In this activity, students will create a spider map that answers the question, “Why didn’t the Jews leave Nazi Germany?” This frequently asked question is less difficult to answer than many might think at first glance. There were very practical reasons why Jews could not leave Nazi-controlled Europe. Understanding these reasons is not only helpful for understanding the time period, it can also be helpful in analyzing other, similar situations in history.
Students will be required to complete some research before creating their spider maps. A great place to start research on this activity is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
For an extended activity, students will create a storyboard that focuses on a specific individual or family who attempted to leave Germany. In addition, students could create a storyboard that focuses on the ship the St. Louis. This ship left Germany in 1939 full of Jewish refugees. It eventually had to return to Europe because no nation in the Americas would take the refugees. The USHMM is a good place to begin research on the St. Louis.
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard analyzing the reasons the Jews didn't leave Nazi Germany.