Pedagogical Issues in Literature: Short Stories of the Holocaust
Dr. Keren Goldfrad (Tel: 03-9362128 e-mail: goldfrk1@mail.biu.ac.il)
Course Description:
This course will explore the power of the short story to help students put a human
face on the grim statistics of the Holocaust. In addition to learning the basic elements of
the short story as a literary genre, students will critically evaluate the problematic nature
as well as the necessity of writing literature about the Holocaust. Through a study of the
literary works of Cynthia Ozick, Bernard Gotfryd, Elie Wiesel, and other Holocaust
writers, students will embark on a “journey through the kingdom of fire and ashes”
(Wiesel) to learn key aspects of the vital history of the Holocaust and to experience and
explore its continued emotional relevance to them. Through literature, the Holocaust can
be translated from a massive and impersonal historical process to a series of minute-byminute events which directly affected the lives of Jewish men, women, and children. We
all know the numbers; this course will help us know the people of the Shoah and the lives
they lived. In addition, the literary analysis of the short stories will lead to practical
pedagogical insights.
Texts:
"The Shawl" by Cynthia Ozick, from The Shawl, New York: Vintage
International, 1990.
“The Camp Blanket” by Sara Nomberg-Przytyk, from Auschwitz: True
Tales from a Grotesque Land, ed. Eli Pfefferkorn and David H. Hirsch and
trans. Roslyn Hirsch. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press,
1985.
“An Evening Guest” by Elie Wiesel, from Legends of Our Time, New
York: Schocken Books, 1968.
“A Chicken for the Holidays” and "The Last Morning" by Bernard
Gotfryd from Anton the Dove Fancier and Other Tales of the Holocaust,
New York: Washington Square Press, 1990.
“Prelude,” by Albert Harper, from Harper’s Magazine, Volume 177,
August, 1938.
“Adam” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., from Welcome to the Monkey House. Kurt
Vonnegut, Jr. New York: Seymour Lawrence/Delacorte Press, 1954.
“A Cupboard in the Ghetto” by Rachmil Bryks, from Anthology of
Holocaust Literature, ed. Jacob Glatstein, Israel Knox, Samuel Margoshes
et al, New York: Atheneum, 1973.
"The Black Beast" by Ida Fink from A Scrap of Time, New York:
Schocken Books, 1987.
“The Watch” by Elie Wiesel, from One Generation After, New York:
Random House, 1970.
“At the Railroad Tracks” by Sofia Nalkowska, from Anthology of
Holocaust Literature, ed. Jacob Glatstein, Israel Knox, Samuel Margoshes
et al, New York: Atheneum, 1973.
"The First Hanukkah Light in Bergen Belsen" by Yaffa Eliach, from
Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust, New York: Avon Books, 1983.
Course Syllabus:
Week 1: Introduction to the course and review of the basic elements of the
short story
Week 2+3: The Gathering Storm:
“Prelude,” Albert Halper
"An Evening Guest," Elie Wiesel
Week 4+5: Under Occupation:
“A Chicken for the Holidays,” Bernard Gotfryd
"The Black Beast," Ida Fink
Week 6+7: Daily Life in the Ghetto:
“A Cupboard in the Ghetto,” Rachmil Bryks
“The Last Morning,” Bernard Gotfryd
Week 8+9: The Abyss:
“The Shawl,” Cynthia Ozick
Week 10: The Moral Universe Inverted:
“At the Railroad Tracks,” Sofia Nalkowska
Week 11: Sparks of Humanity:
“The Camp Blanket,” Sara Nomberg-Przytyk
"The First Hanukkah Light in Bergen Belsen," Yaffa Eliach
Week 12+13: Trying to Start Anew:
“Adam,” Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
“The Watch,” Elie Wiesel
Week 14: Review
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Note: The instructor reserves the right to change the schedule to meet the needs of the
class; however, any changes will be announced in advance.
Student Requirements:
1. The students should read the assigned texts in advance and be prepared to discuss
them in class.
2. Oral participation and one class presentation
3. One short written task (about 2-3 pages long)
4. End of year exam
Assessment will be based on the student's presentation (25%), one short paper (25%), the
final exam (40%) and the student's contribution to class discussion (10%).
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