The third part of the activity can stand alone, if refashioned. Its aim goes back to the questions raised by the activity on Victor Klemperer, and attempts to deepen the students’ understanding of those issues.

• Tell the class the rest of Edgardo’s story.

• Assign to each class member a year of Edgardo’s life, between the ages of seven and 88. Write down each year that you choose. The years should be fairly evenly spaced.

• Each person should imagine what they would say to Edgardo were they speaking to him during the year that you have assigned them. Would they try to convince him to change his thoughts or his plans? They should not refer to events that occurred after the date of their ‘discussion’ with Edgardo/Pius (such as the Shoah, or the existence of the State of Israel).

• Hold a discussion regarding the group's feelings about the case. At which date, if any, did people feel that it was reasonable to stop trying to bring him back to Judaism? Did class members see him as a Jew or as a Christian, and why? How many students saw it as their responsibility to try to bring him back to Judaism? Why? Why did others not? For those people who received dates toward the end of his life, in the years after the rise of Nazism in Germany, did that affect what they would have said to him?

 

 

 

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10 Dec 2006 / 19 Kislev 5767 0