“Borderlands are physically present wherever two or more cultures edge each other; where people of different races occupy the same territory, where under, lower, middle and upper classes touch, where the space between two individuals shrinks with intimacy.” Anzaldua
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. "
Martin Luther King Jr.US black civil rights leader & clergyman (1929 - 1968)
FATHER BRESSANI CATHOLIC HIGH SCOOL: A SCHOOL FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND ADVANCED PLACEMENT CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Post 11: The Newspaper: Informational text
How does Journalism help shape your understanding of German/Jewish cultures? Discuss the impact of headlines, and comment on the point of views presented by the news story.
Journalism can help shape our view of German and Jewish culture in a number of ways. In my group, three people read news articles from around the world about the holocaust, and they offered three very interesting perspectives. The first story, which I brought in, was called “world marks holocaust remembrance day”, and it was about just that; how different countries, both from the side of the victims and from the Nazi members, commemorated the anniversary of the end of the holocaust. The perspective was of the CP24 Canadian news journalists. Most notably, there was insight on how the Germans see the atrocities today, marking the occasion with a moment of science. I was happy to see that Germany sees the evil that was done and the need to remember what happened. A Jewish perspective was also given by telling the story of a man who had been a Jew in Poland at the time, and before he died ran the holocaust memorial museum in Warsaw. The second story, talked about by Samantha, was a German article called “Pilgrimage to Auschwitz”. In it, a German reporter offered insight about his own visit to Auschwitz, and how he felt about the place. This showed again that Germans regretted the actions of their countrymen. The article also described how Jews, mainly Israelite children, were being brought in to visit Auschwitz as a means of learning history. This is exemplary of how holocaust remembrance has become a large part of the Jewish religion itself. The last story was brought in by Mary-Ann, entitled “Urge Jews to Take Force”. As something of a departure from the last two articles, this 1939 newspaper scanning is from a British perspective, as related to a Canadian perspective to talk about Jewish rebellions from Britain in Palestine. We are shown that not every Jew near Europe would have been in such an unfortunate position, some with enough power to even rebel against their government (even if their government wasn’t British). So, the reader might think that the holocaust was not as widespread as initially believed. So, assorted journalism can give any number of perspectives on subjects like the holocaust, and there is always more to learn from them.
In my personal oppinnion, I think that journalism shapes our understanding of Jewish/German cultures depending on two factors: who wrote the article and the time it was writtin in. For edample, if an article about the Holocaust was written in 1944 after WWII by a German, it might praise the Germans for preforming the Holocaust because of what ever reason Hitler gave them. If the article was written by Jewish person at the time of the Holocaust, they would slam the Germans for the past cruel and inhumane years that were bestowed on the Jews.
Something like Michelle's Article tells the reader about how there was suicide among the Jews outside the concentration camp in the year 1939. It wwasn't an oppinionated article wich means it was written by a person who was not German or Jewish, so they didn't really know what was going o at the time.
Something like the article Caroline wrote was written by a German. it described the jewsih laws that were created on merchandise, before the concentration camps. This article was not oppinionated as well. However both these articles were just giving the facts. It wasn't pointing the finger at anyone, just facts.
However, something like Samantha's story was more of a biased article. Although it was an add for a seminare, it described that the speaker was telling the hateful stories of her times in the concentration camps after she was kidnapped by Hitler. One thing in the article I noticed was the single story. The exact words "captured by Hitler" rang loud and clear through my mind. After all this time people still believeit was only Hitler to blame. Wedon't know what the actual story was, and that was the point of the aticle. it was written by a Jewish person to make it seem like Hitler was the worst man there is. I'm not saying that they were lying and that Hitler was a good soul with poor judgement, he was a bad uy after all, but the story was incomplete. Hitler wasn't the only one responsiblefor the Holocaust, probably at least two other people were as well.
In conclusion, I believe if you are reading the whole story, written by an unbiased inividual, that it will shae my knowledge of the Holocaust in a more positve manner.
“Around the Nation; 70 Year Old Floridian Accused of War Crimes” –October 27th 1981 It was about Jurgis Juodis, a 70 year old artist, who was being stripped of his American citizenship because he was accused of lying when he had entered the US 32 years ago. Information had been recently made available by the Soviet Union that he belonged to the Lithuanian Auxiliary Police, sponsored by the Nazis. This point of view is mainly against the Germans and how the American government did not want anyone who was associated with this group to live in their country. This makes me wonder, why this man, would lie about being part of this police force. Was it simply a strategic plan to get into the US because he knew if he told the truth he would never get in? OR. Was it because he wanted to start over after being put into a situation, the Holocaust, he did not want to be in or agree with? This story really makes me think about how now in 2012 we are still facing the consequences of the single story and how Jurgis easily could have been one of the people that did not fit it.
“Agent Says 6 Nazis Planned ‘Week of Terror’” – September 16th 1981. It was about a federal undercover agent who testified that 6 avowed Nazis, on trial for conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, planned to blow up different areas. The conspiracy was based on the result if 6 members of the American Nazi Party & Ku Klux Kan in Greensboro were convicted in the 1979 slayings of 5 Communist protestors. The defendants were acquitted and no bombings occurred. This point of view is mainly against the Germans, since it is an American newspaper. However, this article makes me wonder if these 6 avowed Nazis really did threaten to commit these acts or if it was someone else did, but since they had background in this horribly influential group, this undercover agent knew it would be easy to pin the crime on them.
“Archives on a 20th Century Diaspora Are Being Put Online” – March 2nd 2012. It was about how Jewish archives are being put in museums and online and how the descendants of these Jews are fighting to obtain possession for these found items. Over 500 000 names of victims and 100 000 photos were gathered. Over $330 million is being spent to restore the affected countries of the Holocaust. This point of view is mainly on the Jewish side and how these descendants would like to have what is left of their family members after losing them in the tragic events of the past. Personally, I agree with how these Jewish descendants are acting. I can not begin to understand what they must be going through because I have never really had to suffer the death of a close family member, or for that matter most of my whole family, in a horrible, inhumane way. Either way though, if somewhere in a museum some of their belongings were in a case for all to see, I think I would want to keep these belongings so these people and their belongings can be cherished and remembered for generations to come.
“Holocaust Survivors” – May 2nd 1995. It was about how many holocaust survivors, after 50 years, still cannot forget the incomprehensible terror they endured and how these memories are invading their dreams and lives. But how “Those who lived to tell of the cruelty and slaughter of the camps have a message the world must hear and honor” and that we must not forget these horrible actions of the past so that they do not resurface and reoccur in the future. This point of view is mainly on the Jewish side but also reflects the rest of the world that finally is acknowledging what happened. This idea really haunts me because I could hardly begin to imagine what it must be like; the happiness and overwhelming joy of surviving but the haunting terror of what happened affecting you everyday. It just makes me understand even more how much these Jews suffered, not just physically during the Holocaust but even after it was all over.
In our class discussion, we shared our articles and spoke about the differences in Jewish and German cultures during the holocaust using a different form of media- a newspaper. My group mates shared their articles that were from the past and the present.
The first article we examined belonged to Michele and it was called Wholesale Arrest, suicides and Prison Camps Adding to Terror of Armed Occupation. It was an article from the late 1930’s about some of the Jews in the ghetto committing suicide because they would rather kill themselves than die in camps. Our group established that the article was probably either written by someone who was not German or a German who didn’t meet the typical stereotype of a German and felt what the Nazis were doing was repulsive.
Next we looked at Samantha’s article that was called Refugee from Hitler Speaks and it was also written during the time of the holocaust. It was telling the reader that there would be a presentation where a Jew from the concentration camp would come and speak about her experience there. Again we determined that someone who hated Jews did probably not write this piece.
Lastly our group listened to Kayla read her article that was written quite recently. It was called Dr. Tina Strobos Dies at 91. It was reporting that a woman who helped hide the Jews from the Nazi soldiers had died at the age of 91. The article told about her life, her achievements and how she died a hero. Its people like Dr. Strobos and Oskar Schindler who gave the Jews hope in the terrible point in history and people like these should be remember forever.
These three pieces of writing help me to understand Jewish and German cultures even more than I had before. I’d had never realized that Jews committed suicide and I never knew who Tina Strobos was and what she did for the Jews. The newspaper is one of the best ways to learn more about a topic and I’m glad we had this wonderful learning experience.
I thought that journalism was an interesting lens to examine the Holocaust through because it allowed me to understand that everybody had a different bias and the most powerful people were the ones who got their bias published. Erica brought in an article entitled “Architect of the Holocaust Sentenced to Death” which I thought was very interesting. It was written in 1961, in an Israeli newspaper and was very strongly biased against the Germans. The article focused on the capture and subsequent trial and execution of Adolf Eichmann; a high ranking SS officer. I thought that this headline really showcased the power of headlines because it was very eye-catching and created several questions in the readers mind. I was curious about it because I wanted to know why people were still killing Nazis sixteen years after the Holocaust ended. I think that a bold and interesting headline is vital when trying to attract readers.
The other article which I would like to talk about was about a memorial in Athens to commemorate the Holocaust and it’s Greek victims. One thing that really struck me about the article was the fact that it talked about how modern day Neo-Nazis has been fire-bombing Jewish synagogues and had been found innocent. I found that this article was extremely biased from a Jewish perspective, as it only interviewed Jews about the issue and not the Neo Nazis. However, I think that the author was justified in doing so. This issue was extremely sensitive and to give these modern day Nazis an opportunity to spread their psychotic ideology seems absurd to me. I know that it sounds as if I too am biased but I believe that although some Germans were not the monsters we have been led to believe in, many of them still were and for people to want to continue the ideologies that led to the death of millions is appalling and pathetic.
One of the most interesting things that I observed from my readings was that all the articles had a very pro-Jewish, anti-German outlook. I think it is very interesting that almost all newspapers from after World War 2 follow this trend. To me, it is a great example of how the single story infiltrates people’s minds. Even in one article which was about the arrest and deportation of Jews, there was no mention of any Germans working to stop it. The media seems to be trying to lead us to view events from a one-sided point of view and to ignore the other sides.
In any case, no matter what the topic, journalism can shape your perspective; it may even cause you to completely change your perspective on a specific topic. Journalism in most cases takes a specific point of view, meaning the writer will be writing with biased opinion, well their own opinion. For example in the case of the Holocaust, if the writer was a German fascist he would write about the Holocaust in a positive way while a Jewish person or a German who was against what his people were doing would write about it in a negative way. In regards to the Jewish and German culture, the journalistic articles that I read have shaped and broadened by knowledge. While reading the article, “Holocaust Survivor” written on May 2nd 1995, I realized that the Holocaust not only affected the Jewish people who actually witnessed and were a part of the Holocaust but also their descendents. All these people now have to live with the thought in the back of their mind reminding them of what happened to their Jewish ancestors. It is impossible for someone to forget such a horrible thing like this and this deems true for Lily Margules and Stella Kolin—both Holocaust survivors. Lily still hears the dogs barking in the night and German soldiers shouting “dirty Jew” while Stella dreams she is still escaping from Nazi Germans with her children by her side. I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult it must be living with these haunting memories each day of their lives. The closest comparison to my own life (which is still far off) is through the dream that I mentioned in post # 10. This dream frightened me very much and even though it occurred a couple days ago, the “memories” continue to play through my mind. Although such events and memories are horrible to think about, we must not forget about these events for fear that they may occur again. Like author John Boyne in the novel “The boy in the striped Pajamas” states, “These fences exist all around the world; we hope that you never have to face one.” Boyne recognizes that these event or ‘fences’ do still exist and hopes that no one will ever have to encounter one if we remember and learn about the past, in this case the Holocaust. After reading another article from the New York Times, called “Around the Nation: 70 year-old Floridian Accused of War Crimes” writing in October of 1981, I was left to ponder my thoughts. This article was about a man who many years later was accused of being a part of war crimes and lying to get into the United States 32 years earlier. The 70-year-old when immigrating to the United States stated that he was a painter in his home country of Lithuania but the government now discovered that he was a part of a police sponsored by the Nazi government. This article makes me wonder if it is just that this man be accused of these crimes after so many years. With the article being written from more of a Jewish point of view, it persuades you to believe that this man is being tried justly. In my opinion, I do agree with the article, he should be punished even if it was many years ago. Because of the mistakes he made many, years ago there is still a countless amount of people suffering loss still. Not only are these people suffering loss but there are also MORE THAN 6 MILLION people dead because of what he took a part of.
I think that journalism is another great form of literature that helps us to view and understand the theme of the Holocaust in yet another light. Newspaper articles, although they are all the same genre, are all so different because there are so many variables and factors – who wrote it, when it was written, what its purpose was, who its intended audience was, and what it was about – that influence the writing. Although this can be said about the majority of genres of literature, journalism is one where you can actually look at many different stories because they are generally short, which allows you to see and hear many sides and opinions, unlike with movies or novels, for example, which are longer and do not allow for as many different viewings and therefore reveal fewer sides to the story.
In regards to Jewish and German cultures, I think that journalism sheds light on them both, in different ways depending on the author. Articles often present new ideas and offer new perspectives. One of the articles my group read was titled, “Mengele’s Children: The Twins of Auschwitz”, and it was about Josef Mengele, a notorious doctor who performed gruesome experiments on twins. The point of view of the article was not extremely clear because it simply stated facts. However, it definitely portrayed the Jews as guinea pigs, powerless against the superiority of the Germans and their cruel and merciless ways. I found the article interesting because it described another rather specific form of “punishment” and cruelty that we haven’t really seen before.
Another article that my group read was called, “Today’s Letters: Courage, Past and Present”. This article began with the following quote: “For an act to be courageous, as distinct from reckless, or stubborn, or obstinate, the risks must be reasonable in relation to the goal, and the goal itself soundly appraised.” It then went on to discuss the thoughts of some people who were saved by strangers who hid them in their homes, all in relation to the quote. Although no specific cultures were named (as in the people who saved the Jews), the article still brought to mind Oskar Schindler, and overall held the point of view that not all people were totally cold-hearted, cruel, or indifferent; there were people who cared, cared enough to risk their own lives to save the lives of complete strangers.
The final article that my group read and discussed was, “In the Sewers with ‘In Darkness’”. This article was about the movie “In Darkness” (which is based on a true story where, for 14 months, a Polish sewer worker protected a group of Jews in the sewers in the city of Lvov) and included an interview with the director, Agnieszka Holland. In the interview, she talked about how the two cultures were portrayed in the film. From the German perspective, they were shown as people who were not always terrible and who could act in good ways even in bad circumstances (this is very similar to how they were portrayed in the film “Schindler’s List”). The interview discussed how the movie did not follow the single story. In regards to the Jews, they were shown not as one-dimensional or in a negative/critical light; rather, they were shown as real humans who experienced real emotions, from anger and weakness to generosity and love.
Journalism can help shape your perspective of both sides of the story. By having articles during the time of the Holocaust you observe perspectives of the German’s and perhaps read about how powerful and proud they were to be in control of the concentration camps. If you were to read a newspaper published by a Jewish perspective you would read something different. In addition, the third side would be the outcome of all the madness from World War II when a paper is published much later since the actual Holocaust took place. Which will more than likely be of a neutral attitude to both cultures but signify a gut dropping reminder that what had happen should never be forgotten.
The first article was titled “Aftermath” which was collected by David. The article was written recently. Since it was written in present day it was in a neutral perspective. Before we began reading, predictions had come to mind. The title already spoke for itself, it explained about the tragedies of the Holocaust and how both the German’s and Jew’s suffered and felt about what had happened in these dark days. It talked about how the Holocaust had affected the world as a whole and the outcomes of the event. In truth, it informed us as the readers nothing that we weren’t aware of. In the end, it did remind us of the damages done and not to be repeated. The second article was titled “Dr. Tina Strobos, Who Harbored Jews from the Nazis, Dies At 91” was collected by myself. The article was published by the New York Times on February 29, 2012. The article was about how a German medic living in Amsterdam, Holland was able to hide over 100 Jews from their deaths. She was exposed to this at a young age when her parents hid German and Austrian refugees during World War I. She had built a sanctuary with her mother in their three story home which had secret compartment rooms where the Jews would be kept safe. She was recognized by Anti-Holocaust groups like Yad Vashem, which listed her with other people who had saved Jews as Righteous Among the Nations. She had just died recently at the age of 91 and is remembered for her heroic actions. I thought this article was really interesting and showed me that Oskar Schindler truly wasn’t the only one trying to make a difference and risk his life to help the Jews. The article backed up the point of the other side of the German’s story, being that not all German’s were evil people. It proved to me that this other side of the story was true along with the stereotypical side ; that they were bad people. By acknowledging this I think I accomplished something we need to grasp during this unit, truly believing and seeing that both sides of the story lead up to the truth and now I can honestly say I see both sides of the story clearly now. Also, by recognizing what Dr. Strobos and her family did it brings to mind that there were probably many people following the torch barer being Schindler and put strong efforts and laid everything on the table to save not a Jew but a human being.
Journalism is a very important tool in today’s society and in the past as well. Journalism is a way that everyday people can get their opinions out into the world. It is a very useful part to the way our world works. Through journalism and newspapers and books, we can learn what different people are thinking. From the editorials in the newspaper to a novel, there are opinions in all of theses works of literature. However, the problem with journalism is that it can be easily manipulated and biased. For example, a newspaper that is Liberal would not have a pro-Conservative paper written in it. This is what happened during the Holocaust, Hitler took control over the newspapers and all propaganda in Germany and all the other countries that he controlled. He made sure that sent out a pro-Nazi message and anti-Jew messages. It would not be easy to learn about the German or Jewish cultures through their journalism and newspapers because it was all controlled by Hitler and his propaganda minister. By looking at North American or European journalism we still see headlines that are all anti-Nazi because it would have been extremely provocative to come out right after the Holocaust and write a paper on how it was right. All the point-of-views in the articles would be against the Nazi’s and Hitler’s ideas and actions.
What we can learn from the journalism is what some of the Jewish people went through. Many articles were about the problems that thousands of Jewish people went through to escape death and to only be caught in the end. Many Holocaust survivors wrote pieces in newspapers after WWII was won. From these we can learn how terrible the situations were that they faced in Nazi Europe.
Headlines play major roles in getting messages across and getting people’s attention. If it is black and white, small print and long, chances are that no one will be interested enough to read it, let alone see it. If the headlines are large and exciting and are thought provoking, more people will be attracted to it. Also, if the headline is a good one and it is captivating, people will start reading the article with a positive outlook on the article. Meaning they are more likely to like it. For the headline to attract people it must be visible, interesting and thought provoking. Also, headlines tell you what the article is about, so if you don’t like what the headline says, most people assume that they will not enjoy the article as well. If the article’s headline is “finally, Germany surrenders” then people would assume that the article is about how happy the writer is that Germany has given up their efforts in the war. You need a good headline for the article to be read or even considered.
My article was about how the American media did not give the Holocaust enough attention. If the media had given the Holocaust and WWII as much attention as it did to Justin Bieber’s new haircut or Taylor Swift’s new boyfriend, then people would have been more aware of the situation and the war may have gone differently.
Matthew’s article was about a doctor who treated the injured at a concentration camp. He never thought that he would be reunited with the people he treated and the things he did but he was added into a war series in the newspaper. This is the power of journalism. The doctor got to tell his story and meet up with his old life. This is another example of how journalism can give us an insight into culture. Ryan’s article was about how a lady who harbored Jewish people in her house in Amsterdam died at 91. This gives us an insight into the life of this lady who went out of her way to help others even though it meant putting herself at risk. This also helps to eliminate the single story that everyone has of people in Germany and Europe during the war.
Going into this genre of literature, I had this very big idea that all news articles written during the holocaust were biased in every way. I thought that if they were written by a German, it would be like reading a Team Nazi article and same with an article written by a Jew. But,I was wrong because not all of the articles we read as a group were like this. My article talked about Jews committing suicide in the late 1930's. This came off as a total shock to me, but then as we discussed it further, we established that these Jews probably felt that they didn't want someone to take their lives, so they took them themselves. Next, I read Caroline's article which was about laws that were coming about, that regulated the selling of goods for Jewish retailers. We couldn't decide whether this was being biased, only because it was basically just stating facts. Samantha Cesario's article was about Jewish Escapees talking about their lives in the holocaust. We didn't think this one was written by a German, only because, they would probably want to put these people back in the camps instead of allowing them to live as refuges. Lastly, Kayla's article was about a woman who recently passed away. This woman hid Jews during the holocaust, just like Oskar Schindler. It was a touching article and it shows us that there were good people during this time doing whatever they could to help the Jews.
So, not every newspaper article published during this era was written as if they were siding with a team. This really opened my mind to see that I was once again proven wrong of my preconceived thoughts of these articles.
Journalism brings a different perspective to other views. It often shows us the most gruesome or intriguing details of something. It can be biased, depending on the author, and it certainly has many views. When we find a good author, we might be swayed to their point of view.
The first article my group talked about was called “Mengele’s Children: the Twins of Auschwitz.” This article described how twins, often children, were collected after arriving at Auschwitz and the medical experiments performed on them. It had eyewitness accounts from these children. One that stuck out in my mind was “They had taken my mother, my father, my two older brothers, and now my twin.” I think that this showed how the children, in the concentration camps, weren’t oblivious to where their families were. The title was “Mengele’s Children,” which brought to my mind that these were the children used for medical experimentation. Mengele was nicknamed the “angel of death” because of the amount of Jews he killed for experimentation, so an initial thought was that the majority of the twins perished. This article didn’t have a point of view from German, or Jew. They point of view was really from a person who was speaking against medical experimentation. It was also from a point of view of an outsider, looking into the little segregated world that was Auschwitz. It also showed how this outsider heard the descriptions of what had happened from the prisoners themselves.
The second article my group read was titled “Today’s Letters: Courage Past and Present.” This article had two editorials about the meaning of courage, from the mouth of a holocaust survivor and a reporter. The title is self-explanatory. It is two accounts, one of past courage, in the holocaust, and one of modern courage. The second writer says how the “police and court agents” who deal with criminals everyday, have courage that goes unrecognized. I found this an interesting view, which certainly makes sense. Ordinary people with ordinary lives going to face killers and rapists almost daily. The Jews in the holocaust had to deal with killers every waking minute that they were in the camps. Who decides that one is more courageous than the other?
“Recognition of a nun who saved Jews during the Holocaust reflects progress in Catholic-Jewish Relations.” This was the title of the article I chose. This article was written from a Jewish perspective. It describes the Nazi’s as anti-Semites, who were not human. “Religion wasn’t a consideration in their warped racist theories; for them she was no different from all their other Jewish victims.” This quote is describing the nun in the title. The Nazis didn’t look at the person as a person; they looked at them as part of a group. They viewed them through the single story.
The author’s stand point on their topic, the date, time and how they present their information, are all reasons why newspaper articles differ form the different types of media that we have explored throughout this unit. Journalism helps portray different matters in diverse ways, each through various points of view that come from different authors. Through these points of view, we are able to banish the single story; because now, this event such as the Holocaust is being presented by the different writers, yet they display them in such a way that perhaps contradicts another. This way we can become acquainted with all the sides of this story, good and bad.
The article that I would like to focus that my group read was about a notorious “doctor” of the Holocaust and his fascination with achieving the Aryan race by fooling genetics. That article titled “Mengele’s children: The Twins of Auschwitz”, was the gruesome factual account of the lives of the twins that were deported to Auschwitz. The writer did not seem to have a point of view when relaying the information and it was more like she just presented the information and it was up to the reader to form an opinion about the topic.
The headline was the most interesting thing that first caught my attention; it proclaimed the twins as Mengele’s children. Throughout the article I got the sense that these children really had no idea that it was him that was behind all their suffering; they even called him ‘Uncle Mengele’. However, after reading the article I felt that they were not his children but his lab rats, or his human guinea pigs; the way he treated them he did not deserve to be the “father” of anyone of those twins. He had no respect for them as human beings he used to discover the secrets of genetics, torturing them endless with countless experiments that tried to achieve an Aryan look, for the future.
In summation, I like the way that Journalism presents different events, because one can see countless perspectives of the same topic, yet each relayed in a unique way so that one can learn something new every time.
Personally, I felt that that the journalism aspect of our Holocaust unit was the least effective medium we analyzed. It requires a thorough understanding of the time period and events that took place to get a significant impact from reading the article; and even so, reading articles from the 40s in today’s world is so much more difficult to grasp than a modern day movie, novel or documentary. Despite the fact that I’ve been firmly grasping the previous accounts we saw, read and heard, I found that the newspaper articles were totally different. The four articles in my group (with Caroline, Michele, and Kayla) were in fact easy to understand—we were able to pinpoint the perspective of the journalist, and roughly determine the main message for each--however, we found it difficult to relate it all back to what we were learning in class. For example, the article I found had an interesting title: “Refugee from Hitler Speaks”. After going through this article, I have to say I was disappointed. It was simply a notice for a seminar of one Jew among many, which escaped a concentration camp; the time, location, and other brief details were given. I’m sure this article would have been interesting to people reading it as a front page article in their daily newspaper, but I was just left with questions: How did this Jewish woman escape? Was it her choice to share her experiences? and especially, What is she going to talk about? The article may have given me a taste of the culture back then, but I can certainly say my knowledge of the German and Jewish cultures did not grow.
Reading and discussing about the newspapers on the Holocaust we are supposed to try to understand both sides of the story. But strange thing is my group, like all other groups, did not have many articles coming from the German/ Nazi-side, so with that we become biased. My group had an article from Greece, one that was international, and one that took place in the United States of America, but all of them were from the Jewish point of view. The winners really are the ones who write history. I did not really come to a true understanding of the German culture, because all I learned were the cruel and unfortunate things they did. And the Jews, we only learned that they were prosecuted and that it was a tragedy and that many people died and we should mourn for all of their lives. Our first article was about Greece. It talked about how a monument was finally erected in Athens. It was made in a garden and represented the star of Zion as well that it pointed out places where Jews were held against their will. It represents that the whole group, even though they lost so many, they still stood strong and stayed united. Our second article was about how a high-ranked Nazi soldier was finally found and captured and killed, by the Israeli Mossad. They talked about the political problems they ran into and how they successfully found him and killed him for violations again humans. Our last story was talking about a woman who wrote a story talking about how there were not enough story talking about the Holocaust. She talks about how the community was not being informed and not enough news was being told about the misfortunate events that took place in eastern Europe. As you can tell, these stories do not shine any light on what the Germans were thinking or what they were being told, it only showed us the victims of the war and what they went through and how it affects our lives today.
*PLEASE READ* I am please asking for everyone to watch this video I will be giving you a link to. Please, I am begging you. It is about Joseph Kony, the number one international criminal. He is the leader of the rebel group LRA, Lord’s Resistance Army, in Uganda. He is the man who is taking children away from families, making them child soldiers. With this video it talks about how during 2012 the group “Invisible Children” are trying to make Kony famous, not to praise him but to let everyone know his crimes. “Invisible Children” is trying to inform everyone. Sir, you were talking about how the Holocaust was so horrible, because we, as humans were complacent and did nothing to help. With this I am trying not to be. I am trying to inform you and my fellow peers. So please take thirty minutes and watch this video.
When I first began to search the internet for news articles pertaining to the Holocaust events of World War II, I was not sure what I would find – recent articles, older publications, horrid reports or sugar coated information. But soon enough I stumbled upon an interesting article published by the New York Times in 2005; looking back at the Holocaust years, Robert Leiter writes this article in defence of the Times as it is dishonoured by the book “Buried by the Times” written by Laurel Leff. Subsequently, the striking question asked whether or not the Times responsibly informed Americans of the treacheries occurring throughout Europe, seeking to justify the truth, Leff writes in her book that the Times failed. She puts forth arguments regarding the minuscule number of published articles concerning the War and confronts the Times on its placement of these already few publications. Evidently, there was a great lack of circulating information during the years of the Holocaust and even the most impacting newspapers were not willing to highlight on the mass murders on Germany’s behalf. Thus far, my understanding of this miscommunication across seas has taken form, but I now know that others are speaking up about this issue and demanding answers from the most trusted newspapers. Why were hundreds of minor issues given a spotlight when the real dilemmas were buried in the back pages? As this article subsided in my mind, it began to make more sense to me – Americans really were not aware of the Holocaust as it happened! The Times argues back against this, however, with Leiter stating, “The publisher, Arthur Hays Sulzberger... like many other Jews of the period, he had a troubled relationship with his Jewishness and was outspoken in his opposition to Zionism. All this led him to make unfortunate journalistic decisions.” Much of my questioning regarding the remainder of the world during these years is put at rest as I dove into this article and recognized the truth. I now know that it isn’t fair for me to point a finger at Canada or America at this time, for their knowing was kept from the Europe’s horrors and they were kept in the dark about the truth. What I continue to wonder, nevertheless, is how history would have played out differently if the entire world was completely aware of the Holocaust as it happened.
The classmates with whom I conversed on the subject of their articles each had enlightening sources to share with me. Erica’s article about the capturing of a German architect during the War showed me that many people who partook in unjust ways were rightfully captured and even killed. Thomas’s newspaper publication on Greece’s Holocaust memorial gave me hope that nothing like this will ever reoccur, because as each country remembers its past loss, it also insures that nothing of that sort will ever be allowed to happen again. Commemorations also teach people to be more aware of our surrounding word, so that we do not become clueless bystanders. Finally, Kyle’s article pertaining the post-war proposal to initiate a Jewish state in Canada raised the point of Jewish people having had no land to call their own before the war, allowing me to understand why they were easier targets for the Germans. Overall, I attained a great deal through newspaper articles written about the Holocaust as I’ve been exposed to yet another crucial source on my way to eliminating the single story.
Journalism is a very interesting way to view the different cultures. Throughout history, it has shaped the way we view some cultures. I believe that things like newspapers can have a huge impact on people because they are very biased and the articles are made to persuade the audience. One of the articles that my group discussed was one called “Mengele’s Children – The Twins of Auschwitz.” The headline made me think a lot about the article, before we had even read it. The headline did strike a little worry into me because it made me think that the article was about another terror that came from the Holocaust. The article discussed Josef Mengele, a doctor who would take Jewish twins and experiment on them. The article didn’t show much for the German side of the story, but it did explain the Jewish side. The entire article showed the hardships that the Jewish twins faced. If I had no previous knowledge of this topic, I’d think that the Jewish people all had sad stories like this, and that the Germans were all cruel. But one thing that stuck out to me from the article. One part said that Mengele presence did not necessarily strike fear into the children. It said that he was kind to them, and that they referred to him as “Uncle Mengele.” This is another side of the story of the Germans. Although he did harm, even kill them, he was still kind to them. They were treated better then the rest of the camp, even were allowed to play soccer. So although most of them lost their lives in a very malicious way, he still treated them kindly.
The thing about journalism that I often fail to recognize is the fact that the articles are always bias, intentionally and unintentionally so. I know they are bias because an article is oftentimes written by a single person, one with their own opinions, yet as I read articles, especially those from one newspaper or source, I forget this. For example, when I read the ‘Toronto Star’ each morning I accept the views presented simply because they are in the newspaper so I immediately believe they should be credible; the operative word being ‘should’. I think I also take everything written at face-value because the newspaper is Canadian, so I automatically believe that Canadians are too respectful to take advantage of the power of publishing in a newspaper; I believe any bias there is unintentional. It is a little presumptuous of me, but what can I say…I’m biased. Then I think of journalism in relation to the Holocaust and I see how powerful of a tool it was. If an obscure author in the Toronto Star clearly recalls the facts of the Rafferty trial and can still manage to persuade me into a certain mind frame, simply by word choice, I can only imagine what newspapers were like during and after the Nazi regime. In fact in the diary entry I read, David (the author) records the writing of an advertisement, obviously against the Jews. It was a simple, rhyming paragraph. I couldn’t help but think of how easy they made it to remember, like the innocent McDonald’s jingle, so that people would not forget the words, even of they didn’t understand the meaning. Obviously during the war the Germans didn’t write “we decided to kill off a whole race, we are sending them to death camps, every day we murder and burn thousands of Jews” in their newspapers; although that was what they were doing. No, they put it in a connotation that seemed reasonable, even beneficial, and probably didn’t use words like “murder”. This is the exact opposite of the articles we read in class. Each one was very strongly anti-German, keep in mind this is after the war ended and the truth was out. The article I found was from 1961, relatively close to the end of the war. It spoke of the capture and murder of Adolf Eichmann, a brutal and efficient SS officer. In fact, he was illegally taken from Argentina (the country he was hiding in) and taken to Israel where he was put on trial by a bunch of Jews. They ended up hanging him and, get this, burning his body into ashes. Despite the article’s string conviction of the guilt and evilness of this man, I didn’t need much convincing. Then I think of Thomas’ article, more recently written in 2010, and cannot help but realize the same view consisted there. Over 60 years after the Holocaust and Athens just finished its memorial to the Greek-Jews lost in the Holocaust. It gave some shocking statistics and referred to the monument as a “catalyst of memory”. Jews throughout the article commented on the sorrow they felt and the healing process that continues to this day.
Actually, all the articles we read were all from the Jewish perspective. Consequently, the Germans were painted negatively, as the merciless murderers we ignorantly label them as. These articles are the exact opposite of the German-favoured journalism being written during the war. The fervor at which these “Jewish articles” have been printed in the decades following the Holocaust can only be matched by the urgency with which the “German articles” were printed during WW II. Not that these Jews don’t have the right, but it seems that many of these articles—the “Jewish-biased” ones—are so solid in there categorization of the Germans. I believe this is due to the media taking the truth of the concentration camps and making that the sole focus of the Holocaust, when regarding the Germans. This is not only unfair, but partially untrue, for most survivors were saved by German officers, by men like Schindler, not only killed by them. One thing’s certain, regardless of who’s writing what about whom, journalism is extremely powerful, dangerously so. As readers, we can never forget to remember who is telling the story and, most importantly, why they are telling it. Sometimes it can be the difference between a life and death. Or six million.
Journalism helps shape our understanding of German and Jewish cultures in a variety of ways. First off, journalism is a form of literature in which someone records personal thoughts and comments on a specific matter, and documents it. Looking at different articles written gives you a brief understanding as to which there is no SINGLE story. We had the stereotype in our heads thinking that all German's were evil and murderers, and that Jew's were helpless victims and were executed for not having common beliefs. But, our thoughts change because by looking at what different people say about the matter, you get a grasp in reality and think to yourself, "Well maybe.." German cultures were not the same at all. Sure, the German race was the same but beliefs were not. Each individual has a mind of their very own and by stereotyping cultures, we are becoming liars to our own selves and that is never what God wanted or intended.
Recently in class, we were instructed to find four articles regarding the holocaust that can be in any time period. I shared my story, along with my fellow peers Veronica Cesario, Chiara Canaletti and Megan Zanette. Our articles all regarded different things, but somehow all were related in a way. Of course, the tragic accident involving the Germans and Jews is what it revolved around.
#1 'Around the Nation; 70 year old Floridian Accused of War Crimes. ' Written October 27, 1981. - This article was about a man named Jurhis Juodis who was a 70 year old painter. He had been stripped of his American citizenship because he was accused of lying many years ago when he entered the United States. This made me think about how to Jews were affected by the Germans. Millions of Jews were stripped of their dignity and humanity, and taken from their homes, separated from their families just to be taken away by SS officers to pretty much be killed. Now that an 'ex-nazi' is being faced with these problems, it should make him stop and think that this is how they made Jews feel so long ago, and worse. Humiliated, betrayed, worried, angry, sorrow, and the list goes on.
#2 'Holocaust Survivors' Written May 2, 1995 -This article was based on the known survivors of the devastating Holocaust that terrorized millions. After decades, the survivors that were interviewed and gathered still cannot forget about the tragic whirlwind of events that happened so long ago. They remember through dreams and everyday situations. They are faced with guilt and pain that they survived and those so close to then were killed. It's so sad to hear a story like this, but also very interesting to hear as well. People that suffered through that time period are luckily alive today and are able to tell their tale. It helps us understand exactly what happened, and by the way they explain it in detail, illustrates a picture in our minds. We imagine that we are them, and as they speak, we are guided through with their voice.
#3 "Agent says 6 Nazi's Planned 'Week of Terror'" Written September 16th, 1981. -This article was written from a federal agents findings and commentary on the matter. He testified that 6 Nazi's were planning to commits terrorist acts and wanted to bomb areas around the globe. In the end, no bombings occurred. The only thing that comes to my mind when thinking about this is that, was it really the 6 Nazi's that threatened to commit these acts, or was it someone else taking their place? You never know because accusations were never proven.
#4 'Archives on a 20th Century Diaspora are being put Online" Written March 2, 2012 -This article was about all known archives from the Holocaust time period that were either saved or found. They have been put in museums and now are taking it a step further and are being put online. The descendants of the Jew's who's archives are being used are fighting for them back. Over 500 000 names of victims were found, and 100 000 photos were compiled. An estimated $330 million is being spent to restore countries that were affected by the Holocaust, and to help with research. My point of view regarding the article is that the descendants of these Jew's who's archives were found and are now being used, should be given to the rightful owners/family members. It sounds only fair to do that because it is the only memories they have from their generations. Museums and the people in charge of collecting these items should put themselves in these peoples shoes and understand that these are not only pictures and facts, but this is their family. This is information and important belongings that belonged to their family, and should rightfully be given to them.
All four articles were published in the New York Times.
Journalism is something that definitely helps us better understand Jewish and German culture and the Holocaust. From articles written in the past and present, new and interesting viewpoints are expressed each time! There are literally hundreds of ways to view one topic with the power of journalism. Each article that is shared, is very unique. There are many different ones, describing many different events and positions of people in the Holocaust. Some that talk about how an individual set out to find survivors of the events and some that discuss exactly what was included in the camps. Depending on where an article originates, we get one specific viewpoint. For example, if a article is written in Germany, we already know that it might defend the Nazis, or at least try to lessen the fault. This is a very important thing that comes up with Journalism. If we do not know where the article originates, it becomes less likely that we will in fact learn from it. A collection of articles proves great use in the academic world, because of features like various article origins. Some articles about the holocaust may ignite fear in an individual, while another, happiness and faith. Through journalism we can better understand other cultures. Giving us more than just "a single story". Journalism is like a bunch of puzzle pieces, and it is up to us to decide the picture, and how to put the pieces together to bring the picture to life.
Journalism is a great tool in our society, it gives us information, news and opinions of events that occur all over the world from current events to old. Journalism is a source of media that almost globalizes the world as we figure out and learn new information from every corner of the earth, but the information given is usually biased or "twisted" by the person who is retelling the event. Though most journalism can be twisted to what the journalist thinks it doesn't mean it isn't efficient anymore, it still a source of news and gives strong opinions on events but we must understand that this is almost like a single-story, there are other perspectives and opinions on the same event so we can't look at one article on a topic and regard it as the only answer, most things in life aren't black and white. Journalism in these contexts can be really helpful in learning about Jewish and German culture because we receive documented statistic on the events that occurred within these cultures, we also receive quotes from people that lived through or saw that event take place yet we also receive an opinion on the topic as well. We can read articles and be open-minded to their opinions so we become people of more intellect. I read in a group of four, articles from the New York Times about the Holocaust, the Nazis, and the aftermath of the Holocaust. Most of the articles are in the perspective of the Jewish people, this is believable because they were the victims of this event so we view most of the information in their perspective thinking that what the Nazis did was extremely unjust and horrific. Through the articles I read like "Holocaust Survivors” written on May 2nd 1995 we dive in the mentality and life of the few living Holocaust survivors explaining how they are still tortured by their past and future generations are too. "Archives on a 20th Century Diaspora Are Being Put Online" written March 2nd speaks about the thousands of Jewish belongs stolen from them during the Holocaust being put in museums while descendants want these documentations and photos of their ancestors back as they want to be enriched in their own culture as they dwell in their sorrow so all these photos will be online for them to see. These two articles show the life of Holocaust survivors and their descendants after this tragic event while “Agent Says 6 Nazis Planned ‘Week of Terror’” written on September 16th 1981 and "Around the Nation; 70 Year Old Floridian Accused of War Crimes” written on October 27th 1981 mostly speak on the crimes Nazis committed after or tried to commit after the Holocaust and a man associated with the Nazi being charged at 70 for his acts of violence after smuggling in the US years ago . We can just notice that these articles aren't written in the perspective of the Nazi party exclaiming their success but more in the Jewish perspective, even though this information was really insightful we cannot let this get in the way of labeling all Germans evil, bad people due to the negative events that occured with the Nazi party during and after the Holocaust we have to receive the knowledge from these articles and use it wisely, not label people. Journalism is an extremely effective tool in our lives
Journalism is a great approach in learning just how diverse perspectives can be, solely based on the view point of the writer. As we discuss the many different articles presented, we can identify by who the article was written. It is amazing to think that the same topic of discussion can be shared in so many unlike ways, each proposing another way that the incident can be taken. Examples of this variety exist within our classroom articles. When analyzing Zachery’s article, titled, “World Marks Holocaust Remembrance Day,” we can observe the point of view of a Canadian. As it reads, the news article was emphasizing and remembering the Holocaust, an event in which history was made for the worse. Many allies of the Nazi regime were apologizing on this day for all of the wrongdoing of the German culture at that time. The ceremony supported the Jewish culture, and was making the world aware of the atrocities throughout human society. Mary-Ann’s article, entitled, “Urge Jews Too Take to Force,” highlights the absent-mindedness of countries during the Holocaust. Written in 1939, this article demonstrates to us how Jews in other parts of the world were handling the situation in Poland and Germany. The truth is that some actually had no idea that the Holocaust was even taking place, let alone the fact that some Jews even had enough power to conquer Palestine in the early 1940s. Canada did not realize the monstrosity taking place on the other side of the world, as did many other countries. The article I provided, named, “Pilgrimage to Auschwitz” came from a German newspaper. It showed how Israelite children were being introduced to the former concentration camp as a school trip, which many schools included in their curriculum. Some people agree with this action, saying that it educates the children. Some even believe that “the Holocaust is almost a part of the Jewish religion,” but on the other hand, many Jewish people feel that it is unappreciative of the Germans to recollect such events. There is proof – how one topic can have so many different views and opinions, thought processes and judgments.
Journalism helps us understand German/Jewish culture by giving us all perspectives of the party's point of view. Obviously, if the newspaper article was printed and published in a German infleunced environment, it would favour the Germans more and vice versa if it were made by Jewish people. The first article that my group went through was Zachary's. His article was recently published by the CP24 and was titled, "World marks Holocaust Remembrance Day". This was quite interesting to me because this article showed neither German nor Jewish favortism and the time setting is now. We are showed our own perspective of the Holocaust. We look back on it with despair and hope that history may never repeat itself again. By commemorating the memories of the lives lost, we remind ourselves on that day of the horrors that have occurred. The next article that we read through came from Samantha Clarizio and was named, "Pilgrimage to Aushwitz". This newspaper article is also recent, but was published and written in German. The article showed how now, young Israelite adolescents go on school trips to former concentration camps such as Aushwitz to become educated about the subject. I find that this is important. By doing so, they may come to appreciate their freedom to practice their religion more. The article goes on to say how a group of both Jewish people and Germans who are uncomfortable with bringing horrible memories up so often. Again, we are shown how many people can react differently. The last article that we discussed was the one that I had brought in. It was called, "Urge Jews To Take Force". The time setting is very much different from the first two. It was written in 1939 by "The Daily Colonist Newspaper". Here, we noted that the year is very close to when the war started. Also, "colonist" can be referring to when Canada was still a British colony. As we read on, we found out that we were correct. The article is about how in Palestine, Jewish people are going against the British monarchy for independence. This shows us that not every single Jewish person during that time was taken as victim. In Palestine, they are even strong enough to rebel. These three articles are from different resources and different times. Unsurprisingly, it gave us all a different point of view. I find that this was a very interesting experiment. Journalism is not only formal facts laid down but thoughts and opinions that come from normal people that have a bias and position on whatever the subject is. Reading these articles, we can understand more clearly about others and the on goings of their daily life.
Informational text such as the newspaper articles that everyone has read and shared with their groups offer quite an array of perspectives. These article shed light on perspectives that may of us have failed to examine. Mary-Ann correctly states, "Journalism is not only formal facts laid down but thoughts and opinions that come from normal people that have a bias and position on whatever the subject is. Reading these articles, we can understand more clearly about others and the on goings of their daily life." Zachary presents insight on "how the Germans see the atrocities today, marking the occasion with a moment of silence." This article makes us stop to consider how Germans treat the Holocaust today. Megan discuss the article about the 70 year old artist who belonged to the Lithuanian Auxiliary Police, sponsored by the Nazis". He was denied access into the USA. Megan correctly says, "This story really makes me think about how now in 2012 we are still facing the consequences of the single story and how Jurgis easily could have been one of the people that did not fit it." These are just a few of the different perspectives offer through journalistic writings. I hope we understand that we must see ourselves as belonging to one race: the human race. And I hope that these articles shed light and destroy any single story that exists in our minds about the Germans and the Jewish people.
Journalism can help shape our view of German and Jewish culture in a number of ways. In my group, three people read news articles from around the world about the holocaust, and they offered three very interesting perspectives.
ReplyDeleteThe first story, which I brought in, was called “world marks holocaust remembrance day”, and it was about just that; how different countries, both from the side of the victims and from the Nazi members, commemorated the anniversary of the end of the holocaust. The perspective was of the CP24 Canadian news journalists. Most notably, there was insight on how the Germans see the atrocities today, marking the occasion with a moment of science. I was happy to see that Germany sees the evil that was done and the need to remember what happened. A Jewish perspective was also given by telling the story of a man who had been a Jew in Poland at the time, and before he died ran the holocaust memorial museum in Warsaw.
The second story, talked about by Samantha, was a German article called “Pilgrimage to Auschwitz”. In it, a German reporter offered insight about his own visit to Auschwitz, and how he felt about the place. This showed again that Germans regretted the actions of their countrymen. The article also described how Jews, mainly Israelite children, were being brought in to visit Auschwitz as a means of learning history. This is exemplary of how holocaust remembrance has become a large part of the Jewish religion itself.
The last story was brought in by Mary-Ann, entitled “Urge Jews to Take Force”. As something of a departure from the last two articles, this 1939 newspaper scanning is from a British perspective, as related to a Canadian perspective to talk about Jewish rebellions from Britain in Palestine. We are shown that not every Jew near Europe would have been in such an unfortunate position, some with enough power to even rebel against their government (even if their government wasn’t British). So, the reader might think that the holocaust was not as widespread as initially believed.
So, assorted journalism can give any number of perspectives on subjects like the holocaust, and there is always more to learn from them.
In my personal oppinnion, I think that journalism shapes our understanding of Jewish/German cultures depending on two factors: who wrote the article and the time it was writtin in. For edample, if an article about the Holocaust was written in 1944 after WWII by a German, it might praise the Germans for preforming the Holocaust because of what ever reason Hitler gave them. If the article was written by Jewish person at the time of the Holocaust, they would slam the Germans for the past cruel and inhumane years that were bestowed on the Jews.
ReplyDeleteSomething like Michelle's Article tells the reader about how there was suicide among the Jews outside the concentration camp in the year 1939. It wwasn't an oppinionated article wich means it was written by a person who was not German or Jewish, so they didn't really know what was going o at the time.
Something like the article Caroline wrote was written by a German. it described the jewsih laws that were created on merchandise, before the concentration camps. This article was not oppinionated as well. However both these articles were just giving the facts. It wasn't pointing the finger at anyone, just facts.
However, something like Samantha's story was more of a biased article. Although it was an add for a seminare, it described that the speaker was telling the hateful stories of her times in the concentration camps after she was kidnapped by Hitler. One thing in the article I noticed was the single story. The exact words "captured by Hitler" rang loud and clear through my mind. After all this time people still believeit was only Hitler to blame. Wedon't know what the actual story was, and that was the point of the aticle. it was written by a Jewish person to make it seem like Hitler was the worst man there is. I'm not saying that they were lying and that Hitler was a good soul with poor judgement, he was a bad uy after all, but the story was incomplete. Hitler wasn't the only one responsiblefor the Holocaust, probably at least two other people were as well.
In conclusion, I believe if you are reading the whole story, written by an unbiased inividual, that it will shae my knowledge of the Holocaust in a more positve manner.
“Around the Nation; 70 Year Old Floridian Accused of War Crimes” –October 27th 1981
ReplyDeleteIt was about Jurgis Juodis, a 70 year old artist, who was being stripped of his American citizenship because he was accused of lying when he had entered the US 32 years ago. Information had been recently made available by the Soviet Union that he belonged to the Lithuanian Auxiliary Police, sponsored by the Nazis. This point of view is mainly against the Germans and how the American government did not want anyone who was associated with this group to live in their country. This makes me wonder, why this man, would lie about being part of this police force. Was it simply a strategic plan to get into the US because he knew if he told the truth he would never get in? OR. Was it because he wanted to start over after being put into a situation, the Holocaust, he did not want to be in or agree with? This story really makes me think about how now in 2012 we are still facing the consequences of the single story and how Jurgis easily could have been one of the people that did not fit it.
“Agent Says 6 Nazis Planned ‘Week of Terror’” – September 16th 1981.
It was about a federal undercover agent who testified that 6 avowed Nazis, on trial for conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, planned to blow up different areas. The conspiracy was based on the result if 6 members of the American Nazi Party & Ku Klux Kan in Greensboro were convicted in the 1979 slayings of 5 Communist protestors. The defendants were acquitted and no bombings occurred. This point of view is mainly against the Germans, since it is an American newspaper. However, this article makes me wonder if these 6 avowed Nazis really did threaten to commit these acts or if it was someone else did, but since they had background in this horribly influential group, this undercover agent knew it would be easy to pin the crime on them.
“Archives on a 20th Century Diaspora Are Being Put Online” – March 2nd 2012.
It was about how Jewish archives are being put in museums and online and how the descendants of these Jews are fighting to obtain possession for these found items. Over 500 000 names of victims and 100 000 photos were gathered. Over $330 million is being spent to restore the affected countries of the Holocaust. This point of view is mainly on the Jewish side and how these descendants would like to have what is left of their family members after losing them in the tragic events of the past. Personally, I agree with how these Jewish descendants are acting. I can not begin to understand what they must be going through because I have never really had to suffer the death of a close family member, or for that matter most of my whole family, in a horrible, inhumane way. Either way though, if somewhere in a museum some of their belongings were in a case for all to see, I think I would want to keep these belongings so these people and their belongings can be cherished and remembered for generations to come.
“Holocaust Survivors” – May 2nd 1995.
It was about how many holocaust survivors, after 50 years, still cannot forget the incomprehensible terror they endured and how these memories are invading their dreams and lives. But how “Those who lived to tell of the cruelty and slaughter of the camps have a message the world must hear and honor” and that we must not forget these horrible actions of the past so that they do not resurface and reoccur in the future. This point of view is mainly on the Jewish side but also reflects the rest of the world that finally is acknowledging what happened. This idea really haunts me because I could hardly begin to imagine what it must be like; the happiness and overwhelming joy of surviving but the haunting terror of what happened affecting you everyday. It just makes me understand even more how much these Jews suffered, not just physically during the Holocaust but even after it was all over.
These four articles were from the New York Times.
In our class discussion, we shared our articles and spoke about the differences in Jewish and German cultures during the holocaust using a different form of media- a newspaper. My group mates shared their articles that were from the past and the present.
ReplyDeleteThe first article we examined belonged to Michele and it was called Wholesale Arrest, suicides and Prison Camps Adding to Terror of Armed Occupation. It was an article from the late 1930’s about some of the Jews in the ghetto committing suicide because they would rather kill themselves than die in camps. Our group established that the article was probably either written by someone who was not German or a German who didn’t meet the typical stereotype of a German and felt what the Nazis were doing was repulsive.
Next we looked at Samantha’s article that was called Refugee from Hitler Speaks and it was also written during the time of the holocaust. It was telling the reader that there would be a presentation where a Jew from the concentration camp would come and speak about her experience there. Again we determined that someone who hated Jews did probably not write this piece.
Lastly our group listened to Kayla read her article that was written quite recently. It was called Dr. Tina Strobos Dies at 91. It was reporting that a woman who helped hide the Jews from the Nazi soldiers had died at the age of 91. The article told about her life, her achievements and how she died a hero. Its people like Dr. Strobos and Oskar Schindler who gave the Jews hope in the terrible point in history and people like these should be remember forever.
These three pieces of writing help me to understand Jewish and German cultures even more than I had before. I’d had never realized that Jews committed suicide and I never knew who Tina Strobos was and what she did for the Jews. The newspaper is one of the best ways to learn more about a topic and I’m glad we had this wonderful learning experience.
I thought that journalism was an interesting lens to examine the Holocaust through because it allowed me to understand that everybody had a different bias and the most powerful people were the ones who got their bias published. Erica brought in an article entitled “Architect of the Holocaust Sentenced to Death” which I thought was very interesting. It was written in 1961, in an Israeli newspaper and was very strongly biased against the Germans. The article focused on the capture and subsequent trial and execution of Adolf Eichmann; a high ranking SS officer. I thought that this headline really showcased the power of headlines because it was very eye-catching and created several questions in the readers mind. I was curious about it because I wanted to know why people were still killing Nazis sixteen years after the Holocaust ended. I think that a bold and interesting headline is vital when trying to attract readers.
ReplyDeleteThe other article which I would like to talk about was about a memorial in Athens to commemorate the Holocaust and it’s Greek victims. One thing that really struck me about the article was the fact that it talked about how modern day Neo-Nazis has been fire-bombing Jewish synagogues and had been found innocent. I found that this article was extremely biased from a Jewish perspective, as it only interviewed Jews about the issue and not the Neo Nazis. However, I think that the author was justified in doing so. This issue was extremely sensitive and to give these modern day Nazis an opportunity to spread their psychotic ideology seems absurd to me. I know that it sounds as if I too am biased but I believe that although some Germans were not the monsters we have been led to believe in, many of them still were and for people to want to continue the ideologies that led to the death of millions is appalling and pathetic.
One of the most interesting things that I observed from my readings was that all the articles had a very pro-Jewish, anti-German outlook. I think it is very interesting that almost all newspapers from after World War 2 follow this trend. To me, it is a great example of how the single story infiltrates people’s minds. Even in one article which was about the arrest and deportation of Jews, there was no mention of any Germans working to stop it. The media seems to be trying to lead us to view events from a one-sided point of view and to ignore the other sides.
In any case, no matter what the topic, journalism can shape your perspective; it may even cause you to completely change your perspective on a specific topic. Journalism in most cases takes a specific point of view, meaning the writer will be writing with biased opinion, well their own opinion. For example in the case of the Holocaust, if the writer was a German fascist he would write about the Holocaust in a positive way while a Jewish person or a German who was against what his people were doing would write about it in a negative way.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the Jewish and German culture, the journalistic articles that I read have shaped and broadened by knowledge. While reading the article, “Holocaust Survivor” written on May 2nd 1995, I realized that the Holocaust not only affected the Jewish people who actually witnessed and were a part of the Holocaust but also their descendents. All these people now have to live with the thought in the back of their mind reminding them of what happened to their Jewish ancestors. It is impossible for someone to forget such a horrible thing like this and this deems true for Lily Margules and Stella Kolin—both Holocaust survivors. Lily still hears the dogs barking in the night and German soldiers shouting “dirty Jew” while Stella dreams she is still escaping from Nazi Germans with her children by her side. I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult it must be living with these haunting memories each day of their lives. The closest comparison to my own life (which is still far off) is through the dream that I mentioned in post # 10. This dream frightened me very much and even though it occurred a couple days ago, the “memories” continue to play through my mind. Although such events and memories are horrible to think about, we must not forget about these events for fear that they may occur again. Like author John Boyne in the novel “The boy in the striped Pajamas” states, “These fences exist all around the world; we hope that you never have to face one.” Boyne recognizes that these event or ‘fences’ do still exist and hopes that no one will ever have to encounter one if we remember and learn about the past, in this case the Holocaust.
After reading another article from the New York Times, called “Around the Nation: 70 year-old Floridian Accused of War Crimes” writing in October of 1981, I was left to ponder my thoughts. This article was about a man who many years later was accused of being a part of war crimes and lying to get into the United States 32 years earlier. The 70-year-old when immigrating to the United States stated that he was a painter in his home country of Lithuania but the government now discovered that he was a part of a police sponsored by the Nazi government. This article makes me wonder if it is just that this man be accused of these crimes after so many years. With the article being written from more of a Jewish point of view, it persuades you to believe that this man is being tried justly. In my opinion, I do agree with the article, he should be punished even if it was many years ago. Because of the mistakes he made many, years ago there is still a countless amount of people suffering loss still. Not only are these people suffering loss but there are also MORE THAN 6 MILLION people dead because of what he took a part of.
I think that journalism is another great form of literature that helps us to view and understand the theme of the Holocaust in yet another light. Newspaper articles, although they are all the same genre, are all so different because there are so many variables and factors – who wrote it, when it was written, what its purpose was, who its intended audience was, and what it was about – that influence the writing. Although this can be said about the majority of genres of literature, journalism is one where you can actually look at many different stories because they are generally short, which allows you to see and hear many sides and opinions, unlike with movies or novels, for example, which are longer and do not allow for as many different viewings and therefore reveal fewer sides to the story.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to Jewish and German cultures, I think that journalism sheds light on them both, in different ways depending on the author. Articles often present new ideas and offer new perspectives. One of the articles my group read was titled, “Mengele’s Children: The Twins of Auschwitz”, and it was about Josef Mengele, a notorious doctor who performed gruesome experiments on twins. The point of view of the article was not extremely clear because it simply stated facts. However, it definitely portrayed the Jews as guinea pigs, powerless against the superiority of the Germans and their cruel and merciless ways. I found the article interesting because it described another rather specific form of “punishment” and cruelty that we haven’t really seen before.
Another article that my group read was called, “Today’s Letters: Courage, Past and Present”. This article began with the following quote: “For an act to be courageous, as distinct from reckless, or stubborn, or obstinate, the risks must be reasonable in relation to the goal, and the goal itself soundly appraised.” It then went on to discuss the thoughts of some people who were saved by strangers who hid them in their homes, all in relation to the quote. Although no specific cultures were named (as in the people who saved the Jews), the article still brought to mind Oskar Schindler, and overall held the point of view that not all people were totally cold-hearted, cruel, or indifferent; there were people who cared, cared enough to risk their own lives to save the lives of complete strangers.
The final article that my group read and discussed was, “In the Sewers with ‘In Darkness’”. This article was about the movie “In Darkness” (which is based on a true story where, for 14 months, a Polish sewer worker protected a group of Jews in the sewers in the city of Lvov) and included an interview with the director, Agnieszka Holland. In the interview, she talked about how the two cultures were portrayed in the film. From the German perspective, they were shown as people who were not always terrible and who could act in good ways even in bad circumstances (this is very similar to how they were portrayed in the film “Schindler’s List”). The interview discussed how the movie did not follow the single story. In regards to the Jews, they were shown not as one-dimensional or in a negative/critical light; rather, they were shown as real humans who experienced real emotions, from anger and weakness to generosity and love.
Journalism can help shape your perspective of both sides of the story. By having articles during the time of the Holocaust you observe perspectives of the German’s and perhaps read about how powerful and proud they were to be in control of the concentration camps. If you were to read a newspaper published by a Jewish perspective you would read something different. In addition, the third side would be the outcome of all the madness from World War II when a paper is published much later since the actual Holocaust took place. Which will more than likely be of a neutral attitude to both cultures but signify a gut dropping reminder that what had happen should never be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteThe first article was titled “Aftermath” which was collected by David. The article was written recently. Since it was written in present day it was in a neutral perspective. Before we began reading, predictions had come to mind. The title already spoke for itself, it explained about the tragedies of the Holocaust and how both the German’s and Jew’s suffered and felt about what had happened in these dark days. It talked about how the Holocaust had affected the world as a whole and the outcomes of the event. In truth, it informed us as the readers nothing that we weren’t aware of. In the end, it did remind us of the damages done and not to be repeated.
The second article was titled “Dr. Tina Strobos, Who Harbored Jews from the Nazis, Dies At 91” was collected by myself. The article was published by the New York Times on February 29, 2012. The article was about how a German medic living in Amsterdam, Holland was able to hide over 100 Jews from their deaths. She was exposed to this at a young age when her parents hid German and Austrian refugees during World War I. She had built a sanctuary with her mother in their three story home which had secret compartment rooms where the Jews would be kept safe. She was recognized by Anti-Holocaust groups like Yad Vashem, which listed her with other people who had saved Jews as Righteous Among the Nations. She had just died recently at the age of 91 and is remembered for her heroic actions. I thought this article was really interesting and showed me that Oskar Schindler truly wasn’t the only one trying to make a difference and risk his life to help the Jews. The article backed up the point of the other side of the German’s story, being that not all German’s were evil people. It proved to me that this other side of the story was true along with the stereotypical side ; that they were bad people. By acknowledging this I think I accomplished something we need to grasp during this unit, truly believing and seeing that both sides of the story lead up to the truth and now I can honestly say I see both sides of the story clearly now. Also, by recognizing what Dr. Strobos and her family did it brings to mind that there were probably many people following the torch barer being Schindler and put strong efforts and laid everything on the table to save not a Jew but a human being.
Journalism is a very important tool in today’s society and in the past as well. Journalism is a way that everyday people can get their opinions out into the world. It is a very useful part to the way our world works. Through journalism and newspapers and books, we can learn what different people are thinking. From the editorials in the newspaper to a novel, there are opinions in all of theses works of literature. However, the problem with journalism is that it can be easily manipulated and biased. For example, a newspaper that is Liberal would not have a pro-Conservative paper written in it. This is what happened during the Holocaust, Hitler took control over the newspapers and all propaganda in Germany and all the other countries that he controlled. He made sure that sent out a pro-Nazi message and anti-Jew messages. It would not be easy to learn about the German or Jewish cultures through their journalism and newspapers because it was all controlled by Hitler and his propaganda minister. By looking at North American or European journalism we still see headlines that are all anti-Nazi because it would have been extremely provocative to come out right after the Holocaust and write a paper on how it was right. All the point-of-views in the articles would be against the Nazi’s and Hitler’s ideas and actions.
ReplyDeleteWhat we can learn from the journalism is what some of the Jewish people went through. Many articles were about the problems that thousands of Jewish people went through to escape death and to only be caught in the end. Many Holocaust survivors wrote pieces in newspapers after WWII was won. From these we can learn how terrible the situations were that they faced in Nazi Europe.
Headlines play major roles in getting messages across and getting people’s attention. If it is black and white, small print and long, chances are that no one will be interested enough to read it, let alone see it. If the headlines are large and exciting and are thought provoking, more people will be attracted to it. Also, if the headline is a good one and it is captivating, people will start reading the article with a positive outlook on the article. Meaning they are more likely to like it. For the headline to attract people it must be visible, interesting and thought provoking. Also, headlines tell you what the article is about, so if you don’t like what the headline says, most people assume that they will not enjoy the article as well. If the article’s headline is “finally, Germany surrenders” then people would assume that the article is about how happy the writer is that Germany has given up their efforts in the war. You need a good headline for the article to be read or even considered.
My article was about how the American media did not give the Holocaust enough attention. If the media had given the Holocaust and WWII as much attention as it did to Justin Bieber’s new haircut or Taylor Swift’s new boyfriend, then people would have been more aware of the situation and the war may have gone differently.
Matthew’s article was about a doctor who treated the injured at a concentration camp. He never thought that he would be reunited with the people he treated and the things he did but he was added into a war series in the newspaper. This is the power of journalism. The doctor got to tell his story and meet up with his old life. This is another example of how journalism can give us an insight into culture.
Ryan’s article was about how a lady who harbored Jewish people in her house in Amsterdam died at 91. This gives us an insight into the life of this lady who went out of her way to help others even though it meant putting herself at risk. This also helps to eliminate the single story that everyone has of people in Germany and Europe during the war.
Going into this genre of literature, I had this very big idea that all news articles written during the holocaust were biased in every way. I thought that if they were written by a German, it would be like reading a Team Nazi article and same with an article written by a Jew. But,I was wrong because not all of the articles we read as a group were like this. My article talked about Jews committing suicide in the late 1930's. This came off as a total shock to me, but then as we discussed it further, we established that these Jews probably felt that they didn't want someone to take their lives, so they took them themselves. Next, I read Caroline's article which was about laws that were coming about, that regulated the selling of goods for Jewish retailers. We couldn't decide whether this was being biased, only because it was basically just stating facts. Samantha Cesario's article was about Jewish Escapees talking about their lives in the holocaust. We didn't think this one was written by a German, only because, they would probably want to put these people back in the camps instead of allowing them to live as refuges. Lastly, Kayla's article was about a woman who recently passed away. This woman hid Jews during the holocaust, just like Oskar Schindler. It was a touching article and it shows us that there were good people during this time doing whatever they could to help the Jews.
ReplyDeleteSo, not every newspaper article published during this era was written as if they were siding with a team. This really opened my mind to see that I was once again proven wrong of my preconceived thoughts of these articles.
Journalism brings a different perspective to other views. It often shows us the most gruesome or intriguing details of something. It can be biased, depending on the author, and it certainly has many views. When we find a good author, we might be swayed to their point of view.
ReplyDeleteThe first article my group talked about was called “Mengele’s Children: the Twins of Auschwitz.” This article described how twins, often children, were collected after arriving at Auschwitz and the medical experiments performed on them. It had eyewitness accounts from these children. One that stuck out in my mind was “They had taken my mother, my father, my two older brothers, and now my twin.” I think that this showed how the children, in the concentration camps, weren’t oblivious to where their families were. The title was “Mengele’s Children,” which brought to my mind that these were the children used for medical experimentation. Mengele was nicknamed the “angel of death” because of the amount of Jews he killed for experimentation, so an initial thought was that the majority of the twins perished.
This article didn’t have a point of view from German, or Jew. They point of view was really from a person who was speaking against medical experimentation. It was also from a point of view of an outsider, looking into the little segregated world that was Auschwitz. It also showed how this outsider heard the descriptions of what had happened from the prisoners themselves.
The second article my group read was titled “Today’s Letters: Courage Past and Present.” This article had two editorials about the meaning of courage, from the mouth of a holocaust survivor and a reporter. The title is self-explanatory. It is two accounts, one of past courage, in the holocaust, and one of modern courage. The second writer says how the “police and court agents” who deal with criminals everyday, have courage that goes unrecognized. I found this an interesting view, which certainly makes sense. Ordinary people with ordinary lives going to face killers and rapists almost daily. The Jews in the holocaust had to deal with killers every waking minute that they were in the camps. Who decides that one is more courageous than the other?
“Recognition of a nun who saved Jews during the Holocaust reflects progress in Catholic-Jewish Relations.” This was the title of the article I chose. This article was written from a Jewish perspective. It describes the Nazi’s as anti-Semites, who were not human. “Religion wasn’t a consideration in their warped racist theories; for them she was no different from all their other Jewish victims.” This quote is describing the nun in the title. The Nazis didn’t look at the person as a person; they looked at them as part of a group. They viewed them through the single story.
The author’s stand point on their topic, the date, time and how they present their information, are all reasons why newspaper articles differ form the different types of media that we have explored throughout this unit. Journalism helps portray different matters in diverse ways, each through various points of view that come from different authors. Through these points of view, we are able to banish the single story; because now, this event such as the Holocaust is being presented by the different writers, yet they display them in such a way that perhaps contradicts another. This way we can become acquainted with all the sides of this story, good and bad.
ReplyDeleteThe article that I would like to focus that my group read was about a notorious “doctor” of the Holocaust and his fascination with achieving the Aryan race by fooling genetics. That article titled “Mengele’s children: The Twins of Auschwitz”, was the gruesome factual account of the lives of the twins that were deported to Auschwitz. The writer did not seem to have a point of view when relaying the information and it was more like she just presented the information and it was up to the reader to form an opinion about the topic.
The headline was the most interesting thing that first caught my attention; it proclaimed the twins as Mengele’s children. Throughout the article I got the sense that these children really had no idea that it was him that was behind all their suffering; they even called him ‘Uncle Mengele’. However, after reading the article I felt that they were not his children but his lab rats, or his human guinea pigs; the way he treated them he did not deserve to be the “father” of anyone of those twins. He had no respect for them as human beings he used to discover the secrets of genetics, torturing them endless with countless experiments that tried to achieve an Aryan look, for the future.
In summation, I like the way that Journalism presents different events, because one can see countless perspectives of the same topic, yet each relayed in a unique way so that one can learn something new every time.
Personally, I felt that that the journalism aspect of our Holocaust unit was the least effective medium we analyzed. It requires a thorough understanding of the time period and events that took place to get a significant impact from reading the article; and even so, reading articles from the 40s in today’s world is so much more difficult to grasp than a modern day movie, novel or documentary. Despite the fact that I’ve been firmly grasping the previous accounts we saw, read and heard, I found that the newspaper articles were totally different. The four articles in my group (with Caroline, Michele, and Kayla) were in fact easy to understand—we were able to pinpoint the perspective of the journalist, and roughly determine the main message for each--however, we found it difficult to relate it all back to what we were learning in class. For example, the article I found had an interesting title: “Refugee from Hitler Speaks”. After going through this article, I have to say I was disappointed. It was simply a notice for a seminar of one Jew among many, which escaped a concentration camp; the time, location, and other brief details were given. I’m sure this article would have been interesting to people reading it as a front page article in their daily newspaper, but I was just left with questions: How did this Jewish woman escape? Was it her choice to share her experiences? and especially, What is she going to talk about? The article may have given me a taste of the culture back then, but I can certainly say my knowledge of the German and Jewish cultures did not grow.
ReplyDeleteReading and discussing about the newspapers on the Holocaust we are supposed to try to understand both sides of the story. But strange thing is my group, like all other groups, did not have many articles coming from the German/ Nazi-side, so with that we become biased. My group had an article from Greece, one that was international, and one that took place in the United States of America, but all of them were from the Jewish point of view. The winners really are the ones who write history. I did not really come to a true understanding of the German culture, because all I learned were the cruel and unfortunate things they did. And the Jews, we only learned that they were prosecuted and that it was a tragedy and that many people died and we should mourn for all of their lives. Our first article was about Greece. It talked about how a monument was finally erected in Athens. It was made in a garden and represented the star of Zion as well that it pointed out places where Jews were held against their will. It represents that the whole group, even though they lost so many, they still stood strong and stayed united. Our second article was about how a high-ranked Nazi soldier was finally found and captured and killed, by the Israeli Mossad. They talked about the political problems they ran into and how they successfully found him and killed him for violations again humans. Our last story was talking about a woman who wrote a story talking about how there were not enough story talking about the Holocaust. She talks about how the community was not being informed and not enough news was being told about the misfortunate events that took place in eastern Europe. As you can tell, these stories do not shine any light on what the Germans were thinking or what they were being told, it only showed us the victims of the war and what they went through and how it affects our lives today.
ReplyDelete*PLEASE READ*
I am please asking for everyone to watch this video I will be giving you a link to. Please, I am begging you. It is about Joseph Kony, the number one international criminal. He is the leader of the rebel group LRA, Lord’s Resistance Army, in Uganda. He is the man who is taking children away from families, making them child soldiers. With this video it talks about how during 2012 the group “Invisible Children” are trying to make Kony famous, not to praise him but to let everyone know his crimes. “Invisible Children” is trying to inform everyone. Sir, you were talking about how the Holocaust was so horrible, because we, as humans were complacent and did nothing to help. With this I am trying not to be. I am trying to inform you and my fellow peers. So please take thirty minutes and watch this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc
*PLEASE READ*
When I first began to search the internet for news articles pertaining to the Holocaust events of World War II, I was not sure what I would find – recent articles, older publications, horrid reports or sugar coated information. But soon enough I stumbled upon an interesting article published by the New York Times in 2005; looking back at the Holocaust years, Robert Leiter writes this article in defence of the Times as it is dishonoured by the book “Buried by the Times” written by Laurel Leff. Subsequently, the striking question asked whether or not the Times responsibly informed Americans of the treacheries occurring throughout Europe, seeking to justify the truth, Leff writes in her book that the Times failed. She puts forth arguments regarding the minuscule number of published articles concerning the War and confronts the Times on its placement of these already few publications. Evidently, there was a great lack of circulating information during the years of the Holocaust and even the most impacting newspapers were not willing to highlight on the mass murders on Germany’s behalf. Thus far, my understanding of this miscommunication across seas has taken form, but I now know that others are speaking up about this issue and demanding answers from the most trusted newspapers. Why were hundreds of minor issues given a spotlight when the real dilemmas were buried in the back pages? As this article subsided in my mind, it began to make more sense to me – Americans really were not aware of the Holocaust as it happened! The Times argues back against this, however, with Leiter stating, “The publisher, Arthur Hays Sulzberger... like many other Jews of the period, he had a troubled relationship with his Jewishness and was outspoken in his opposition to Zionism. All this led him to make unfortunate journalistic decisions.” Much of my questioning regarding the remainder of the world during these years is put at rest as I dove into this article and recognized the truth. I now know that it isn’t fair for me to point a finger at Canada or America at this time, for their knowing was kept from the Europe’s horrors and they were kept in the dark about the truth. What I continue to wonder, nevertheless, is how history would have played out differently if the entire world was completely aware of the Holocaust as it happened.
ReplyDeleteThe classmates with whom I conversed on the subject of their articles each had enlightening sources to share with me. Erica’s article about the capturing of a German architect during the War showed me that many people who partook in unjust ways were rightfully captured and even killed. Thomas’s newspaper publication on Greece’s Holocaust memorial gave me hope that nothing like this will ever reoccur, because as each country remembers its past loss, it also insures that nothing of that sort will ever be allowed to happen again. Commemorations also teach people to be more aware of our surrounding word, so that we do not become clueless bystanders. Finally, Kyle’s article pertaining the post-war proposal to initiate a Jewish state in Canada raised the point of Jewish people having had no land to call their own before the war, allowing me to understand why they were easier targets for the Germans. Overall, I attained a great deal through newspaper articles written about the Holocaust as I’ve been exposed to yet another crucial source on my way to eliminating the single story.
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ReplyDeleteJournalism is a very interesting way to view the different cultures. Throughout history, it has shaped the way we view some cultures. I believe that things like newspapers can have a huge impact on people because they are very biased and the articles are made to persuade the audience. One of the articles that my group discussed was one called “Mengele’s Children – The Twins of Auschwitz.” The headline made me think a lot about the article, before we had even read it. The headline did strike a little worry into me because it made me think that the article was about another terror that came from the Holocaust.
ReplyDeleteThe article discussed Josef Mengele, a doctor who would take Jewish twins and experiment on them. The article didn’t show much for the German side of the story, but it did explain the Jewish side. The entire article showed the hardships that the Jewish twins faced. If I had no previous knowledge of this topic, I’d think that the Jewish people all had sad stories like this, and that the Germans were all cruel. But one thing that stuck out to me from the article. One part said that Mengele presence did not necessarily strike fear into the children. It said that he was kind to them, and that they referred to him as “Uncle Mengele.” This is another side of the story of the Germans. Although he did harm, even kill them, he was still kind to them. They were treated better then the rest of the camp, even were allowed to play soccer. So although most of them lost their lives in a very malicious way, he still treated them kindly.
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ReplyDeleteThe thing about journalism that I often fail to recognize is the fact that the articles are always bias, intentionally and unintentionally so. I know they are bias because an article is oftentimes written by a single person, one with their own opinions, yet as I read articles, especially those from one newspaper or source, I forget this. For example, when I read the ‘Toronto Star’ each morning I accept the views presented simply because they are in the newspaper so I immediately believe they should be credible; the operative word being ‘should’. I think I also take everything written at face-value because the newspaper is Canadian, so I automatically believe that Canadians are too respectful to take advantage of the power of publishing in a newspaper; I believe any bias there is unintentional. It is a little presumptuous of me, but what can I say…I’m biased. Then I think of journalism in relation to the Holocaust and I see how powerful of a tool it was. If an obscure author in the Toronto Star clearly recalls the facts of the Rafferty trial and can still manage to persuade me into a certain mind frame, simply by word choice, I can only imagine what newspapers were like during and after the Nazi regime. In fact in the diary entry I read, David (the author) records the writing of an advertisement, obviously against the Jews. It was a simple, rhyming paragraph. I couldn’t help but think of how easy they made it to remember, like the innocent McDonald’s jingle, so that people would not forget the words, even of they didn’t understand the meaning. Obviously during the war the Germans didn’t write “we decided to kill off a whole race, we are sending them to death camps, every day we murder and burn thousands of Jews” in their newspapers; although that was what they were doing. No, they put it in a connotation that seemed reasonable, even beneficial, and probably didn’t use words like “murder”. This is the exact opposite of the articles we read in class. Each one was very strongly anti-German, keep in mind this is after the war ended and the truth was out. The article I found was from 1961, relatively close to the end of the war. It spoke of the capture and murder of Adolf Eichmann, a brutal and efficient SS officer. In fact, he was illegally taken from Argentina (the country he was hiding in) and taken to Israel where he was put on trial by a bunch of Jews. They ended up hanging him and, get this, burning his body into ashes. Despite the article’s string conviction of the guilt and evilness of this man, I didn’t need much convincing. Then I think of Thomas’ article, more recently written in 2010, and cannot help but realize the same view consisted there. Over 60 years after the Holocaust and Athens just finished its memorial to the Greek-Jews lost in the Holocaust. It gave some shocking statistics and referred to the monument as a “catalyst of memory”. Jews throughout the article commented on the sorrow they felt and the healing process that continues to this day.
ReplyDeleteActually, all the articles we read were all from the Jewish perspective. Consequently, the Germans were painted negatively, as the merciless murderers we ignorantly label them as. These articles are the exact opposite of the German-favoured journalism being written during the war. The fervor at which these “Jewish articles” have been printed in the decades following the Holocaust can only be matched by the urgency with which the “German articles” were printed during WW II. Not that these Jews don’t have the right, but it seems that many of these articles—the “Jewish-biased” ones—are so solid in there categorization of the Germans. I believe this is due to the media taking the truth of the concentration camps and making that the sole focus of the Holocaust, when regarding the Germans. This is not only unfair, but partially untrue, for most survivors were saved by German officers, by men like Schindler, not only killed by them. One thing’s certain, regardless of who’s writing what about whom, journalism is extremely powerful, dangerously so. As readers, we can never forget to remember who is telling the story and, most importantly, why they are telling it. Sometimes it can be the difference between a life and death. Or six million.
ReplyDeleteJournalism helps shape our understanding of German and Jewish cultures in a variety of ways. First off, journalism is a form of literature in which someone records personal thoughts and comments on a specific matter, and documents it. Looking at different articles written gives you a brief understanding as to which there is no SINGLE story. We had the stereotype in our heads thinking that all German's were evil and murderers, and that Jew's were helpless victims and were executed for not having common beliefs. But, our thoughts change because by looking at what different people say about the matter, you get a grasp in reality and think to yourself, "Well maybe.." German cultures were not the same at all. Sure, the German race was the same but beliefs were not. Each individual has a mind of their very own and by stereotyping cultures, we are becoming liars to our own selves and that is never what God wanted or intended.
ReplyDeleteRecently in class, we were instructed to find four articles regarding the holocaust that can be in any time period. I shared my story, along with my fellow peers Veronica Cesario, Chiara Canaletti and Megan Zanette. Our articles all regarded different things, but somehow all were related in a way. Of course, the tragic accident involving the Germans and Jews is what it revolved around.
#1 'Around the Nation; 70 year old Floridian Accused of War Crimes. ' Written October 27, 1981.
- This article was about a man named Jurhis Juodis who was a 70 year old painter. He had been stripped of his American citizenship because he was accused of lying many years ago when he entered the United States. This made me think about how to Jews were affected by the Germans. Millions of Jews were stripped of their dignity and humanity, and taken from their homes, separated from their families just to be taken away by SS officers to pretty much be killed. Now that an 'ex-nazi' is being faced with these problems, it should make him stop and think that this is how they made Jews feel so long ago, and worse. Humiliated, betrayed, worried, angry, sorrow, and the list goes on.
#2 'Holocaust Survivors' Written May 2, 1995
-This article was based on the known survivors of the devastating Holocaust that terrorized millions. After decades, the survivors that were interviewed and gathered still cannot forget about the tragic whirlwind of events that happened so long ago. They remember through dreams and everyday situations. They are faced with guilt and pain that they survived and those so close to then were killed. It's so sad to hear a story like this, but also very interesting to hear as well. People that suffered through that time period are luckily alive today and are able to tell their tale. It helps us understand exactly what happened, and by the way they explain it in detail, illustrates a picture in our minds. We imagine that we are them, and as they speak, we are guided through with their voice.
#3 "Agent says 6 Nazi's Planned 'Week of Terror'" Written September 16th, 1981.
ReplyDelete-This article was written from a federal agents findings and commentary on the matter. He testified that 6 Nazi's were planning to commits terrorist acts and wanted to bomb areas around the globe. In the end, no bombings occurred. The only thing that comes to my mind when thinking about this is that, was it really the 6 Nazi's that threatened to commit these acts, or was it someone else taking their place? You never know because accusations were never proven.
#4 'Archives on a 20th Century Diaspora are being put Online" Written March 2, 2012
-This article was about all known archives from the Holocaust time period that were either saved or found. They have been put in museums and now are taking it a step further and are being put online. The descendants of the Jew's who's archives are being used are fighting for them back. Over 500 000 names of victims were found, and 100 000 photos were compiled. An estimated $330 million is being spent to restore countries that were affected by the Holocaust, and to help with research. My point of view regarding the article is that the descendants of these Jew's who's archives were found and are now being used, should be given to the rightful owners/family members. It sounds only fair to do that because it is the only memories they have from their generations. Museums and the people in charge of collecting these items should put themselves in these peoples shoes and understand that these are not only pictures and facts, but this is their family. This is information and important belongings that belonged to their family, and should rightfully be given to them.
All four articles were published in the New York Times.
Journalism is something that definitely helps us better understand Jewish and German culture and the Holocaust. From articles written in the past and present, new and interesting viewpoints are expressed each time! There are literally hundreds of ways to view one topic with the power of journalism. Each article that is shared, is very unique. There are many different ones, describing many different events and positions of people in the Holocaust. Some that talk about how an individual set out to find survivors of the events and some that discuss exactly what was included in the camps. Depending on where an article originates, we get one specific viewpoint. For example, if a article is written in Germany, we already know that it might defend the Nazis, or at least try to lessen the fault. This is a very important thing that comes up with Journalism. If we do not know where the article originates, it becomes less likely that we will in fact learn from it. A collection of articles proves great use in the academic world, because of features like various article origins. Some articles about the holocaust may ignite fear in an individual, while another, happiness and faith. Through journalism we can better understand other cultures. Giving us more than just "a single story". Journalism is like a bunch of puzzle pieces, and it is up to us to decide the picture, and how to put the pieces together to bring the picture to life.
ReplyDeleteJournalism is a great tool in our society, it gives us information, news and opinions of events that occur all over the world from current events to old. Journalism is a source of media that almost globalizes the world as we figure out and learn new information from every corner of the earth, but the information given is usually biased or "twisted" by the person who is retelling the event. Though most journalism can be twisted to what the journalist thinks it doesn't mean it isn't efficient anymore, it still a source of news and gives strong opinions on events but we must understand that this is almost like a single-story, there are other perspectives and opinions on the same event so we can't look at one article on a topic and regard it as the only answer, most things in life aren't black and white. Journalism in these contexts can be really helpful in learning about Jewish and German culture because we receive documented statistic on the events that occurred within these cultures, we also receive quotes from people that lived through or saw that event take place yet we also receive an opinion on the topic as well. We can read articles and be open-minded to their opinions so we become people of more intellect. I read in a group of four, articles from the New York Times about the Holocaust, the Nazis, and the aftermath of the Holocaust. Most of the articles are in the perspective of the Jewish people, this is believable because they were the victims of this event so we view most of the information in their perspective thinking that what the Nazis did was extremely unjust and horrific. Through the articles I read like "Holocaust Survivors” written on May 2nd 1995 we dive in the mentality and life of the few living Holocaust survivors explaining how they are still tortured by their past and future generations are too. "Archives on a 20th Century Diaspora Are Being Put Online" written March 2nd speaks about the thousands of Jewish belongs stolen from them during the Holocaust being put in museums while descendants want these documentations and photos of their ancestors back as they want to be enriched in their own culture as they dwell in their sorrow so all these photos will be online for them to see. These two articles show the life of Holocaust survivors and their descendants after this tragic event while “Agent Says 6 Nazis Planned ‘Week of Terror’” written on September 16th 1981 and "Around the Nation; 70 Year Old Floridian Accused of War Crimes” written on October 27th 1981 mostly speak on the crimes Nazis committed after or tried to commit after the Holocaust and a man associated with the Nazi being charged at 70 for his acts of violence after smuggling in the US years ago . We can just notice that these articles aren't written in the perspective of the Nazi party exclaiming their success but more in the Jewish perspective, even though this information was really insightful we cannot let this get in the way of labeling all Germans evil, bad people due to the negative events that occured with the Nazi party during and after the Holocaust we have to receive the knowledge from these articles and use it wisely, not label people. Journalism is an extremely effective tool in our lives
ReplyDeleteJournalism is a great approach in learning just how diverse perspectives can be, solely based on the view point of the writer. As we discuss the many different articles presented, we can identify by who the article was written. It is amazing to think that the same topic of discussion can be shared in so many unlike ways, each proposing another way that the incident can be taken. Examples of this variety exist within our classroom articles. When analyzing Zachery’s article, titled, “World Marks Holocaust Remembrance Day,” we can observe the point of view of a Canadian. As it reads, the news article was emphasizing and remembering the Holocaust, an event in which history was made for the worse. Many allies of the Nazi regime were apologizing on this day for all of the wrongdoing of the German culture at that time. The ceremony supported the Jewish culture, and was making the world aware of the atrocities throughout human society. Mary-Ann’s article, entitled, “Urge Jews Too Take to Force,” highlights the absent-mindedness of countries during the Holocaust. Written in 1939, this article demonstrates to us how Jews in other parts of the world were handling the situation in Poland and Germany. The truth is that some actually had no idea that the Holocaust was even taking place, let alone the fact that some Jews even had enough power to conquer Palestine in the early 1940s. Canada did not realize the monstrosity taking place on the other side of the world, as did many other countries. The article I provided, named, “Pilgrimage to Auschwitz” came from a German newspaper. It showed how Israelite children were being introduced to the former concentration camp as a school trip, which many schools included in their curriculum. Some people agree with this action, saying that it educates the children. Some even believe that “the Holocaust is almost a part of the Jewish religion,” but on the other hand, many Jewish people feel that it is unappreciative of the Germans to recollect such events. There is proof – how one topic can have so many different views and opinions, thought processes and judgments.
ReplyDeleteJournalism helps us understand German/Jewish culture by giving us all perspectives of the party's point of view. Obviously, if the newspaper article was printed and published in a German infleunced environment, it would favour the Germans more and vice versa if it were made by Jewish people.
ReplyDeleteThe first article that my group went through was Zachary's. His article was recently published by the CP24 and was titled, "World marks Holocaust Remembrance Day". This was quite interesting to me because this article showed neither German nor Jewish favortism and the time setting is now. We are showed our own perspective of the Holocaust. We look back on it with despair and hope that history may never repeat itself again. By commemorating the memories of the lives lost, we remind ourselves on that day of the horrors that have occurred.
The next article that we read through came from Samantha Clarizio and was named, "Pilgrimage to Aushwitz". This newspaper article is also recent, but was published and written in German. The article showed how now, young Israelite adolescents go on school trips to former concentration camps such as Aushwitz to become educated about the subject. I find that this is important. By doing so, they may come to appreciate their freedom to practice their religion more. The article goes on to say how a group of both Jewish people and Germans who are uncomfortable with bringing horrible memories up so often. Again, we are shown how many people can react differently.
The last article that we discussed was the one that I had brought in. It was called, "Urge Jews To Take Force". The time setting is very much different from the first two. It was written in 1939 by "The Daily Colonist Newspaper". Here, we noted that the year is very close to when the war started. Also, "colonist" can be referring to when Canada was still a British colony. As we read on, we found out that we were correct. The article is about how in Palestine, Jewish people are going against the British monarchy for independence. This shows us that not every single Jewish person during that time was taken as victim. In Palestine, they are even strong enough to rebel.
These three articles are from different resources and different times. Unsurprisingly, it gave us all a different point of view. I find that this was a very interesting experiment. Journalism is not only formal facts laid down but thoughts and opinions that come from normal people that have a bias and position on whatever the subject is. Reading these articles, we can understand more clearly about others and the on goings of their daily life.
Informational text such as the newspaper articles that everyone has read and shared with their groups offer quite an array of perspectives. These article shed light on perspectives that may of us have failed to examine. Mary-Ann correctly states, "Journalism is not only formal facts laid down but thoughts and opinions that come from normal people that have a bias and position on whatever the subject is. Reading these articles, we can understand more clearly about others and the on goings of their daily life." Zachary presents insight on "how the Germans see the atrocities today, marking the occasion with a moment of silence." This article makes us stop to consider how Germans treat the Holocaust today. Megan discuss the article about the 70 year old artist who belonged to the Lithuanian Auxiliary Police, sponsored by the Nazis". He was denied access into the USA. Megan correctly says, "This story really makes me think about how now in 2012 we are still facing the consequences of the single story and how Jurgis easily could have been one of the people that did not fit it." These are just a few of the different perspectives offer through journalistic writings. I hope we understand that we must see ourselves as belonging to one race: the human race. And I hope that these articles shed light and destroy any single story that exists in our minds about the Germans and the Jewish people.
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