The Diary of
A Rescuer
Introduction
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl described the lives of 8 people, including
Anne, during the two years they were hiding out from the Nazis during the occupation
of Holland. While introducing the novel, Eleanor Roosevelt writes:
"Anne's diary is an appropriate
monument
to her fine spirit and to the
spirits
of those who have worked and
are working still for peace."
This WebQuest is about exploring and celebrating the spirit of those people
who acted as helpers or rescuers during the Holocaust. Of course, this includes
the ones who helped hide the Frank family (Otto, Edith, Margot and Anne), Mr.
and Mrs. Hermann van Pels and their son Peter, and Dr. Pfeffer, the dentist,
in the Secret Annex.
The Helpers: from left to right: Mr. Kugler, Miep Gies,
Bep Voskuijl, and Mr. Kleiman.
Miep Gies, along with 3 other employees were the primary helpers who brought
supplies and visited those in hiding.
Anne Frank writes often how much the helpers did and admiringly of their willingness
to help those in hiding. In her memoir, Miep Gies stresses that she is not heroic
and that one does not need to be heroic to aid others.
The Frank
Family: Margot, Otto, Edith and Anne in May 1940.
Of the 25,000 Jews in hiding in Holland, 30 percent were caught and/or betrayed.
In August 1944 the Jews in the Secret Annex were betrayed to the Nazis. With
the exception of Otto Frank, all of the people hidden in the Annex dies in various
extermination camps.
What would you do?
Would you have risked being a helper?
What would that experience have been like?
How would you feel if you were Miep Gies?
Let's explore other rescuers
and helpers
during the Holocaust to help
you
prepare to write the assignment.
Task
1.Your immediate task is to visit the links and follow
the steps in the next section What
To Do & Where To Go and choose one profile of a rescuer. For
example, if you want to take on the role of Miep Gies, then the links will lead
you to her story, where you will record background information needed to complete
the assignment.
2. Using Notepad, enter relevant data about this person
and his/her story of helping or rescuing. You will use this information later
on in class to put yourself in this person's shoes.
3. Then, you will write a series of diary entries describing
your experience as a rescuer or helper during the Holocaust. What happened over
a period of 7 days? How were you feeling? Were you reluctant, or brave? Do you
come to be regarded as a hero or heroine?
Otto Frank (center) with his Opekta staff, the Helpers of
the Secret Annex.
As Miep Gies says in Anne Frank Remembered: "I am not a hero. I stand
at the end of a long, long line of good Dutch people who did what I did and
more -- much more during those dark and terrible times years ago, but always
like yesterday in the hearts of those of us who bear witness. Never a day goes
by that I do not think of what happened to them."
Go ahead and follow the steps under What
To Do & Where to Go to guide you through this WebQuest and complete
the task.
What
To Do &
Where
To Go
Step 1
Check out one of Teen Ink's Book Reviews written by a student named Peter.
He talks about the memoir Miep Gies wrote called "Anne Frank Remembered".
Go To Teen
Ink
Step 2
Visit the Anne Frank Center USA to read some of the FAQs about Anne and the
helpers.
Navigate using these mini-directions: Scroll down; click enter; click students;
click FAQs.
IMPORTANT: View Question #2 and Question #39. Take notes on these questions
only.
Frequently Asked Questions
on annefrank.com
Step 3
This next site has a long list of stories and profiles of Holocaust rescuers.
If you want to take on the role of Miep Gies, skip to
Step 5.
When you get to this site, read the introduction under
the heading Rescuers, then scroll down and choose a rescuer (the list is alphabetical).
IMPORTANT: Call over the teacher and she/he will approve
your choice.
The
Rescuers
Step 4
Click on the Web Link of the rescuer you have chosen. This will take you to
your rescuer's story.
Take notes in Notepad. You will need this information for the assignment later
when you take on the role of this rescuer and write a series of diary entries.
Step 5
If you choose to take on the role of Miep Gies, Go
To Miep Gies' Story
Here you will read excerpts from "Anne Frank Remembered" and you
can learn more about Miep Gies, one of Anne Frank's primary helpers.
Take notes in Notepad. You will need this information for the assignment later
when you take on the role of this rescuer and write a series of diary entries.
Step 6
Save or print your notes -- Check with your teacher.
Conclusion
Miep Gies, one of the helpers, remembers telling Anne about
the round ups:
"They insisted that we tell them the latest news and
it wasn't very pleasant:
raids, people that were being taken away. I had no idea that Anne was writing
it all down,
what should I have thought, a child who writes in a diary."
Evaluation of the WebQuest "The Diary of a Rescuer"
You will be graded in the following areas:
1. Navigated to ___ sites: ______________________________________________
2. Note taking: Step 2: ________________ Step 4 OR Step 5: _________________
3. Participation in project: ______________________________________________
Extra destinations, if there is any time left...
Anne
Frank Photo Gallery
Visit the Anne Frank House
(Click your language of choice; click Diary; then read more information
about the Diary itself)
Thank you to Mrs. R. Decter and Mrs. L. Gentes and Sargent
Park School students for participating in this Multimedia project with Professor
Anchan's U of W Education students, March 2002.
