Why is hanas suitcase so important

What was she like? How did Hana become an orphan? What happened to her? Writer Karen Levine follows Fumiko in her search through history, from present-day Japan, Europe and North America back to Czechoslovakia and the young Hana Brady, a fun-loving child with a passion for ice skating. Together with Fumiko, we learn of Hana s loving parents and older brother, George, and discover how the family s happy life in a small town was turned upside down by the invasion of the Nazis.

Based on an award-winning CBC documentary, Hana s Suitcase takes the reader on an incredible journey full of mystery and memories, which come to life through the perspectives of Fumiko, Hana and later Hana s brother, who now lives in Canada. Photographs and original wartime documents enhance this extraordinary story that bridges cultures, generations and time. Time Frame: three weeks or less- depending upon depth of study Note: It is important that lessons regarding the Holocaust be taught within an historical context.

Visit the Holocaust resource page for various lessons, reference materials and resources to help provide the necessary background knowledge. Read the following excerpt aloud and encourage students to make inferences about the story—what might it be about? Who is Hana? What might her suitcase have contained? A little tattered around the edges, but in good condition.

It s brown. It s big. You could fit quite a lot in it - clothes for a long trip, maybe. Books, games, treasures, toys. But there is nothing inside it now.

Every day children come to a little museum in Tokyo, Japan, to see this suitcase. It sits in a glass cabinet. And through the glass you can see that there is writing on the suitcase. In white paint, across the front, there is a girl s name: Hana Brady. A date of birth: May 16, And one other word: Waisenkind. That s the German word for orphan.

Bring an empty suitcase to class. Explain to students that they will be filling the suitcase with verses from songs original lyrics or not , poetry original or not , illustrations, etc.

Provide time throughout the course of study for them to do this. How can an object hold so much value? Which person in the story do you believe best exemplify the quality of empathy? Explain your choice. What does Empathy Look Like? Have any of these ideas changed over time? If so, what caused this change? Can individuals change their perspectives in terms of preconceived beliefs? Provide time for students to share their artistic representation, allowing others to interpret the work and how it inspires them in terms of the importance of empathy, building empathy, the effects of empathy, etc.

Create a museum in a common area of the school i. Role Playing : Role play different scenarios involving empathy, giving students the opportunity to suggest situations where empathy is important i. Explore www. Listen to the audio documentary. Allow time for students to discuss ways in which the documentary enhanced their understanding, provided additional insights, etc Encourage students to read additional books autobiography, biography, poetry, historical fiction, etc.

See Holocaust Resources for additional titles. What happened to her? The empty suitcase provides no clues. The children implore Fumiko to find out all she can about the girl who owned the suitcase — the only Holocaust artifact that the Center has that is actually linked to a name. The children figure out that Hana Brady would have been about thirteen years old — close to their own ages — when she was sent to Auschwitz.

To find out more about Hana, Fumiko delves into the past, looking for clues. After her initial inquiries come up with dead ends, a list is discovered that shows Hana came to Auschwitz from the ghetto of Theresienstadt, in Czechoslovakia. We learn that Hana loved to draw, that she created pictures of picnics and open fields while she was in Theresienstadt, in the art classes she had with Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, but that she also drew pictures of trains like the one that had taken her away from her aunt and uncle.

Hana arrived at Auschwitz on October 23, and was sent directly to the gas chambers. This part of the story is particularly miraculous.

George is stunned when he receives a package from Tokyo with inquiries from the Center, and is willing to reopen, at age 72, a chapter of his life that he had closed long ago in order to help Fumiko discover who Hana was and what her short life had been like.

This slim book with its simple sentences that children can understand has a story that is universal in its appeal; in telling the story, it brings one small face — a little girl with a faraway look in her eyes and a slight smile — into sharp focus. It turns one more victim of the Holocaust into a flesh-and-blood human being that adults and children can relate to.

Skip to main content. Drive to Yad Vashem:. For more Visiting Information click here. Children in the Holocaust Children were particularly vulnerable during the Holocaust. Yad Vashem Har Hazikaron P.

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Duis dignissim blandit eros. Nunc at felis pellentesque leo efficitur varius. Nam dui eros, maximus vitae tellus nec, finibus euismod ante. Vestibulum ac ex vel nisl faucibus dignissim et eu justo. Besides making portraits, I also make group photos for companies and friends.

Are you a model? Come on by, so we can compose an amazing portfolio together! Our family lived in the small town of Nove Mesto na Morave in Czechoslovakia. Constantly making people laugh, she was a good friend to many people and that included writers and poets. In , the Brady siblings; Hana and George buried a bottle - writing their frustrations and fears out, along with their hopes and dreams.

We worked great together!