Contents
EXHIBITION TEAM
Roslyn Sugarman, Curator
Shannon Biederman, Curator
Konrad Kwiet, Emeritus Professor of Jewish History and
Holocaust Studies and Resident Historian at the Sydney
Jewish Museum
Debórah Dwork, Rose Professor of Holocaust History
and Director of the Strassler Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies, Clark University
Marie Bonardelli, Education Officer
CONTRIBUTORS
Jennifer Duvall
Annie Friedlander
Every effort has been made to contact or trace all copyright holders.
The publishers will be grateful to be notified of any additions, errors or
omissions that should be incorporated in the next edition.
These materials were prepared by Marie Bonardelli on behalf of the
Education Department of the Sydney Jewish Museum for use in
the program, Signs of Life. They may not be reproduced for other
purposes without the express permission of the Sydney Jewish
Museum.
Copyright, Sydney Jewish Museum 2014. All rights reserved.
Design by X Squared Design.
image
Child in Rivesaltes posts a letter
Courtesy USHMM
Exhibition sponsored by
the JCA Szlamek and
Ester Lipman Memorial
Endowment Fund
Teacher’s Guide
1
About the Exhibition
2
Key Questions and Understandings
4
Pre-visit Materials
Leaving Behind6
Longing to Hear12
Joy of News18
25 Words Only24
Sign of Life30
Return to Sender36
Last Letters42
A Very Small Hope48
Regret to Inform You54
Post-visit Materials
57
Bibliography58
Guidelines to Teaching about the Holocaust
59
Syllabus objectives, outcomes and content
61
Teacher’s guide
This teaching resource facilitates student
engagement with historical context,
photographs, documents, and testimonies
featured in the Signs of Life exhibition. This
comprehensive Holocaust education program
aims to expand students’ understanding
about the Holocaust and its ever-present
reverberations and far-reaching consequences
on both the Jewish community and wider
world.
This resource includes teaching materials to
help support teachers in this challenging and
imperative endeavour to not only teach the
history of the Holocaust with integrity, but also
to ensure that the voices in these letters of
those who did not survive will endure.
About the Exhibition
There have been significant changes to the HSC
English Prescriptions for the 2015 HSC Year.
The Signs of Life exhibition, both its structure
and content, could be used as a challenging
and stimulating related text for the Area of
Study: Discovery. Further, the exhibition as a
whole could become fertile ground for use as
a related text in the Advanced Course Module
A Comparative Study of Texts and Contexts,
Standard English Course Module A Experience
Through Language, Distinctive Voices and
Distinctively Visual and also the Standard English
Course, Module C, Texts and Society, Exploring
Interactions and Exploring Transitions. Please
refer to the Syllabus outcomes and contents
section for further information.
Through the Signs of Life program, students will
explore:
• The purpose of letters
• The importance of context in understanding the
letters
• How the “voice” of the letter writer is able to
communicate the human experience of living in
the shadow of annihilation
• How our perceptions of and relationships
with others and the world are shaped by written
language
• The Australian connection to the Holocaust
• The scope of devastation that the Holocaust
inflicted on the global community
• The exhibition and Museum as a way for
Survivors, the Jewish community, and the wider
Australian community to make meaning out
of the Holocaust, and commemorate the
millions who were murdered
• Their own personal responses to these texts and
how the experience of discovery transformed
their attitude, values and beliefs
• How to avoid such inhumanity and reflect on
the human cost of war in the world today and
for the future
In the resource, teachers are provided with:
• The Museum’s vision and mission statement
• The rationale behind the structure and
content of the Signs of Life exhibition
This guide complements the two hour interactive
Museum program that includes a personal
testimony of a Holocaust Survivor and tour of the
Museum and Signs of Life exhibition.
The activities are recommended for years 10
through 12. All lessons are readily adaptable for
History and English classrooms.
1
with entire series of correspondence, thus
providing greater insight into a wide variety
of communications during the Holocaust and
shifting the emphasis of the exhibition.
• Practical guidelines about how to teach the
Holocaust in a way that is ethical and
meaningful
• Pre-visit and post-visit lesson plans that include
background notes, letters from the Museum’s
collection, full translations of select letters, and
related artefacts and Survivor testimony
• Museum visit program
• A bibliography and related resources
• Relevant syllabus outcomes and content
• Clear expected student outcomes
Displaying these documents is a form of
commemoration. We remember the names
and lives of those who have died by reading
them on display and reflecting on their lives. It
reminds us of the far-reaching consequences
of antisemitism, discrimination, and genocide.
In the post censorship agency, Warsaw ghetto, 1941. Courtesy bpk, Berlin
The Sydney Jewish Museum holds
approximately 1000 letters and postcards from
the Holocaust in its collection. The concept
of the Signs of Life exhibition has been in
discussion amongst the curators for nearly
eight years. Signs of Life has evolved from
being a historical exhibition that would focus
on the postal system in occupied Europe to a
more intimate and personal narrative. Signs
of Life brings this private correspondence
to the public in a way that not only provides
the historical context of the Holocaust but,
perhaps more significantly, reveals the
personal dimension of the Jewish experience
during the Holocaust. These letters are a
poignant aspect of the Museum’s collection as
they allow victims’ voices to be heard through
their last written words to loved ones.
When curating an exhibition decisions must
be made regarding the particular emphasis
of the narrative: which artefacts, photographs
and personal stories to include and what
to exclude. On display in Signs of Life is a
small fraction of the letters in the collection.
The Museum’s collection of letters has
expanded as the community came forward
The exhibition sections were structured
around the purpose and content of the letters,
which fell into thematic categories, such
as: difficulties families faced when forcibly
separated, the anxiety of waiting for mail,
the joy of hearing from loved ones, and the
desperation to maintain contact. The section
titles emerged from the letters themselves.
Text panels provide visitors with relevant
historical context and an overview of the
circumstances in which these letters were
written, censorship and the role of the Red
Cross.
The majority of the letters in the exhibition
are in languages other than English – Czech,
French, German, Hungarian and Polish. The
curators have relied on the translation skills
of Holocaust Survivor volunteers to translate
them. Innocuous content could also reveal
hidden meanings, which often is lost to
a contemporary reader. We relied on the
interpretation of the translator in determining
possible meanings. Letter-writers sometimes
resorted to code to deceive the censors.
Writers used Yiddish words, references
to family history, Biblical and Talmudic
quotations, and other clues as a way of passing
news without inviting undue attention.
2
Key Questions and Understandings – The Museum as a Text
A postcard bearing the ill-fated news “Your
father suddenly went on vacation” can be read
as a euphemism for deportation. This sort
of ploy was typical of the cryptic messages
sent with the aim of bypassing the censorship
imposed on all mail in German occupied
Europe. Many of these represent the last
written words and “signs of life” of their loved
ones.
When curating exhibitions, we seek to
find an Australian link to the Holocaust. In
Signs of Life we find letters to and from
family in Sydney to parents and siblings
trapped in German-occupied Europe. These
communications enable us to research
and understand what Australians – so
geographically remote from Europe - knew
about the dire circumstances of their loved
ones. Australia’s pre-war immigration policy
was characterised by deep-seated hostility
to foreigners and in many cases these letters
reveal their desperate and mostly futile
attempts to help trapped family members
escape. Despite guaranteed financial support
rescue was often not possible. In most cases,
the Australian government denied visas and
pleas for help.
The Sydney Jewish Museum is a museum
and memorial that was founded and funded
by Holocaust Survivors in an effort to teach
about the Holocaust, the history of the Jews in
Australia, and illustrate the richness of Judaism.
Survivors have played an integral role since the
Museum’s inception. The Museum’s collection
includes 8,000 pieces related to Judaica (ritual
objects), Australian Jewish history, Australian
Jewish military history, and the Holocaust. The
Museum provides the framework to address
Jewish identity, victimhood and resilience
through its displays.
Since 1992, Holocaust Survivors have served
as advisors who oversee the Museum’s
policymaking; been responsible for the first
objects collected (under the auspices of the
Australian Association of Holocaust Survivors
and Descendants); and are living witnesses
who speak to visitors and tell their own
personal testimonies of survival. Survivor
speakers are able to address the years leading
up to, during, and after the Holocaust in an
effort to share the nuances of the Jewish
experience. In this way, the Museum provides
a place to allow Survivors to grapple with their
trauma, and students with an experience to
consider the ever-present reverberations of
genocide.
Temporary exhibitions, like Signs of Life, serve
the function of exploring thematic topics and
showcasing the Museum’s diverse collection.
Key questions for students to consider in this
exhibition include:
1 /
3
Consider the importance of letters during
the Holocaust. They offer contact with
others, a sense of normalcy, and possible
material aid. What are some of the other
ways in which correspondence is
important during the Holocaust?
2 / Reflect on the role of letter writing. What
are some of the purposes of the letters
being written?
3 / In what ways are the purposes of the
letters different, and in what way the
same?
4 / How do these letters express a range of
human emotions: hope, uncertainty, fear,
etc.
5 / Do these letters help senders and/or
recipients to maintain a sense of self?
6 / How has the design structure of the
exhibition deepened your understanding
of the individual letters? Consider the way
the panels, photos, and individual letters
are juxtaposed to create a holistic effect.
7 / The letters propose both a silent and
overt commentary on a variety of political
and human rights issues. List some of
these issues that are being raised as a
result of wartime conditions, and explain
how they are manifested in the letters.
8 / The Holocaust was an attempt to
extinguish the Jewish way of life and a
community with rich values, practices, and
history. In what ways do these letters
serve as “signs of life”?
9 / How do the letters express the individual
“voices” of their writers? Consider the way
language can embody beliefs, values and
emotions.
10 /Discuss the ways these letters highlight:
a. The importance of family
b. Identity
c. The survival of generations who come
after
d. Expressing emotion
e. The importance of imagination
11 /Which panel resonated most with you?
Why?
4
Leaving Behind
“Do write to
Mother a lot and
try to console her.
It’s no small deal
for a mother to
see both children
leaving her
behind.”
Gerhard Steuerwald, North Sydney,
to his brother Jürgen, Kent, England.
4 April 1939.
Street scene of Magdeburg , Germany after Kristallnacht on November
10, 1938. SJM Collection
6
In 1933, the Nazis seized power in Germany
in the wake of the Great Depression and
the collapse of the Weimar Republic, and
a dictatorial regime was established. Many
Germans supported Adolf Hitler because they
saw in him a charismatic Führer (‘Leader’), who
could solve the severe problems affecting
the country. These problems included the
consequences of the military defeat in the First
World War, the harsh terms imposed by the
Peace Treaty of Versailles, political instability,
social unrest, economic malaise and largescale unemployment.
In Hitler's vision, Germany, and with time the
world, was to be remade along the lines of
Nazi ideals – strong, ‘Aryan’ and ‘racially pure’.
It was a world in which there was no place for
any group or individual defined as a political,
social or racial enemy. The Jew was regarded
not only as the ‘cancer’ of the German
Volksgemeinschaft (‘national community’) but
also the source of all evil – as the Weltfeind (the
‘world enemy’). The Jew had to be removed
and finally eliminated.
covered with shards of glass. Nazis broke into
Jewish homes, terrorising families. Jews were
murdered and almost 30,000 Jewish men were
incarcerated in concentration camps in order
to increase the pressure on Jews to emigrate.
Following Kristallnacht, Nazi policy became
even more relentless. Jewish businesses,
assets and valuables were confiscated. Jews
were herded together in specially segregated
‘Jew houses’ and deployed in forced labour.
They undertook feverish efforts to escape Nazi
terror. These efforts were often given voice
in the form of desperate letters to loved ones.
Thus, family relationships by mail began.
As Nazi Germany seized territory – Austria in
March 1938, the Sudetenland in October 1938,
and the Czech lands in March 1939 – planned
emigration overtook panicked departure,
and Jewish communal organisations poured
their energy into organising the departure
of children and young adults. In many cases
these families were separated and never to be
reunited.
Letter 1 / The Gruschka family
Dear Johnny,
John Gruschka with his parents, Helena and Theodor.
For safety, on his 15th birthday, John was sent to live
with distant relatives in England. It was difficult for
the family to be separated. His sister Ruth went to
Palestine and his father Theodor followed shortly after.
His mother Helena stayed in Czechoslovakia to care for
her sick mother. Their intercontinental correspondence
was an attempt to stay connected. John has dozens of
letters, many of which are from his mother, that reflect
the deterioration of her life under German occupation.
In September 1942 Helena was deported to Terezín. In
February 1943 she was murdered in Auschwitz, aged 53.
(In English) It is a good idea to write me English letters.
Thus you will get practice in expressing your thoughts
in English and become courageous in using the English
language. Don’t worry about making mistakes. All
children, who learn to grow, must fall in their first
attempts and no child can be saved from that. The first
thing is to learn to avoid further mistakes by knowing
the mistakes made before. I shall therefore correct
the mistakes I find in your letters. (You have to use the
dictionary if you meet an unknown word.)
You write:
Correct is:
They have to children
two
Ten and twelve years
of age
Intrestinginteresting
I hope, that
I hope that
I understanded
I understood
Systematically, the Jews were excluded from
German society. In September 1935, the
Nuremberg Laws were proclaimed to “protect
German blood and honour” by banning
marriages between Jews and Germans, and
by depriving Jews of their civil rights and
citizenship. Thousands of Jews fled Nazi
Germany.
The Nazis continued to intensify their
campaigns against the Jews. On the night
of 9 November 1938, a massive pogrom was
organised against Jews in Germany and
Austria, which became known as Kristallnacht
– the ‘night of broken glass’. More than 1,000
synagogues were razed and 7,500 Jewishowned shops vandalised, leaving streets
7
Theodor’s letter to his son, March 8, 1939.
8
Letter 2 / Gerhard Steuerwald
(In German) I’m still uncertain when I am leaving. I would
like to board a ship that’s sailing on the 29th or 30th
of March. Unfortunately big problems have cropped
up in connection with getting my ticket, they need
approval from the National Bank and as of today I don’t
know if this has been sorted out. Kamill Kohn Family is
leaving today. I am very concerned that Mr. Meek was
embarrassed about my approach concerning Bruno.
I know that nothing can be done but I gave in to my
constant wish to at least ask. I am afraid that many
people who know your address will turn to Mr. Meek
with all sorts of requests. Please tell Mr. Meek that I
don’t pass on the address and am rejecting all requests
to use me as an intermediary and am asking him to
understand that I am in no way involved with people
bothering him.
Regards and kisses, Your father
English”, which had been taught to you at Wolfstrasse.
I am hoping that you will meet nice people among your
classmates.
Grandmother wrote to me that you so nicely said
farewell to everyone and gave them goodbye presents.
What kind of presents did you make? Have you been
with Jochen? You must have been happy to receive so
much money for your microscope. What have you done
with the chemistry stuff and all the other things? Have
you sold everything?
Gerhard Steuerwald, Sydney, to his brother Jürgen, Kent, England, November
18, 1938.
November 18, 1938
My dear Jürgen,
This letter shall welcome you to the new country to
which destiny has sent you. I shall write to you more
often in the future. I am hoping that you too are going
to send me a letter once in a while in which you tell
me in detail about English school life. Do you actually
receive some pocket money to pay for stamps?
How do you like England? Have you had an interesting
trip? I’ve made the same trip from Hannover via
Amsterdam, Hoek van Holland, Harwich and Colchester
to London twice and one time the other way around.
It is quite a shame (as Herward Feuerhake would say)
that you were not able to get a malt beer at the railway
station in Amsterdam. You should have drunken another
beer! The customs control and crossing frontiers must
have been really interesting for you. Isn’t Holland, with
its pretty houses, a lovely country? How did you like
the trip on the boat and the car drive from Harwich
to London? What do you think about London? Isn’t it a
huge city with enormous traffic? Are you managing the
English language? I suppose you have a dictionary over
there.
Otherwise it must be far too difficult to make yourself
understood and to understand the others. Have you
spoken English with Mr. and Mrs. Marx? Most certainly
you must have noticed that the English over there
is completely different from the so called “school
9
You can be happy to have left Germany in time! Mid
November a terrible Jew-baiting started, one that has
never ever been before. By order of that Devil Goebbels
Jewish shops were attacked and everything was
completely destroyed. After January 1, 1939 Jews are
no longer allowed to own a shop (business) or occupy
a profession in Germany. Uncle Richard will have to sell
his factory by then. Jews are no longer allowed to go to
an exhibition, a museum, theatre, cinema or gathering.
You see how difficult it is for our mother and the others!
You must not repeat anything about what I just said
about the Jew-baiting in your letters to our mother. If
you happen to say something against Germany in your
letters that are addressed to Germany they will either
not be delivered or mother and Uncle will be arrested.
You have to be very careful! But I am sure you are
smart enough to know that yourself. Now that you have
managed to get out of “prison Germany”, Uncle Ernst
will be the next one to leave. Does your passport have
a limited duration? When did it expire?
How do you like Cricket?
That’s it for today! I will write again soon! You’ve got my
address.
Solicitor Schoenfeld and solicitor Wolfes wrote
yesterday. Aunt Gerta from Dortmund also wrote and
finally I also received a letter from an unknown woman
from Berlin. Many people turn to me asking me for
support for their emigration matters or with different
enquiries in the same matter. There is so much to do.
I am hoping that you are trying hard at school!
Write to me soon
Greetings, your Gerhard
1/ What inferences can we make about the socio economic and political situation in Germany? How is
this communicated (or not) in the letters?
2/ Consider different ways that Jewish people may have
responded to the escalation and implementation of
Nazi policies.
3/ Research and consider the political, social, economic,
and personal factors inhibiting departure and discuss
the choices available to people at the time and
possible consequences of each choice.
On our shoulders lies the family’s future. We both have
to try really really hard in order to make something of
us. You must try very hard and behave well. Otherwise
people will say that boys from Germany are not wellbehaved.
4/ Why do you think John as a fifteen-year old kept all
of his parents’ letters? Why do you think as an adult
he donated them to the Sydney Jewish Museum?
For a while it seemed like there was going to be war in
October. Fortunately this could have been prevented!
Enclosed you will find German money and an Australian
jubilee tag, which marks the moment in which the
English took over control of Australia (Captain Cook). I
also enclose French money from the war.
6/ What do you think Gerhard means when he states “On
our shoulders lies the family’s future”?
5/ In what way does each letter reveal something about
the sender and recipient of their situation at the time?
7/ How can the section title “Leaving Behind” be
attributed to this letter?
10
Longing to Hear
“ We just want
to get in touch
with you. We are
worrying infinitely
about you all.
With impatience
we are waiting
for a message
from you. With a
lot of love we are
kissing you.”
Imro Pollak, Finaut, Switzerland to Hilda
Weisz, Szolnok Hungary. 11 June 1944.
Jewish men and women in the Radziejow Ghetto, Poland, 1941.
SJM Collection
12
In September 1939, Nazi Germany instigated
World War II. With the invasion and
subsequent conquest of Poland, the Nazis
gained a foothold into Eastern Europe. The
realisation of Nazi dominance in Europe sealed
the fate of European Jewry, as Poland was a
centre of Jewish life in Europe. Approximately
nine million Jews lived in Europe by 1939, with
over three million living in Poland.
German occupation brought forced
relocation, incarceration in ghettos, transit
and concentration camps, and flight from
invaded territory in search of safety. Postal
communication became more difficult just
when everyone grew most anxious for news.
Those who managed to immigrate before the
war waited anxiously to hear from their loved
ones left behind; parents were separated from
their children, husbands from wives, brothers
from sisters. Letters and postcards were sent
without any assurance that they would reach
their intended recipients.
Receiving a letter from a loved one was
important not only because it meant that the
writer still lived, but also because it helped
give insight into the unfolding events in
Europe.
Letter 1 / The Sapir family
Jakob, Peter, and Tola Sapir, 1939.
Anna Sapir, Warsaw Ghetto, to her Uncle Jakob and Aunt Tola, Kobe, Japan,
30 April 1941. *Anna’s fate is unknown.
Jakob and Tola Sapir, and their four-year-old son Peter,
left Poland in 1939 and travelled to Vilnius. After being
issued an exit visa, the family travelled to Vladivostok
and then on to Kobe, Japan, before finally arriving in
Shanghai in 1941.
Wednesday, 30 April 1941. The dearest ones!
Shanghai provided a haven for more than eighteen
thousand Jewish refugees from Central Europe who
were fleeing Nazi persecution in the late 1930s. It
was one of the few places in the world to accept the
refugees without visas. The Sapirs were fortunate
to find refuge in one of the unlikeliest places: under
Japanese occupation. The Sapirs received documents
that outlined not only their arrival date in the Shanghai
ghetto, but also their indefinite duration of stay.
They were later forced to move to the Hongkew ghetto,
where living conditions were difficult. Their living
quarters were cramped, lacked hot water, and had no
refrigeration. Hygiene in Hongkew was dismal. Social
organisations struggled to provide sufficient financial
aid and food for the growing number of Jews who
required assistance.
The family left China in 1947, when they were able to
verify to Australian Immigration officials that they had
relations already residing in Australia and were able to
migrate and rebuild their lives in Sydney.
Postcards from their family arrived from the Lodz and
Warsaw ghettos until communication abruptly ceased
in 1942.
13
We have received your 3 postcards from Kobe in
time plus your farewell letter and telegram about your
departure. Thank you for your punctuality and that you
remember us, my unforgettable. I am very glad that
you live together with well-known people – Zimmerman
family. At least you may be not so homesick so far
away from home. Yashenca. How can you assume
that we did not write to you? We have sent you several
postcards, I cannot understand why they haven’t
reached you. You have received a postcard from Josef,
why he did not send regards from us? I always send
his regards in my letters, because I want Auntie not
to worry about him. Don’t be amazed with lack of
telegram, first of all it is not available for us, second
one – it is too expensive, unaffordable for us.
To Sasha we still could write but unfortunately our
resources are getting depleted, and nothing comes
up. Your last postcard from 19 of March we have
received 25 April. We were happy beyond belief that
you are satisfied with your change and your place of
living again, that Auntie and Peter recovered really well.
Auntie, darling, please look after Yasha, help him to
recover – he is a very sick man. Cherish my Yashenca
… an apple of your eye. I am so sad about everything
but I have no alternative. Sasha and Boles have no
communication with you whatsoever. Please write to
them. Boles does not like your decision about going
14
Letter 2 / Grete Pollak
to Shanghai. How are you going to live there? Also the
situation there is unknown. I think much better would
be to go to South America, but he doesn’t know how
difficult it is to obtain visas, and how you would like
to get there. Sasha notifies us that he had written
reference letters to Kobe. It is very bad that Kuba did
not send you an invitation after Storch had done so
much for him. We kept writing to you in America on
Rosenfeld’s address. Also I am very glad that Peter
attends a kindergarten.
I beg you, please keep writing to us. Sasha and Boles
are very sad about your illness.
Kisses, Anna
back to us - saying that she doesn't want to hear about
you anymore. What does this mean? I tried to explain
by saying that due to your injured hand you don't write
much to us either. So please, try to atone for this!
Reflect on Anna Sapir’s letter.
1/ What is the effect of the abrupt sentences in the letter?
2/ What is the tone of the letter? Urgent? Accusatory?
Desperate? Sad?
Grete Pollak with her parents Erna and Isador.
3/ How was this letter significant in the lives of both
sender and receiver?
4/ List some of the challenges the postal service faced
for correspondence to be sent across war-torn
Europe. Discuss the impact these challenges would
have on senders and recipients. In what ways would
these hindrances affect their decision-making? During
the backdrop of the Holocaust how would these be
decisive to one’s survival?
5/ How do the grammatical errors in the translations of
these letters affect your understanding of them? What
do we gain by leaving them with the translator’s errors?
1/ What is Grete’s mother’s perspective? Provide
evidence from the letter to support your thoughts.
Isador and Erna Pollak (both murdered 1943), Vienna, to their daughter
Grete, London, England, May 1939.
My heartiest beloved child,
Jakob Sapir ‘s Foreigners' Residence Certificate, issued in 1941.
In the beginning, you wrote that much to her and now
you neglect her. Why? How are things going? Yesterday
evening, Edith said good-bye to us. She leaves next
Tuesday and wants to stay in London for 2 days. She
will probably call Nelly. Extend no invitations, as you
don’t have enough money. Also regards from father,
Grete and Willy.
We just escorted Fritzi. She left during magnificent
weather. Hopefully, she has a safe flight. The trip was
very interesting. Father and I accompanied her, but only
with our souls and our hearts we flew with her. I hope
you are well and cheery. Fritzi carries our... [illegible]
with her and will soon notify us. Please write more
detailed, we are interested how you spent your days.
Yesterday evening, Uncle Josef called. His attendance
depends on the negotiations with R., as Ella wants to
change some details. I hope everything will be fine in
the end. Tomorrow, I will write more detailed about it.
2/ Why is it important for the writer to include the
following sentence in the letter “Extend no invitations,
as you don’t have enough money.”? Consider Grete’s
mother perspective.
3/ Why do you think that Grete’s parents were not able to
accompany her to her destination?
4/ What is the importance of the writer including the
“Post Script” (PS) in the letter? How might the receiver
interpret this postscript?
5/ How would a contemporary audience interpret this
postscript?
Heartfelt kisses, mother
PS: Terry is very angry with you, as she hasn't received
a message for 3 weeks. She is even angry with us,
and yesterday, when I wanted to show her one of your
letters, she took it with sharp fingers and then threw it
15
16
Joy of News
“At last after a
long wait I have
received news
from you. I can’t
describe my
feelings when
I read your
card, especially
when I see your
handwriting.”
Mariaa Steiman, Warsaw ghetto, to Yanka
Sapir, Kobe, Japan. Undated.
Lodz ghetto postman. Courtesy Yad Vashem
18
Every situation posed its own difficulties. In
the ghettos of eastern Europe, Jews were
held under duress, sealed off from the rest
of the population by wooden fences, barbed
wire and, sometimes, brick walls. Ghettos
were administered by Nazi-imposed Judenrat
(Jewish Council). Members of these councils
were forced to convey the orders of the Nazis.
Ghetto inmates were exposed to terror and
slave labour; appalling housing and hygienic
conditions; starvation and disease. The
Judenrat played an integral role in attempting
to maintain order and normalcy for inmates.
They tried to ameliorate the harsh nature
of these orders whenever possible. One
responsibility the Councils held was the
management of the postal system. They were
under strict regulations and instructions about
mail receipt, distribution, and dispatch. In
many ghettos there was intermittent access to
post.
In the largest ghetto, Warsaw, that housed
over 400,000 Jews there were only three post
offices and eight mailboxes to service the
entire ghetto. The Judenrat were responsible
for the cost of the running of the postal
service, which meant that for each letter or
parcel there was an additional administrative
fee associated with it’s sending. This placed
a further strain on an already impoverished
people.
In Lodz, among other ghettos, we see the
creation of special stamps and its own
stationery.
The Lublin ghetto had a postal department
from the inception of the Judenrat in January
1940. From January to August 1940 more
than 130,000 items of mail were received in
the ghetto. Most of this was incoming mail,
but 15,000 items were outgoing. One in every
19
three inmates in the ghetto wrote one letter
over the course of 8 months. So what seems
like a lot of communication was, in fact, very
limited. As the persecution intensified there
was a more desperate need for financial
support and contact with family members
abroad. Thus mail increased over 1941 and
1942 in the Lublin ghetto. While we cannot
know how much was written, based on the
number of letters that have survived, we know
that there was a great deal of activity.
Recognizing the importance of letters, the
Germans unrolled the “Letter Program of
the Reich Security Main Office”. Their aim
was to use the inmates’ mail to disguise the
murderous campaign of the ‘Final Solution’.
From time to time, the SS in Auschwitz forced
inmates to write cards “home” to soothe the
anxiety of those left behind and counter
rumours of mass murder. According to SS
Captain Dieter Wisleceney’s testimony in the
Nuremberg Trials in 1946, this was one of Adolf
Eichmann’s inventions:
“He had thought out a special system of
postcards and letters, whereby he believed he
could mislead the public. The Jews brought
to Auschwitz or to other extermination camps
were forced, prior to being murdered, to write
postcards. These postcards – there were
always several for each person – were then
mailed at long intervals, in order to make it
appear as though these persons were still
alive.”
every card. Ten lines of text were permitted
on the official stationery that was provided to
inmates.
Military, police, and state authorities censored
mail, removing text that conveyed information
they did not want transmitted. Numerous
specific regulations applied, including
permitted languages and word count. Many
letter writers resorted to code; many more
simply fell silent. Paper and envelopes grew
scarcer. Access to the post office decreased
and ever-poorer Jews could not afford
postage. Mail connections grew tenuous and
all ordinary mail service stopped in late 1942.
Still, families persevered. The energy
loved ones expended attempting to hold
on, their commitment to keeping contact
notwithstanding all the obstacles they faced,
is one expression of Jews’ agency. If the
Germans saw Jews as less than human, Jews
resisted their ideology and efforts. The love
and loyalty expressed in their letters denied
the Germans’ attempts to dehumanize them.
TOP The letter from Maurice and Miriam Tintpulwer, Bendsburg, Poland
to Alfred Schwarzbaum, Switzerland, 24 March 1943 shows the chemical
smear marks used to detect secret messages.
BOTTOM A postcard sent by Nelly Holzer, Hungary, to her sister, Irene
Roth, Palestine, 13 May 1941. Stamps were often removed by censors to
check for hidden messages underneath.
Concentration camp inmates in the 1930s
and early 1940s were permitted to send
highly regulated postcards. The address side
displayed a printed extract from the camp
rules governing correspondence. The prisoner
number and birth date, and stamps by the
barrack leader and camp censor appeared on
20
Case Study / Terezín
Letter 1 / Helene Levy
Terezín, or Theresienstadt, was a Nazi ghettoconcentration camp in Czechoslovakia that existed for
three and a half years between November 1941 and
May 1945. In this “settlement”, the Nazi deception was
acute. Terezín served the purpose of not only being a
transit centre. It became infamous because it was the
site utilised by the Nazis to deceive the International
Red Cross about the extermination of Jews. The ghetto
was enhanced with social events; gardens planted and
barracks renovated. This placated the Red Cross, and
once the inspection was complete, deportations and
slave labour resumed. Approximately 118,000 people
perished as a result of the conditions in the ghettocamp, or having been deported to the East.
1/ How does the exhibition title "Joy of News" affect your
understanding of this postcard?
2/ Comment on how the receiver’s knowledge of the
composer being limited regarding content, time and
space, affects their reading and interpretation of the
letter.
Helene Levy, Terezín ghetto-concentration camp, to her daughter Selma,
Germany, 1943.
Access to post was a privilege that had to be earned and
retained. Henry Schwab has done extensive research
into this relatively unexamined topic and concluded
that:
“Texts with political contents, or offensive to the
Reich and its representatives, or containing untrue or
misleading information about life in the ghetto were
banned. In practical terms, this meant uniform contents
from which it followed that the sender was well.
Censors of the Jewish self-administration as well as
those of the German commander’s office were checking
the contents carefully. If the German censor detected
an objectable text; the sender as well as the Jewish
censors were punished. This way, the commander
made sure that the censorship in the first stage was
conducted very carefully.”
From: Helene Levy
To: Selma Vollmann
Dated: 16 July 1943
3/ Discuss how effectively the concept of Signs of Life is
represented in this letter.
4/ How has the sender demonstrated their interpretation
of the situation they are in? What evidence has
been provided in the letter to indicate this type of
interpretation?
5/ How has the writer’s perspective helped you
to process and understand the individual human
experience during the Holocaust?
My dearest children
TOP Women prisoners lie on thin mattresses on the floor of a barracks in
the women's camp in the Terezín ghetto. Czechoslovakia, between 1941
and 1945. Courtesy YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, New York
BOTTOM Parcel admission stamp from Terezín (or Theresienstadt)
ghetto. This particular type of postage stamp was created by the
Germans (but designed by the Czechs) in July 1943. It is estimated that
75,000 copies of the stamp were used. SJM Collection
I am very much with you in my thoughts. How happy
we are with your postcards and how joyful we were
when we received your packages, my dear good
Selma. Out of this as always speaks your touching
sympathy to show me love, and always succeeding
doing the right thing.
My joy is therefore indescribable whenever we hear
from you. I am doing reasonably well and with God's
help I am in good care. I as well, am longing for the
sun. Just remain well, very good children. We all
send our regards.
6/ According to official documentation Helene died in
Terezín three weeks after this letter was posted. We
have no photographs or testimony to accompany
this letter. The written words are the only words
that we have from Helene. Discuss the significance of
conserving artefacts like Helene’s postcard. What are
the potential ramifications of losing documents like
this one? What do we gain by conserving it and/or
displaying it? Does a postcard like this one belong in
a Museum?
With love, embrace and kiss you
Your... [Illegible]
21
22
25 Words Only
“ We are healthy.
Received cable.
Without mail.
Hope that it'll
be all right over
the years. Think
very often of you.
Kisses, Lilly, Imre”
Imre Szekeres, Shanghai ghetto, to her
sister-in-law F. Sapir, Budapest, Hungary.
15 August 1942.
Supply of mail delivery to the Lodz ghetto, Poland 1941. Courtesy Yad
Vashem
24
As the war continued, Jews grew desperate
for news from their loved ones. When all
ordinary mail service ceased in late 1942,
Red Cross letters of 25 words or less written
on “Form 61” became the standard means of
communication. These letters allowed civilians
separated by war to exchange information of
“a strictly personal nature” to family members.
Under the Geneva Convention, inmates
of internment and prisoner of war camps
held the right of communication. The Red
Cross became the intermediary of these
communications. Under the original scheme,
messages had to be written in French, German
or English, in block capitals and should not
exceed twenty words (later increased to
twenty-five), excluding the name, address
and relationship. For each message a prepayment had to be made to send the letter,
and an international postal coupon was to
be attached to the form to cover the cost
of the reply, which was to be written on the
back. All messages were sent to the Red
Cross’ headquarters in Geneva, from where
they were forwarded on to their respective
destinations. Since they were also censored,
the whole process of writing and replying
could take several weeks, at least.
During World War II, 23.5 million such
messages passed from one side to the
other via Geneva, the headquarters of the
International Red Cross. The belligerent
nations limited communication to one form
per family per month.
Some 3.8 million Jews had been murdered
by the end of 1942. Those still alive and in a
position to receive mail treasured these signs
of life.
A few Red Cross letters found their way to
family in Sydney.
25
Letter 1 / Leo Steiner
Leo Steiner found refuge in Australia in 1938 and served
in the Australian Army during World War II. The Red Cross
letters from part of a large collection of 81 items in the
Museum’s archive. There are many Red Cross messages
and letters between Leo and his parents, Adolf and
Hermine in Vienna, as well as his brother Paul, and many
other friends. Leo applied to the Australian government
on numerous occasions to try to bring his family to safety
in Australia. Permits were denied.
None of Leo’s family survived. His father died in
Vienna after being tortured in September 1940. The
correspondence between mother and sons continued
until Hermine’s deportation to Minsk in June 1942, and
Paul’s murder in Sabac concentration camp. Many of the
documents in the collection show his attempts to find
out what happened to them.
1/ What is the effect of the 25-word restriction on the
sender and recipient?
2/ How effective is Paul in getting his message across to
Leo?
3/ Describe the tone of this letter.
4/ How has Paul interpreted his situation? What clues are
given in the letter to indicate this type of
interpretation?
Paul Steiner sent this letter from Sabac concentration camp, Yugoslavia to
his brother Leo, Lewisham, New South Wales, September 1941.
Dear Leo
We are all well, Mother also. Have mail constantly.
We have a little girl, Ruth. Are you married? Regards
to Betty. Remain properly well. A thousand kisses
mamma. Light a candle for Father.
5/ Which aspects are signs of continuity over time and
which, signs of change?
6/ What are the implications of a letter like this one that
unintentionally becomes some of the last words of
one brother to another.
7/ Do you believe that Australia has a moral
responsibility for the deaths of Leo’s family? Why, or
why not?
26
Letter 2 / Lothar Prager
Letter 3 / Claude Newcombe
1/ After having considered the "25 Words Only" sources,
what new understandings do you have about the
significance of communication?
2/ How does the context of these communications affect
perceptions of ourselves and others, relationships and
society?
3/ In what ways are these documents confronting and
provocative? Do they challenge us to consider the
power of what is unsaid or omitted?
4/ Why do you think Claude did not use his full 25 words
in his letter to his father? In what ways may this affect
the recipient’s understanding of the letter?
5/ How do you make meaning of this family’s plight
through the context, purpose and audience of this
correspondence?
Erich sent this letter to let Lothar know that his parents, Wilhelm and
Wanda, had been deported. By the time this letter was written, Wilhelm
had already been murdered in Terezín, while Wanda was murdered five
months later. Erich was also deported to Terezín where he was murdered.
Erich Kohn, Amsterdam, sent this message to Lothar Prager, his brother-inlaw, Uruguay, 16 December 1942.
Claude Newcombe sent this letter from Australia to his father Emil
Neukamp, in Berlin, 4 April 1940. Claude’s mother and sister Ulli perished
in 1942.
Erich sent this letter to let know Lothar know that his
parents, Wilhelm and Wanda, had been deported. By
the time this letter was written, Wilhelm had already
perished in Terezín, while Wanda perished 5 months
later. Erich, the writer, was subsequently also deported
to Terezín where he was murdered.
"We are well. Hope same with you. Parents have moved
house. We have no information. We hope they are okay.
Pass on the information to Bronnet, Nussbaums. Vera
and Lasse and Gert too."
Please some news
27
[Reply on reverse] Father passed away on 20 February
1940 at the Jewish Hospital in Berlin. The rest of the
family are all right. Mother and Ulli
28
Sign of Life
“From daddy and
the boys we still
don’t have any
news. May God
help me in finally
getting some sign
of life from them.
Only my prayers
don’t allow me to
doubt that they
will return safely
home. I often
dream about
them. I often in
my dreams see
daddy dressed
nicely and looking
happy.”
Felicia Einhorn, Krakow, Poland to her
sister Linka Greidinger, Northern Italy.
8 January 1942.
Moshe Musel reads a letter from his wife Pola, in the Kovno ghetto,
Lithuania. 1 December 1943. Courtesy Yad Vashem
30
Letter 1 / Salomon Itzkowic
Letter 2 / Moci Kohn
Antwerp, 19th November 1940
Dear Moci,
Dear good Daddy,
I hope that my letter won't be inconvenient to you, but
I have a request of you, and I would like to presume
that it will be possible for you to fulfil it. I would
be interested to know whether Mrs.Hella Gelb with
her children Kathy and Robert, as well as Miss Lily
Susskind, all of them brought to you from Prossnitz
on 27/6/42, are still with you. If they are not, I ask
you to let me know, if possible, where they were sent.
Klinger also asks you for news of his parents. Andor,
Simmerling and I, myself, as well as all our friends here
are well, which we hope also of you.
After two months at last we had mail from you through
Mrs. Bukofzer. You can imagine the joy we felt. As
you wrote us about the documents, so Mummy went
immediately to procure you an attestation of domicile,
since they did not want to give us anything else, but
this is as good as an (words obscured by tear in page)
card. Then Mummy procured you a copy of your
birth certificate. These were sent off for us by Mrs.
Wiesenfeld through someone three months ago. We
always send the letters though Mrs. Wiesenfeld. Hers
arrive, but ours do not, because she always gets mail
from her husband.
Moci and Greta Kohn, 1941.
Thanking you in advance
I am with greetings
A fortnight ago Gustav Zoldner came and told us
that, thank God, you look well and that you are, thank
God, in good health. We are very glad to hear this.
What we wrote to you, that you are together with your
brother, that was a misunderstanding on my part.
Mummy spoke herself to Mr. Zoldner, and he explained
everything properly to her then. Why did you not return
with him? We are glad to hear that your brother is
helping you and that you have heard from him (literally
'that you have had a sign of life from him'). Is he
together with Spiegel and Steinfeld? Because Mrs.
Markowitz has heard nothing from them. We are all in
good health and good spirits.
Dear daddy, please see to it that you return as soon as
possible.
This is a letter to Salomon Itzkowic, who was interned in France, from his
wife and children in Belgium. His wife and children did not survive.
31
D. Komlos
Dezider Komlos, Sered concentration camp to Moci Kohn, Terezín ghettoconcentration camp, 2 January 1943.
Moci worked in the post office at Terezin ghetto-concentration camp and
was later deported to Auschwitz.
A thousand greetings and kisses for you from Berthold,
Arthur and Achim
32
Letter 3 / The Sonnenschein family
Dear Mrs Erna,
Unfortunately I must advise you of very sad news.
Today your parents and my best friends have been sent
away. To my great pain I could not even keep with me
the small Lela. Lela is beautiful, clever, very good and
from her mother well and strictly brought up. We would
have kept her by us with pleasure.
Your dear parents were very intelligent people and
highly regarded. I was advised and received permission
to help them. I packed all for them. Unfortunately I have
experience in such moves. The little man [the Mayor]
advised me crying and admitted being powerless. Not
only good comes from above!
Thank God that you are well with your dear ones.
Please write to me and I will with pleasure answer
immediately and write as I hear something from you,
dear ones.
The Sonnenscheins in Venice, Italy 1942. Note the German Wehrmacht
soldier in the background.
I cannot send you any words of comfort, as I also need
comforting.
1/ Discuss the ways in which these communications
reflect the diversity of the Jewish experience during
the Holocaust. Consider the similarities and
differences, and how they challenge the notion of a
homogenous European Jewish experience during the
Holocaust?
2/ In what ways are continuity and change apparent in
society and on individuals during this era?
3/ What is the importance of individual narratives amid
the larger collective historical narrative?
4/ How do acts of communication shape, challenge
or transform attitudes and beliefs, identities and
behaviours?
5/ The language in Bella’s letter to the Sonnenscheins
raises many questions about the semantics of
language. Consider the way the past tense is used;
euphemisms (i.e. “Little Man”, or “sent away”); and the
unclear or incomplete descriptions. How do they
address the challenge describing the events of the
Holocaust? What does this suggest about the power
of words and, in some cases, their omission?
Best regards to your dear ones.
With hearty kisses, Yours Bella
This is a letter from a family friend of Albert and Erna Sonnenschein, and
their children Kurt and Egon. The family escaped from Yugoslavia to
Switzerland to evade the Nazis.
33
34
Return to Sender
“The news today
I can give you
is unfortunately
very bad. I sent a
letter to Mamma
and it came back
unopened with
the comment,
‘Addressee on
a journey or
has travelled to
Poland’ and that is
all I could find out
about her at this
point.”
Louis Kalmus, Paris, to his half-sister Ada
Schnek, Marseille, France. 21 January
1942.
"The Jews are our misfortune" signage in Vrutsky, Slovakia. SJM
Collection
36
In the initial years of persecution, the Nazis
attempted to make Germany and Austria
Judenfrei (free of Jews) by forcing Jews to
emigrate. After the outbreak of the war they
envisaged a ‘territorial solution’, manifested in
plans and projects for Jewish ‘resettlement’.
Jews sent to concentration camps were
allowed mail; inmates’ cards displayed the
rules to be followed. But life in concentration
camps was always precarious. Every card
might be the last.
Letter 1 / Henry James
In 1941, against the background of the war of
destruction launched against the Soviet Union,
decisions were made to bring about a “Final
Solution” through organised mass murder.
Emigration and expulsion were replaced by
extermination. The six vernichtungslager
(extermination camps) where mass murder
was carried out were Chelmno, Belzec,
Sobibór, Treblinka, Majdanek, and AuschwitzBirkenau.
In the spring of 1942, liquidation of ghettos
and the massive deportations to unknown
places began. Rumours about the destinations
of the deportees – specially built death camps
– soon filtered through to the ghettos. No
one knew what mail would get through.
And no one knew what lay ahead. Yet Jews
continued to write, each letter a testament
to love and longing. Jews on deportation
trains, fearing that whatever their destination,
correspondence would be impossible, threw
last messages through the barred windows
hoping someone would find and mail them.
Henry Jacobius, in uniform, in the 8th Australian Employment Company.
1942-1946.
Henry was interned as an Australian “enemy alien”, upon
arrival in Australia. He writes to his parents Alexander
and Pauline Jacobius of Halbe, Germany from Hay
internment camp, New South Wales. Henry maintained
contact with his parents in Germany until early 1942
when his letters came back "Return to sender", like this
one. He later learned that his parents were murdered in
Treblinka.
Jews in safe lands wrote to relatives at their
last known address. Often, their letters were
returned: “addressee departed” or “return to
sender”.
37
38
Letter 2 / Gisela Weisner
Letter 3 / Ada Schnek
1/ Does knowing that the intended recipients never read
these letters change your understanding of them?
2/ In what ways are the voices of the senders
‘rediscovered’ by being put on display in the Signs of
Life exhibition?
This postcard was sent to Gisela Wiesner in Ljubljana by her father, Joseph,
on 10 February, 1942. The family of eight was dispersed across Europe.
Gisela’s mother, father, and three of her siblings were murdered during the
Holocaust. Gisela and two of her siblings survived.
Brussels, 10 February 1942
My dear child Gisela!
Received with thanks your letter from 26th and read
with joy that you are, thank God, in good health and
that you have received my parcel. Dear Gisela a card
from mother has been sent back, one that I wrote,
I have the feeling that she is no longer in Leipzig, I
am very concerned but unfortunately there is nothing
I can do from here. These are blows from fate. Me
and Mendel are thank God in good health. Hoping to
receive best news of you. You cannot imagine my...
[illegible] now where I have from Mutti but mankind is
stronger than steel and harder than iron. Otherwise
nothing important except for sending my regards to
you my dear child and kisses. Wish you all the best and
Mendel sends his regards. From me, your father
39
Louis Kalmus sent this letter from Paris to his half-sister in Marseilles, 21
January 1942. Their mother Mina was murdered in 1941 and Louis in 1942.
To:
From:
Mme Ada Schnek, Hotel Bompard, 4 Traverse
Beaulieu, Marseille
Mr Louis Kalmus, 1 bis Rue Vaneau, Paris 7e
Dear Ada
I am sending you 500 Francs. I haven’t heard from
them and have no clue how they are. The news today I
can give you is unfortunately very bad. I sent a letter to
Mamma and it came back unopened with the comment,
“addressee on a journey or has travelled to Poland”
[actual date of deportation 3.12.41] and that is all I
could find out about her at this point. It seems that she
and many others were evacuated to Poland and Russia
by force and as far as I can see there is very little hope
we will hear from them again. The strange thing is she
hasn’t notified me prior to her departure, although this
has happened before a few times. She should have
said a few words. I am confused and it’s terrible to
think I couldn’t do anything for her. We are OK. I am
always an optimist, which helps a bit.
Louis
3/ Could these letters be displayed under another, and
perhaps more suitable, heading? What would it be?
Explain your reasons.
4/ Explain how these letters reveal how the Holocaust
was unfolding and affected the ability of the writers to
know and describe what was happening around
them?
5/ How do these letters deepen our understanding of
the individual human impact of Nazi policies towards
the Jews?
40
Last Letters
“My Beloved Dear
Son! By the time
you receive this
letter, we won’t be
among the living.
Destiny caught up
with us, just like
with others living
in the surrounding
countries.”
Arthur and Magda Kaldor, Hungary, write
their last words to their son Ervin, New
Zealand. 25 March 1944.
A woman in the Lodz ghetto writing a letter before boarding a
deportation train to Chelmno. Courtesy Yad Vashem
Jews from the Lodz ghetto board deportation trains for the Chelmno
death camp, 1942. Courtesy USHMM
42
Letter 1 / Cornelia Swaab
Letter 2 / Arthur and Magda Kaldor
Darling Simon and Gretha and our sweetheart Corrie,
We are sitting in the train to depart to another land.
We are very brave. Our thoughts are only of home and
most of all Pa. When he is ready and comes out of
hospital, he has to go first to your brother, and he has
to be strong and look after himself and we wish him
well and good recovery. Mother is keeping strong and
we are staying together and in our minds we are still
all with you. I end with greetings thousand kisses for
Herman and Corrie and everyone. We have received
no baggage and if it has not been sent off then leave
it. Now bye till we meet again. Say to Pa to keep a
positive outlook. Bye bye bye.
Arthur and Magda Kaldor, Hungary, write their last words to their son Ervin,
Christchurch, New Zealand, 25 March 1944. Both perished in the Holocaust.
My Beloved Dear Son!
Cornelia Swaab and daughters Lena and Lies, write their last words to son/
brother Simon, 10 November 1942. The letter was thrown from a train,
picked up and posted by an unknown person not far from Westerbork
where the women were deported. Addressed to Mr S Swaab, it reached its
destination in Amsterdam. Simon’s mother, Cornelia, and five sisters were
all murdered in Auschwitz.
43
By the time you receive this letter, we won’t be among
the living. Destiny caught up with us, just like with
others living in the surrounding countries. In order to
save some of our belongings for you, we distributed
them among people that showed good intentions and
sentiments toward us. We handed over our jewellery
in a sealed package to our ex Mariska, Mrs. Daniel
Ujváry, Tósokberény /next to Ajka/ and clothing in
another package. Mariska is even posting this letter
instead of us to you, and until your return, she will
safe keep for you the valuables that we entrusted her
with. We gave my stamp collection and silverware, in
a yellow suitcase, also for safe keeping, to the wife
of József Dombováry, the prison guard. You will find
these as well. The suitcase’s key and our life insurance
documents can be found with Lajos Hainess, the
manager of the local tannery, who will inform you about
everything. Please reward handsomely the first two for
their kindness, regarding the factory (tannery) manager,
who was our very good, benevolent friend, show him
our gratitude in a gentlemanly way. The instructions
regarding the insurances are (placed) together with the
policies. Keep the Hungarian stamp collection for your
future child, if there is going to be any, but only give
it to him if he shows interest and inclination, because
the collection is of great value today, and its value will
just increase. Convert into money the other two stamp
collections. Offer them for sale to the most eminent
Duke Nándor Montenuovo, with whom I have been
corresponding actively. Half of the house on Kisfaludy
Street belongs to me. The mortgage on the land has
been fully paid out; the bank has to erase it. If Victor
will have survivors, first offer them the half, and if they
are unable to purchase it, then realize it together. Uncle
Victor owes me 8,000, namely eight thousand gold
Pengo, that the heirs have to pay us back from the
price of the house. The other possessions that we still
have, where they will end up, only the good Omnipotent
will know. If you will need advice from lawyers or will
need lawyers, then turn to the offices of Dr. Sándor
Csupor and Dr. Lajos Gábriell. These would be my
instructions, regarding material things, in a nutshell.
Regarding you personally, our wishes are, that you get
married, the sooner the better, and return to your new
country, where you will be able to tell about this ugly
world, that is here now and will stay here for a long
time. I want to avoid sentimentality; that is the reason
that my letter is so dry, because we need every nerve
to keep strong.
To you, my dear son, I thank you, that you were such
a good child, and I only ask you, that after our passing
you say every now and then a prayer over our ashes,
or, because this won’t be possible, for our memories.
May God bless you and give you all the best, luck, an
understanding, good wife and family. Thinking of you,
until our last breath, hugs and kisses from your loving
Father.
44
Letter 3 / Miklos and Alice Fenyves
My Dear Children,
We are going. May you be as courageous as we are
calm, for I do believe strongly that we meet up again.
We carry with us our only precious possession, your
lovely photograph, and the memory of the splendid
days and years spent with you resides in our soul.
My dears, I thank you for having made those few
years so beautiful for us. If only Rudi had come as
well at Christmas time, that I could have hugged him.
Sylvikem, my beloved little granddaughter, pray for
us. Our will to live gives us strength and we know that
we are going to see each other and that we shall be
happy. My children, I hug and kiss you. I wish you all the
best and ask you not to be sad for us. Goodbye. I love
you all very much and our greatest sorrow is that we
shall be missing your letters, although we have gotten
used to this already, since for the past eight weeks we
had not sighted even as much as a solitary syllable.
My dear Klari, my dear Rudi, my dear Sylvia, May God
bless you. We kiss you. Apu s Anya (Dad and Mum).
Miklos and Alice Fenyves sent these last words to their daughter Klari, her
husband and daughter. Smuggled out of Kosice, Hungary it was posted by
an unknown person prior to their deportation to Auschwitz in 1944, where
they were murdered shortly upon arrival.
1/ What is the purpose of this letter – to comfort, leave a
record, ‘last will and testament’ etc.
2/ In what ways do these letters demonstrate what it
essentially means to be human?
3/ Identify the limitations imposed on the writers and
explain how this would affect the content of the letter.
4/ Identify examples of figurative language used in the
letters. What is its purpose?
5/ Why do you think these letters are so rich in imagery?
6/ In what ways do euphemisms, colloquialisms, and
references to spirituality reveal the strength of family
ties?
7/ Compare and contrast the language that is used by
different writers who are facing a common fate. What
does this tell us about the differing strategies people
used to cope with their predicament? These writers?
8/ Why might the Kaldors write a letter that uses
practical details – names and places, for example?
9/ In what ways do these letters provide insight and
encourage its recipient to consider the future and
have hope for a better future?
45
46
A Very Small Hope
“Please, please
do write to me
all the news you
have, mainly
about my beloved
daddy. Though I
am prepared for
the worst, a very
small hope is
always present.”
Hana Lipova, in hospital in BergenBelsen, writes to her cousins,
Czechoslovakia. 7 July 1945.
Three young girls sitting on the ground heating food on a fire fuelled
by boots at the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, April
1945. SJM Collection
Prisoners in Theresienstadt's liberation on May 8, 1945. SJM Collection
48
Family members had endeavoured to maintain
contact throughout Hitler’s reign. At war’s
end in 1945, reeling from the experience of
and news about the Holocaust, millions of
people searched for loved ones. Two-thirds
of Europe’s Jews, some six million people,
had been murdered. The one-third who had
survived wondered: who else is among the
living?
Letter 1 / Helena Goldstein
Dear Matys,
I received two letters from you and your lovely wife
and responded through the courtesy of your aunty
Mrs. Bernardiner. I’m not sure whether she has already
arrived in Palestine and handed over my letters as, so
far, I have not received a reply. I don’t know therefore,
whether I should repeat everything I wrote about in my
previous letters. Considering that all the matters are
most depressing and writing about them comes to me
with the utmost of difficulty.
Helena Goldstein, 1943
I wrote to you about the circumstances in which your
whole family perished. I repeat again, if it can be of any
comfort for you, they perished together and none of
them went to their deaths alone while those still alive
had to suffer with grief until they themselves met with
the same fate.
Fela and her husband Ignatz returned from Russia at
long last and at long last we are together again. I’m
sure it is not necessary to describe how happy it makes
me to have my dearest sister, the only person closest
to me, back with me.
The only thing which worries us now is the thought
of leaving as soon as possible. If you could arrange
something with Barias, it would be of great significance.
Remember, our entire hope is with you and Uncle Isaac.
Another request. Somewhere in Palestine there should
be my old friend from Lublin Esther Zandsztajn. If you
could come across any traces of her and notify her that
I am alive?
In the meantime dear Matys, kisses and regards from
myself, Fela, Ignatz and my husband Olek
Your Hela
That’s what happened to my family when each of
them perished alone, at few weekly intervals. And so
I was the only one to survive, to suffer from longing
never appeased and hurt never relieved and feeling
in envious of those that are gone in comparison to
those that remained behind. The family of Uncle David
also perished together. Mina was by then your brother
Shlomek’s wife. Only Auntie Bella was murdered later.
If you need any information about us, Uncle Izaac will
help you.
I won’t write more on this subject, but in case you
haven’t received my previous letter and would like
to learn the particulars of the life and death of your
closest and dearest ones while in the ghetto, let me
know and I shall endeavour to reproduce it in its entirety
one more time.
Letter written by Helena Goldstein to her cousin Matys Gwircman, 5 June,
1946.
My dear cousin, I am so happy for you that you married
such a nice woman, which I deduce from her letter and
also having met some of her family. I dare to presume
that your parents as well as your siblings would be just
so happy. I would like to get a photo of the 2 of you. I
myself will send you one of me and my husband just as
soon as I have one.
There was a great event in my life; my dearest sister
49
50
Letter 2 / Olga Horak
My dear Aunt Irene, Uncle Charles and children,
Olga Horak, 1950.
Olga Horak, the sole survivor of her family, wrote this letter from Bratislava
to her Aunt Irene and Uncle Charles in Palestine, 14 September 1945.
You surely will be surprised to get news from me after
such a long time. You can imagine how painful it is for
me to write this letter. It is a hard decision to let you
know about all. Unfortunately from the entire family only
Tommy and I have returned so far. There is absolutely no
news about anyone else. I was together with my dearest
mother until the very last moment. Unfortunately, she had
typhus when we were liberated by the British. You can’t
imagine how happy we were to prepare ourselves to return
home but she did not make it and died. Shortly after I was
also stricken with typhus and was in a camp sick bay for
four months. I myself am surprised how I endured all this.
I have lost 25 kg. I was declared able for transport and
repatriated four days ago. The family does not look after
me. Two weeks ago Uncle William passed away. Stern
and the Nachmias family have not returned either. My
cousin Jancsi (Eugene) Nachmias was thrown out from the
third floor window by the Nazis. I’m very affected by the
loss of my dearest mama, papa and Judith. I do not want
to give you more heartache because I know how worried
you were. I’m living now with Aunt Freda, the Bardos
family and I feel good with them. Indeed such people are
hard to be found. My nearest relatives didn’t do anything
for me. As soon as I feel a bit stronger I will travel to
Sala together with Erica Friedlieb. She got married a year
ago. Her closest family has also not returned home. My
dearest Aunt Irene, it would be good if you could come
here as soon as the possibility arises. There are so many
things in need of attention, and I am so very alone. I’m
trying to collect a few things that were left in safekeeping.
I went to collect a few things yesterday, which were in
good order. A lot is denied but I don’t really care. When
life is gone it can’t be replaced. I could write novels, but
now it is meaningless. I hope we could soon meet and
then I will tell you in person. How are you, the children and
your friends? A lot you have been spared. I think about
your clever decision that you left in time. I hope to get
from you informative and long letters soon. I send you
kisses.
1/ In the post-war era, survivors, for the first-time since
the Nazi’s rise to power, are unrestricted in what they
can say. How does this affect what is said?
2/ What qualities can you find in the voice of the letterwriters?
3/ How has language been used to effectively
communicate meaning?
4/ Reread Olga’s letter. What are the immediate priorities
of survival after the war for Olga? In what way is her
youth both a benefit and a hindrance to her survival?
5/ At the end of the war, survivors now have to grapple with the question of why they survived and others
didn’t. How do you think they make sense of their
wartime experiences?
6/ How do you come to terms with telling people what
happened to you and your loved ones?
7/ Survivors had to rebuild their lives. Identify the
choices and actions they faced.
8/ ‘Chaja’ “was not a good name” according to Helena
Goldstein, who changed her name from ‘Chaja’ to
‘Helena’. Why does Helena think this? What does it
reflect about the political and social conditions at the
end of war?
9/ Also, Helena said, “no one had any papers and could
invent a new identity because no one could prove
that it wasn’t so.” How does this statement tell us
about Helena’s attempt to deal with the past and think
about the future?
Fondly yours
Olly
51
52
Regret to Inform You
“ I am very
disturbed for not
receiving any
replies to my
letters. I have
no patience to
wait so long.
Why aren’t you
answering my
letters? Have
mercy on me my
Dear and write
to me about your
health and where
do you live, and
with whom. Who in
our family was left
alive?”
Lucyna Kantanska, Moscow, Soviet Union
to Wandy Winiadskiej in Warsaw, Poland.
4 June 1945.
Postwar, survivors seeing if they have received news, Shanghai, China, 1946
By Arthur Rothstein (for UNRRA), Courtesy American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee
54
Some 250,000 Jews lived in Displaced
Persons (DP) camps run by the western
Allies in Germany, Austria, and Italy. With
no mail service, survivors passed thousands
of letters clandestinely each week through
American Jewish army chaplains until military
authorities allowed the American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee to take over mail
services in 1946.
Placing personal ads in newspapers and
writing to the Red Cross and other tracing
services, Jews searched for each other
desperately. The first letters in the rare
instances of unification tell searing tales of
suffering and of joy that a loved one still lived.
Letter 1 / Zygmund Schweizer
Zygmund Schweizer is a German Jew from Berlin who
was imprisoned in 1933 for being politically active
as a Socialist. Upon his release, he fled with a Polish
passport to Italy. When Italy joined the Axis, he escaped
to North Africa and worked in a nightclub. With the
German invasion into North Africa in 1941, Zygmund
was once again forced to flee, where he ended up
working for a British Army mess kitchen in Gibraltar. In
1942 he went to England, but did not find respite there.
He was interned as an ‘enemy alien’ on the Isle of Mann
from March 1942 to August 1944. He was released in
1944 and settled in London. Zygmund enquired about
the plight of his family. His search began in 1942 and
ended in 1970 when he finally gave up. He never found
out what happened to his family.
1/ Consider the content of this letter. What is the
significance of the content being conveyed in two
sentences?
2/ What are the effects of formal language being used on
the recipient?
3/ What assumptions does this letter make?
4/ What evidence is there that the Allied governments
were aware of the plight of European Jews?
5/ In what ways does this letter speak to the nature of
war?
6/ Why do you suppose Zygmund stopped searching for
his loved ones in 1970?
7/ What obstacles did survivors still have to overcome
after liberation?
55
56
Bibliography
Post-Visit Materials
Reflection and Enduring Understandings
from Signs of Life
1/Read the Sydney Jewish Museum’s mission
and vision statements. How does the Signs
of Life exhibition respond to, enhance, and
support the Museum’s mission and vision
statements?
Sydney Jewish Museum Mission
To commemorate the lives of the six
million Jews murdered by the Nazis and
their collaborators, honour the Survivors
and pay tribute to the Righteous Among
the Nations.
Ensure through education, academic
research, and display artefacts and
memorabilia that the Holocaust and its
uniqueness in history is never forgotten
and it is recognised as a crime against
humanity with contemporary and
universal significance.
Explore and illustrate the depth of the
Jewish religion, tradition and culture,
Australian Jewish history and the
contribution of Jews to Australian society.
Consider what you have learned and what
you would like to know more about. Include
these points in your response.
4/Evaluate historian Debórah Dwork’s
statement on the Nazi letter-writing
program: “Signs of life became markers of
death”.
Bachrach, Zwi (Ed). Last Letters from the Shoah.
Jerusalem: Yad Vashem, 2013.
Brinson, Charmian & Kaczinski, William. Fleeing
from the Führer: A Postal History of Refugees
from Nazism, Stroud, The History Press, 2011.
Dwork, Debórah. Signs of Life, pamphlet
and exhibition text, Sydney Jewish Museum,
Sydney, NSW, 2014.
Gelski, Sophie. Teaching the Holocaust,
educational resource, Sydney Jewish Museum,
Sydney, NSW, 2013.
Schwab, Henry. The Echoes That Remain:
A Postal History of the Holocaust. Cardinal
Spellman Philatelic Museum, 1992.
Silberklang, David. (30 April, 2014). What Did
They Know? Guide Education Lecture Series.
Lecture conducted at the Sydney Jewish
Museum.
Simon, Sam. Handbook of the Mail in the
Concentration Camps 1933-1945 and Related
Material: A Postal History. Privately Printed,
1973.
Sydney Jewish Museum Vision
To inspire mutual respect and crosscultural understanding without our society
with particular emphasis on the lessons of
the Holocaust, in order that such a tragedy
should never happen again to any people.
2/Has your understanding of letter-writing
changed? If so, how?
3/What letter/s resonate/s with you the most
and consider why this is so. Respond by
specifically addressing context and voice.
57
58
Guidelines to teaching about the Holocaust
Adapted from Teaching about the Holocaust: A
Resource for Educators, United States Memorial
Museum, Washington, D.C., 2001.
http://www.ushmm.org/education/foreducators/
Define the term Holocaust
The Holocaust was the systematic,
bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and
murder of approximately six million Jews by
the Nazi regime and its collaborators. During
the era of the Holocaust, German authorities
also targeted other groups because of their
perceived “racial inferiority”: Roma (Gypsies),
the disabled, and some of the Slavic peoples
(Poles, Russians, and others). Other groups
were persecuted on political, ideological,
and behavioral grounds, among them
Communists, Socialists, Jehovah’s Witnesses,
and homosexuals.
Do not teach or imply that the Holocaust
was inevitable.
Just because a historical event took place,
does not mean that it had to happen. The
Holocaust took place because individuals,
groups, and nations made decisions to act or
not to act.
Avoid simple answers to complex questions
The Holocaust, as one of the most researched
aspects of human history, continues to raise
difficult questions about human behavior and
the context within which individual decisions
are made. Seek to convey the nuances of this
history. Allow students to think about the
many factors and events that contributed to
the Holocaust.
Strive for precision of language
Because of the complexity of the history, there
is a temptation to generalise. Avoid this by
helping your students clarify the information
presented and encouraging them to
distinguish between the nuances of this event.
59
Strive for balance in establishing whose
perspective informs your study of the
Holocaust
As with any topic, students should make
careful distinctions about sources of
information. Investigating the origin and
authorship of all material will also complicate
the human experience during the Holocaust,
as well as ensure its authenticity. By studying
the participants of the Holocaust as belonging
to one of four categories: victims, perpetrators,
rescuers, or bystanders will allow students to
examine the actions, motives, and decisions
of each group. In this way, all individuals are
viewed as human beings who are capable of
moral judgment and independent decisionmaking.
Avoid comparisons of pain
A study of the Holocaust should always
highlight the different policies carried out
by the Nazi regime toward various groups of
people; however, these distinctions should
not be presented as a basis for comparison of
the level of suffering between those groups
during the Holocaust. One cannot presume
that the horror of an individual, family, or
community destroyed by the Nazis was any
greater than that experienced by victims of
other genocides.
Contextualize the history
Events of the Holocaust, and particularly how
individuals and organizations behaved at that
time, should be placed in historical context
so that students can begin to comprehend
the circumstances that encouraged or
discouraged particular actions or events.
Make use of possible primary source material
wherever and whenever possible.
Translate statistics into people
Emphasizing the diversity of experience and
portraying people in the fullness of their lives
and not just as victims help students make
meaning out of the statistics. It is imperative
to not lose the human in history, so as to allow
students to grapple with this historical event
as having ever-present reverberations.
Make responsible methodological choices
One of the primary concerns of educators
teaching the history of the Holocaust is
presenting atrocity images in a sensitive and
appropriate manner. Try to select pictures
and texts that do not exploit the students’
emotional vulnerability or that might be
construed as disrespectful to the victims
themselves.
Do not romanticize history
It is imperative to teach about what it was
like to live during the Holocaust and about
people who risked their lives to rescue victims
of Nazi oppression; however, ultimately the
Holocaust is about the act of destruction and
murder. It is important to not overemphasize
heroic actions in a unit on the Holocaust as
it can result in an inaccurate and unbalanced
account of the history.
60
Syllabus Objectives, Outcomes & Content
addressed by this educational program
All syllabus outcomes and content in this section are
taken from and can be found in the NSW Board of
Studies syllabi. To access complete syllabus documents,
please refer to www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au
ENGLISH Stage 4 & 5 Objectives and Outcomes
Through responding to and composing a wide range of texts and
through the close study of texts, students will develop knowledge,
understanding and skills in order to:
Communicate
through speaking,
listening, reading,
writing, viewing and
representing
Use language to shape
and make meaning
according to purpose,
audience and context
Think in ways that are
imaginative, creative,
interpretive and critical
Express themselves and
their relationships with
others and their world
Learn and reflect on
their learning through
their study of English
61
Stage 5 outcomes
EN4-1A responds to and composes texts for
understanding, interpretation, critical analysis,
imaginative expression and pleasure
EN5-1A responds to and composes increasingly
sophisticated and sustained texts for understanding,
interpretation, critical analysis, imaginative expression and
pleasure
EN4-3B uses and describes language forms, features
and structures of texts appropriate to a range of
purposes, audiences and contexts
EN4-4B makes effective language choices to creatively
shape meaning with accuracy, clarity and coherence
EN4-5C thinks imaginatively, creatively, interpretively
and critically about information, ideas and arguments
to respond to and compose texts
EN4-6C identifies and explains connections between
and among texts
EN4-7D demonstrates understanding of how texts can
express aspects of their broadening world and their
relationships within it
EN4-8D identifies, considers and appreciates cultural
expression in texts
EN4-9E uses, reflects on and assesses their individual
and collaborative skills for learning
Area of Study: Discovery
In the Area of Study, students explore and examine relationships
between language and text, and interrelationships among texts. They
examine closely the individual qualities of texts while considering
the texts’ relationships to the wider context of the Area of Study. They
synthesise ideas to clarify meaning and develop new meanings. They
take into account whether aspects such as context, purpose and
register, text structures, stylistic features, grammatical features and
vocabulary are appropriate to the particular text.
HSC ENGLISH (Advanced)
Stage 4 outcomes
EN4-2A effectively uses a widening range of processes,
skills, strategies and knowledge for responding to and
composing texts in different media and technologies
HSC ENGLISH Stage 6 (Common Areas of Study)
EN5-2A effectively uses and critically assesses a wide
range of processes, skills, strategies and knowledge for
responding to and composing a wide range of texts in
different media and technologies
EN5-3B selects and uses language forms, features and
structures of texts appropriate to a range of purposes,
audiences and contexts, describing and explaining their
effects on meaning
EN5-4B effectively transfers knowledge, skills and
understanding of language concepts into new and different
contexts
EN5-5C thinks imaginatively, creatively, interpretively and
critically about information and increasingly complex ideas
and arguments to respond to and compose texts in a range
of contexts
EN5-6C investigates the relationships between and among
texts
EN5-7D understands and evaluates the diverse ways texts
can represent personal and public worlds
EN5-8D questions, challenges and evaluates cultural
assumptions in texts and their effects on meaning
EN5-9E purposefully reflects on, assesses and
adapts their individual and collaborative skills
with increasing independence and effectiveness
Module A: Comparative Study of Texts and Context
This module requires students to compare texts in order to explore
them in relation to their contexts. It develops students’ understanding
of the effects of context and questions of value.
•
Elective 1: Intertextual Connections
In this elective, students compare texts in order to develop their
understanding of the effects of context, purpose and audience
on the shaping of meaning. Through exploring the intertextual
connections between a pair of texts, students examine the ways
in which different social, cultural and historical contexts can
influence the composer’s choice of language forms and features
and the ideas, values and attitudes conveyed in each text. In their
responding and composing, students consider how the
implicit and explicit relationship between the texts can deepen
our understanding of the values, significance and context of each.
•
Elective 2: Intertextual Perspectives
In this elective, students compare the content and perspectives in
a pair of texts in order to develop their understanding of the
effects of context, purpose and audience on the shaping of
meaning. Through exploring and comparing perspectives offered
by a pair of texts, students examine the ways in which particular
social, cultural and historical contexts can influence the
composer’s choice of language forms and features and the ideas,
values and attitudes conveyed in each text. In their responding
and composing, students consider how the treatment of similar
content in a pair of texts can heighten our understanding of the
values, significance and context of each.
texts create these images, affect interpretation and shape
meaning. Students examine one prescribed text, in addition to
other related texts of their own choosing that provide examples
of the distinctively visual.
Module C: Texts and Society
This module requires students to explore and analyse texts used in a
specific situation. It assists students’ understanding of the ways that
texts communicate information, ideas, bodies of knowledge, attitudes
and belief systems in ways particular to specific areas of society.
•
Elective 1: Exploring Interactions
In this elective, students explore and analyse a variety of
texts that portray the ways in which individuals live, interact
and communicate in a range of social contexts. These contexts
may include the home, cultural, friendship and sporting groups,
the workplace and the digital world. Through exploring their
prescribed text and texts of their own choosing, students
consider how acts of communication can shape, challenge or
transform attitudes and beliefs, identities and behaviours. In their
responding and composing, students develop their
understanding of how the social context of individuals’
interactions can affect perceptions of ourselves and others,
relationships and society.
•
Elective 2: Exploring Transitions
In this elective, students explore and analyse a variety of texts
that portray the ways in which individuals experience transitions
into new phases of life and social contexts. These transitions may
be challenging, confronting, exciting or transformative and
may result in growth, change and a range of consequences for
the individual and others. Through exploring their prescribed text
and other related texts of their own choosing, students consider
how transitions can result in new knowledge and ideas, shifts in
attitudes and beliefs, and a deepened understanding of the self
and others. Students respond to and compose a range of texts
that expand our understanding of the experience of venturing
into new worlds.
HSC ENGLISH (Standard)
Module A: Experience through Language
This module requires students to explore the uses of a particular
aspect of language. It develops students’ awareness of language and
helps them understand how our perceptions of and relationships
with others and the world are shaped in written, spoken and visual
language.
•
Elective 1: Distinctive Voices
In their responding and composing, students consider various
types and functions of voices in texts. They explore the ways
language is used to create voices in texts, and how this use
of language affects interpretation and shapes meaning. Students
examine one prescribed text, in addition to other related texts of
their own choosing that provide examples of distinctive voices.
•
Elective 2: Distinctively Visual
In their responding and composing, students explore the ways
the images we see and/or visualise in texts are created. Students
consider how the forms, features and language of different
62
HISTORY Stage 4 & 5 Objectives, Outcomes & Content
HSC History Objectives, Outcomes & Content
Objectives
Students:
• develop knowledge and understanding of the nature of history and significant changes and
developments from the past, the modern world and Australia
• develop knowledge and understanding of ideas, movements, people and events that
shaped past civilisations, the modern world and Australia.
Stage 4 outcomes
A Student:
Stage 5 outcomes
A Student:
HT4-1 describes the nature of history and archaeology and explains
their contribution to an understanding of the past
HT4-2 describes major periods of historical time and sequences events,
people and societies from the past
HT4-3 describes and assesses the motives and actions of past
individuals and groups in the context of past societies
HT4-4 describes and explains the causes and effects of events and
developments of past societies over time
HT5-1 explains and assesses the historical forces and factors that
shaped the modern world and Australia
HT5-2 sequences and explains the significant patterns of continuity
and change in the development of the modern world and Australia
HT5-3 explains and analyses the motives and actions of past
individuals and groups in the
historical contexts that shaped the modern world and Australia
HT5-4 explains and analyses the causes and effects of events and
developments in the modern world and Australia
Objectives
Students:
• develop skills to undertake the process of historical inquiry.
Stage 4 outcomes
A Student:
Stage 5 outcomes
A Student:
HT4-5 identifies the meaning, purpose and context of historical
sources
HT4-6 uses evidence from sources to support historical narratives and
explanations
HT4-7 identifies and describes different contexts, perspectives and
interpretations of the past
HT4-8 locates, selects and organises information from sources to
develop an historical inquiry
HT5-5 identifies and evaluates the usefulness of sources in the
historical inquiry process
HT5-6 uses relevant evidence from sources to support historical
narratives, explanations and analyses of the modern world and
Australia
HT5-7 explains different contexts, perspectives and interpretations of
the modern world and Australia
HT5-8 selects and analyses a range of historical sources to locate
information relevant to an historical inquiry
Objectives
Preliminary Course Outcomes
HSC Course Outcomes
A student develops
knowledge and
understanding about:
A student develops the skills to:
A student develops the skills to:
1/ key features, issues,
individuals and events
from the eighteenth
century to the present
P1.1 describe the role of key individuals, groups
and events of selected studies from the eighteenth
century to the present
P1.2 investigate nd explain the key features and issues
of selected studies from the eighteenth century to the
present
H1.1 describe the role of key features, issues, individuals,
groups and events of selected twentieth-century studies
H1.2 analyse and evaluate the role of key features, issues,
individuals, groups and events of selected twentiethcentury studies
2/ change and
continuity over time
P2.1 identify forces and ideas and explain their
significance in contributing to change and continuity
from the eighteenth century to the present
H2.1 explain forces and ideas and assess their significance
in contributing to change and continuity during the
twentieth century
3/ the process of
historical inquiry
P3.1 ask relevant historical questions
P3.2 locate, select and organise relevant information
from different types of sources
P3.3 comprehend and analyse sources for their
usefulness and reliability
P3.4 identify and account for differing perspectives
and interpretations of the past
P3.5 plan and present the findings of historical
investigations, analysing and synthesising information
from different types of sources
H3.1 ask relevant historical questions
H3.2 locate, select and organise relevant information from
different types of sources
H3.3 analyse and evaluate sources for their usefulness and
reliability
H3.4 explain and evaluate differing perspectives and
interpretations of the past
H3.5 plan and present the findings of historical
investigations, analysing and synthesising information from
different types of sources
4/ communicating
an understanding of
history
P4.1 use historical terms and concepts appropriately
P4.2 communicate a knowledge and understanding
of historical features and issues, using appropriate and
well-structured oral and written forms
H4.1 use historical terms and concepts appropriately
H4.2 communicate a knowledge and understanding of
historical features and issues, using appropriate and wellstructured oral and written forms
5/ informed and active
citizenship
• demonstrates an appreciation of the nature of various democratic institutions
• demonstrates an appreciation of the individual rights, freedoms and responsibilities of citizenship and democracy
• demonstrates respect for different viewpoints, ways of living, belief systems and languages in the modern world
6/ a just society
• articulates concern for the welfare, rights and dignity of all people
• displays a readiness to counter disadvantage and change racist, sexist and other discriminatory practices
• demonstrates respect for human life
7/ the influence of the
past on the present and
the future
• demonstrates an awareness of the ways the past can inform and influence the present and the future
• recognises the impact of contemporary national and global developments on countries and regions, lifestyles,
issues, beliefs and institutions
8/ the contribution of
historical studies to
lifelong learning
• demonstrates an awareness of the contributions of historical studies to lifelong learning
Objectives
Students:
• develop skills to communicate their understanding of history.
Stage 4 outcomes
A Student:
Stage 5 outcomes
A Student:
HT4-9 uses a range of historical terms and concepts when
communicating an understanding of the past
HT4-10 selects and uses appropriate oral, written, visual and digital
forms to
HT5-9 applies a range of relevant historical terms and concepts when
communicating an understanding of the past
HT5-10 selects and uses appropriate oral, written, visual and digital
forms to communicate about the past communicate effectively about
the past for different audiences
Stage 4 content
Stage 5 content
Stage 4 Mandatory site study
Core Study – Depth Study 3 Australians at War
Core Study – Depth Study 4 Rights and Freedoms (1945-present)
Depth Study 5 Migration Experiences
Depth Study 6 School-developed topic
Stage 5 Mandatory site study
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Stage 6 Content
• 10.2 National Studies
A Australia 1945-1983
C Germany 1918-1939
• 10.4 International Studies in Peace and Conflict
B Conflict in Europe 1935-1945
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