Jacob's Rescue by Malka Drucker and Michael Halperin

Title: Jacob's Rescue by Malka Drucker and Michael Halperin

Resources:

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Summary: Jacob Gutgeld lives in Warsaw Poland, in the year, 1939 when the Nazis first invade Poland. Over time, the Jewish people start losing their rights such as going to school and playing outside while non-Jewish families could. Soon, Jacob’s comfortable lifestyle vanishes and is replaced with one that is living in poverty and harsh conditions. Jacob forms a close relationship with the non-Jewish family , the Roslan,who hide him from Nazi’s in their household. However, not all of Jacob’s family members survive. His brothers come down with Scarlet fever and are not able to seek medical attention because they may kidnap by the Nazis. Throughout the story, the Roslan family has to keep moving to prevent the Nazis from finding Jacob. By the end of the story, Jacob immigrates to America with the Roslan family and is united with his father.

Reflection:I chose this book because my 6^th grade students just finished this book, and really enjoyed reading it! One aspect that I liked of the book was that the main character, Jacob Gutgeld, does not die in the story. This allowed students to form a close relationship with the protagonist throughout the story. Another aspect that I liked was, the book is based on real people and events that happened during the Holocaust. During the story, readers are gradually introduced to the hardships that the Jewish families experienced, and does not make the reader become too overwhelmed.

Self-love and acceptance- The book talks about some Jewish customs, such as Jacob reading a special book called the “ Haggadah” for Passover. Also during some parts of the book, Jacob and his Jewish family speak Yiddish.

Respect for Others- In the beginning of the book, Jacob grapples with the idea why his family is being persecuted, unlike the Roslan family, who are able to maintain their rights. He soon discovers that his religion separates himself from the Roslan family, which upsets him. Later on, Jacob accepts the Roslan family and they soon become allies.

Exploring issues of Social Justice- This book explores anti-Semitism and the Jewish being oppressed by the Nazis.

Social Movement and Social Change- The Roslan family, who were not Jewish, took Jacob’s family in and hid them from the Nazi’s. They did not agree with what was going on at the current time.

Taking Social Action- Yes, this book definitely encourages students to take social action. At the end of the story, Jacob praises the Roslan family for their courage, hiding his family during the Holocaust. He addresses how it is not easy to go against others who are in control. Also in the book’s afterward, it encourages students to continue social action by suggesting to visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C..

Activities/Units: This book could definitely be tied into Language Arts and Mathematics like, determining the daily calorie intact that Jacob and his family endured, while living under these harsh conditions. For language Arts, I would use journal writing from Jacob’s perspective, so that students could explore the feelings and issues which Jacob faced.