Doris Orgel's Devil in Vienna

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The Holocaust. A subject most people would like to forget but shouldn't. People must find out as much as possible about it so history won't repeat itself. Millions of Jewish men, women, and children , of all strata were persecuted because of what? Nothing besides the fact that they were Jewish. Most Jews living in Germany, Austria, Poland, France or practically anywhere else in Europe were sent to concentration camps. There they were either tortured or killed.

In The book Devil in Vienna, by Doris Orgel, Inge a young, intelligent Jewish girl is faced with the same types of problems. Being Jewish at that time was no small problem. Instead of worrying what to wear the next day, she would have to worry about whether or not her family would be safe or taken to a concentration camp. Inge not only had to face the problem of keeping her family together, she had to find a way to maintain a friendship with her best friend Lieselotte. Lieselotte’s father was a Nazi and forbade her to keep any contact with Inge, but the two girls would always find a way to see or write to each other even when things were rough. Inges father also began to disprove of their friendship and pretty soon if either one were to mention the other’s name she would be punished. Yet the girls refused to forget each other. One day Inge received the news. She was to move away to Yugoslavia to escape Hitler’s regime. The girls promised to never forget each other and they never did; even long after the war was over.

I think Doris Orgel did a wonderful job in portraying these girls as people who would forget their differences and what others said in order to maintain a close bond. I think She did this well because she lived in Austria at that same time and had to leave several of her friends when she escaped to Yugoslavia.

If one were to look through the pages of a few holocaust books, they would be sickened and would have to force themselves to continue. Horrorful accounts of genocide, abuse, starvation, and death fill the pages of these books telling stories about the suffering of Jews in concentration camps. Concentration camps were setup throughout Europe for one single purpose: to get rid of Jews. Many of these camps were kept secret in order to keep people from acting against them. The people who did know about the existence of these camps most likely were not aware of the num...

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...he library. I think she did a fantastic job of depicting the character's thoughts and emotions throughout the Holocaust just as a Jewish person at that same time period would feel.

In conclusion, I feel that I gained a better understanding of the Holocaust. I also learned to manage my time during research days. I feel that this project was a great step towards high school and its many long and difficult assignments. I feel that I have done a good job and put forth a great effort in this assignment. I hope all of my hard work will pay off not only with a good grade but with a new knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust. I believe I will come away from this with great sense of accomplishment and relief.

Works Consulted:

Alder,David. We Remember the Holocaust. New York: Henry Holt, 1989.

"Austria." Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria

Goldhagen,Daniel. Hitler’s Willing Executioners. New York: Random House, 1997.

Marrin,Albert. Hitler. New York: Viking Penguin, 1987.

Orgel,Doris. Devil In Vienna. New York: Puffin, 1978.

Rogasky,Barbra. Smoke and Ashes. New York: Holiday House, 1988.

Wepman,Dennis. Aldof Hitler. New York: Chelsea House, 1985

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