By:

Janine Algabre Greg Nieves

Melissa RodriguezBreeona Woods

LA2, Period 6May 11,2012

PETR GINZ

Born on February 1,

1928 at Prague,

Czechoslovakia

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

“Jews had a status of rich

businessmen and were

respectable citizens of

Prague.  ”• Nazi: transported

numerous Jews to concentration and death camps daily.

Permit issued for one day

allowing a Jew in Prague to use

public communications.

PRAGUE, CZECHOSLOVAKIA

Father : Jewish

manager of the export

department of textile

company from Prague

Mother was from

Hradec Kralove with a

non-Jewish background.

OTTO AND MARIE GINZ

Third Reich: “children from

mixed marriages were to be

deported to a concentration

camp at the age of 14.”• Petr’s father was Jewish

but his mother was not.

Petr was transported to

Terezin concentration camp

in October 1942.

TEREZIN CONCENTRATION CAMP

Eva Ginz, Petr’s sister

was later sent to the

same concentration

camp as well.

EVA GINZ

Petr was transported

to Auschwitch on

September 28, 1944 and

died in a gas chamber.

AUSCHWITCH

Petr wrote in the

Vedem (we lead)

magazine and was

published every Fridays

for 2 years.• “The Rambles

through Terezin”- interviews and comments on people, building, and the crematorium.

VEDEM

“February 8, 1944. After thinking

about it for a long time, I decided to

write a diary. I’m doing it for my mom,

dad, and Eva, to whom I cannot write

everything I would like in a letter

because, first, it is not allowed, second,

my German is not good enough. I’m

also writing it for myself so I won’t

forget the great number of incidents and

types of people that I have come into

contact with.”

DIARY ENTRIES

After much thought the quote describes

Petr as a very mature and caring person

who loves and cares for his family. The

authors tone is one of realization, and the

style is in formal letter form. This entry is

important to Petr’s diary because it shows

he wants his parents and sister to know

that he is ok and express his feelings

throughout the time he is there.

“February 16, 1944

No-news today I wrote two

letters home[…]

I hereby declare that

keeping a diary is stupid

because you just write things in

it that one should keep forever

to oneself and uninvited jerks

can stick their noses into it .”

DIARY ENTRIES

The author is upset with some

in the camp because they read

his diary showing that he wants

privacy even in a place where

there is no privacy. The authors

tone is agitated because some on

had been going through his

belongings and he feels that

people will make fun of him for

it.

IMPORTANCE Learn from the past.

Awareness.

Changes our

perspectives.

SOURCES

"Second World War and the Czech

Holocaust." Prague.sites. Web. 11 May 2012.

<http://www.prague.st/city-info/static/eng/czech-

history/second-world-war-and-the-czech-

holocaust.php>.

Langer, Klaus. Salvaged Pages: Young Writer’s

Diaries of the Holocaust. New Haven: Yale University

Press, 2002. 13-36.