The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. In the words of the Jewish Virtual Library, tattoos of Holocaust survivors have come to symbolize “the utter brutality of the concentration camps and the attempt of the Nazis to dehumanize their victims.” What do you know about how the Nazis utilized tattooing in the Holocaust?

Teaching Suggestion: Central to the plot in The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the fact that protagonist Lale Sokolov is a tattooist at the Auschwitz concentration camp. This prompt will help students better understand the unique form of Trauma that Jewish people imprisoned at Auschwitz experienced there and allow them to grapple with the uniquely degrading experience of being branded by their oppressors.

• The Jewish Virtual Library’s “Auschwitz-Birkenau: The Evolution of Tattooing in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp Complex” describes the tattooing process specific to Auschwitz.
• “Proudly Bearing Elders’ Scars, Their Skin Says ‘Never Forget’” from the New York Times describes how Jewish young adults are getting their grandparents’ Holocaust tattoos on their own bodies as a tribute and a way of memorializing the Holocaust. (Subscription may be needed to view.)

2. Auschwitz-Birkenau, located in Poland, was the largest German Nazi concentration camp during World War II, where over 1.1 million Jewish men, women, and children were murdered. What have you learned about Auschwitz-Birkenau in history classes? Discuss basic facts of this concentration camp (who, what, and where), but also the larger role of Auschwitz in the Holocaust and how it affected Jewish history.

Teaching Suggestion: The historical setting of The Tattooist of Auschwitz informs and colors the plot of the novel. To understand character motivations and key plot points, students must learn more about the distinctively brutal nature of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

• The present-day site of Auschwitz-Birkenau is a memorial center and museum, and the Education section of its website includes resources to learn more about the history of the atrocities that played out at the concentration camp.
• History.com gives an overview of the basic facts concerning the genesis and history of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Consider a time in your life when you chipped away at a large problem that couldn’t be solved by doing something small. For example, suppose you signed up with a local environmental group in your town to help collect litter in your neighborhood, even though your action by itself would not solve the problem of climate change. What effect did your modest action have on you? How about your family and friends? Consider the ripple effect that your local action may have had, even if it did not resolve the larger problem.

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt will get students thinking about the theme in the book, a saying from the Talmud, that “To Save One Is to Save the World.” If students have difficulty thinking of an example in their life of performing one small deed to tackle a larger problem, ask them to consider some of the world’s biggest issues: war, poverty, political extremism, racism, climate change, etc. Then, ask them to consider what small thing they could to help alleviate that situation and to imagine how their deed might have positive ripple effects throughout their family, their friends, and their entire community.

• The New York Times article “The Unexpected Power of Random Acts of Kindness” discusses the surprising and far-reaching ripple effects that minor good deeds can have upon the person performing the act of kindness, the person receiving the act, and their communities. (Subscription may be needed to view.)
• A 4-minute YouTube documentary, “Raoul Wallenberg: If You Save One Life, You Save the Whole World,” describes how Swedish-born banker Wallenberg saved tens of thousands of Jews from the Holocaust.

Differentiation Suggestion: A differentiation strategy for those who learn best through interactive assignments might be to, as a group, research and identify a “small act” that the group or class could embark upon together—either in the world at large or in your local community. Ideas for virtual volunteering are provided at the CareerAddict and SpeakEasy Political sites.