1. What scenes or images were most powerful for you, and why? What lessons or messages did these seems offer?

The most powerful scene in the documentary was when Kurt, an U.S army solider met Gerda. He approached her outside of the building and they spoke in German a little bit. She showed him the inside of the building where the bodies were scattered on the floor. It was a very devastating scene and Gerda quoted a line from a poem, which made Kurt very emotional. He could not believe that in the condition he found her that she could actually quote a poem that had an ironic meaning. This scene showed me that even though Gerda had been captured and tortured she still felt that there must be good in men. Kurt told her that he too was a Jew. And to Gerta he seemed God like.

2. How did the Nazis dehumanize Jews? How did Gerda Weissmann work to overcome dehumanization, who helped her?

Nazi’s dehumanized Jews by starving them, abusing them, taking their clothes and cutting their hair. Another way they dehumanized the Jews were by stripping them of their names and replacing them with a number tattooed on their arms. They were separated from their family members and feed poorly. They would take away anything that reminded them of their families or their stations in life. She overcame their attempts to dehumanize her by imagining herself free. And she remembered some of the things that her father told her. He made her feel that she would survive. One of the things that her father told her was to wear her ski shoes and that helped her keep her feet health where others were bleeding or infected. Another thing that her father told her was to never commit suicide because that was a coward way to die. He knew that would give her strength when things were very dark.

3. During her ordeal in the Nazi camps, Weissamann says she fantasized about enjoying a simple morning with her family or deciding what dress to wear to an imagined arty What simple things in your own life do you think you’d fantasize about if everything were taken away? What ordinary things do you think you take for granted?

Some of the things that I would fantasize about would be a big bowl of ice cream since I wouldn’t have had anything substantial to eat for a long time. Also, I would dream about shopping trips with my mom when she would buy me new outfit for a first day of school. Finally, I would fantasize about my family thanksgiving dinner where all my cousins come and we eat until we can’t eat anymore and just enjoy being together.

4.This film focuses on the persecution of Jews in the Holocaust, but others also were murdered, including society prisoners of war, Roma (gypsies), gays and lesbians, and communists. In what ways do you see persecution happening in today’s world? What groups do you see being targeted? What can be done to work against such prejudice and intolerance?

Although, the holocaust ended many years ago, there are still groups who discriminate Jews, Asian, African American, Muslims, gays and lesbians and handicap people and this goes on in our own countries. Hate crimes are reported every year in the United States. Maybe we did not learn enough from the Holocaust. In our country today, there is a lot of talk about illegal alliance, people who came to United States without papers. Hours is a country that was built in immigrants and now it seems like immigrants are being treated like criminals. Discrimination and hate can be found in many places around the world. As a matter effect, genocide is being practiced in some countries where one group of people wishes to wipeout another race in their own country. To help eliminate prejudice and intolerance we have to start young teaching children that different people all have something special to offer. And if we see somebody mistreating another because of their way they look or their religion we should not stand by but we should stand up.

5. In many ways, this film is about hope for the future. Who are the heroes of this film? What did they do that makes you hopeful? What can you do to help make the world a better place?

I believe that heroes of the films were Kurt and the other soldiers who librated the camp, Gerda, and her friends as well as Gerda’s father. The soldiers who saved Gerda and other survivors are the obvious choice because they were risking their lives to safe others. People they didn’t even know. Bur Gerda and her friends are also heroes because the thing that they said each other helped them to survive as long as they did, Gerda’s friend who died made sacrifice at the end of her life giving her the last potato. Gerda’s father was a hero because he gave Gerda a strong will to live which she offend had to rely on to get trough some terrible days. I feel like one thing I can do to make the world a better place is to control my own behavior, making sure that I am always kind and also stand up if someone is being bullied. It maybe a hard thing to do but it is important. You can see that no one stood up for the Jews and six million people died.