Antonina Żabiński, also known as the zookeeper’s wife, was a truly amazing character that showed through her sensitivity to all things, love, kindness, and quick thinking. Antonina and Jan (her husband) helped save at least three hundred Jews and friends from concentration camps and extermination. With the help of many people, the Żabińskis hid Jews in empty animal cages after their animals were taken away to the Berlin Zoo. Despite having their entire lives taken away from them, they stayed positive and used their misfortune for a greater reason, which I think is truly amazing. It takes someone of great character and kindness to be nonconforming and stay true to their own hearts. With the help of Irena Sendler, Feliks Cywiński, and many others
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When the zoo became a pig farm in 1940, Jan used it as an excuse to go into the ghetto and smuggle Jews out. I certainly would not be able to leave my life's profession behind and become a pig farmer in a matter of days. The book opened my eyes to the horrendous truth of what happened. Within the book it is written that “For sport, soldiers hoised orthodox Jews onto barrels and scissored off their religious beards, or taunted old men and women, sometimes ordering them to dance or be shot.” Women had to use their underwear to clean floors and toilets and that would be humiliating. I certainly would have been mortified and probably would have refused to do it, however, if put into the same situation I would have to because it was life or death. It was, however, very …show more content…
To imagine being a child in this time and being all alone and scared is frightening. They didn't understand what was happening and didn't understand German either. The experience would be utterly confusing and scary. I can’t even comprehend the loss and sorrow that I would feel and to do it at an even younger age such as five would be even more heartbreaking and confusing. Trying to understand a language that I don’t speak would be even worse and the fact that if I didn't do something they asked because I did not understand the language I would likely be killed amazes me. How could someone be so cruel and not help the person? Antonina also experienced not understanding German very well but she had enough knowledge to not appear threatening.
After the pig farm faded away from existence, in 1941, a new level to the existing problem of abuse and killing of Jews surfaced. Frankenstein, a nickname for a brutal German major, loved to hunt until he started to hunt Jewish children. I can’t even fathom why a person would think it was fun and enjoyable to kill, much less understand how people like Antonia still saw the good in everyone. I would not be able to easily overlook the terrible crimes and decisions the Nazis completed. Frankenstein killed innocent Jewish children for sport and that makes me sick to my
When the zoo became a pig farm in 1940, Jan used it as an excuse to go into the ghetto and smuggle Jews out. I certainly would not be able to leave my life's profession behind and become a pig farmer in a matter of days. The book opened my eyes to the horrendous truth of what happened. Within the book it is written that “For sport, soldiers hoised orthodox Jews onto barrels and scissored off their religious beards, or taunted old men and women, sometimes ordering them to dance or be shot.” Women had to use their underwear to clean floors and toilets and that would be humiliating. I certainly would have been mortified and probably would have refused to do it, however, if put into the same situation I would have to because it was life or death. It was, however, very …show more content…
To imagine being a child in this time and being all alone and scared is frightening. They didn't understand what was happening and didn't understand German either. The experience would be utterly confusing and scary. I can’t even comprehend the loss and sorrow that I would feel and to do it at an even younger age such as five would be even more heartbreaking and confusing. Trying to understand a language that I don’t speak would be even worse and the fact that if I didn't do something they asked because I did not understand the language I would likely be killed amazes me. How could someone be so cruel and not help the person? Antonina also experienced not understanding German very well but she had enough knowledge to not appear threatening.
After the pig farm faded away from existence, in 1941, a new level to the existing problem of abuse and killing of Jews surfaced. Frankenstein, a nickname for a brutal German major, loved to hunt until he started to hunt Jewish children. I can’t even fathom why a person would think it was fun and enjoyable to kill, much less understand how people like Antonia still saw the good in everyone. I would not be able to easily overlook the terrible crimes and decisions the Nazis completed. Frankenstein killed innocent Jewish children for sport and that makes me sick to my