- Pre-World War II European Jewish Life Photo Project
- Objective: In order to better understand what Jewish cultural communal life was like in Europe before World War II, you will be finding photographs from that time period and analyzing them, as well as researching the town(s) where the photos were taken. Follow the assignment guidelines. All work is due complete in a clear cover folder on Thursday, April 17 .
- STEP #1: Photo Collection – Printed or Electronic Photos Due Thursday, April 3
- Research and print three photos that reflect Jewish life prior to the Nazi invasion of that country using the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s website www.ushmm.org / http://somewereneighbors.ushmm.org/#/gallery. Search the collection of thousands of photographs using keywords. Once you have found a photo you would like to use, right click on it, copy it, and paste it into a new document. Then return to the photo on the website, and copy and paste the date and locale to the word document with the photo. Print it.
- Guidelines for choosing photos:
- People MUST be in the photo
- The photo cannot be what’s classified as a portrait
- The photo MUST include that date and place that the photo was taken
- STEP #2: Photo Analysis - Due Monday, April 7 (by end of class)
- Write captions for each photo using the worksheets attached.
- Photo #1 Analysis
- I. Subject of the Photograph
- Are there people in the photograph? (yes or no)
- Yes
- Number of people: Estimated ages:
- 1 70
- Number of men or boys: Number of women or girls:
- 1 0
- Describe clothing:
- Suit shirt and tie. Glasses
- Describe facial expressions:
- Unemotional
- Describe what the people are doing:
- Listening or preparing to respond
- Are there objects in the photograph? (yes or no)
- Yes
- List the objects in the photograph:
- Tie, glasses
- Describe in detail the objects in the photograph:
- Blurry
- II.Setting of the Photograph
- Can you tell when or where the photograph was taken?
- An interview room
- Estimated time of day:
- Room is lit with incandescent lights
- Estimated time of year:
- 1990
- Outside or indoors:
- Indoors
- Describe as many details as you can identify about the place where the picture was taken (example: in a yard, on a street, etc.)
- Table in the background, classic, old fashion room
- III. Writing A Caption
- A caption is a short description or explanation of a photograph or picture. It often includes information about what is happening in the picture, where and when the picture was taken, and who is in the picture. Using the information you have gathered about, write a caption for your photo: An old man is being interviewed.
- Photo #2 Analysis
- I. Subject of the Photograph
- Are there people in the photograph? (yes or no)
- Yes
- Number of people: Estimated ages:
- 2 20s
- Number of men or boys: Number of women or girls:
- 1 1
- Describe clothing:
- Wedding clothes
- Describe facial expressions:
- Happy
- Describe what the people are doing:
- Taking a wedding picture
- Are there objects in the photograph? (yes or no)
- No
- List the objects in the photograph:
- No objects
- Describe in detail the objects in the photograph:
- None
- II.Setting of the Photograph
- Can you tell when or where the photograph was taken?
- Romania
- Estimated time of day:
- 12pm
- Estimated time of year:
- Summer or spring
- Outside or indoors:
- Outside
- Describe as many details as you can identify about the place where the picture was taken (example: in a yard, on a street, etc.)
- III. Writing A Caption
- A caption is a short description or explanation of a photograph or picture. It often includes information about what is happening in the picture, where and when the picture was taken, and who is in the picture. Using the information you have gathered about, write a caption for your photo: A man and a woman are preparing to be wed.
- Photo #3 Analysis
- I. Subject of the Photograph
- Are there people in the photograph? (yes or no)
- Yes
- Number of people: Estimated ages:
- 2 18
- Number of men or boys: Number of women or girls:
- 1 1
- Describe clothing:
- Collared jacket
- Floral dress
- Describe facial expressions:
- Happy but straight
- Describe what the people are doing:
- Posing
- Are there objects in the photograph? (yes or no)
- No
- List the objects in the photograph:
- None
- Describe in detail the objects in the photograph:
- None
- II.Setting of the Photograph
- Can you tell when or where the photograph was taken?
- Not really
- Estimated time of day:
- Unable to tell
- Estimated time of year:
- Unable to tell
- Outside or indoors:
- Indoors
- Describe as many details as you can identify about the place where the picture was taken (example: in a yard, on a street, etc.)
- Blank canvas, photos studio maybe
- III. Writing A Caption
- A caption is a short description or explanation of a photograph or picture. It often includes information about what is happening in the picture, where and when the picture was taken, and who is in the picture. Using the information you have gathered about, write a caption for your photo: A brother and sister take a photograph.
- STEP #3: Photo Parallel – Photo due Friday, April 11
- Find a family photo (electronic, hard or Xerox copies are okay) at home that relates in some way to one of those you researched to bring to class. Now write a well-organized, well-thought-out and complete response to the following questions concerning the photos.
- In examining your researched photos, what evidence suggest that life was normal for Jews before the Nazis?
- There were still casual father-daughter relationships.
- What did you find as you looked through your own family’s photos in relation to those that you had researched? Which one did you choose to share that relates and why?
- Both pictures are images of a father with his daughter. I chose this photo because it had a father and daughter, just like the Jewish image, and the two people seemed of equal importance.
- In comparing these photos, how do they show the similarities between you, your family, or your community and those in the researched photos?
- Both the man in the photo, and my dad wear suits.
- What do these photos, yours and the researched ones, tell you about Jewish life in Europe before World War II?
- Jewish life was just life everyone else's, families were close, they took pictures, they dressed up for church.
- STEP #4: Photo Research – Due Thursday, April 17
- Research the town/city that is the setting of your photo and determine the following:
- How large was the town/city’s Jewish population and how long had Nazis been living there? The town's population was 11,461, and it had %16 Jewish population. The Nazis had lived there for 2 years.
- What was Jewish life/culture in the town/city like prior to the Nazi invasion? They were already harassed by the sailors there.
- Where is or was the town/city located? Galati Romania
- When and how did the town/city come under Nazi rule? In 1934 the Nazi took the Jews to concentration camps in Germany.
- What was the fate of this particular town/city’s Jews during the Holocaust?
- There was a 6% decrease in population.