"Defiance Reflection # 2

In the movie "Defiance", the partisan groups use guerrilla tactics, similar to the ones we used during the Revolutionary War to gain our independence.  These actions are justified because the Jewish partisans are fighting for more than just their freedom, they are fighting for their right to live.

"Defiance" Reflection # 1

After the death of Tuvia and Zus's family and the hunting of Jews, Tuvia hides in a village with a small group of Jews.  Tuvia and Zus chose to leave the group for one night so they could enact revenge on people who helped hunt the Jews.  In my opinion this was a bad choice because it brought them down to the level of those who hunted them.  In a group the would steel food to survive which I believe is justifiable because it was necessary for their survival.

Field Trip Reflection

The speaker Felix Weil said that signs on stores and shops would say "No Dogs, No Jews."  This is a prime example of dehumanization because it is comparing Jews to dogs.  This makes it easier to kill Jews because you would see them as being no better then an animal.

Photo Comparison

 Life for the Jewish citizens of Europe was normal before World War II.  Many of the photos I saw involved children going to school, families spending time together, and Jewish shop owners.  Many pictures my family has taken are similar, us spending time together, me and my brother's first day of school, and the company my dad used to run.  The pictures I chose to use are similar; both are male children around the same age, both are wearing their backpack, and they are both even standing in a similar position.  The differences between the two are the background, the style of clothing they are wearing, and that one has a cone of candy.

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia was a European country surrounded by Germany, Poland, Austria, Hungary, and Romania.  The country was a functioning parliamentary democracy with a diverse population, 50% Czech, 22.3% German, 16% Slovak, 3.79% Ukrainian, and 1.29% (356,830) Jewish, from its formation in 1918 until the Munich crises in 1938.  During this time, all of the different ethnic groups lived in peace with one another.  After the crisis, Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia was handed over to Germany in 1938.  The image shows both the great architecture of a city in Czechoslovakia and the German soldiers in the country.  In 1939, Germany began to invade the rest of Czechoslovakia, beginning with the provinces Bohemia and Moravia.  263,000 of the 356,830 Jews in Czechoslovakia were killed by Germany and their collaborators during the war.