Writing Prompts - John Herzfeld

Prompt 1

Please watch the video of John Herzfeld as he discusses several central ideas. Determine one central idea from the video and write an essay that both summarizes and analyzes how that central idea is developed over the course of the video, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details. Cite strong and thorough evidence from the video to support your analysis.

Prompt 2

The Nuremberg Laws passed in 1935 legally excluded Jews from German life and became the foundation for further anti-Jewish policies. Jews could no longer attend school side by side with other Germans.  Every element of life was upended, from public schools to employment, shopping, and entertainment. John recalled, “ I was finishing medical school and ready to intern in 1933, when the Nazis forbade Jews to work in a hospital. My father was fired from his job as an insurance doctor, and he could not find patients.” Write an essay that compares and contrasts the intent of the Nuremberg Laws to make the Jewish citizens of Germany "civilly dead." with John’s story. Be sure to cite specific and thorough evidence to support your analysis.

Click Here To Learn More About The Nuremberg Laws

(n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2017, from https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007695

Prompt 3

Two Tennesseans, John Herzfeld and Eva Rosenfeld survived the Holocaust in Italy. Construct a timeline with Herzfeld’s events on one side and Rosenfeld’s events on the other side, to graphically show these survivor’s experiences. Then use your research to write a compare-contrast essay about how these two experiences in Italy were alike and different. Cite compelling quotations from film and transcription testimony from both John Herzfeld and Eva Rosenfeld.