Museum Entrance

2. Welcome to the Museum of WW2 Concentration Camps and Ghettos Museum Entrance Artifact 23 Back Wall Artifact Buchenwald Dachau Belzec Warsaw Ghetto Auschwitz- Birkenau Curator’s Offices

3. Curator’s Office Hailey Shepard, Kyla Buttenberg, Lindsey Olson We are all 8th graders at KendylDepoali Middle School. We are all very good friends and have all of our core classes together. This Museum was made during our Holocaust unit of Social Studies. The holocaust was one of the most decipicable events in world history. By making this Museum we hope to spread knowledge to respect ones who lost their lives in this ordeal. Enjoy the Museum! haileyz030601@gmail.com Return to Entry Note: Virtual museums were first introduced by educators at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham, Pennsylvania. This template was designed by Dr. Christy Keeler. View the Educational Virtual Museums website for more information on this instructional technique.

4. Warsaw Ghetto Room 1 Return to Entry

5. Buchenwald Room 2 Return to Entry

6. Dachau Room Room 3 Return to Entry

7. Belzec Room Room 4 Return to Entry

8. Auschwitz-Birkenau Room Room 5 21 Return to Entry

9. Artifact 1 The conditions in the Ghetto were very poor. The housing arrangement was seven people per room which is very overcrowded. But the food situation was much worse. Between 1940 and 1942 over 83,000 Jews died from starvation. The Jews had to live off of 180 grams [6½ oz.] of bread a day, 220 grams of sugar a month, 1 kg. [2.2 lbs.] Jam and ½ kg. of honey. The rations of food did not even cover 10% of a normal diet. Many people from outside the ghetto helped smuggle food top the Jews through the gates, over the walls, through secret tunnels, through houses on the edge of borders, and sometimes even through sewers! "The Warsaw Ghetto: Smuggling Food into the Warsaw Ghetto." Smuggling Food into the Warsaw Ghetto. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 June 2015. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_ph.php?ModuleId=10005069&MediaId=3155 Return to Exhibit

10. Artifact 2 Many of the adults decided to risk their lives in order to save bigger, more important things. Like preserving their religion, education of children, and cultural activities. They used books, music, and other performing arts to escape harsh realities and relieve some stress for a short period of time. A lot of the children, artists, and other people wrote or illustrated things about their cultures and religion in journals so that their religion will not cease. "The Holocaust." Holocaust History. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 June 2015 http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks4/the-nazi-impact-on-europe/the-warsaw-ghetto-a-case-study/liquidation-of-the-warsaw-ghetto/#.VWjFuBFOWUl Return to Exhibit

11. Artifact 3 During 1939 there was 3.5 million Jews in Poland, in Warsaw there were 360,000. A total of 500,000 people living in the Warsaw ghetto. When they cleared the ghetto 14,000 people were killing during fights or being burned alive; 7,000 got deported to death camps; and the rest were moved to camps in Majdanek, all of them ended up dying… "Warsaw Ghetto." Warsaw Ghetto. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2015. http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks4/the-nazi-impact-on-europe/the-warsaw-ghetto-a-case-study/liquidation-of-the-warsaw-ghetto/#.VWjFuBFOWUl Return to Exhibit

12. Artifact 4 Warsaw Ghetto was located in the capital of Poland (Warsaw). The Ghetto was fully created on November 16th of 1940 and liquidation started on April 19th 1943. So it was in operation for about three years. This was not a camp, but a ghetto. Here is a little background on ghettos, they were used in the early stages of the Holocaust to crowd the Jewish population and begin taking away their rights. The ghettos were surrounded by walls and blocked off view in the outside world. Usually they had guards around the wall so that no one could leave without permission. "Liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto." - The Holocaust Explained Website. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2015. http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks4/the-nazi-impact-on-europe/the-warsaw-ghetto-a-case-study/how-did-the-nazis-establish-the-warsaw-ghetto/#.VWjF6xFOWUl Return to Exhibit

13. Artifact 5 Buchenwald was a camp made for manual labor. Although it still had its own fair share killings. The main goal of Buchenwald was death by work. If any prisoners were seen to be too small for work they were immediately killed. Thousands of prisoners were murdered in Buchenwald by work, torture, beatings, or simply starvation and lack of hygiene. An estimated 56,000 people were killed. This estimate does not include 13000 inmates transferred to Auschwitz or other extermination camps. "Buchenwald." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 20 June 2014. Web. 04 June 2015. http://www.holocaustpictures.org/pictures/albums/holocaust-pictures/Buchenwald.gif Return to Exhibit

14. Artifact 6 Buchenwald was located in the middle of Germany. Buchenwald was in operation from 1937-1945. Conditions were horrible. Despite the abominable living conditions and the SS terror, a powerful underground organization was created in the last years of the activity of the camp. Numerous prisoners sentenced to death by the SS were hidden in the camp. This was made possible by the overcrowding of Buchenwald. "Buchenwald Concentration Camp (Germany)." Buchenwald Concentration Camp (Germany). N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2015. https://www.awesomestories.com/images/user/a7e0af1bc2.jpg Return to Exhibit

15. Artifact 7 Many women, children, and elders were killed upon arrival at Buchenwald because they were deemed “unfit” to work. Others were subjected to the harsh medical experiments aimed at testing the efficacy of vaccines and treatments against contagious diseases such as typhus, typhoid, cholera, and diphtheria resulted in hundreds of deaths. The daily “life” of prisoners included medical experiments or long days of impossible work like moving large rocks. "Buchenwald." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 20 June 2014. Web. 04 June 2015. http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/othercamps/images/medical%20experiments.jpg Return to Exhibit

16. Artifact 8 The camp was first created for male political prisoners. They were very important to the infrastructure of the camp. Although they were sentenced to long lives in the prison quarters many were killed by lethal injection or subject to medical experiments. Women weren’t apart of the camp until 1943. "Buchenwald | Concentration Camp, Germany." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 04 June 2015. http://www.scrapbookpages.com/EasternGermany/Buchenwald/Buchenwald03.jpg Return to Exhibit

17. Artifact 9 Dachau was the first of the Nazi concentration camps in Germany. Dachau opened March 1933. This camp was intended to hold political prisoners. Later on the prisoners consisted of German communists, social Democrats, trade unionists, political opponents of the Nazi Regime, Jehovah’s witnesses, Roma or Gypsies, homosexuals, and repeated criminal offenders. http://cdn2.getyourguide.com/img/tour_img-1527-48.jpg Return to Exhibit

18. Artifact 10 The first year this concentration camp held about 4,800 prisoners. This number grew dramatically over the next few years. There were around 160,000 altogether. There were two different sections of the camp. These sections were the camp area and the crematoria area. There were also thirty two barracks in Dachau. http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FDachau&ei=1SJmVdiTFMXvoAST-ICQDA&bvm=bv.93990622,d.cGU&psig=AFQjCNHZM9aZB5hWiae Return to Exhibit

19. Artifact 11 In Dachau, many of the prisoners were experimented on. The Nazi doctors and scientists tested effects of freezing and changes to the atmospheric pressure on the inmates. They also infected them with malaria and tuberculosis and treated them with experimental drugs. Hundreds of the prisoners died from being involved in these experiments. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/images/dachau/dachau4.jpg Return to Exhibit

20. Artifact 12 Dachau was liberated in April 1945. Of the 1600,000 prisoners, there were about 32,000 dead prisoners. There were also about 30,000 survivors. This camp was liberated by the U.S. Seventh Army's 45th Infantry Division. "Dachau." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 20 June 2014. Web. 29 May 2015. http://meghansworldtravels.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/dachau.jpg Return to Exhibit

21. Artifact 13 The death camp at Belzec was located in South Eastern Poland, within the Lublin District, near the village of Belzec, on the Lublin – Lvov railway line. The camp was built for the sole purpose of exterminating Jews. The outer fence was camouflaged by tree branches. During the later reconstruction of the camp, the space between the two fences was filled with rolls of barbed wire. Also in the large section were the barracks where victims were forced to undress and were shaven, storerooms for their clothing and personal objects, and huts for the Jewish workers who were employed by the S.S. to carry out with the murders. "The Belzec Remembrance Project." The Belzec Remembrance Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2015. http://chelm.freeyellow.com/belzec.html Return to Exhibit

22. Artifact 14 The camp operated from March 1942 to the end of December 1942. But in its very short time of operation still managed to kill 600,000 people. The camp was situated about 0.5 km (0.31 mi) south of the local railroad station of Belzec in German occupied Poland in the new Distrikt Lublin of the semi-colonial Government territory. "Bełżec Extermination Camp." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 04 June 2015. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Belzec.html Return to Exhibit

23. Artifact 15 Extermination camp. During the short existence of the camp, the camp commandant, a maximum of 30 German SS guards and between 90 and 120 Ukrainian guards were responsible for the murder of 600,000 people. These victims were mainly Jews; a few hundred were Roma. In its first few weeks of operation, from April 1942, 80,000 Jews were murdered. "Belzec." Death Camp. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2015. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/hol-pix/belzec-form.jpg Return to Exhibit

24. Artifact 16 Up to a thousand Jewish men were kept alive to carry out forced labor at the camp. One group of young Jewish men worked at unloading and cleaning the trains; another group sorted the property of victims, another group removed the bodies from the gas chambers. Though most of all of the men were sent to the gas chambers upon selection. And all women and children were killed. "The Belzec Remembrance Project." The Belzec Remembrance Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2015. http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/ar/belzec/images/Belzec/Jewish%20children%20-all%20perished%20at%20Belzec.html Return to Exhibit

25. Artifact 17 Auschwitz-Birkenau, aka Auschwitz 2, began in the vicinity of Brzezinka in October 1941. Out of Auschwitz one, two, three, Auschwitz-Birkenau had the largest total prisoner population. This camp was divided into ten sections. They were for man, women, a family camp for Roma Gypsies, and a family camp for Jewish families. http://ideebn.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/album-auschwitz/ Return to Exhibit

26. Artifact 18 There were 1.1 million Jews; more than 140,000 non-Jews; 23,000 gypsies; 15,000 prisoners of war; and 25,000 others help at camp Auschwitz two. This Auschwitz’s most populated camp. It is divided into 10 sections: men, women, family camp for gypsies, family camp for Jewish families, and more. Within Birkenau there is also facilities for a killing center, which is responsible for 960,000 deaths. "Auschwitz." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 20 June 2014. Web. 03 June 2015. http://sportsrapport.com/2012/06/a-day-trip-to-auschwitz/ Return to Exhibit

27. Driving Question How did America’s actions and inactions during WWII affect the world we live in today? America opening the doors of the country to fleeing Jews and others saved a lot of lives as well as opened the eyes of many people towards what was really happening in Europe. Today a lot of people can watch out for those events so we don’t repeat history. http://skepticism-images.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images/jreviews/Auschwitz-Children.jpg Return to Exhibit

28. Guiding Question How did these events of WWII influence literature, institutions, movements, science, and the arts of today? They greatly effected our beliefs in religion and dictatorship. We now have a greater understanding and appreciation for what is left of the Jewish books and culture. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AerialAuschwitz1944.jpg Return to Exhibit

29. Artifact 21 How can we learn from the past events surrounding WWII to better participate in the present and to help influence the future? By us doing the museum we are spreading awareness to others about the Holocaust and WWII. If everyone knows about these horrible events then, in the future, we won’t repeat our mistakes. http://www.thecommentator.com/article/1908/member_of_european_parliament_in_holocaust_scandal Return to Exhibit

30. Back Wall Artifact The Nazis truly dehumanize the Jews when the prisoners were being sent to camps they shaved there hair and took all possessions and used them all for nothing. When allied forces came they found rooms full of suitcases, shoes, hair, bodies, and other things. http://www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance/educational%20Footprint.shtml Return to Entrance