Writing Prompts - Leon May

Prompt 1

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum states that some Jews survived the “Final Solution,” the Nazi plan to kill the Jews of Europe, by hiding or escaping from German-controlled Europe. Most non-Jews neither aided nor hindered the “Final Solution." Relatively few people helped Jews escape and those who did aid Jews were motivated by opposition to Nazi racism, by compassion, or by religious or moral principle. In a few rare instances, entire communities as well as individuals helped save Jews, doing so at tremendous risk. Despite being in Nashville during World War II, Leon and his family continued to reach out to those Jews who were still in Germany. So who, truly, is our neighbor? To whom should we reach out? Write an essay that both summarizes and analyzes Leon’s attitude about the idea of being a ‘good neighbor’ during the Holocaust. Be sure to cite specific evidence to support your analysis.

Prompt 2

Rescuers are those whom put themselves in great personal risk by actively helping members of persecuted groups, primarily Jews, during the Holocaust in defiance of the Nazi regime. After viewing Leon May’s documentary, read about Waitstill and Martha Sharp who aided a number of Jews during the Holocaust. Write an essay in which you compare and contrast the authors’ views on rescue and resistance during the Holocaust. Include information from both texts. Use details from both the documentary and the excerpt to help write your essay and be sure to cite strong and thorough evidence from both sources to support your argument.

Story of the Sharps from the Yad Vashem website

(n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2017, from http://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/stories/sharp