Critical Thinking/Discussion Questions - Fred Westfield
1. Born a Jew in Germany, Fred Westfield’s life was greatly impacted by the Nuremberg Laws passed in 1935. Using the link below, read about the Nuremberg Race Laws. According to the Nazis, who was considered Jewish based on these laws?
http://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1933-1938/nuremberg-race-laws
(n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1933-1938/nuremberg-race-laws
2. Starting at 2:32 in his testimony, Fred Westfield describes the restrictions placed on Jews under the Nuremberg Laws.
a. Watch Fred Westfield’s testimonial film, and list the restrictions.
b. Next, read the translated text of the Nuremberg Laws at this link below. Match the discrimination that Fred and his family suffered to
the article of the law that dictates it.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007903
Nuremberg Race Laws: Translation. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007903
3. Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, is a prominent memory of Fred Westfield. During this pogrom, Nazis wreaked havoc on the Jewish population of Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia.
Starting at 5:30 in the film, watch Fred Westfield as he describes his experience in Kristallnacht. Then, watch the testimony below of Hanne Hirsch Liebmann, as she describes Kristallnacht:
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_oi.php?MediaId=2712
Gerald Liebenau also shares his experiences in Kristallnacht:
(n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://www.ushmm.org/information/museum-programs-and-calendar/first-person-program/first-person-podcast/gerald-liebenau-memories-of-kristallnacht
a. What are the similarities in the testimonies? What are the different experiences?
4. A target of Kristallnacht were synagogues. Read and examine the information on synagogues below:
Map: Synagogues Destroyed during Kristallnacht. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2017, from https://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/special-focus/kristallnacht/synagogues/how-was-kristallnacht-carried-out/map-synagogues-destroyed-during-kristallnacht
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_nm.php?MediaId=375
Map. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2017, from https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_nm.php?ModuleId=0&MediaId=375
Why did Nazis target synagogues? Explain your answer.
5. Watch the historic film footage below and then answer the questions.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_fi.php?MediaId=222
Historical Film Footage. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_fi.php?MediaId=222
What was the United States’ response to Kristallnacht? Was the response justified? Was it enough?