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Lauren McInerny

Professor Raymond

UWRT 1104-001

9 November 2018

Writing Prompt Eight: Concentrated Short Inquiry Project

Fig. 1 Bunkers built by Jewish prisoners in Warsaw Ghetto

Source: “Preparing for the Uprising and Building Bunkers.” ​Voices from the Inferno,​ The World Holocaust
Remembrance Center , www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/warsaw_ghetto_testimonies/preparing_uprising.asp.

Commentary:

As Nazi invasions became prominent and ghettos were being used, many Jewish people were

looking for a way out. This is a Jewish boy who was placed in the Warsaw ghetto. He is coming

out of a bunker that they built as part of the resistance to Nazi rule. This is just one of ideas the
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Jewish people had for hiding places during round-up time. Most of these hiding spots were

underground, equipped with food supplies and bunks for sleeping. The bunker is just one

example of what Jews built as hiding spots.

Fig. 2 Escape routes of Jewish refugees from different countries occupied by German forces

Source: “The Holocaust: 36 Questions and Answer about The Holocaust.” ​Jewish Virtual Library​,
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/36-questions-and-answers-about-the-holocaust​.

Commentary:

Beginning in 1933 many Jews started to leave their homes in Germany and escaped to Austria or

Poland. Little did they know these countries would soon be taken over as well. Other Jews went

to Palestine or South American countries. This map is showing the escape routes of those Jewish

people. As you can see, many different countries were used as “safe zones” for Jewish refugees,
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some being easier to enter than others. When escaping you had to think of what the easiest route

to escape on was, but also which one would be the safest.

Fig. 3 Death totals of Jewish people during the Holocaust from several countries

Source: “The Holocaust.” ​Mr. Brunken's Maus Unit​, 2013, maus.happykidsschool.com.tw/lesson1/holocaust.

Commentary:

Many questions arise on how many Jews were actually killed during the Holocaust. This chart

shows the number of Jews killed from different countries during the Holocaust, but also what the

number of Jews was prior to the war. This gives a good visual of how many Jews were affected,

as you can see, the Eastern European countries were hit the hardest. Poland resulted in the
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highest number of deaths due to it being where ghettos and camps were set up. This was also one

of the places many Jews tried to escape to.