First They Came For The Jews

Pastor Niemoller


Schiff, Hilda, ed. 1996. "First They Came For the Jews." Holocaust poetry. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN: 0312143575.


Introduction


"First They Came For the Jews" was written by Pastor Niemoller during World War II. Many people stood by during the war and watched as their Jewish neighbors were deported or killed. They chose to ignore the injustice that was going on at that time. This poem speaks out against that attitude.


First They Came For the Jews


First they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me

and there was no one left

to speak out for me.


Extension Activity

This poem works well within the study of the Holocaust. The following is a list of nonfiction books about the Holocaust.


Module Four


Module four focuses on poetry across the curriculum.



Module One: The Poetry Environment Module Two: Major Poets
Module Three: Poetry Performance Module Four: Poetry Across The Curriculum
Module Five: Multicultural Poetry Module Six: Responding To Poetry
Author Study: Janet Wong

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1