. For without suffering, how could there be compassion? But like I said, I do not know nor do I have the right to question Him.

No, we do not think that it was God who punished the Jews. What did they do wrong? We do not know, so what would be the point of punishing someone who has done nothing wrong. Also we do not believe that God is the one who punishes people. So, we do not believe the punishment was right since there was no point of pushing the Jews.

Yes, we think it is because when horrible things like the Holocaust happens they automatically start blaming God. If your faith is strong enough then you do not lose your faith, but when you break down from all the hardships you lose your faith because you just give up and do not care about anything anymore.

God tries to help his people, but some people do not want His help so they push him away. By them doing this God can not help them. They have to be willing to get help and have a open heart before He can use His powers to stop the suffering.

Is Judaism a religion or a race? We think that it is both. You can be born a Jew but not follow the faith or you can be born a gentile and follow the Jewish faith.

The Nazis went by who was born a Jew not if they followed the faith. If you had Jewish blood running through your veins then you were sent to the camps. If you had papers saying you were Jewish you went to the camps.

Smartie Pants, Pop Tart, Crouching Tiger Hidden Shelby, Costancana, Schveiner Schnitzel

Our Ideas.. and Opinions

Why is there so much suffering in the world and what kind of God would allow it to happen?

Although our group is not strongly religious, we think that God was making martyrs of his people to show the world what could happen to them, what life could really be like. We don't know what kind of God watches his "chosen" people suffer. God gave all people free will to choose what direction their life goes. This question is hard to answer because of our own beliefs so we can't really speak for the Jews because we believe differently. Every individual has their own personal beliefs so who are we to say its wrong or to judge their higher power. No person has the right to judge another, we all just have the right to live our own lives the way we feel is best.

Is God punishing the Jews?

We cannot answer for God or the Jews so this question is really pointless to go into. I mean it would be convinient if God would occasionally send us a letter or a phone call sometime to tell us what he is thinking. But in reality God is all about faith so we have no idea what his real motivations are, if he has any at all.

Does the punishment fit the crime?

Was there a crime? I mean I don't see any reason why any person should be tortured like that. I can't imagine even putting someone who murdered my family through that, much less an innocent Jew. Especially for their beliefs. Imean how can it hurt YOU if someone over there believes something different than you? We can all live in harmony and agree to disagree. I just can't see how this could ever be just, no matter the crime.

Is their suffering a test of faith?

Whether or not their suffering in the holocaust was a test of faith, their faith was tested. It was the ultimate test of forgiveness, because if they would harbor hate towards their killers then it would ultimately kill them in the process. No matter what evil would prevail. By returning their suffering with forgiveness they would let the hate go and would have the courage and strength to go on. It was pretty much survival of the most resilient.

If God is so powerful, why does He not help His people?

Again, who are we to judge? Maybe God was trying to see if his people would do anything about it or just wait around for him to stop it. Maybe he was trying to see how much they valued their life, if they would fight for it. The ones who fought back successfully survived-whether their faith was intact or not-and the ones who didn't died. We can't know why he didn't help the people because hes a mysterious dude who isn't into straight forward letters and calls, he insists that everything be all metaphorical.

Is Judaism a religion or a race?

Judiasm is a religion and a race just like Catholisism.

How did the Nazis determine who was Jewish and who was not?

The Nazis determined who was Jewish by looks, name, businesses, who went to church, what they ate, etc. If they lived the lifestyle of Jews then they were considered Jewish.

We realize that our beliefs in this post a very different to a lot of other people's views on this blog. We just want to say that although you disagree just do it gracefully because we take your ideas for what they are: opinions. Everyone can have an opinion, just keep ours in mind too.

By: E-Dizzle, Chop Suey, and Ray-D-Ation (and if ashtard was here we'd wear rainbow socks)

Nothing But Choice, God or the World?

Why is there so much suffering in the world and what kind of God would allow it to happen?
If God is so powerful, why does He not help His people?

God allows this to happen because the Jews along with the people in the rest of the world are wanting this to happen. We don't want God with us at all unless we need something from him. Many people want to see all the glories that God gives without going through the hard times. We tell him to get out of our schools and so he did. We tell him to get out of the workplace and so he did. We keep telling him to get out of anywhere we are and Him being the gentleman He is, He obliged. All of this evil in the world is not because God is there, it is because we are pushing God away from our hearts and bringing this evil upon ourselves. People are choosing Satan over God because it is the easier way to go. Many people actually believe in God but do not follow His commands because they would rather fall into the easier ways of the world. Instead of being persecuted, they would rather take the easy way out, sinning against God. Most people call upon God when they need his help, but after that problem is gone they put Him on the backburner until another problem arises.

Is God punishing the Jews?
Does the punishment fit the crime?
Is their suffering a test of faith?
We do not know whether God is punishing the Jews or if it is a test of faith. Nobody in the world can fathom what God is thinking. If God is punishing the Jews, then the punishment does fit the crime. God is just and has a reason for everything He does, whether or not we like the outcome of the situation. God is a Father so He punishes us for wrongdoing like a father does to his children. Also like a father he tries over and over again to protect us, but like the ignorant people we are, we refuse to listen so we must live with the consequences.

Is Judaism a religion or a race?
How did the Nazis determine who was Jewish and who was not?

Judaism is part of both religion and race. For some people, they live by the Jewish law, and it becomes their life, making it their religion. But for others they chose not to live by the Jewish Rule, therefore making them nothing but a part of the race. The Nazis went by look, location, ancestry.

Blog Posted By: Tyler Abma, Ryan Morris, Jared Andrews.

God on Trial

1. Our God would let that happen, because he is testing us of our faith. God doesn't cause the suffering, but instead he allows it to happen to see how strong our love for him is. We are not puppets on a string that God has to control us, but he gives us the choice to make our own decisions to see how strong our faith is.

2. Yes and No. We do not know exactly how to answer this question, but we will explain from both points of view. We say yes because the Jewish race could have been falling away from God and in order for God to get them back he needed to have a "wake up call" to show just exactly how powerful he is. People have to understand he is just not a loving God but a jealous God and if people start disobeying him and sinning against him, things can happen that not everyone can understand.

We also say no. We say no because all things happen for a reason and God can use very bad situations to help others. We think maybe the Holocaust happened in order to help the Germans who were lost and didn't know God. They may of needed something as dramatic as this to realize how they were living their life was in sin and going against Gods will.

3. In our opinion, what happened, happened for a reason that only God knows so it shouldn't be up to us to say whether the punishment was right or not. We shouldn't question God.

4. Yes, the suffering is a test of faith. We answered this in question one, the stronger their faith was, the better off their afterlife was because they went to heaven, and got away from the "the hell on Earth."

5. He does help his people in ways we will never understand. But we do understand what he does is eventually the best for his people. He can use bad situations to make something better happen, like we explained above. We also explained that God gives us choices including the leaders of the Holocaust who killed many Jews. It was their choice to do what they did.

6. Judaism is both a religion and a race. God was a Jew in race, but a Christian by religion.

7. The Nazis based their selection on what they looked like. If they looked like a Jew, then they were captured. They didn't care if they actually practiced the Jewish religion, they took them anyway.

God on Trial

In the movie God on Trial the Jews acuse God of breaking His covenant with the Jews and in the end is found guilty. During the trial, the Jews raise several questions. Today, instead of discussing Night, have a group discussion over the following questions and post a group response to the blog.

• Why is there so much suffering in the world and what kind of God would allow it to happen?


• Is God punishing the Jews?


• Does the punishment fit the crime?


• Is their suffering a test of faith?


• If God is so powerful, why does He not help His people?
  

The movie also raises the question of how does one tell if someone is Jewish. During the Holocaust, there were Jews who had abandoned their faith for generations before Hitler's rise to power. Despite this, they were rounded up and exterminated anyway.

• Is Judaism a religion or a race?


• How did the Nazis determine who was Jewish and who was not?

Keep up the wonderful dialogue!

Survivors

Throughout the memoir, Wiesel describes his experiences in realistic and intimate detail. He uses his words to paint a vivid picture of the hell that was the Holocaust. How is he able to do this? Don't people normally block "the bad things" from their memory in an attempt to overcome the pain? How is Wiesel able to portray such a realistic story of something that occurred in his past?

Also, is it important that survivors tell their stories? Why? (Wiesel has his opinion about this issue, but what is your opinion?)

We think that he was able to tell us his story about the holocaust because that was the biggest thing that happened in his life, and history. So much terror, so much fear, its probably really hard to forget all of the events that happened. That’s why he was able to remember everything. Most people would normally block “the bad things”, but this is something you can’t block out. For two reasons. One, it was probably really hard to block something that took two or three years out of your life. And two, you can’t block something like that out, because you don’t want people to forget. If people would forget, then something like this could happen again, and this should never happen again, it shouldn’t of happened in the first place. But it did, and it’s all up to the people who did go through it to get the message across to everyone else so that this will never happen again.

McCool Group:
Jackie M, Alex S, Shane L, Jackie G

Survivors

How does he remember? It was something he breathed, lived and walked. Its not something that he interviewed somebody, it was real. It was his life. It was his part of hell, once you’ve reached hell it never goes away. It doesn’t just vanish, it stays in that part of your heart that was ate away. Some blocked out the pain, held it in. Wiesel over came the pain and used it to tell of the life he lived, of the cold bunk beds, the bread that left his stomach empty, the soup that made hearts cold, the deaths that overtook life. He was able to tell the stories of his friends that gave up, his father that kept him going. He told of his stories that how his father was his only reason to live, his only reason to fight, the reason to go on. Sometimes the only way to remember the good memories in life is to talk about the bad memories and get them out. If you don’t talk about pain it stays in you, maybe he was one of many who could tell his story, because pain wasn’t worth holding onto.


Survivor. That one word is why it is important to tell their story. They were part of history that brought hell on earth. Their stories need to be told, be heard, be read. History needs to be told, written. Opinion, we don’t feel like we could change the history, those survivors were there, they breathed ashes, ate death. We feel that history is history there’s no more to write. What’s written is written. We feel they are SURVIVORS.

McCool Group: Lindee, Andrea, Kyle, Brady

His Memory Lasts Forever

How could he forget the horrific things that happened in his life? This time in his life was something so big. He was taken away from his mother and sister. It would be hard for someone to forget something like that. No matter how hard he tries to block it out it would still be in his mind. He might be able to forget some things at certain times but being able to block it all out would be almost impossible. If we were his age going through this watching people die almost every day how could you ever forget that? In his mind everything is so vivid, everything is there and he cant forget it. So many different things happened when he was there. He seen people die, he barely got to eat, hardly any clothes on his back, was treated badly, and so many more things. Even though he was only fourteen at the time the things in his mind will be unforgettable. If something like that was to happen in our lives we would never forget it. How could you?

The survivors should tell their stories to tell people what happened during that time and tell the people what happened to them. They could tell the people their experience during that time and if it was going on at the time. It's always interesting to hear from a person who survived other than stories from people who weren't there.

McCool Group- Shelby E., Nikki W., Scott B., Mike M.

For Memory

Maybe he feels it is such an important event in his life that he cant forget any of the details. And he feels he needs to remember for the ones who died, its like he his memory is a n unheard voice from all of the furnaces, mass graves, and slaughterhouses. To make this untold event finally exposed in all of the ugly details.

Yes we think they should. To learn from the past is to truly to study the past and ensure it never happens again.

McCool Group: Don P., Seyd P., Wade T., Shelby R., Natasha A

Mind Over Matter

Throughout the memoir, Wiesel describes his experiences in realistic and intimate detail. He uses his words to paint a vivid picture of the hell that was the Holocaust. How is he able to do this? Don't people normally block "the bad things" from their memory in an attempt to overcome the pain? How is Wiesel able to portray such a realistic story of something that occurred in his past? Also, is it important that survivors tell their stories? Why? (Wiesel has his opinion about this issue, but what is your opinion?)

There are a couple of different possibilities allowing Elie to talk about his experiences throughout the Holocaust. One hypothesis our group has stumbled upon is it helps Elie by talking about these things. Instead of keeping things balled up inside, he chooses to talk about them and release what could be anger. By writing the book NIGHT, it gives him a sense of relief and shares the story of the Holocaust. It is a cathartic experience. Elie felt so low and there was only one thing to do that could do any good, just sit down and write. People normally try to block "the bad things" from their memory because it hurts too much to talk or even think about it. Elie gets relief from this by expressing his emotions. We believe it is important survivors tell their stories because if they do not tell then the stories are one-sided. The Nazis would be the only other people who would know what happened besides the victims. So the only stories we would hear are from the Nazi point-of-view and the Jewish side would not be told. In conclusion, it is important for the survivors to tell their story so we can get an accurate account of what actually happened at the camps.

Closure

Keeping your pain bottled inside can make you look like a hairy woodland creature.

People who have lived through some great trauma in their life, especially at a young age, tend to let those memories sink deep inside and not talk about it. Keeping pain inside lets it fester like an open wound surrounded by infection. It will just sit inside and eat at the person until it begins to kill them. The pain is always there with everything they do and they can never truly be happy because they are never at peace. Talking about their pain is a very hard thing to do, but it will let all of the negativity out of them. If they can use their pain to help others then they have taken their tragedy and used it as a blessing. That is the key to getting closure from the pain. Without closure the pain will always be there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to come back and haunt them. Elie uses his pain from the Holocaust for the good of other people. If all of the people who suffered in that time just kept it inside and let the world forget, it would probably happen again. You know, history does repeat itself. If he would have held that pain inside for the rest of his life he would have been miserable forever. By getting closure you can move forward in your life and not forget your pain, but use it as strength.

By: E-Dizzle, Chop Suey, Ray-D-Ation, and if ashley was here we'd call her Ashtard :D

"The Bad Things"

Wiesel probably couldnt't block out all that happened. The Holocaust was more than likely the biggest thing that happened in Elie's life. He was able to describe the happenings of the Holocaust in such detail because he remembered it vividly. The horrible things he saw and went through were unforgetable- no matter how much a person tried to forget them. Also, he may have wanted to write the book in such detail to really let the reader know how surviving the Holocaust was like. We think it is incredibly important for Holocaust survivors to share their stories. It is important for people to know what the Jews went through. The Holocaust is a very important event in history that people need to be educated about.

Unforgettable Stories

(This is a picture of Elie with his two sisters and mother.)

He was able to do this by reliving every horrid moment of his time spent there. This was something so significant that he could not forget it, no one could. So instead of trying to repress the memories he wrote them in a memoir about his time in this hell. He wanted everyone to know the Germans really were bad and how horrible the Jews were treated. We do not think everyone has to repress the bad memories, but that some people deal with their pain by reliving everything that happened. The only way to move on is to relive every detail and get it out in the open. If those kinds of memories were repressed they would tear you up inside and make you go insane. He was probably able to give such detail because he never forgot anything. There would be no way to forget the details because they make the story what it is. To forget the details would be to forget the story.
We think that it is very important for the survivors to tell their story because it gives others insight about what really happened, without their stories the truth would be lost. If history is known it is less likely to repeat itself.

Constana, Smartie Pants, Schveiner Schitzel, Pop Tart, Crouching Tiger Hidden Shelby

It's in the Details

First off I'd like to say how pleased I am with how the conversations have transpired. You are all amazing and should be commended for your honesty, emotion, and thought-provoking responses. You truly are pioneers in this landscape of education and technology!

Throughout the memoir, Wiesel describes his experiences in realistic and intimate detail. He uses his words to paint a vivid picture of the hell that was the Holocaust. How is he able to do this? Don't people normally block "the bad things" from their memory in an attempt to overcome the pain? How is Wiesel able to portray such a realistic story of something that occurred in his past?

Also, is it important that survivors tell their stories? Why? (Wiesel has his opinion about this issue, but what is your opinion?)

Death or Work

1.When Elie arrives at Buna an inmate says, "Buna is a very good camp..." Explain why he would say this. Compare and contrast Birkenau and Buna.
A. Well, the difference between Birkenau and Buna was that Birkenau was a death camp. People usually would go there and then be sent to the crematory. But Buna was a work camp. There, you got to live as long as you worked. So that is how Buna would be better then Birkenau.

2. The French woman who consoles Elie enlisted to be sent to work in the concentration camps as a civilian worker. She was not FORCED to be there. Explain some possible reasons why she would request to leave her home in France to go to Poland where discovery would mean instant death.
A. The reason she wanted to be moved from France to Poland was so that she could make a new background for herself. She was able to get papers changed so then she could be Aryan instead of Jewish. And if she would of done that in France, someone would of probably noticed it because she grew up there and people knew her, so by moving to Poland, she was able to make herself Aryan and end up saving her life.

3. Elie says he marched for four hours to get from Birkenau and Buna. Why would it take so long? He was still in Auschwitz. Go to the USHMM website and watch the presentation, look at the maps of Auschwitz, and determine the distance from Birkenau and Buna. Use the picture with this post to help you. Here is another link to information about Buna.
A. The reason it took so long was because the camps were spread out. When you have a big camp like that, you don’t want to have everything cramped together a) because you have a million people there and b) if you enter war and some country comes and bombs the camp not everything will be taking out at once.

McCool Group
Jackie M, Alex S, Shane L, Jackie G

From Birkenau to Buna

1. He liked Auschwitz better because it was cleaner and set up nicer than Birkenau. They also had a better chance of living because it was a labor camp, not a concentration camp. So at Buna death was not as certain as it would have been at Birkenau.

2. The French girl didn’t want the Germans to know that she was Jewish so she faked not knowing German, she had false papers to hide her identity and acted as an Aryan so all she had to do was work and not be killed. The Germans were invading France and to hide from them she hid from them in plain sight instead of the being killed.


3. The reason it took so long to get to Buna is because it is a 6 mile walk in the winter, and they had no shoes so that might be why it took 4 hours. The Nazis also had to make sure none of the Jews ran off while they were marching.
Entrance to Birkenau

McCool Group: Don P., Seyd P., Wade T., Shelby R., Natasha A

Chapter 4

Buna is a good camp because it isn’t as bad as other camps. The inmates have more freedoms. Others consisted of watching life itself burn away, lives fade away, faith gone away. It may have been a good camp but that doesn’t mean it was heaven. It was just a better side of hell. When they heard the words better camp, their ears heard hope. There was more to live for, there was life to fight for.

The women who hid her speech, hid her faith, hid her identity. Hid all of that which was herself to survive. To go back home was to be sent to death. If she went back to her house there would be questions about who she was. It was risky for her to talk to Elie in German, if someone would have heard her. Her life would no longer be lived. It would be gone like the rest of the Jews.



It took so long because it was a group of people walking without any food or water. Without out basic nutrients your body slows down. Add the cold and it seems even slower. The sub camps made it longer to travel. It was about 6 miles. With the over amount of people that had to walk made it longer. The fact that the travel took a long time to walk, prisoners probably wanted it to take a long time, it meant that their life was lived for four hours longer. They could have hope for that much longer, life for a little more time. Six miles gave life, four hours took life.
Lindee, Kyle, Brady, Andrea
(McCool Group)

Birkenau to Buna

Above is prisoners walking to Buna.

Buna was work camp not a death camp. At this camp they worked for small rations of soup, bread and butter. In Buna the prisoners were not beaten for something so small that they did. They had to do something very wrong to be beaten. The doctors in Buna weren’t as harsh as the ones in Birkenau. There was a time when Elie was suppose to go to the dentist to get his gold cap taken off his tooth. Elie said he didn’t feel good so the doctor let him come back another time and that kept happening. Eventually the doctor was sent to prison. Buna was overall a better camp for the prisoners. People were treated better in Buna.

The French women was living in France and she left because if they had found her they would have taken her anyway. She was passed as an Ayran but Elie thought she looked Jewish. It was said that she was a forced labor inmate, but she chose to go there. She was scared to admit that she was German to anyone, because she was scared of what they did to all the Jews. Buna wasn’t an extermination camp so she knew if she kept a low profile she wouldn’t be noticed.

There could be many reason to why it took so long for him to march to Buna. There was hundreds of Jews marching so therefore that might take them a little longer. The Jews weren’t very strong so it would take them longer to walk that distance. Also the weather was very cold and snowy. The trip from Birkenau to Buna was approximately six miles. When you travel through other camps it takes longer to get through.


McCool Group- Shelby E., Nikki W., Scott B., Mike M.