Theo Tobiasse: Textural Emergence
The Educator’s Guide
Theo Tobaisse, American, 1986 Limited Edition Lithograph on Paper
Table of Contents
About the Guide ............................................................................................................................................................................ 1
Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................................................................... 2
VTS and Common Core at the Museum ............................................................................................................................... 3
Before Your Visit ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
About the Artist .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Visual Thinking Strategies Activity ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Visual Art/Writing Lesson: When Words Are Not Enough ............................................................................................. 7-9
Reflection Worksheet ..............................................................................................................................................................10
Did You Know? .......................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Research/Writing Activity: Youth in Hiding and Exile ................................................................................................ 12-13
Common Core Standards and National Standards for the Arts.............................................................................. 14-15
About the Guide
This guide is intended for use in conjunction with a Museum visit and as a tool to integrate art into your
classroom lessons. We would also like to introduce you to Visual Thinking Strategies or VTS, a literacy and art
viewing program that utilizes art to help improve both critical thinking and verbal skills. VTS aligns very well
with the Common Core ELA Standards by encouraging students to reinforce verbal and written ideas with
evidence from a work of art. It also promotes clarity in speech, enhances reading and writing skills and bolsters
self-confidence. When planning a field trip to the Museum, use the guide to prepare yourself, rather than your
students for the visit. Then share the resources with students after the visit to continue learning from the
Museum experience in your classroom. The lessons and resources can also be used independent of a
Museum visit.
The lessons in this guide align with Common Core Standards and National Standards for the Arts.
They are based on works from the exhibition, Theo Tobiasse: Textural Emergence, on view at the Alexandria
Museum of Art, from March 8, 2014 - May 24, 2014.
Theo Tobiasse: Textural Emergence
March 8, 2014 - May 24, 2014
This selection of works from the permanent collection represents the later years of this Holocaust survivor’s
prolific and innovative career. Tobiasse’s work influenced by surrealism, expressionism, and modern
primitivism explored themes of mythology, biblical stories, exile and his own past combined to present rich
metaphors for the 20th century. His mix of techniques and media brings a richness and colorful emotional
quality to these later works.
AMoA presents this exhibition as part of our nation’s April 2014 Days of Remembrance Commemoration of the
Holocaust, and in conjunction with our own community’s Holocaust observance activities. Theo Tobiasse spent
two terrifying years in hiding with his family in Paris during his teenage years. He spent most of his time
reading and drawing. After the war, armed with a portfolio of drawings, he began his artistic career as a graphic
designer and painted at night. By 1969 he was able to devote all of his time to painting. The works in this
exhibition are Carborundums, Aquatints and Lithographs from the 1980s.
In addition to Theo Tobiasse: Textural Emergence, the following exhibitions will be on view during the Spring of
2014:
Dueling Visions of Liberty: Depictions of the American Civil War
March 8, 2014 - May 24, 2014
Dueling Visions of Liberty: Depictions of the American Civil War presents the diverse political, regional, and
racial viewpoints expressed during the American Civil War through art. The exhibit will feature a variety of
artistic medium including contemporary paintings, lithographs from news journals, sculptures, photographs,
and other period artifacts to represent the viewpoints of those who fought, stayed behind to defend their
homes, and those that were neutral witnesses to the conflict. This diversity of mediums also represents the
evolution of artistic expression and development in the United States during the 1860s.
Art Shapes the World: 10th Annual Youth Art Month Juried Exhibition
March 8, 2014- May 24, 2014
March is Youth Art Month and its purpose is to celebrate Cenla’s young artists. Art teachers from the area
submit their students’ artwork that compete in a juried exhibition in various age groups. The Awards Ceremony
for the exhibition is held during our Youth Art Month Festival on the grounds of the Alexandria Museum of Art.
The event is free and open to the public.
1
Acknowledgements and Resources
Information regarding VTS was adapted from material provided by Visual Understanding in Education, a
nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the use of VTS, and increase understanding of aesthetic
development. Please visit www.vtshome.org.
Vocabulary found at http://www.merriam-webster.com/.
Art vocabulary can be found on artlex.com.
Information about Theo Tobiasse used in this guide can be found in Tobiasse: Artist in Exile by Chaim Potok
published by Rizzoli in 1987.
And from An Interview with Theo Tobiasse by Theo Tobiasse and Edouard Roditi, published in European
Judaism: A Journal for New Europe, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1978), pp. 24-28 Published by Berghahn Books
Information about Kristallnacht was found at The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website:
http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007697.
Information about groups targeted by the Holocaust was found at The United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum Website: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005143
Images of artwork by Theo Tobiasse used in this guide are from the permanent collection of the Alexandria
Museum of Art and were donated by Steven and Jadwiga Markoff.
More information about Common Core State Standards and the CCSS listed in this lesson can be found at
http://www.corestandards.org/.
More information about The National Standards for the Arts including those referenced in this guide can be
found at http://www.arteducators.org/store/NAEA_Natl_Visual_Standards1.pdf.
The Alexandria Museum of Art would also like to thank Rabbi Arnold Task and art historian, Roberta Walters,
for sharing their knowledge and expertise in interpreting the work of Theo Tobiasse, for this exhibition.
A cooperative effort funded by the Greater Alexandria Economic Development
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Visual Thinking Strategies
Visual Thinking Strategies, or VTS, is a research based literacy program that uses art to improve critical
thinking and language skills. Through discussions about the art, participation is encouraged, while students
experience a rise in self-esteem and confidence, even among struggling students. VTS directly correlates to
the English Language Arts Standards of the Common Core Curriculum.
VTS operates on a child’s natural ability to make sense of what they see, a skill we all begin using at birth. The
method is a discovery process facilitated by the teacher, using three, simple but carefully researched questions
that provoke thoughtful responses and encourage lively, engaging conversation. The process has students
focus, reflect and question, which builds their critical thinking skills.
VTS Tours at AMoA
Students touring any of our exhibitions will participate in group
discussion where they will be asked to carefully observe artworks and
explain “what is going on” in a particular piece of art. As we prompt them
to support their explanations with evidence, we engage their reasoning
and logic skills. Students can also participate in writing and sketch
response activities, per the teacher’s request.
Museum docents, trained in VTS, facilitate gallery discussions.
Longitudinal field studies, employing control and experimental groups in
multiple sites around the world, have been conducted on VTS since
1991. The studies prove that VTS builds critical thinking skills that
transfer to other settings and subjects. Measurable academic
growth is produced by the program in students of varying socioeconomic
and academic backgrounds, including students who perform poorly on
standardized tests or possess limited English skills.
To schedule a tour at the Alexandria Museum of Art, contact Nancy
Noles at (318) 443-3458 or email her at [email protected]
Using VTS in Your Classroom
Studies have shown that students who participate in at least ten sessions of VTS over the course of one school
year will show measurable academic growth. Conducting a VTS session in the classroom is easy and
engaging. For more information on learning to use VTS in your classroom, call Cindy Blair at (318) 473-6413 or
email her at [email protected].
The Museum and Common Core
At the Museum, you will find support for your Common Core classroom. Here students can explore primary
and secondary sources that will be helpful in project-based learning. They can participate in discussions
through VTS, in which they will reach conclusions about art and support their ideas with evidence from the
artwork.
3
Before Your Visit
•Discuss the featured artist with your class and the type of work that will be on display.
•Encourage students to look carefully at the artwork they are shown. This will be a good time to practice their
observational skills.
•Explain to students that they will be taking part in a discussion about the artwork and they will need to raise
their hands as they would in the classroom. Let them know there are no wrong answers and we are very
interested in their thoughts and opinions.
•Explain to students that they must not touch the artwork. It may seem harmless to just touch a piece of art
once, but even when they are clean, our hands contain oils that over time can damage artwork. Even gases
from our breath can be harmful over time.
•At times they may want to come very close to see details, but generally, it is good to stand at least two feet
from the work as it gives one a better overall view of the work.
•Above all have fun!
4
About the Artist: Theo Tobiasse
Born to Jewish parents in Jaffa, formerly a part of Palestine, Theo
Tobiasse settled in Paris with his family at the age of four. In 1940,
Paris fell to Nazi German forces. For two years, the teenager was
able to sketch in Montmartre daily and study art privately.
However, in July 1942 the Germans began rounding up Jews and
sending them to concentration camps. With the help of a Christian
concierge in their building, the Tobiasse family was hidden in an
unoccupied apartment. When the Nazis came searching for them,
the soldiers assumed the Tobiasses had fled. The concierge
allowed them to stay in their home, hidden, for the next two years.
They were able to survive with the help of a Christian neighbors
and Jewish members of the French Resistance. After the war
Tobiasse practiced commercial art until 1960, when he began
making paintings. He lived the remainder of his life in Nice and
New York.
About The Work: “My soul is a boat
looking for its promised land.”
Tobiasse was very conscious of needing to support himself
financially. For many years, he saw commercial art as his only
viable career choice. He did not believe he could support
himself as a fine artist. He explains the transition in the book,
Tobiasse: Artist in Exile, to author Chaim Potok: “I never
dreamed of art. One day it just happened. I cannot explain it. I
had in my studio three unpainted white canvases. Maybe ten
years I had them. One day I decided to paint. I don’t know why.”
One of the paintings would win first prize at an exhibition for new
artists in Nice, and his paintings began to sell. The transition
changed his life. He referred to the time before making art as his
“first life” and claims that once he started making art he was
“really free.” Stories and issues of his Jewish heritage began to
Theo Tobiasse
appear in his work. He was able to connect Jewish folk and
Je Retruuve Le Vieux Mur, I Have Found the
Bible stories to the life of modern Jews, “Because, for me, it is
Old Wall
Carborundum on PaperSigned, dated 1981,
the same when people exit from Russia to America or from Egypt
numbered 69/75
to Canaan.” His work also contains symbols that refer to his time in hiding with his family. Chess boards speak
of the time he spent in hiding playing chess with his father. Wagons and wheels symbolize movement and
exile. He sought to express these stories and feelings through a variety of mediums: paintings, drawings,
sculptures, and prints. He felt art was a way for the artist to overcome the “evils he has experienced on his
flesh.” Though his art seems dreamlike and full of buoyant colorful characters, he was an artist who constantly
felt he was in exile. He left Nice for New York in 1984, because he feared the Russians and did not believe he
would survive another occupation. While in New York, one drawing contained the phrase, “My soul is a boat
looking for its promised land.”
5
Critical Thinking Activity Using Visual Thinking Strategies
Theo Tobiasse, America, 1986, Limited Edition Lithograph on Paper
For more information on conducting a Visual Thinking
Strategies (VTS) discussion in your classroom please
visit vtsweb.org for more information. In order to
obtain information regarding VTS training and VTS
curricula sponsored by the Alexandria Museum of Art,
contact Cindy Blair by calling (318) 443-3458 or
emailing [email protected]
Project the image America by Theo Tobiasse, which can
be found in the Theo Tobiasse: Textural Emergence
Images for Educators, and give students one minute to
look silently at the image.
Begin the discussion by asking your class:
“What’s going on in this picture?”
The wording of the question suggests there is something
going on in the image that they can decipher beyond
listing what they see. It will also encourage a wide range
of ideas. Accept all answers and paraphrase to model
sentence structure and validate the student’s ideas.
In response to a student’s answer to the first question ask, “What do you see that makes you say
that?”
This will encourage the student to look more deeply at the image and find evidence to support their opinions. It
also gives them an opportunity to defend their ideas by basing their ideas on the concrete visual data they find
in the photograph. Specifically asking, “What do you see that makes you say that?” keeps the discussion fixed
on the image.
Next, ask the whole group, “What more can we find?”
This keeps the conversation moving and pushes the students to continue to dig for more meaning in the image
and encourages a rigorous and thoughtful examination of the image. The conversation will deepen with both
conflicting and scaffolding points of view, pushing students to think about what they are observing.
Important Tips for Conducting a VTS Discussion:

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
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
Listen to students carefully and ask for clarification if necessary.
Point precisely to what they are talking about in the image as they speak.
Paraphrase their comments, modeling sentence structure and vocabulary, but do not correct the
student.
This will help crystallize their thoughts into something more succinct and may clarify their ideas for
other students.
Respond to each comment neutrally. Avoid saying something is “right.” Instead, you can simply say,
“Thank you. What more can we find?” At the end of the discussion give positive feedback and thank
students for their deep thinking and thoughtful discussion.
Link the threads of the conversation. Drawing links between various comments will help the
discussion grow and demonstrate the evolution of thoughts and ideas. It will create a richer and
deeper discussion.
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Visual Arts/Writing Activity: When Pictures are Not Enough
The following activities can be conducted with your class before or after touring the exhibition,
Theo Tobiasse: Textural Emergence, or independent of a
Museum tour.
Grade Levels: 5-6
Common Core Standards are listed on the final page of
this guide.
Key Questions/ Issues Addressed:
 Why do some artists use text in their work?
 How can words and art work together to express an
idea?
 How do our life experiences and culture play a part
in the decisions we make when we create?
Lesson Goals/Objectives:
 Students will discuss the role of words in the work of Theo
Tobiasse and other artists.
 Students will consider their own culture, heritage and/or
issues that are important to them for their artwork.
 Students will create their own images that feature words
that will help communicate their ideas.
Materials: white paper, pencils, markers or colored pencils,
scissors, glue stick or white glue, images of the work of Theo
Tobiasse, which can be found in Theo Tobiasse:Textural
Emergence Images for Educators on the Museum’s website:
http://themuseum.org/teachers/educators-guide
Theo Tobiasse
Let My People Go (Title piece from the Let My People Go suite)
Carborundum on PaperCarborundum on Paper38 x 29
Signed, dated 1981, numbered 69/75
Key Terms:
Nazi- a member of a German political party that controlled Germany from 1933 to 1945 under Adolf Hitler.
The Holocaust- the mass slaughter of European civilians and especially Jews by the Nazis during World War II.
Pogrom- an organized massacre of helpless people.
Emigration- to leave one's place of residence or country to live elsewhere.
Exile- a situation in which you are forced to leave your country or home and go to live in a foreign country.
Printmaking- A print is an image made from a block or plate or other object that is covered with
wet color (usually ink) and then pressed onto a flat surface, such as paper or textile. Most prints can be produced
over and over again by re-inking the printing block or plate.
Lithography- a method of printing from a prepared flat stone or metal or plastic plate, invented in the late
eighteenth century. A drawing is made on the stone or plate with a greasy crayon and then washed with water.
When ink is applied it sticks to the greasy drawing but runs off (or is resisted by) the wet surface allowing a print —
a lithograph — to be made of the drawing when it is covered with a sheet of paper and run through a press.
For color lithography separate drawings are made for each color.
Carborundum- a process in which an image is created on a plate by painting carborundum (an abrasive grit)
mixed with an acrylic medium. Once the mixture dries the plate is inked, wiped and printed with a press. The
carborundum mixture is built up on the plate and embosses the paper when going through the press.
Aquatint- A printing process in which a porous ground allows acid to penetrate to form a network of small dots in
the plate. The term also refers to prints made using this process.
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Learning Activities:
1.
Begin
by
conducting
the
VTS
conversation about America by Theo Tobiasse.
For this lesson you can also show Let My People
Go and Who Will Tear Us Away From Babylon,
which can also be found in Images for
Educators.
Suggested Questions for Further Discussion
Explain that Theo Tobiasse was an artist that
survived the Holocaust in hiding with his family
as a teenager when Paris was occupied by the
Nazis. He and his family were in hiding for two
years, never once leaving their apartment. They
could not even use lights or candles, as they
might have been discovered. The family relied on
Christian friends and members of the Resistance
to bring them food and anything else they may
have needed. The Resistance even provided
them with a way to make money. The family
made rabbit fur slippers to sell while in hiding.
When he wasn’t tracing the slipper shape for his
father to cut and his mother to sew into slippers,
he drew and read. He emerged from hiding with
many sketches. For the remainder of his life he
would move from Paris to Nice to Manhattan, but
he always felt he was in exile. Like his father
before him, he lived in fear of violence against
him because he was Jewish.
Theo Tobiasse, Who Will Tear Us Away From Babylon, Carborundum
Print on Paper, Signed and dated 1981, numbered 17/75

What effect might The Holocaust and his time in hiding have had on him as an artist?
It is likely the topic of the Hebrew and English text used in the piece will come up during the VTS
discussion. You can now expand on that discussion:
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Why do you think he might have used words in this piece of art? What do you see that makes you say
that?
Why do you think he used two different languages in this piece of art?
What message do you think he might have been trying to communicate with the use of words and pieces
of text? What do you see that makes you say that?
Explain to students that Theo Tobiasse often used phrases and words in his artwork. He enjoyed the
sounds of words and felt that without words his work was incomplete: “Words are very important to me.
You can, with them, say such marvelous and fabulous things. For me painting is not enough.”

What do you think Tobiasse might have meant by this?
In his artwork, he felt that words were magic. Some of his works contain words that he writes and then
paints over or a Hebrew symbol he might paste on and then cover with paint or ink. If you hold the paper
or canvas to the light you might see the Hebrew symbol shin or resh.


Why do you think Tobiasse might have done this?
What do you think it might say about how he felt about the “meanings” of artworks?
8
2. Brainstorming – Have students consider issues or ideas that are important to their family or culture.
Have them consider family traditions or important events that have happened to them or their family. As
they brainstorm they should make a list of these happenings or traditions.
3. Next have them consider words, phrases and symbols that may accompany these memories or
traditions. Have them consider why these words and symbols are important.
4. Art Making- Have the students sketch a picture that might tell a story about this event. The initial
sketch should be light in case they want to make changes, and it should fill the entire page.
5. Have them add a phrase or word that helps to tell the story to the artwork. They should put this phrase
in a place that will be easy to see and pleasing to the eye. They should consider their lettering and the
personality of their lettering. (Refer back to the lettering in America.)
6. Have them consider a secret phrase or symbol they will want to hide in their artwork. They should write
this on a separate small slip of paper and then flip it over and paste it to their drawing.
7. They will then draw over this piece of paper, hiding it in their work.
8. Have them finish their art by adding color with markers, colored pencils or even paints if they are
available.
9. Written Reflection- Have students hang their artwork. Give each student three copies of The
Reflection Sheet on page 10. They should choose 3 pieces, including their own, and answer the
questions. (The Reflection Sheet can also be used during a museum tour.)
Theo Tobiasse, Shavuot (1 of 4 prints from the Shavuot Suite),
Limited Edition Lithograph on Paper, Signed, dated 1984, numbered
XXXV/LXXXV
Theo Tobiasse, Shavuot (2 of 4 prints from the Shavuot Suite),
Limited Edition Lithograph on Paper, Signed, dated 1984, numbered
XXXV/LXXXV
Artistic Choices: Why Do Artists Make Abstract Art?
Sometimes it may look like an artist cannot draw, because their images do not look realistic. However, artists
often make a deliberate choice to paint images that are abstracted or not realistic. Theo Tobiasse proved his
ability to draw realistically during fifteen years as a commercial artist. At the age of thirty-five, he decided to
become a fine artist. It took a few months, but once he proved to himself that he could support himself by
selling paintings, he left his career as a commercial artist. At that point, he chose not to draw realistically but
believed that he could communicate his feelings more directly through the use of color and abstracted images.
Why do you think some artists might find it easier to communicate their emotions through abstracted images?
9
Name_______________
Date________________
Class_______________
Reflections Sheet
Directions:
1. Look carefully at three pieces of art. (If this is done at the end of a project, include your own).
2. List the title of each work of art and the artist’s name.
3. Ask yourself what you think is happening in each piece and record it in the space provided. Provide evidence to
support your ideas by explaining what you see that makes you say this.
4. Explain what you think is successful about each piece. What do you see that makes you say so?
Artist’s Name__________________________________________________
Title__________________________________________________________
What is happening in this piece of art? What do you see that makes you say
so?_______________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
What do you think is successful about this piece of art? What do you see that makes you say so?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
10
Did you know?
Kristallnacht, which translates literally as “The Night of
Broken Glass,” refers to a pogrom that occurred on
November 9, 1938, when violence broke out towards
Jews across Germany. In two days 250 synagogues
and 7000 Jewish businesses were looted and
destroyed. In addition, many Jewish people were killed,
and Jewish cemeteries, hospitals, schools and homes
were looted as German police and firefighters watched.
The day after the pogroms, 30,000 German Jewish men
were arrested solely for being Jewish and sent to
concentration camps, while many Jewish women were
sent to German jails. Life became very difficult for Jews
who remained in Germany. They were not allowed to
open their businesses until non-Jewish management
replaced
them, and they were forced to observe curfews that
One of many synagogues burns during Kristallnacht.
limited the hours that they could be away from their homes.
Children could not attend public schools or enter many public places such as museums, playgrounds, and
swimming pools. Curfews were placed on Jews, limiting the hours of the day they could leave their homes.
After “The Night of Broken Glass,” many families tried in desperation to leave Germany.
The term, “Night of the Broken Glass” comes from the shattered glass that littered the streets after the
pogroms.
Theo Tobiasse’s father lived in fear of pogroms that had occurred previously in Europe. It was for this
reason that he moved the family from Lithuania to Paris in 1931.
Who Was Targeted by the Nazis?
During the Holocaust, approximately six million Jews were
killed by the Nazi regime and their collaborators. The Nazis
led by Adolf Hitler believed they were “racially superior” to
Jews and other groups. These other groups included those
based on their race and culture such as the Roma (Gypsies)
and some Slavic groups including Russians, Poles and
others. They also targeted groups based on religious,
political and ideological views such as Communists and
Jehovah’s Witnesses. Many disabled people were killed as
part of the “Euthanasia Program.” Many homosexual men
were targeted as well.
Roma (Gypsy) prisoners in the Belzec forced-labor camp.
Poland, 1940. US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of
Archiwum Dokumentacji Mechanicznej, Warsaw
The Nazis and their collaborators killed almost two out of three European Jews by 1945. They called this “The
Final Solution,” their plan to kill all the Jews of Europe. In addition they killed approximately 200,000 Roma
Gypsies and 200,000 mentally or physically disabled patients. Most of whom were living in institutional
settings. Between two and three million Soviet prisoners of war were murdered or died in German custody due
to starvation and abuse. They also killed non-Jewish Polish intellectuals and forced millions of Polish and
Soviet civilians into forced labor in Germany and Poland. Many of those targeted died as a result of
imprisonment and maltreatment.
11
Research and Writing Activity: Youth in Hiding and Exile
After the VTS discussion of America or Let My People Go, discuss how
the Holocaust forced the Jews in Europe to leave their homes or go into
hiding.
Grades 9-12
Discussion:
 What do you know about the Holocaust?
 Why would families be forced to flee or go into hiding?
 Why do you think some stayed in Germany or Europe?
 What does it mean to be in exile?
Tobiasse in Exile
Photograph taken of Theo Tobiasse in June of
1942, at the age of 15, one month before he was
forced into hiding with his family.
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
Share the story of Tobiasse’s family with the students. Theo Tobiasse was
born in Jaffa, formerly a part of Palestine. His father moved the family to
Lithuania in 1930 so that he could work as a printer. He struggled to find
work there, and lived in fear of the pogroms that often befell Jewish
communities at the time in Eastern Europe. For these reasons he moved
the family to Paris in 1931. Tobiasse left France for New York in 1984,
explaining that due to tension between Russia and other countries at the
time, he no longer felt comfortable in Europe. “I’m sure I couldn’t live
through a second occupation.” He felt that once again, he would be in
exile.
Why do you think Tobiasse was so afraid of another
occupation of Europe by a powerful country?
Why do you think he chose to flee to America?
The Tobiasse Family in Hiding
Theo Tobiasse was thirteen in 1940 when Paris fell to Nazi German
forces. He was able to continue his education mostly undisturbed
for two years. He studied art at a private school, as he could no
longer attend public schools, because he was Jewish. In An
Interview with Theo Tobiasse, he told Edouard Roditi, that he went
to Montmartre, a picturesque area where artists gathered, to sketch
daily, during this time. However, this somewhat carefree period
ended in 1942. The Germans began to round up Jews in Paris and
send them in cattle train cars to concentration camps. During the
search of the apartment building where the Tobiasse family lived,
they were hidden in an unoccupied apartment. The Nazis assumed
the family had fled. They were led back to their own apartment
where they were able to hide without detection for two years.
Theo Tobiasse
They still had to figure out how to get food and how to make money
Portrait De Famille Dans Le Souffle de
without being detected. A Christian neighbor and members of The
L’exil Family Portrait in the Breath of
French Resistance brought them food. They also arranged for them to
Exile, 1981(From the Let My People Go
Suite)
make slippers from rabbit furs, for money to buy food and other
necessities. The young man who was supplying the family with rabbit
skins and other materials was captured by The Gestapo. At the time of his capture he had a list of all the
families in hiding that he was supplying with materials. Somehow, the Tobiasse family again escaped
detection. (Continued on page 13)
12
Living in hiding was very difficult. The family had to keep the windows shuttered and could not use artificial light
of any kind. They had to be very quiet at all times. When the family wasn’t working on making fur slippers, the
young artist spent hours sketching, reading and playing chess with his father.
Many families were not so fortunate. If they were not lucky enough to avoid capture by the Nazis, they ended
up in concentration camps where millions of Jews lived in horrible conditions and died of disease, malnutrition
abuse and in gas chambers by the millions. Other families were torn apart, forced to leave their home countries
and even to put their children in homes with non-Jewish families or orphanages, to protect them.

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What do you think it would be like to live in these conditions?
What are some things that you do every day that you might not be able to do, if you were forced into
hiding?
What would you miss most about being free?
Activity: Have students research the stories of children and teens that were forced into hiding or that survived
concentration camps, using the suggested resources below. Have them write about what it would be like if they
were forced into hiding or imprisoned in a concentration today. Using the information about European Jews
during the Holocaust, have them answer the following questions in their writing:

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How would my life change, if I were forced into hiding with my family? Why would my life change in this
way?
Would I be able to remain with my family? Why or why not?
What activities, foods, family traditions and routines would I have to give up? Why would might I lose
these things?
What would my day to day life be like? Why?
Recommended Resources for Students:
Coming of Age During the Holocaust by the Museum of Jewish Heritage: http://comingofagenow.org/ an
interactive online resource that tells the stories of adolescents that survived the Holocaust in concentration
camps and in hiding. The website contains survivor stories http://comingofagenow.org/survivor-stories/ and
other resources for learning.
Also from the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Against the Odds: American Jews and The Rescue of Europe’s
Refugees 1933-1941: http://www.mjhnyc.org/againsttheodds/about.html
Voices of Liberty: Audio interviews with Holocaust survivors. http://www.mjhnyc.org/khc/voices/
The Online Exhibitions from The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: There are a number of
helpful articles and links at The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s website http://www.ushmm.org/.
These exhibitions include:
Some Were Neighbors- This exhibition tells the story of non-Jewish friends and neighbors who turned Jews
into the Nazis. http://www.ushmm.org/
“GIVE ME YOUR CHILDREN”: VOICES FROM THE LODZ GHETTO- Community leaders in the town of
Lodz, Poland struggled to keep life as normal for children as possible despite the violent oppression of the Nazi
regime. The voices of the children are preserved in this collection in letters, videos, albums and photographs.
http://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/online-features/online-exhibitions/voices-from-lodz-ghetto
Life in the Shadows: Hidden Children and the Holocaust: Thousands of children survived the Holocaust in
hiding. This exhibition tells some of their stories. http://www.ushmm.org/exhibition/hidden-children/
Anne Frank, The Writer: An Unfinished Story: http://www.ushmm.org/exhibition/anne-frank/htmlsite/
Voyage of the St. Louis: On May 13, 1939 The St. Louis departed Hamburg, Germany bound for Cuba. The
passengers were denied refuge in Cuba and then the United States. They were sent back to Europe and were
allowed to enter European countries that would later fall to the Germans. This project uncovers the fate of
these refugees. http://www.ushmm.org/exhibition/st-louis/search/
Hidden History of the Kovno Ghetto: In order to ensure that history remembered them, the inhabitants of the
Kovno Ghetto, methodically created a secret archive of documents, diaries and photographs that illustrate
German crimes against their community. http://www.ushmm.org/exhibition/kovno/intro/intro.htm
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Common Core Standards for Visual Thinking Strategies Activity (Note: Visual Thinking Strategies has been
researched via longitudinal studies in grades K-8 and fits Common Core Standards across those grades.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1b Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through
multiple exchanges.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.4 Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and
feelings clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.1b Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1d Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.1c Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make
comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1d Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and
knowledge gained from the discussions.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.4 Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions,
facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear
pronunciation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.1c Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others’ questions and comments with
relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.1d Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their own
views.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.3 Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the
reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
Common Core Standards for When Pictures Are Not Enough
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and
information.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1b Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1c Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the
discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1d Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and
knowledge gained from the discussions.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.4a Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the
meaning of a word or phrase.
National Standards for When Pictures are Not Enough
Content Standard: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes
Achievement Standard:
Students
a. select media, techniques, and processes; analyze what makes them effective or not effective in communicating ideas;
and reflect upon the effectiveness of their choices
b. intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of *art media, techniques, and processes to enhance
communication of their experiences and ideas
Content Standard: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas
Achievement Standard:
Students
c. analyze, describe, and demonstrate how factors of time and place (such as climate, resources, ideas, and technology)
influence visual characteristics that give meaning and value to a work of art
Content Standard: Reflecting upon and *assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others
Achievement Standard:
Students
a. compare multiple purposes for creating works of art
b. analyze contemporary and historic meanings in specific artworks through cultural and aesthetic inquiry
c. describe and compare a variety of individual responses to their own artworks and to artworks from various eras and
cultures
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Common Core Standards for Youth in Hiding and Exile
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources,
attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.9 Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary
sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.10 By the end of grade 10 read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades
9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and
tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.5 Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular
sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses
rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story
in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the
reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.9 Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington’s
Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”),
including how they address related themes and concepts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.10 By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literacy nonfiction in the grades 9-10 text
complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 10, read and
comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3a Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation,
establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of
experiences or events.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple
plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3c Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to
create a coherent whole.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3d Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid
picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3e Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or
resolved over the course of the narrative.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3
above.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying
a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or
shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information
flexibly and dynamically.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including
a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple
sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using
advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate
information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for
citation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and
research.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and
shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
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