teacher's guide
STUDY QUESTIONS

Prologue and Innocence Betrayed
TIMECODE 01:00:00 - 01:09:01

"I am not a Hungarian anymore, I am a Jew."

The film begins at the outset of the Nazi regime with stories about Barbara, Faye and Shula when they were children. Barbara, who has settled with her family in Amsterdam, begins to study ballet at age 9. Shula, from a proper and patriotic Hungarian family, is very close to her parents, especially her father, who teaches her how to shoot a gun. Faye comes from a religious family on the Russian Polish border. Barbara and Shula are victims of anti-Semitism in school.

Q: How did Nazi society affect the identity of Jews?

Using the information in the film, prepare identity charts for Barbara, Faye and Shula for the time period before the outbreak of World War II. Include information on gender, age, work, "race" as defined by the Nazis, physical characteristics, family members, religion, neighborhood, etc.

Above is an example of an identity chart prepared by a high school student.

Describe the first time you experienced prejudice; include information on the location and circumstances. Discuss any parallels between your experience(s) and those of Barbara, Faye and Shula.

Barbara commented, "I didn’t know anything about politics, and just didn't think of anything else than what teenagers in those days thought about."
What did she mean by this statement? When do you remember first becoming aware of local, national and international politics?

On a world map, locate Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Budapest, Hungary; Poland; and Belarus.