Situation for town meeting: (This will be attached to the front of everyone’s index card)
You have gotten news that German police are coming around to all towns to take away any Jewish people that might be living there. In your small town of Langer, which contains 700 people you 28 have been chosen to represent the monumental and life changing decision that will be made. By majority decision you will decide for the town whether to try and protect the Schwarszs’, (the Jewish family’s last name) or turn them into the Nazi police. They are the town bakers and you know them very well. Some have called on them to help give you food when you had no money to give them. You have always appreciated their business and they have always been very generous. Some of your kids are friends with their daughter Elisheva. If you decide to give them in you all will be rewarded by the German government and given national recognition. If you decide to protect them, and they are found that could mean loss of your jobs, loss of homes and possibly sent to the camps with the Schawrsz. The purpose of this meeting is to decide what to do with this family.
Roles for students: (This will be attached to the back of index cards for individuals, the front will contain the situation discussed at the town meeting)
1) Albrecht- you are 41 and have 3 children: a 10 year old boy, 7 year old girl, and 1 year old boy you have lived in Langer all your life. You work in an industrial plant that is now helping to build machine guns. Before this you traveled from job to job working in different textile companies. Hitler has disregarded the Versailles Treaty and began rearming Germany, which has given you a great job in the last 3 years.
2) Kirsten- You are married to Albrecht, you have been able to feed your children consistently ever since Albrecht got that job and even been able to save some money.
3) Armin- you are an 18 year-old apprentice working with the local shoemaker. You are beginning to realize that this is a dying practice with all the industries booming producing shoes in mass quantities. Your parents want you to have an honest hardworking job so you honor this apprenticeship, even though you realize it may be a dying industry.
4) Emmerich- You are 25, and you work at the grocery store. You are married with one 3 year-old girl. You have worked there on and off for the last 12 years since Hitler has taken power you have received steady raises in your paycheck and have seen a high rate of consistent customers. You have even been promised an assistant manager position this year and you want to stay at the store for a long time.
5) Claudia- You are married to Emmerich, and have known him all your life. You got married at 15. You are now 20 years old, and you have seen the struggle the family has gone through with the tough economic times in Germany.
6) Heinrich- You are 37 and work with Albrecht in the large factory making machine guns, you moved here from Berlin. In the last 5 years because you wanted to get away from a large city, but heard that there was going to be an industry that provides a consistent job. You have seen Hitler’s speeches first hand. While you do not buy into Hitler’s ideas and his hatred towards certain groups you appreciate the consistent job he is providing for you and the money he is bringing to your family. You have four boys from ages 15 to 5.
7) Wilhelm- You are 55 and you should be retired, but the downturn in the economy before Hitler took over has forced you to work much longer than you wanted. You are now working in a bank and you can retire in 5 years. You have lived in Langer all your life and your son is Emmerich. You are very proud that he is working hard to earn a manager position at the grocery store.
8) Gabriele- You are married to Wilhelm and you have watched your savings disappear in the depression and you almost lost your house and now that Hitler has come to power with the Nazi party you are starting to build savings again. You even had to work as a secretary in a law office but you have since stopped working there since your husband found his job in the bank. You are very happy to see you and your son finding success since Hitler came to power.
9) Sebastian- You work on a new road that is being built that connects Frankfurt to Berlin. Hitler has worked hard to build a better road system throughout Germany and create more highways. This has provided you along with several other people in Langer and around Frankfurt many job opportunities. You are 19 years old and you have lived on the streets since you were 15 because your dad traveled to Berlin in search of a consistent job in a factory, but you have yet to hear from him. You have lived with your mom and you have been looking for a consistent job and a place to stay. You have stayed with uncles and cousins, but have had to sleep on the streets many nights. With this consistent job it is grueling, demanding, physical work, but you are able to pay your rent, and you and your mom now live in an apartment.
10) Pauline-You are 38 and the mother of Sebastian and you have a new appreciation for a consistent roof over your head that you have had for the past 6 months and you can even afford to have a consistent meal. You now appreciate everything that your son brings with this consistent job and are very appreciative to Hitler of the job that he created.
11) Matthias- You work on the highway with Sebastian that is being built from Frankfurt to Germany. You are in charge of the first 100 miles going east from Frankfurt towards Berlin. You were in charge of a textile factory that closed down. You are paid quite well, but you have an immense responsibility and pressure, and you don’t want to find out what happens if that is not met. You truly enjoy the luxuries that are being given to you during this time as leader of the highway and don’t want to lose them. You are also being promised a high factory position once this highway is finished successfully.
12) Olof- You are the town doctor and your family practice is still recovering from the economic hit. You had to take on a lot of clients and their families without pay and on credit. You knew them and you wanted to have them get help. During Hitler’s regime you now have customers that can pay again as they are finding jobs and as a result your business is finding some success. You are 52 and have a 21 year-old son who you hope will take over the business.
13) Frieda- Your husband is Olof and you have worked in the office with him and seen the roller coaster ride the business has taken. You even had a job in the textile company for a few months before it closed down to bring in some extra money for the family.
14) You are Olof’s son Nikolaus and you have seen the stress that this family has gone through with the family business and you are skeptical if a town doctor will always have a consistent job. You see the industry that is booming and see that a factory worker could always have a job, even though it is physically demanding work. You are starting to wonder if the family business is right for you.
15) Brigitta (Gita)- You and your husband are communists, you moved to Langer in 1929 from Hamburg, Germany. You were able to get away from the Nazi police and have hid your identity successfully. You have started a new and your husband found a successful job working in the steel factory.
16) Gebhard- husband of Gita, you are both communists, you moved from Hamburg, Germany in 1929. You have now found a steady solid job working in a steel factory in Langer. You have developed a strong relationship with Avital and Esra (the Jewish family of butchers).
17) Gertrude- Your husband died working in the a factory, and since 1933 the Nazi government has helped you to keep a steady job as a secretary. This job helped you to feed your 6 year old daughter, and 11 year old son who plays with Elisheva, the baker’s daughter.
18) Albert- A teacher who has taught at Langer High school for 33 years. You have seen World War I and the attempt at democracy in the Weimar Republic, and now the Nazi take over. You have noticed that content and structure of the classroom has changed to pro-Nazi. You have seen that the content has been altered and do not like the inaccurate depiction of German history.
19) Friedrich- You were out of work for several years. You had to stay with friends for several months because you could not pay your rent. By 1934 you found a job working in a massive highway system that Hitler created. You are so grateful, and have been able to afford your own place and pay off most of your debt.
20) Gregor- You are a former member of the Weimar Republic, you are 41. You have experienced ridicule and scrutiny and you have finally found peace in Langer. You work for Avital and Esra, the Jewish family.
21) Josefine- You are the wife of Gregor, you are 43. Your’re husband was a former member of the Weimar Republic. You have experienced ridicule and scrutiny and you have finally found peace in Langer. You and your husband work for Avital and Esra, the Jewish bakers in town.
22) Ferdinand- You hated the idea of the Nazi party when it was just beginning. You thought the Weimar Republic was the best government for your people even in the early 1920’s. You never liked the Nazi’s or Hitler’s ideas, and what he stands for. You refuse to work for or support the government so you sell fresh fruit and flowers. You and your wife have found enough success to get by. You have had your moments where you had to move to smaller cheaper apartments.
23) Flora- You are the wife of Ferdinand. You hated the idea of the Nazi party when it was just beginning. You thought the Weimar Republic was the best government for your people even in the early 1920’s. You never liked the Nazi’s or Hitler’s ideas, and what he stands for. You refuse to work for or support the government so you sell fresh fruit and flowers. You and your husband have found enough success to get by. You have had your moments where you had to move to smaller cheaper apartments.
24) Gebhard- You work at the Local Biergarden (bar) in Langer and you have served, and know everyone well. During the late 1920’s and early 1930’s your bar really struggled and nearly went out of business. You were able to feed your family through the generosity of the Schwarszs. He gave you fresh bread when you needed it most for cheap and sometimes for free.
25) Dietrich- You are a priest in the town Church of Langer. The Church used to be primarily a place where people would sleep at night in the winter during the tough economic times in Germany during the cold winters. The Church would also be a place where the homeless could get food from time to time. You have seen it all and have become very close with all the people in Langer. Hitler has censored a lot of what you can say as a priest during your sermons and has sent people to keep a close eye on how you are conducting your services, but the people in your town seem to be much happier, and Lutheranism is flourishing.
26) Avital- You are the mother and wife of the Jewish family discussed, you own a bakery in the town that went through its ups and downs during the tough economic times in Germany. Your store nearly went out of business because you gave so many families bread based on credit when they couldn’t afford it. You have lived with your husband and daughter in Langer your whole life. You have developed wonderful relationships with all the families in this small town, and they truly appreciate what your family has done for them. You know everyone in Langer and love living here with your family.
27) Esra- you are married to Avital and you love living in Langer and you have lived here your whole life with the family bakery. You are teaching your daughter to take over the business. You are well respected, loved and appreciated throughout the community. They appreciate how you have helped to feed them during the tough times and the great food you provide and how hard you work.
28) Elisheva- You are 11 years old and are the daughter of the Jewish family being discussed and you have developed a strong relationship with all the other kids in the town. You have since not been allowed to go to school with them since Hitler took over, but you have been helping out in the bakery and have remained friends with them and play with them in the afternoon.