Marian Kolodziej - art and reflection

As I was brainstorming about what to write for my next blog, I kept coming back to the haunting images I saw in the basement of a Polish monastery one dreary October day.  It is in the St. Maximilian Kolbe Franciscan Center where the moving works of Marian Kolodziej permanently reside.  Kolodziej, who was a 17 year old Polish Catholic resistance fighter, was on the first transport to the newly established Auschwitz camp.  As a Polish Catholic, he was not imprisoned in Birkenau- the death camp.  But the suffering he endured as a prisoner of the Nazi regime and the pain he saw inflicted on others left its mark.  Kolodziej suppressed the memories until he suffered a stroke at age 71.  At that point, he used these memories in his recovery process and began drawing moving and symbolic images based on his experiences in Auschwitz, Gross-Rosen, Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen and Mauthausen-Gusen.

Because I viewed Marian Kolodziej’s work four years ago, I did a little Googling to view some of his works and get some details of this amazing artists.  Apparently, unbeknownst to me, there was a documentary produced in 2010 (a year after my visit) called “The Labyrinth”.  The makers of this short documentary interviewed Kolodziej before his death.  He allowed his words (not his voice) and profile to be seen but stressed that he wanted his story and his art to be about the memory of those who were lost.  By watching the trailer for the movie (and certainly the movie in its entirety), you can not only see some of his work, but the space in which it is housed.  You can also hear the moving words of Kolodziej.  His story and his work is a powerful way to use a very personal testimony with our students.

Survivor testimony available ONLINE!!!

Top: Dora Edelbaum, Leo Zemelman, Clara Grossman. Bottom: Otto Schick, Mina Nisenkier, Alegra Tevet.

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day - a day designated by the United Nations and scheduled to coincide with the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. In recognition of this commemoration, today we are pleased to announce a year-long initiative to make our local survivor testimony available online!

This month we feature six survivors who experienced Auschwitz - Dora Edelbaum, Leo Zemelman, Clara Grossman, Otto Schick, Mina Nisenkier, and Alegra Tevet.

Character education and the impact of a liberator

Listening to the NBC Nightly News about a Holocaust survivor reuniting with her liberator nearly 70 years later brought attention to the room.  Marsha Kreuzman, nearly 90 years old, spent five years in concentration camps.  She was forced to dig her own father’s grave after watching his killing.  Her mother and brother also perished in the Holocaust.  Weighing 68 pounds at 18, she was being led to her death outside the crematoria at Mauthausen when the liberators arrived.  Kreuzman moved to the United States, became a nurse and married a Holocaust survivor. She spent years telling her story of the Holocaust to students and organizations.  Coincidently or simultaneously, miles a way, Joseph Barbella from the 11th Armored Division shared his pictures, photographs and story of liberating the Mauthausen concentration camp. Marsha Kreuzman spent years looking for her liberator and discovered Barbella when a 65th wedding anniversary announcement appeared in the newspaper.   Meeting 93-year old Barbella last October, 2013 in Union, New Jersey, Kreuzman was able to say, “I love you.”  In return, Joseph Barbella said, “I’m so thankful we saved you.”  Marsha Kreuzman concluded the NBC interview with, “He deserves to be honored.  Now I can rest in peace knowing that I found him and go to thank the Americans that liberated me.”

With the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27th, the United Nations has designated this day as International Holocaust RemembranceDay.  Thus, in remembering our survivors and liberators, my former students and I have been thinking about Col. Keith Schmedemann who presented at our middle school three years ago.  Preparing the students for the interview, I reinforced that Schmedemann is a primary source; he is present to tell his story of liberation. However, I cautioned students that these veterans or primary sources are increasingly unable to present due to illness or death.  He, like other veterans, sacrificed their lives to save others.  Col Schmedemann passed away on February 12, 2013.  Therefore, from 2011, here is a reprint of a student’s interview with Col. Schmedemann, who liberated survivors in Buchenwald concentration camp.

 

Colonel Schmedemann

by Katie Donaldson

Hearts beating by the second these courageous heroes wait cautiously for the next gunfire. And when its shot, 1, 2, or maybe even 10 donate their life to save our country. Not only do they use their brain for strategies, they use their heart for determination. These champions are willing to sacrifice their lives for us. November is the month we honor saints and veterans. According to America, veterans are saints; saints for our country. They overcame their deepest darkest obstacles and dominated the impossible.

We recognize these advocates that may date back a while ago during the Holocaust or maybe recently in Afghanistan. Last year the fellow eighth graders witnessed an experience of a lifetime, they had the privilege to talk to a liberator in the Holocaust, Col. Keith Schmedemann. He was one of the protagonists that put his worries and selfish needs aside and focused on others. This man and several others are greatly admired for their work to our fellow brothers and sisters. God called him to offer up his life to the vulnerable. Col. Keith Schmedemann remembers every little detail in the years he fought; from the anguish he saw thrust upon the victims in the concentration camps to the arrogant feeling he sensed when he felt victory. His words traveled on a journey, and the students felt every hill he had to climb.

 He talked about how fate brought him into war. His father was in World War 1 and he happened to be born 1 year after that war; time after he would be matured enough to fight in his dad’s footsteps. Col. Keith Schmedemann started his presentation by making the statement, “We quit making automobiles, and started making tanks.” This point in history was when airplanes were modeled and new technology was being created. Soon enough he dug deeper and discussed his work in the Army. With years after years of practice and training, and with the help of K-State, he accelerated from level 1 to the highest level in the Army. This hero was an Infantry Officer; which is a branch of army that is in the action and fighting. He was also involved in liberating a concentration camp called Buchenwald. “I crawled through the mud, dodged bullets, and leaped over creaks,” this is what this idol said about the things you see in movies that he did every day. 

“I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America……” Does this sound familiar? This patriotic leader honors these words every time they are said. He believes in respecting the flag and the country because that shows your pride.  Sometimes when he says these words tears form in his eyes because it reminds him of the sacrifices his colleagues and other veterans faced to free lives.  He admires all the soldiers and their love for their country. Mr. Schmedemann declares, “I don’t think there are wars, it is simply a conflict between beliefs. There is never going to be a winner or loser, but there will be defeats and achievements, like our achievement in defeating Hitler.”

With the use of primary sources such as Joseph Barbella, Marsha Kreuzman, and Keith Schmedemann, students are able to gather, analyze and evaluate information and events.  Thus, the skill that is taught is to utilize text from websites, write an informative piece and produce a technology piece such as powerpoint or educreations.  This opportunity challenges students’ critical thinking skills:  paraphrasing, summarizing, connecting text to self, other text and drawing conclusions.  Web sites utilized were the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, the United States HolocaustMemorial Museum, Yad Vashem, and the Jewish Foundation forRighteous.  

Using their i-pads, students will complete an individual and group project.  At our school, we have monthly character traits or principles; therefore, words such as integrity, responsibility, respect, self-discipline, and tolerance.  Students will create an Educreations project or powerpoint that defines integrity, compassion, and courage, provides examples of liberators, survivors or rescuers enacting them, and narrates a story of each slide.  Students will be able to draw pictures, download photographs and music, and create own music for this project, all while remembering those who make a difference.  

Jews under Soviet occupation

I know that many Holocaust educators are leery of using historical fiction in their curriculums.  However, as a library media specialist and historian, I know that fiction often leads students to search for additional information in non-fiction sources.  Such is the case with Ruta Sepetys’ book Between Shades of Gray.  Not the Shades of Gray you were automatically thinking about, rather, a story set in Lithuania in the early 1940s!  Lithuanian intellectuals, artists, even librarians were sent to Siberia for the crime of being Lithuanian and not communist.  Their journey reads like the Holocaust.  Stalin versus Hitler.  After reading the book, I wanted to know more.  My knowledge of Stalin was limited, but I knew some 20 million or more died under his reign of terror.  But I was unaware that even when people were released from the gulags years later they returned to homes, possessions, and even names stolen by the Soviets.  They were forbidden to speak of their experiences on penalty of a return trip to Siberia or worse.  Many died still holding their secrets even after the Wall came down. 

It just so happens that I chose to read this book while on vacation in the Baltic States this summer.  In Latvia, we visited the Salaspils Concentration Camps or Kurtenhof if you’re German.  This was no simple trip either.  We walked close to five miles through thick forests and strawberry-picking Latvians, before we found the camp.  No signs, no guides, and no help from the locals until we were almost on top of it.  Right in the middle of the forest, it sat in the quiet, with singing birds and a metronome beating out a constant heartbeat for all eternity.  The huge concrete slab at the entrance read simply “Behind this gate the earth groans.”  The guide book said 100,000 Jews died here, in addition to the 4,000 to 5,000 POWS at an adjacent camp.  And these figures don’t include the 28,000 Rigan Jews that died close by in the Rumbala Forest.  There was no guide or pamphlet at the camp.  When I checked the Internet, on our return, there was very little information or resources.  What I did find is that the numbers of dead at Salaspils are still much debated.  The Soviets say 100,000, but can’t be trusted, and several sources put the number at 3,000.  This is a huge discrepancy and no one seems to know for sure.  It is clear that almost all of the Jews in Riga, then known as Reval, were murdered.  Less than 200 survived, and these people hid until the Soviet Liberation in 1945.  They came out glad to be alive and looking for freedom, but found the Soviets wondering how they had survived and assuming they’d collaborated with the Nazis.  So, all were sent to gulags in Siberia. 

I still want to learn and know more about the victims of Hitler and Stalin and this search for information all started with an historical fiction book called Between Shades of Gray. 

Tips for Teaching the White Rose Essay in Middle School

I have found that my middle school students (I teach 8^th grade advanced) have a very hard time with a research paper when they have unlimited sources, like the internet.  Last year, I decided to narrow their sources down to a very small set.  I found this to be remarkably successful, and much easier on my end as well.  Here are some things I did:

·       Before we ever looked at the documentsfrom MCHE, I taught them the basic information they needed to know about the topic we were covering. 

o   I tried to break down the topic as much as I could to help them understand the events leading up to and the historical context of the event or situation.

o   I printed off articles from USHMM and created guided notes pages for them.  They read the articles knowing what they were supposed to learn from them and completed the guided notes both in class and for homework.

o   They had to complete the notes in order to move on in the project. 

o   These website pages became part of every student’s works cited page, since I knew every one of them at least learned information from the handouts.

·         While my students have a hard time with the vastness of the internet, they also have a hard time finding a book that works for their topic and then trying to glean only the information they need out of the book.  Therefore, I had them all use the same book as their print source.  I borrowed a class set of “Tell Them We Remember” from MCHE.  This is a great, simple resource created by USHMM.  I had the kids use the book to add at least 10 facts about the topics we had already covered in class.  This also was added to every student’s works cited page.  

Once we had this base information covered, I then introduced the actual White Rose topic.  I went through and showed them the various documents they could use.  *With this year’s topic, I may not give them ALL of the documents, as some of them are perhaps a little too graphic or over their heads at this age.  Or, I may only give them parts of some documents.

·       
They then were able to choose the documents they wanted to use and begin the note taking on those documents.  Again, I gave them guided notes pages so they knew what they were trying to get out of each one.

After we had all of our notes gathered, they then chose the specific person’s story they were going to use.  I only gave them the websites from MCHE, but this is where they went online and did some exploring.  I gave them a more generic guided notes page that worked for all of the stories.

·     
Once they had all of their information gathered, I gave them an outline to follow for their essay.  I allowed those who were comfortable and capable to veer from the outline, but most students stuck with the basic format of:

o   Intro paragraph, ending with a thesis statement.

o   Paragraphs explaining the historical situation, including in-text citations

o   A paragraph about the specific story they researched

o   Their final paragraph, addressing part B of the essay and concluding the paper

·    
I have also found that works cited and MLA format is quite difficult at this age.  So I made a works cited page for all of them. 

o   I included all of the internet sources and the book sources that we all used.

o   I included all of the documents that we studied and all of the choices for the personal stories. 

o   The kids uploaded the document from our server and saved them for themselves.  Then the cut out the documents and the personal stories that they didn’t use.  They were left with the actual sources they did use and it was already formatted and in alphabetical order.  This saved time on both their parts and mine when grading.

·        
Once the first draft was typed, I had them turn them in.  I didn’t read them, however.  I attached a personal editing sheet for them to go through and check for the common mistakes kids make.

·      
I actually read their second drafts and gave feedback.  I didn’t edit them though.  This cut down on time grading.

·     
I then read their final draft for their grade.

By following these steps, I ended up with papers that were much better than the years before, on the whole.  While I did find that they were all quite a bit alike, the structure and formatting made them better quality papers.  I made sure they learned the objectives from our curriculum, like good research techniques, note taking, what a works cited contains and how to do in text citations.  But I made it so that they were able to be successful without learning a hundred new skills on top of that.  It was much less stressful for all of us!