I. Activating Prior Knowledge
Much of the Holocaust took place because people who knew that it was happening remained silent about the situation. One person was Rev. Martin Niemoller, a Protestant pastor who initially supported Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party but became one of its most outspoken critics and would spend seven years in a prison camp for his anti-Nazi speeches.
II. Setting A Purpose for Reading
The first is an excerpt from a letter that Niemoller wrote to his friend and concentration camp cell mate Leo Stein in which Niemoller attempts to explain why he first supported Hitler and the Nazi party. The second is a poem that Niemoller used in his sermons. As you read these two articles, consider how people’s actions and inactions give rise to consequences that they may not foresee.
III. Reading the Text (Read, Re-Read, and Read Again)
Letter to Leo Stein –
I find myself wondering about that too. I wonder about it as much as I regret it. Still, it is true that Hitler betrayed me. I had an audience with him, as a representative of the Protestant Church, shortly before he became Chancellor, in 1932. Hitler promised me on his word of honor, to protect the Church, and not to issue any anti-Church laws. He also agreed not to allow pogroms against the Jews, assuring me as follows: "There will be restrictions against the Jews, but there will be no ghettos, no pogroms, in Germany."
I really believed, given the widespread anti-Semitism in Germany, at that time—that Jews should avoid aspiring to Government positions or seats in the Reichstag. There were many Jews, especially among the Zionists, who took a similar stand. Hitler's assurance satisfied me at the time. On the other hand, I hated the growing atheistic movement, which was fostered and promoted by the Social Democrats and the Communists. Their hostility toward the Church made me pin my hopes on Hitler for a while.
I am paying for that mistake now; and not me alone, but thousands of other persons like me.
Source: Wikipedia.org
Stop! Can you answer the following questions based on what you read? If not, then go back and re-read. Why did Niemoller initially support Hitler and the Nazi Party? What caused Niemoller to lose faith and trust in Hitler and the Nazi Party?
“First they came…” – Poem
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.
Stop! Can you answer the following questions based on what you read? If not, then go back and re-read. What is the theme of this poem? What was the author’s purpose for writing this poem?
IV. Personal Reflection
1. What is the literal meaning of the poem?
2. Rev. Niemoller undergoes a political and morale change. How do these two documents illustrate the attitudes of Germans during the Holocaust?
V. Peer Reflection
1. Read one classmate’s response to question 2 and evaluate and comment on their response. (Do you agree or disagree? Why? Are there any problems with their analysis and logic? If so, what is the problem?)
Much of the Holocaust took place because people who knew that it was happening remained silent about the situation. One person was Rev. Martin Niemoller, a Protestant pastor who initially supported Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party but became one of its most outspoken critics and would spend seven years in a prison camp for his anti-Nazi speeches.
II. Setting A Purpose for Reading
The first is an excerpt from a letter that Niemoller wrote to his friend and concentration camp cell mate Leo Stein in which Niemoller attempts to explain why he first supported Hitler and the Nazi party. The second is a poem that Niemoller used in his sermons. As you read these two articles, consider how people’s actions and inactions give rise to consequences that they may not foresee.
III. Reading the Text (Read, Re-Read, and Read Again)
Letter to Leo Stein –
I find myself wondering about that too. I wonder about it as much as I regret it. Still, it is true that Hitler betrayed me. I had an audience with him, as a representative of the Protestant Church, shortly before he became Chancellor, in 1932. Hitler promised me on his word of honor, to protect the Church, and not to issue any anti-Church laws. He also agreed not to allow pogroms against the Jews, assuring me as follows: "There will be restrictions against the Jews, but there will be no ghettos, no pogroms, in Germany."
I really believed, given the widespread anti-Semitism in Germany, at that time—that Jews should avoid aspiring to Government positions or seats in the Reichstag. There were many Jews, especially among the Zionists, who took a similar stand. Hitler's assurance satisfied me at the time. On the other hand, I hated the growing atheistic movement, which was fostered and promoted by the Social Democrats and the Communists. Their hostility toward the Church made me pin my hopes on Hitler for a while.
I am paying for that mistake now; and not me alone, but thousands of other persons like me.
Source: Wikipedia.org
Stop! Can you answer the following questions based on what you read? If not, then go back and re-read. Why did Niemoller initially support Hitler and the Nazi Party? What caused Niemoller to lose faith and trust in Hitler and the Nazi Party?
“First they came…” – Poem
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.
Stop! Can you answer the following questions based on what you read? If not, then go back and re-read. What is the theme of this poem? What was the author’s purpose for writing this poem?
IV. Personal Reflection
1. What is the literal meaning of the poem?
2. Rev. Niemoller undergoes a political and morale change. How do these two documents illustrate the attitudes of Germans during the Holocaust?
V. Peer Reflection
1. Read one classmate’s response to question 2 and evaluate and comment on their response. (Do you agree or disagree? Why? Are there any problems with their analysis and logic? If so, what is the problem?)
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