Title: Exploration of the Art of Miriam Brysk for Lesson 1
Course: Holocaust Art & Remembrance > Section: Lesson 1: The Einsatzgruppen and Bystanders

Observations for Vilna-Ponar and He Perished in Ponar

Describe what you “see” in the artworks Vilna-Ponar and He Perished in Ponar.  Write down only what you actually observe.

Vilna-Ponar | He Perished in Ponar

Expressions on faces

Describe the expressions on the faces of the people in the artworks.

Vilna-Ponar | He Perished in Ponar

Possessions of people

Although the people in the artworks did not survive the Holocaust, using evidence from the artworks, can you tell what “other” possessions were taken from the people of Vilnius when they were put in a ghetto?

Desecration of tombstones

What would be the psychological and emotional effects of such desecration of tombstones?

Sense of home

Many of us feel safe in our homes and surrounded by our neighbors.  Can you tell from the artworks how the sense of home was violated by putting the Jews in the ghettos in Vilnius?

Acquiring historical background knowledge

Please access all of the following resources from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). You will need these materials for answering a series of questions about the actions of the Einsatzgruppen.

- USHMM.“Einsatzgruppen (Mobile Killing Units)” Holocaust Encyclopedia .
- USHMM.“Historical Film Footage” Holocaust Encyclopedia .
- USHMM.“Personal History of Frima Laub” Holocaust Encyclopedia .
- National Geographic.” Before Death Camps” YouTube .

Role of the Einsatzgruppen

What were the Einsatzgruppen?  What was their job?

Those targeted for death

Whom did the Einsatzgruppen target for death and where did the Einsatzgruppen function?

Einsatzgruppen and ghettos

Why did the formation of Ghettos help the Einsatzgruppen carry out their killings?

Help for Einsatzgruppen

Who helped the Einsatzgruppen accomplish their goals and how did they carry out their killings?

Einsatzgruppen stop

Why did the Einsatzgruppen stop the killings and what did the Germans learn from this period of atrocities?

Scene of killings

Describe what is going on around the scene of the killings depicted in the historical film footage. Does it appear as though the killings were done in secret?  How do you know?

Neighbors

What does this video tell us about the role of the neighbors of the Jews of Vilnius in the actions of the Einsatzgruppen?

Frima Lauband

What did the Einsatzgruppen “take” from Frima Lauband the members of her family? What evidence from Frima’s story suggests that her neighbors knew what was going on but did nothing?

Return to the Art of Miriam Brysk site

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