Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto by Paul Janeczko.

Janeczko, Paul B. Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto. Somerville, Ma: Candlewick Press. 2011.     ISBN: 9780763647278

Poet Paul Janeczko takes a small part of the Holocaust and gives a haunting glimpse of Jews that were imprisoned in the Terezin Concentration Camp. This camp was noted as being the place where Jews of artistic talent were sent by Hitler.

While many of the characters found in Janeczko’s poetry in verse are fictitious, they were in fact researched by the author and are based on an actual place, time and facts of this horrific time period. The author weaves for the reader eye opening situations, pain and the feeling of despair. One short poem depicts the harshness of the situation and how desperate prisoners felt.

Blue sky

Beyond

Barbed wire.

I wish I were

Sky

The reader can envision what it would be like to stare at the big blue sky, looking at it through the wire fence and knowing there is no way out. The world keeps turning but for a prisoner in the camp, time stands still.

Free verse poems are cataloged in a Table of Contents by a person’s name, tattooed number or German military rank. Information about the actual encampment and people are included in a page provided by the author at the end of the collection. Also included are English translations for a few foreign words used in the book. Books, websites and multimedia resources are listed, so if the reader are so inclined, they may do additional research into the topic. Black and white charcoal drawings used to illustrate the camps life and its occupants are actual drawings that survived the Holocaust.

After reading this book with a group of students I would lead them in a research project about actual prisoners that were in the camp using library and internet resources. Students would select a prisoner and researchhis/her lives and outcome. I would then ask them to follow the “I Am From” poem template to write about their prisoner selection.

Poem template can be found at the following link: http://www.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/t/Target_I_am_from%20poem.pdf

To lead this project I would reread and spend time discussing this poem from the book.

I am Miklos

The younger boys in L410

call me professor.

Because I know many words?

Because of my large glasses?

Because I like to write

in a small notebook

that I conceal from the guards

in my shoe?

I am fragile

With fear.

Miklos talks about his love of writing and the lengths he goes to conceal it. Discuss with students the importance of writing/journaling to document someone’s presence. Then, lead in with the poem activity after research.