May 10, 1933 – Burning of books in Berlin and throughout Germany.
History:
On May 10, 1933 the Nazi’s burnt all of the books that were against german beliefs. The Nazi’s did not want any Jews to continue having an education. The Nazi’s burned upward of 25,000 books which they considered un-German. Many German students joined in on this act as well. The Nazi’s and German’s would sing Jewish songs as they burned the books. Not all book burns were held on May 10th many had been postponed for different reasons.
Image:
(Caption): People surrounded by a pile of books being set on fire.
Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/79/23/b0/7923b05e58e17864373048e357d30c93.jpg
Application: In the novel “The Cage” Riva and her brothers had to hide their books from the Nazi’s because they could not find out that they had Jewish books. The Nazis did not want any Jews to continue learning. When Riva and her brothers had to move in to the old grocery store they agreed to hide, and form a secret public library there. The setting was described as dark, cold and sad. Riva, Motele and Moishele decided to share the books in secret and share them with their friends and town. When the kids found the books they were scared that they were going to get caught with the books and get in big trouble.
September 1, 1939 – Jews in Germany are forbidden to be outdoors after 8 p.m. in winter and 9 p.m. in summer.
History:
On September 1st 1939 the government enforced a curfew for all Jewish citizens. Jews had to be in doors by eight O’clock pm in the Winter and by 9 O’clock pm in the summer. This restricted Jews from having any social interaction with friends after coming home from work. Many Jewish people were afraid of going out at dark anyway. If the Jewish people were to disobey the curfew than the government would threaten them with death. The mood during this part f the story is very tense and exhilarating.
Image:
(Caption): A newspaper article talking about how Jews are forbidden to be in public at certain times.
Source: http://images.rarenewspapers.com/ebayimgs/1.40.2014/image031.jpg
Application: While reading our novel “The Cage” I had noticed some of the characters would mention how they were not able to go outside late, or at night. Riva would rush home after going to a friends house or coming home from work. She would be too scared to go outside close to curfew since there were Nazi’s always on patrol. This caused an external conflict between the Nazi’s and the Jews in the ghettos, because the Nazi’s that were in control of Riva’s Polish ghetto would be so strict. Nazi’s would not let any Jewish people have freedom in the ghetto and they would restrain Jews from almost everything.
November 23, 1939 – Yellow stars required to be worn by Polish Jews over age 10.
History: On November 23, 1939, the Nazi Governor General of Poland required for all Jewish people to wear a white badge with the yellow Star of David on their right arm. The Nazi’s forced all Jews to wear this star because it symbolized who they are. If Jews wore the stars then the Nazi’s would be able to tell who is and who is not Jew. If a Jew denied to wear the yellow Star of David then they would have a risk of dying, although if they did wear the star like they were told, then they were more likely to be harassed.
Image:
(Caption): The yellow Star of David sewn on to jackets of jews on the left side.
Source: http://hmd.org.uk/sites/default/files/styles/w540/public/images/datestoremember/275._a_jewish_couple_wearing_the_yellow_star_poses_on_a_street_in_salonika.jpg?itok=gFPbcUBv
Application: In the novel “The Cage” all of the Jewish characters that were over the age of 10 had to wear the yellow Star of David sewn onto them. Almost everyone in the Lodz ghetto had to wear the star. The main character in the book named Riva did not seem to be too irritated by this law. Riva is a very round character and has many sides to her. Riva is usually really brave, and is not scared to stand up for herself and her brothers. Although sometimes she is scared and frightened normally by the Nazi’s; for example when she always tries to be home before curfew so she does not get in trouble.
January 25, 1940 – Nazis choose the town of Oswiecim (Auschwitz) in Poland near Krakow as the site of a new concentration camp.
History:
On January 25, 1940 the SS decided to build a new concentration camp in a town called Oswiecim in Poland. The labour camp was called Auschwitz and was for the Jewish. Jewish people were brutally abused and not treated fairly. The camp was ran by German during world war 2. Prisoners of the camp were most likely to die there, unless they got lucky and were able to escape or let go when the camps were closed.
Image:
(Caption): The entrance to Auschwitz which reads “work sets you free”.
Source: http://i2.wp.com/nyoobserver.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/auschwitz.jpg?quality=80&strip&ssl=1
Application: The ghetto Lodz which is where the novel we have been reading “The Cage” takes place, is about a three hour drive from the Auschwitz concentration camp. Lots of people who were Jewish in “The Cage” would be taken by train to Auschwitz, like Riva and her brothers; they were taken away to Auschwitz. The characters have a distressful time at the concentration camp. This part of the story is the most exhilarating and is the climax of the story where they get beaten, abused both mentally and physically, and everyone in these camps gets treated terribly. The people who run these camps do not have any sympathy for anyone.
April 30, 1940 – The Lodz Ghetto in occupied Poland is sealed off from the outside world with 230,000 Jews locked inside.
History: On April 30th 1940, the Lodz Ghetto was shut out from the outside world by the government. The Lodz Ghetto was one of the largest ghettos in Europe. The city had a population of over 230,000 Jewish people. The ghetto was sealed off from the rest of the world and the people within it were not allowed to leave. Nazi’s patrolled the camp all day and all night.
Image:
(Caption): The fence of the Jewish ghetto that separates the Lodz ghetto from the outside world.
Source: http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/public/cms/70/92/129/131/uYTDiu_web.jpg
Application: In our novel “the Cage” which takes place in Poland as well as the ghetto, Lodz; the characters in the first part of the story are stuck inside of the Lodz ghetto. The characters are constantly wondering what is outside of the ghetto, or if there is anything outside of the ghetto. The Lodz ghetto was very poor, there was not much food for anyone. Riva and her family would live off slices of bread. Riva’s family got their oven and blankets taken away so they could not be warm, they were stuck in their tiny house freezing cold. Every Jew in the ghetto was scared and fought for their life everyday. No one wanted to be taken away by the Nazis. Nobody knew where the Nazis would take their family and friends.
June 30, 1942 – At Auschwitz, a second gas chamber, Bunker II (the white farmhouse), is made operational at Birkenau due to the number of Jews arriving.
History: On June 30th 1942 a second gas chamber was built (Bunker II) because of how many jews were arriving at Auschwitz. Gas chambers were used to kill mass number of people at the same time. They Nazi’s would release a toxic gas that clogged the lungs of people so they could not breathe. They would kill everyone in the chamber and then burn the bodies.
Image:
(Caption): Inside of a gas chamber from Auschwitz.
Source: http://www.scrapbookpages.com/AuschwitzScrapbook/Photos2005/Krema1gaschamber.jpg
Application: When Riva from “The Cage” gets to Auschwitz she points out black smoke and long skinny buildings. She sees the buildings where the Nazi’s are killing people inside with a poisonous gas. The black smoke is the bodies being burned. Riva can see the smoke from her bunker. The smoke is black and heavy. The mood of this part of the story is suspenseful, anxious and fearful, I wanted to know what was going to happen and what they were doing inside of the buildings. Riva was very scared and nervous at this point of the story, she didn’t know what was happening and she was wondering if that was where her mom ended up. I myself was frightened for her while reading along.