1 Table of Contents Introduction...... p. 1 Problem, Cause, Solution...... p. 2 FAQ s...... p. 3 Myths vs. Fact...... p. 4 Unique Challenges...... p. 5 History...... p. 6 Roma in Europe Fact Sheet...... p. 7 Contemporary Discrimination Against Roma People...... p. 8 Education in the ...... p. 9 Education in Europe...... p.10 What is Ethnicity ?...... p. 11 Roma in the Holocaust...... p. 13 Roma in the Holocaust Lesson Plan...... p. 17 Roma and Slavery Lesson Plan...... p. 19 References and Resources...... p. 22 The Little Red Hen and Coloring Pages...... p. 23

“The teaching in schools of the history of Roma, including the genocide they suffered during the Nazi regime, and awareness-raising measures to inform and sensitize populations about Roma identity and culture are essential to address the persistent prejudices that fuel racism and intolerance against them” (1).

Do you know the Romani “gypsy” children in your school?

Do you think that you know how they look, their features, how they dress, or behave?

What has gone into building your perceptions of their community?

Have you previously been aware of this community?

We are providing you this toolkit because families of Romani children you teach want you to learn about Romani people and expand your awareness of their unique ethnic cultural situation in the United States.

Many people have heard the word “gypsy,” but they do not know that the Roma are a sizable minority in the US. Others have heard the terms, unaware that most information that Americans see is based on stereotypes.

We hope to challenge your perceptions, to give an accurate portrayal, and to give you the resources to learn more.

Why should I be concerned about my Roma students?

Most Americans are unaware that Roma are Europe’s largest minority, with 10-12 million people. Roma have suffered from inferior treatment for centuries; they were slaves in some parts of Europe until the 1860s. They were, like Jews, considered racially inferior and marked for geno- cide in the 1930-40s. Governments segregated Roma in schooling, housing and the job market in the Communist bloc and, in several countries, the racism continues. Because of their vulnerable social position, many Roma do not know their own history or current rights . The lack of information causes racism and discrimination. It also keeps members of Roma communities from knowing their shared history and current problems -- such as violence, murder, lack of health care, education, housing, jobs, horrific living conditions-- that exist all over the world. Television shows like My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, Junk Gypsies, the Finder, Gypsyville, Ameri- can Gypsy, as well as news reports about them, portray Roma as lazy, criminal, dishonest, uneducated, violent, and untrustworthy. Stereotypical depictions are harmful. We need our educators to add to existing multicultural, racial awareness, and anti-bullying programs to support Romani members of their districts. This will begin a new cultural tradition of partnering with schools, increase civic participation, improve Roma’s socioeconomic status, and advance social justice. 1 Problem Educators must acknowledge that there are Roma students in their district, and that they may be being bullied. A recent British news article blames media depictions of the Roma for renewed racism and violence. Educational consultant Brian Foster said, “That harm is on a number of levels, in- cluding physical and sexual assault, racist abuse and bullying, misinformation and hostile questioning, resulting in damage to the self-esteem of children and withdrawal from school” (Guardian UK).

Cause Roma are a forgotten minority, for centuries living under the radar. A rash of new reality shows has brought their population into the light in a way that has not happened before. These portray stereotypes and extreme situations; they do not characterize real people. Exploitation TV is causing a bullying outbreak of children identified by their peers as Roma. These children are no different than any others who are suffering because of the stereotypes being projected upon them.

Solution Recognize that bullying is being caused by racism fueled by inaccurate media portrayals. The solution is being aware of the Roma population in your school; educating administration, teachers, support staff and students about the Roma people; including Roma in sensitivity training and anti- bullying programs; applying these supports to Roma children, to ensure that they are protected, counseled, and treated the same as any other group of children.

2 FAQs

What is the correct terminology to use? Although some groups use the word “Gypsy” to describe themselves, it is incorrect for others to use. It is based on the idea that Roma came from Egypt, which is incorrect. To many, it is an offensive term. Roma and Romani are appropriate terms.

What is Roma, a race? An ethnicity.

Why don’t members of my community talk openly about being Roma? Due to the lack of information, incorrect information, and stereotypes, many Roma people prefer not to discuss their ethnic identity. Because the Roma are a stateless nation , there is a deeply ingrained fear and distrust of the dominant culture.

How will I know if any of my students are Roma? You may not know. After centuries of persecution, many Roma do not feel safe disclosing their heritage.

What do my Romani students look like? Because the Roma have lived in so many regions of the world, they can have any kind of coloring or features.

Don’t Roma travel all of the time? No. Being Roma does not mean living a nomadic lifestyle.

Are all Roma from Romania? Are all people who live in Romania Roma? No. Roma come from many regions and countries. Romanian refers to a nationality.

Do they have magical powers? No more than any other person of any culture, ethnicity, or background.

3 Myths About Roma...... And the Facts Myth Fact 1. They are fictional characters that only exist in The Roma are an ethnicity of people that left movies. India in waves of migration beginning in 1000 AD. 2. Roma are the same as Romanians. Roma live in almost every country on Earth.

3. Roma “gypsy” is a lifestyle. Roma are an ethnic group and not a set of stereotypical behaviors. Most Roma are not nomads, dancers or fortunetellers.

4. Roma have adapted and been assimilated into the larger society in the places they live. Although they adapt, many maintain their language “Romanes” and other cultural beliefs and practices.

5. Roma are all fortunetellers, musicians, bear Roma people are teachers, doctors, mechanics, trainers, or thieves. artists, lawyers, construction workers and every other job. 6. There are no Roma in the United States. The average estimate is 1 million Roma in the United States, and 12 million in Europe.

7. All Roma look the same. Due to migration over centuries, and intermarriage, Roma people encompass every shade of skin, hair, and eye color. 8. Roma follow one religion. There are members of many faiths, largely influenced by the area in which they lived. Those living under the Ottoman Empire often became Muslim. In Europe many became Catholic or Eastern Orthodox . Israel is home to both Christian and Jewish Roma. 9. Members of the culture all use the same Like all ethnicity, some Roma strictly follow practices. their religious doctrine, the norms and practices of the larger culture. Others remain more traditional.

10. Roma are nomadic. Roma like to travel while others prefer to stay in one place, which just goes to show that we’re just like you.

4 Unique Challenges

From Texas State Historical Society. Unlike the situation in Europe, where Gypsies are much in evidence, Roma in the United States have been called the “hidden Americans” because they remain by choice largely invisible. There are two reasons for this: first, the United States is made up of minor- ity groups of all complexions, and so it is easy for Gypsies to present themselves as Native Indians, Hispanics, or southern Europeans, and they usually do this rather than identify themselves as Gypsies. Second, most Americans know very little about actual Roma but a great deal about the Hollywood “gypsy” (with a small “g”), and since people fitting the romantic gypsy image are not actually encountered in real life, the real population goes unnoticed. Being of Indian descent, Gypsies have retained an Indian cultural and linguistic heritage as well; Romani is widely spoken, and is certainly one of the healthiest immigrant languages in the country, transmitted from generation to generation with little danger of dying out in the foreseeable future. Also of Indian origin, and fundamental to Romani existence, is the concept of untouchability or ritual pollution. In Romani there are right and wrong ways to prepare food, for example, or wash clothes, or interact with other people, especially non-Gypsies (called gadjé, singular gadjó), who have the poten- tial to “pollute.” For this reason more than any other, Gypsy life is maintained quite separate from the non-Gypsy world, and parents are reluctant to send their children to school, especially after puberty, because of this. (2)

What are some beliefs? • Romani purity laws are similar to halal or kosher laws, but affect every part of life, not just food. • Due to the fear of contamination, after puberty Roma do not want males and females mixing. • As a community, they do not want to lose their children to the ways of the outside world.

How do these beliefs conflict with public education? • Food must be handled, cleaned, and prepared in certain ways to maintain cleanliness. • Modesty is of the utmost importance. • Cultural taboos against food on the floor, like at snack time. • Hesitancy to share public bathroom. • Belief that food at school or restaurants is not properly washed or handled. • Resistant to change for gym in locker room, because it is a modesty issue. • Girls who wear head cover may have an issue with the school’s dress codes. • Many Roma parents do not want girls exposed to anything sexual, including sexual education, believing anything of this nature is to be discussed within their family. • Many Roma associate gadje with education. • Some Roma reject or harbor suspicions of the educational system because they distrust authority.

How can these be resolved? • Building understanding through education. • Recognizing Roma student populations. • Accommodating Roma cultural beliefs and practices. • Teaching Roma history and culture as part of curriculum when appropriate. 5 History

From the Romani Projekt. It is impossible to cover all aspects of Roma history properly in one step and to make up for everything missed in the past. Although the fact sheets cover the most important phases and events in Roma history, they have to be seen as a first step which hopefully will be followed by further amendments. This open content organization tentatively orga- nizes Roma history into seven phases:

1. PRE-EUROPEAN HISTORY: “FIRST MIGRATION” FROM CENTRAL INDIA TO BYZANTIUM The Indian origin and the “road to Europe” via Persia, Armenia and Asia Minor as part of the Byzantine empire is undis- puted, primarily because of linguistic evidence. Due to the lack of documents and “hard facts” and the importance of origin in any emancipation process, this is a field of discussions ranging from scientifically based theories to weird specu- lations.

2. EARLY EUROPEAN HISTORY & FIRST DISCRIMINATION This second period in Roma history covers the time from the “Arrival in Europe” in the 15th century and the situation of the Roma in various European regions in the 16th and 17th centuries: their situation in the Ottoman Empire and Cen- tral Europe, bondage and slavery in Wallachia and Moldavia, marginalization and persecution in Western Europe.

3. STATE POLICIES: INTEGRATION, FORCED ASSIMILATION, DEPORTATION In the 18th century, the “Age of Enlightenment” in European history, Roma were exposed to “new methods” of discrimi- nation: internment in Spain and forced assimilation laws in the Austro-Hungarian Empire; methods which are opposed by the treatment as – in principal – equal subjects with the respective full civil rights in the Russian Empire.

4. “SECOND MIGRATION” & INTENSIFIED DISCRIMINATION In the second half of the 19th century, a second migratory movement took place: Roma groups from Central and South- Eastern Europe moved to all other regions of Europe, some of them even overseas. Political processes and changes around the brink of the century (19/20) also affected the Roma. These changes are exemplified by the intensified discrimination in a former Austro-Hungarian region and the treatment of Roma as separate people but integral part of society in the early Soviet Union.

5. PERSECUTION, INTERNMENT, GENOCIDE - HOLOCAUST The Nazi genocide stands as caesura in recent Roma history. It has been the negative climax of centuries of discrimina- tion, stigmatization and persecution. Many groups have not overcome the Holocaust until today. The Holocaust can‘t be treated as past, it is still an integral part of today‘s Roma life and therefore non-Roma have to be made aware of this phase of Roma history as well. Maybe this chapter shows best the preliminary and open character of the fact sheets. Although this heading subsumes the largest number of individual fact sheets so far, there still remains a lot to be written.

6. PROLONGED DISCRIMINATION & STRUGGLE FOR After WW II Roma concentration camp survivors were refused help and compensation and for many of them the recogni- tion as victims came too late. Stigmatization and discrimination did not come to an end after the Holocaust. Roma always have been and still are marginalized in European society. This situation finally led to self-organization for emancipation and the struggle for human rights at an international level.

7. “THIRD MIGRATION” & EMANCIPATION PROCESS The recent east-west migration of the Roma started in the course of the working migrations from South-East Europe to Western Europe and intensified with the collapse of the Soviet Union and its satellites and the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Processes that also resulted in armed conflicts, which hit Roma, multiply: as victims of war, as marginalized ethnic group, branded as “only” economic refugees in the target countries, etc. Again, the last point of the listing demonstrates the organization of the content as an open list. It only consists of one article which outlines the recent east-west migrations and offers the possibility to include sub-articles dealing with details of this global development. (3) 6 Roma in Europe Summary Fact Sheet From Human Rights First. • Routinely suffer assaults in city streets and other public places. • Widespread patterns of violence. • In Italy, thousands of Roma were driven from their homes in 2007 when mobs attacked. • Violent incidents have also been reported in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Russian Federa- tion, Serbia, and Slovakia. • Negative popular attitudes against Roma. • Abuse at the hands of the police. • Official and unofficial discrimination in employment, housing, health care, and other aspects of public life. • Violent rhetoric of exclusion and expulsion used by public officials. (4) • Roma are reluctant to go to the authorities, which feeds the cycle of violence because that makes them a "safe" target to attack.

http://www.travellerstimes.org.uk/blog.aspx?n=15bd035a-6143-4223-af16-ae75774b51de&c=61b524e1-4001-478e-92af-f6484b3ad321 http://romaeurope.blogspot.com/2011/03/roma-of-eastern-europe-before-during.html 7 Contemporary Discrimination Against Roma People By Lauren Berry-Kagan, Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center

The Roma people are one of Europe’s largest minorities (1) and have lived there since the 13th century. Even now, they face social exclusion and discrimination on a daily basis. One of the largest issues facing the Roma is the negative stereotype of the ‘Gypsy.’ The name comes from the mistaken belief that the Roma originated in Egypt, though it has been proven that they are originally from India, and Western culture has created an image of the Gypsy as both a dirty criminal and a romanticized carefree wanderer. It is this stereotype of the Roma as a criminal that has perpetuated their rejection from society, both by ordinary people and by government officials. The main areas of discrimination against Roma are housing, education, employment, and health. In Serbia and Italy, Roma have been forced to live on garbage dumps or in dilapidated housing areas that are, by most reasonable standards, uninhabitable. In Hungary, Romania, Czech and Slovak Republics, Romani children are frequently placed in special education designed for children with mental disabilities and are segregated in separate Roma-only classes and schools. Very few attend high schools and even fewer go to universities. A main reason for this is that the lack of a permanent address prevents school registrations. Unemployment of Roma can be as high as 80%, keeping them in extreme poverty on the fringes of society. Most disturbingly, Roma women continue to be sterilized without their consent in the Czech Republic and elsewhere. (2) A recent survey(3) on minorities and discrimination in the found that, on average, one in five Roma respondents were victims of racially motivated crime at least once in the previous year, while another report from 2011 showed that violence against Roma is almost never successfully prosecuted.(4 )The report examined the official government response to 44 violent attacks against Roma in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. It found that “a limited number of perpetrators of violent attacks against Roma are successfully identified, investigated and prosecuted. Even fewer are eventually imprisoned for the crimes they have committed against Roma.” A 2005 study in Hungary reported that 62 per cent of the country’s adult population agrees with the statement that the criminal tendency is in the blood of Roma.(5) Finally, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee found that Roma were disproportionately targeted by the “stop-and-search” practice by the police where they are stopped on the streets, asked for identification, and searched for illegal items. According to this report, Roma are three times more likely to be stopped for ID checks than non-Roma.(6) Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-2012) has been especially criticized for his treatment of Roma during his political career. During Sarkozy’s final two years in office, hundreds of Roma camps were destroyed and thousands were deported solely for their ethnic identity. Roma refugees, seeking to escape conditions in countries such as Hungary and France, have found that many countries will not accept them. Comparisons have been made to the refusal to accept Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. In conclusion, anti-Roma attitudes are rampant everywhere they live. There are many barriers that keep them from escaping poverty, because discrimination and harmful stereotypes prevent them from obtaining adequate education and living spaces. Violence against Roma is often unresolved, leaving them in constant fear of their neighbors. 1 “Europe still struggles to get to grips with Roma community,” Generation 112 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/images/stories/large/2010/09/07/ROMA-103863367.jpg 2 “Why Roma are Coming to Canada,” Roma Community Centre Toronto 3 “European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey,” European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights 4 “Imperfect Justice: Anti-Roma Violence and Impunity,” European Roma Rights Centre 5 “Violent Attacks Against Roma in Hungary,” 6 “Addressing Ethnic Profiling by Police: A Report on the Strategies for Effective Police Stop and Search Project” 7 8 Education in the United States From Ronald Lee. Until this century, Roma were basically an illiterate people. Except for a small number of individuals, most Roma and Sinti in the many countries where they lived were unable to read and write. Some did learn basic reading and writing skills but contributed next to nothing in the way of literature about Roma by Roma except for a mere handful of individuals,. In the latter 19th century and especially after The First World War, a small Romani intelligentsia appeared in some of the countries of Eastern Europe and newspapers were published in Romani. In the former Soviet Union, under Communism, there was an attempt to integrate Roma into the educational system and a considerable but unknown number of Roma were educated. Others, living in the villages and the hinterlands remained illiterate. Mass education among Roma really dates from the end of the Second World War with the Communist governments in the former Soviet Bloc Countries. The Romani populations of Canada and the US are composed of 5th and 6th generation descendants of Vlach-Roma who migrated to North America between the 1880s and the early 20th century. Canadian and American Vlach-Roma form one community in language, culture and clan identities. In the US there are an estimated one million Vlach-Roma, and in Canada, about 50 thousand. Vlach-Roma are Romani clans who lived for centuries in Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania and whose Romani dialects have been heavily influenced by loan words from Rumanian. In Canada and the US, education of Roma is a fairly recent phenomenon. In the 1960s, illiteracy was high among the adult generation. It has now somewhat improved and older adults especially men, have basic reading and writing skills. Education is improving among the younger generation and teenagers and young adults are rapidly becoming computer literate, creating their own chat lines, list servers, web sites and blogs. The Vlach-Roma are the most traditional of all Romani groups in the Americas and follow the older Romani beliefs of purity and pollution. They also have the tradition of self-employment and in general, parents see little need for education beyond the acquisition of basic literary skills. Since the parents are successful in traditional middleman occupations and self-employment, they see little need for their children to go on to higher education. Individuals, however, have gone on to University and some have entered the arts such as film making. But for the most part, once boys reach 15 or so, they start to work with their fathers, and girls of this age are kept home because of the strict rules of morality, fear of pollution, potential drug abuse and promiscuity among non-Roma classmates and other factors. There are also an estimated 20 thousand or more Romanichels, or Roma whose ancestors came to Canada from the U.K and more in the US. They have a higher degree of literacy than the Vlach-Roma, but also follow a traditional Romani lifestyle and are mostly self-employed in many conventional occupations such as small businessmen, middle men and as sedentary or itinerant tradesmen. Many individuals have advanced to higher education and work as professionals. Other groups such as Ludari, Sinti and Karpati Roma also exist in the US and again, their general level of education is quite high. (5)

9 Education in Europe

http://www.albaniahope.com/people-support/roma-street-children/ From Roma Decade. In many Eastern European countries, it is still common for Roma students to be placed in a segregated school. Although it has been denounced by the UN and other agencies that watch and report on human rights, the practice continues. From Despite the efforts to expand and improve education for Roma children, as much as 50 percent of Roma children in Europe fail to complete primary education, In certain countries of Central and Eastern Europe, between 50% and 80% of Roma children enrolled in school are systematically routed into “special schools” established in the 1950s and 1960s for children with learning disabilities.3 Enrollment rates for Roma in early childhood education are very low: for example, in Bulgaria and Romania where three quarters of children participate in preschool education, only 16% and 17% respectively of Roma children are enrolled in this level of education. In response to international legislation, numerous States have in recent years adopted national strategies to improve the educational possibilities of Roma children, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. Continued efforts must be made to improve access such that Roma children have equal opportunities to attend quality ECCE services regardless of family background, socio-economic disadvantage, or other ethnic, cultural or linguistic factors. Special attention must be given to address issues of prejudice and discrimination in and out of school, and acknowledge the multiple identities of Roma children and their families in poor or geographically isolated and or segregated communities. When well designed, early childhood programs can provide Roma and non-Roma children with an opportunity to learn about and appreciate different cultures and benefit from inclusive and intercultural learning. (6)

10 What is Ethnicity?

There are many ways to define ethnicity. Hutchinson and Smith’s (1996: 6–7) describe it with six central characteristics: 1. a commonly known name; 2. the belief that everyone in the group has a shared origin; 3. “memories of a common past or pasts, including heroes, events, and their commemoration”; 4. shared cultural aspects, usually language, religions, or customs; 5. “a link with a homeland, “ either an ancestral geographic area, or symbolically as with "diaspora peoples."(7)

11 Differences Between Ethnicity and Race From Diffen.com.(8) Ethnicity Race

Definition: An ethnic group or ethnicity is a popu- The term race refers to the concept of divid- lation of human beings whose mem- ing people into populations or groups on the bers identify with each other, on the basis of various sets of physical characteristics basis of a real or a presumed common which result from genetic ancestry. genealogy or ancestry. Significance: Ethnicity connotes shared cultural Race presumes shared biological or genetic traits and a shared group history. traits, whether actual or asserted. Racial Some ethnic groups also share lin- genetic differences were previously assumed guistic or religious traits, while others to have significance in the area of intelligence, share a common group history but not but currently there is no evidence of that. a common language or religion.

Genealogy: Ethnicity is defined in terms of shared Racial categories result from a shared gene- genealogy, whether actual or pre- alogy due to geographical isolation. In the sumed. Typically, if people believe modern world this isolation has been broken they descend from a particular group, down and racial groups have mixed. and they want to be associated with that group, then they are in fact mem- bers of that group. Distinguishing Factors: Ethnic groups distinguish themselves Races are assumed to be distinguished by skin differently from one time period to color, facial type, etc. However, the scientific another. They typically seek to define basis of racial distinctions is very weak. Sci- themselves but also are defined by entific studies show that racial genetic differ- the stereotypes of dominant groups. ences are weak except in skin color. Nationalism: In 19th century, there was develop- In 19th century, the concept of nationalism ment of the political ideology of was often used to justify the domination of ethnic nationalism -- creating nations one race over another within a specific na- based on a presumed shared ethnic tion. origins (e.g. Germany, Italy, Sweden...)

Legal System: In the last decades of the 20th cen- In the last decades of the 20th century, the tury, in the U.S. and in most nations, legal system as well as the official ideology the legal system as well as the official emphasized racial equality. ideology prohibited ethnic-based discrimination.

Conflicts: Often brutal conflicts between ethnic Racial prejudice remains a continuing prob- groups have existed throughout his- lem throughout the world. However, there are tory and across the world. But most fewer race-based conflicts in the 21st century ethnic groups in fact get along peace- than in the past. fully within one another in most na- tions most of the time.

12 Roma in the Holocaust From the Holocaust Research Project. An estimated 500,000 European Roma and Sinti were murdered during the Holocaust - victims of racist persecution by the German Nazis and their fascist allies. But this genocide is still largely unknown. Roma and Sinti were murdered in extermination camps and died of hunger and disease in forced labor and concentration camps. Many more were deported and exploited as forced labor on farms, construction sites and in industry. For decades after the war the survivors were not recognized as victims of the Nazi persecution and received Illustration of Gypsy fortune tellers in Basel circa 1552 little or no compensation or restitution for their lost property. In most European countries the interwar years were a time of economic crisis and rising tensions, which increased the discrimination against the Roma. Roma and Sinti people were registered on special lists and made to carry special identity papers, and in some countries so called “Gypsy-Laws” were passed, regulating and restricting their daily lives and traditional trades. Between 1941 and 1945 a large proportion of the Central European Roma and Sinti populations was murdered by National Socialists or by members of fascist governments and movements allied with the Third Reich. Among the Roma and Sinti the tragedy is sometimes referred to as Pharrajimos - the Great Devouring - or as Samurdaripen - the Great Killing. Close to half a million Roma and Sinti perished during The Holocaust. For centuries, Sinti and Roma were scorned and persecuted in Europe. Zigeuner, the German word for Gypsy, derives from a Greek root meaning “untouchable.” In the Balkan principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, Gypsies were slaves bought and sold by monasteries and large estate holders (boyars) until 1864, when the newly formed nation of Romania emancipated them. Many Sinti and Roma traditionally worked as craftsmen, such as blacksmiths, cobblers, tinkers, horse dealers, and Roma in front of their tents. Romania, 1936-1940 toolmakers. Others were performers such as musicians, circus animal trainers, and dancers. By the 1920s, there was also a small, lower-middle class of shopkeepers and some civil servants, such as Sinti employed in the German postal service. The numbers of truly nomadic Gypsies were on the decline in many places by the early 1900s, although so-called sedentary Gypsies often moved seasonally, depending on their occupations. In post WWI Germany, persecution of the Sinti and Roma preceded the Nazi regime. Even though Gypsies enjoyed full and equal rights of citizenship under Article 109 of the Weimar Constitution, they were subject to special, discriminatory laws. A Bavarian law of July 16,1926, outlined measures for “Combating Gypsies,Vagabonds, and the Work Shy” and required the systematic registration of all Sinti and Roma. The law prohibited Gypsies from “roaming about or camping in bands,” and those “Gypsies unable to prove regular employment” risked being sent to forced labor for up to two years. This law became the national norm in 1929.

13 When Hitler took power in 1933, anti-Gypsy laws remained in effect. Soon the regime introduced other laws affecting Germany’s Sinti and Roma, as the Nazis immediately began to implement their vision of a new Germany — one that placed “Aryans” at the top of the hierarchy of races and ranked Jews, Gypsies, and blacks as racial inferiors. “Like the Jews, Gypsies were singled out by the Nazis for racial persecution and annihilation. They were ‘nonpersons,’ of ‘foreign blood,’ ‘labor-shy,’ and as such were termed asocial. To a degree, they shared the fate of the Jews in their ghettos, in the extermination camps, before firing squads, as medical guinea pigs, and being injected with lethal Nazi Racial doctor Robert Ritter questions a Gypsy woman substances. The Nuremberg racial laws of September 15, 1935, (“Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor” and “Reich Citizenship Law”) did not explicitly mention Gypsies, but in commentaries interpreting these laws, Gypsies were included, along with Jews and “Negroes,” as “racially distinctive” minorities with “alien blood.” As such, their marriage to “Aryans” was prohibited. Like Jews, Gypsies were also deprived of their civil rights. In June 1936, a Central Office to “Combat the Gypsy Nuisance” opened in Munich. This office became the headquarters of a national data bank on Gypsies. Also in June, part of the Ministry of Interior directives for “Combating the Gypsy Nuisance” authorized the Berlin police to conduct raids against Gypsies so that they would not mar the image of the city, host of the summer Olympic games. That July, the police arrested 600 Gypsies and brought them, in 130 caravans, to a new, special Gypsy internment camp (Zigeunerlager) established near a sewage dump and cemetery in the Berlin suburb of Marzahan. The camp had only three water pumps and two toilets; in such overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, contagious diseases flourished. Police and their dogs guarded the camp. Similar Zingeunerlager also appeared in 1939, at the initiative of municipal German police guard Roma who have been rounded governments and coordinated by the Council of Cities (reporting to up for deportation to Poland the Ministry of Interior), in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and other German cities. The children of Sinti and Roma were also victims, interned with their families in the municipal camps and studied and classified by racial scientists. Between 1933 and 1939, authorities took many Sinti and Roma children from their families and brought them to special homes for children as wards of the state. Gypsy schoolchildren who were truant were deemed delinquent and sent to special juvenile schools; those unable to speak German were deemed feeble-minded and sent to “special schools” for the mentally handicapped. Like Jewish children, Gypsy boys and girls also commonly endured the taunts and insults of their classmates, until March 1941 when the regime excluded Gypsies from the public schools.

Gypsy children play outside at the Jargeau internment camp in France 14 Heinrich Himmler Memorandum, December 8, 1938:

Experience gained in combating the Gypsy nuisance, and knowledge derived from race-biological research, have shown that the proper method of attacking the Gypsy problem seems to be to treat it as a matter of race. Experience shows that part-Gypsies play the greatest role in Gypsy criminality. On the other hand, it has been shown that efforts to make the Gypsies settle have been unsuccessful, especially in the case of pure Gypsies, on account of their strong compulsion to wander. It has therefore become necessary to distinguish between pure and part-Gypsies in the final solution of the Gypsy question. To this end, it is necessary to establish the racial affinity of every Gypsy living in Germany and of every vagrant living a Gypsy-like existence. I therefore decree that all settled and non-settled Gypsies, and also all vagrants living a Gypsy-like existence, are to be registered with the Reich Criminal Police Office-Reich Central Office for Combating the Gypsy Nuisance. The police authorities will report (via the responsible Criminal Police offices and local offices) to the Reich Criminal Police Office-Reich Central Office for Combating the Gypsy Nuisance all persons who by virtue of their looks and appearance, customs or habits, are to be regarded as Gypsies or part-Gypsies. During May 1940, about 3,100 were sent to Jewish ghettos in the Government-General: others may have been added to Jewish transports from Berlin, Vienna, and Prague to Nisko, Poland (the sight of an aborted reservation to which Jews were deported). These measures were taken against Gypsies who had no claim to exemption because of having an Aryan spouse or having been regularly employed for five years. At a conference held on January 30, 1940, a decision was taken to expel 30,000 Gypsies from Germany to the territories of occupied Poland. Einsatzgruppen reports from groups operating in the occupied territories of the Soviet Union mention the murder of thousands of Gypsies along with the massive extermination of the Jews in these areas. The legal status of Gypsies and Jews, determined irrevocably by the agreement between Justice Minister Thierack and SS Reichsfuehrer Himmler on 18 September 1942, removing both groups from the jurisdiction of any German court, confirmed their fate. Now with all legal obstacles removed, the deportations and executions of the Gypsies came under Himmler’s full authority. On December 16, 1942, Himmler issued an order to send all Gypsies to the concentration camps, with a few exceptions. In Western and Southern Europe, the fate of Sinti and Roma varied from country to country, depending on local circumstances. Across German-occupied Europe, Gypsies, like Jews, were interned, killed, or deported to camps in Germany or eastern Europe. The collaborationist regime of Vichy France interned 30,000 Gypsies, many of whom were later deported to Dachau, Ravensbrück, Buchenwald, and other camps. In Croatia, members of the local fascist Ustasha movement killed tens of thousands of Gypsies, along with Serbs and Jews.

View of the entrance to the scamp on Brzezinska Street in . the Lodz ghetto 1942. Sinti and Roma being deported from the German town Asperg. Marzahn, the first internment camp for

Roma, Gypsies in the Third Reich 15

Adolf Eichmann telegram from Vienna to the Gestapo:

Regarding transport of Gypsies be informed that on Friday, October 20, 1939, the first transport of Jews will depart Vienna. To this transport 3­4 cars of Gypsies are to be attached. Subsequent trains will depart from Vienna, Mahrisch-Ostrau and Katowice. The simplest method is to attach some carloads of Gypsies to each transport. Because these transports must follow schedule, a smooth execution of this matter is expected. Concerning a start in the Altreich (Germany proper) be informed that this will be coming in 3­4 weeks. In Romania in 1941 and 1942, thousands of Gypsies were expelled, alongside Jews, to Transnistria (western Ukraine) where most of the deportees died from disease, starvation, and brutal treatment. In Serbia, in the fall of 1941, German army firing squads killed almost the entire adult male Gypsy population, alongside most adult male Jews, in retaliation for German soldiers killed by Serbian Resistance fighters. Most often, the German police deported Roma in the Greater German Reich to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where the camp authorities housed them in a special compound that was called the “Gypsy family camp.” Some 23,000 Roma, Sinti and Lalleri were deported to Auschwitz altogether. In the so-called Gypsy compound, entire families lived together. SS medical researchers assigned to the Auschwitz complex, such as SS Captain Dr. Josef Mengele, received authorization to choose human subjects for pseudoscientific medical experiments from among the prisoners in the Auschwitz concentration camp complex. Mengele chose twins and dwarves, some of them from the Gypsy family camp, as subjects of his experiments.

Hungarian Roma survivor Holdosi Vilmosné recounts: They cut off our hair… and everything to be hairless. It was done by women, then a doctor examined us thoroughly… they examined, you know, everything. He was the one who gave an injection to me and to all the others, to everybody. It hurt badly. You know, he gave me an injection down there…Everything went black… I fell off that examining table. They kicked me away, it was time for the next. They gave me an injection like that one in eight months and after that I did not have that monthly thing.

Approximately 3,500 adult and adolescent Roma were prisoners in other German concentration camp; medical researchers selected subjects from among the Roma incarcerated in Ravensbrück, Natzweiler- Struthof, and Sachsenhausen concentration camps for their experiments, either on site in the camps or at nearby institutes. Conditions in the Gypsy compound at Auschwitz-Birkenau were contributed to the spread of infectious disease and epidemics--typhus, smallpox, and dysentery--which severely reduced the camp population. In late March, the SS murdered approximately 1,700 Roma from the Bialystok region in the gas chambers; they had arrived a few days earlier and many, though by no means all, were ill. (9)

Arrival of Gypsies to Auschwitz Birkenau Wire Fence at the Gypsy Under the supervision of Romanian guards, Gypsies camp in Lodz. load the corpses of victims of the Iasi-Calarasi death onto Two Gypsy boys wait for trucks in Targu-Frumos 16 food at a the Rivesaltes camp Roma in the Holocaust Lesson Plan From The Washington State Holocaust Research Center. Lesson 3: The Spectrum of Hatred and the Wall of Compassion By Josephine Cripps, Teacher, Summit K-12 School, Seattle

Goal: Students will recognize some of the forms of hatred. They will grasp the way hatred, if unchecked, can lead to genocide. And they will explore hatred’s adversary, compassion.

Activity: Section 1 The teacher selects groups of 3-4. She distributes a large sheet of construction paper and a glue stick to each group. She also gives a large envelope to each group. In the envelope are 10 strips of paper. On each strip, one of the following words is typed: 1. Stereotyping 2. Prejudice 3. Discrimination 4. Name-calling 5. Ganging-Up 6. Anti-Semitism 7. Bigotry 8. Scapegoating 9. Racism 10. Genocide

Section 2 The teacher offers instructions: Today we are looking closely at some words we have all heard. Your group’s task is to discuss these words and their definitions. Discuss examples you’ve seen, in your own lives, of these words “in action.” Once you have defined the terms, work together to arrange the words vertically, in a spectrum of hatred. For the bottom of the spectrum, choose the word that strikes you as the root, or source, of hatred. Then, arrange the words upward until at the top of the spectrum, you place the word that indicates the most extreme form of hatred. Remember, there is no right or wrong answer as you build your spectrum. Our goal here is for all of us to explore how hatred starts, how it grows, and how it ends. Only when we understand hatred can we build something else, something better, in its place. As the students talk and work, the teacher circulates. She reminds students of the definitions of the words (or she may distribute a hand-out of definitions, but this is not usually necessary).

17 Her definitions are simple: Stereotyping: Oversimplified generalizing about others without regard for the fact that all people are unique individuals Prejudice: Negative feelings—grounded in ignorance—about others Discrimination: Unfair treatment of others as the result of prejudiced thinking Name-calling: Hateful, inaccurate labeling others Ganging-Up: Bullying by the powerful against the less powerful Anti-Semitism: Hatred of Jews Bigotry: An irrational attachment to negative stereotypes Scapegoating: Blaming problems on others who are not to blame Racism: Pre-judgment of others based on perceived racial differences Genocide: Systematic, state-sponsored murdered of groups

Section 3 When the groups have discussed the words and decided how to arrange them, they glue their strips onto the construction paper and sign their names to their spectrum. The teacher brings the whole group together, and individual teams present their work. Students discuss difference and similarities in their spectrum. The teacher encourages students to discuss the spectrum as it applies to their own lives. She asks various questions to “bring home” the spectrum: In our school, who is bullied? In our school, what does prejudice look like? In our personal lives, have we ever scapegoated somebody? The discussion continues for as long as it’s useful. The groups post their work. Then the teacher switches gears: Now let’s talk about the opposite of hatred. Let’s talk about compassion. She defines compassion: Compassion is empathy. Compassion is walking in someone else’s shoes. It is the understanding of someone else’s experiences, especially his or her suffering. The teacher re-groups the students. She passes out construction paper and old magazines, and she gives instructions: Working as a team, create a collage. Cut up words or pictures or both to show what compassion looks like. Feel free to draw or write words. And refer back to your spectrum of hatred as you work. See if you can find images and words that are the opposite of the words on your spectrum of hatred. As the students work, the teacher circulates. She helps students look closely at images and words. When the collages are complete, the students post them. The collages create a Wall of Compassion that stands in contrast to the Spectrum of Hatred. The teacher ends class with thanks to the students for their participation in this important work. And as always, she invites the students to write any questions they have on index cards, to be answered the next time class meets. (10) 18 Roma and Slavery Lesson Plan This is adapted from a general lesson on slavery http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson- plans/slavery-society-and-apartheid.cfm

Students will: 1. Discuss roots of slavery History of slavery From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The history of slavery covers slave systems in historical perspective in which one human being is legally the property of another, can be bought or sold, is not allowed to escape and must work for the owner without any choice involved. As Drescher (2009) argues, “The most crucial and frequently utilized aspect of the condition is a communally recognized right by some individuals to possess, buy, sell, discipline, transport, liberate, or otherwise dispose of the bodies and behavior of other individuals.”[1]An integral element is that children of a slave mother automatically become slaves.[2] It does not include historical forced labor by prisoners, labor camps, or other forms of unfree labor in which laborers are not considered property. Slavery can be traced back to the earliest records, such as the Code of Hammurabi (ca. 1760 BC), which refers to it as an established institution.[3]Slavery is rare among hunter-gatherer populations as slavery depends on a system of social stratification. Slavery typically also requires a shortage of labor and a surplus of land to be viable.[4] Slavery is no longer legal anywhere in the world.[5] Mauritania abolished it in law in 1981[6] and was the last country to do so – see Abolition of slavery time line. However, the number of slaves today is higher than at any point in history,[7] remaining as high as 12million[8]to 27 million.[9][10]

Origins : Evidence of slavery predates written records, and has existed in many cultures.[11]Slavery is rare among hunter–gatherer populations, as slavery is a system of social stratification. Mass slavery also requires economic surpluses and a high population density to be viable. Due to these factors, the practice of slavery would have only proliferated after the invention of agriculture during the Neolithic Revolution about 11,000 years ago.[4]

Slavery was known in civilizations as old as Sumer, as well as almost every other ancient civilization, including Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, the Akkadian Empire, Assyria, Ancient India, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, the Islamic Caliphate, and the pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas. Such institutions were a mixture of debt-slavery, punishment for crime, the enslavement of prisoners of war, child abandonment, and the birth of slave children to slaves. Ancient times..The earliest records of slavery can be traced to the oldest known records, which treat it as an established institution, not one newly instituted. The Sumerian Code of Ur-Nammu (c. 2100 BC – 2050 BC), the oldest known tablet containing a law code surviving to today, contains laws regarding to slaves. The Code of Hammurabi (ca. 1760 BC), for example, stated that death was prescribed for anyone who helped a slave to escape, as well as for anyone who sheltered a fugitive. The Bible refers to slavery as an established institution. Hittite texts from Anatolia include laws regulating the institution of slavery. 19 In Egypt, private ownership of slaves, captured in war and given by the king to their captor, certainly occurred at the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty (1550 – 1295 BC). Sales of slaves occurred in the Twenty-fifth Dynasty (732 – 656 BC), and contracts of servitude survive from the Twenty-sixth Dynasty (ca 672 – 525 BC) and from the reign of Darius: apparently such a contract then required the consent of the slave. (11)

Define slavery • What is the earliest record regarding slavery • What parts of the world had slavery • How did people become slaves

2. Discuss general information about the Atlantic slave trade Discuss general information about the Atlantic slave trade. Begin by telling students that from 1500 to 1870, about 11 million Africans were captured and taken on ships to the Americas. Discuss the following questions · What was the triangular trade? (The triangular trade was the slave trade connecting Africa, the Americas, and Europe.)

• Why were slaves considered “black gold”? (They were valuable because they provided inexpensive labor for plantations in the Americas.) • Were the slaves always captured by Europeans? Explain. (No, they were often captured by other African groups.) • What were some goods traded for slaves?(cloth, metalware, firearms, ammunition, rum) • Was the slave trade that began in the 16th century Africa’s first experience with slavery? Explain. (No, African nations had a long history of capturing and trading other groups into slavery.) • What was the middle passage? What was it like? (The middle passage was the dangerous voyage from Africa to the Americas. It was a very difficult journey, as slaves fell to disease and brutal treatment; sometimes nearly half in a ship died.) • Describe the experience of slaves traded at St. Thomas Island and other markets.(They were inspected like cattle, branded, and often separated from their families. (12)

3. Discuss why Roma became enslaved From the Texas State Historical Society. Gypsies were at first associated with the Muslim threat. Being non-white, having no country, alien in language, dress and religion, they were quickly and easily targeted as scapegoats. Nevertheless their artisan skills, particularly in metalworking, made them indispensable to the Balkan economy; as they started to move away from southeastern Europe to escape the increasingly rigorous demands upon them, legislation began to be put into effect making them the property of their employers. By the early fourteenth century, they had become slaves in Moldavia and Wallachia (present-day Romania). Slavery was not fully abolished there until 1864, after which date an ongoing migration out of the area to America and elsewhere began. Gypsies originating in this part of Europe are known collectively as Vlax (xaschin German Achtung), and are divided into a number of distinct groups, depending upon their occupational or regional background in the Balkans. The two biggest groups in Texas (as well as in the rest of the country) are the Kalderasha and the Machwaya,who have been in the United States for about a century. 20 Those who moved on into the rest of Europe had reached all of the countries in the North and the West by A.D. 1500. There, strict laws came into effect rooted in fear of the foreign intruders; Gypsies were the first people of color to come into Europe in large numbers-their descendants there today number about eight million. Having no country of their own, denied access to housing and schooling, they were in every sense outsiders, a fact that is having serious consequences today · In Rumania Gypsies were forced into slavery. They were owned by local landowners and officials in government. The Church bought Gypsy slaves, too for its own purposes. The Church, without compassion, overworked, abused and shamefully took advantage of the Gypsies the same as did the other slave owners. (Greenfeld, 1977:22). During the colonial period, western European nations dealt with their “Gypsy problem” by transporting them in large numbers overseas; the Spanish shipped Gypsies to their American colonies (including Spanish Louisiana) as part of their solución americana; the French sent numbers to the Antilles, and the Scots, English, and Dutch to North America and the Caribbean. Cromwell shipped Romanichal Gypsies (i.e.,Gypsies from Britain) as slaves to the southern plantations; there is documentation of Gypsies being owned by freed black slaves in Jamaica, and in both Cuba and Louisiana today there are Afro-Romani populations resulting from intermarriage between freed African and Gypsy slaves. Other well-represented Romani populations in America include the Bashaldé or “musician” Gypsies who immigrated after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Xoraxaya or Muslim Gypsies from Turkey and southeastern Europe, the Lovara, a Vlax group mainly from Poland, and a number of smaller groups. There is little social contact among these various Romani populations in this country, due mainly to considerable differences in dialects of the Romani language. Since the collapse of Communism and the resulting sharp increase in ethnic nationalism, incidents of anti-Gypsyism have become common in Europe. As a result, a small but growing number of (mainly illegal) Romani immigrants are coming into the United States. (13) • How were Roma different from Europeans ? • What is a scapegoat ? • Who owned Roma slaves ? • How did Europeans deal with the “Gypsy Problem” ? • What countries were Roma taken to ?

4. Discuss how slavery effected patterns of Roma population • Use maps to show diaspora. • What does diaspora mean ? • What other populations have been affected by diaspora ?

5. Write a personal account from the point of view of one person involved in the slave trade.

6. Color the map tracing your family’s migration to where you live now.

21 Resources

Stop Bullying www.stopbullying.gov National Education Association www.nea.org Roma Education Fund www.romaeducationfund.hu European Roma Rights Centre www.errc.org Romano Kopachi kopachi.com Holocaust education and Archive Research Team www.HolocaustResearchProject.org Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center www.wsherc.org

References

1. www.un.org 2. www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online 3. romafacts.uni-graz.at 4. humanrightsfirst.org 5. kopachi.com 6. www.romadecade.org 7. gbl.indiana.edu/baumann 8. www.diffen.com/difference/Ethnicity_vs_Race6 9. www.holocaustresearchproject.org 10. www.wsherc.org 11. www.wikipedia.com 12. www.discoveryeducation.com. www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online

By Kristen L. Fox M. Ed. Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Acknowledgements Thanks, love, and big ups to Dan Fox, Aaron Williams, Jud Nirenberg, Jonathan Bagamery, Marty Marks, Rich Carifo, Tiffaney Tylenda, The Wandering Tree, Lisa Ashley, Elvis Bajram, Jonny Bislim, Sydney Graves, Leyla Hur, Allison McCracken, Jordan Obrastoff, Brandi Palmer, Brandy Riddle, Ayara Stein, Galina Trefil, Sarah Valero.

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