Pre-Shoah Jewish Communities Research Project

01 · The Project

What This Project Is

Jewish history is often taught through its endings. This project asks what existed before.

The Big Idea

You research a single Jewish community as it actually lived before the Holocaust: its synagogues, schools, leaders, language, food, and daily rhythms. The goal is to understand these communities as living, complex societies — not as victims of what came after.

How It Works

Four Class Periods

Groups of four. Two days of research. Two days of presentations.

Mon · Apr 27

Period 1

Launch & Research

Form groups, pick your community, assign roles, submit the Intake Form, and start researching using the Source Bank.

Tue · Apr 28

Period 2

Build & Finalize

Finish your worksheet, combine findings, build a 12-slide deck (title + overview + 2 per person + conclusion + bibliography), and practice your section.

Wed–Thu · Apr 29–30

Periods 3–4

Present & Defend

5-minute group presentation, 2–3 questions from the teacher, every group member must speak.

Communities

Pick a Community to Research

Twelve options across pre-Holocaust Europe. Each has verified sources in the Source Bank tab.

Vilna

Lithuania

"Jerusalem of Lithuania"

Salonika

Greece

"Jerusalem of the Balkans"

Warsaw

Poland

Largest Jewish city in Europe

Budapest

Hungary

Center of Hungarian Jewry

Amsterdam

Netherlands

Sephardic & Ashkenazi crossroads

Prague

Czech Republic

One of Europe's oldest

Kraków

Poland

Kazimierz quarter

Berlin

Germany

Birthplace of Reform & Haskalah

Kiev

Ukraine

Yiddish golden age 1920s–30s

Rome

Italy

2,000+ years of community

Venice

Italy

Original ghetto (1516)

Paris

France

The Marais quarter

What You Submit

Three Deliverables

By presentation day. No exceptions.

Day 1 · One per group

Intake Form

Google Form — your group's chosen community, members, and assigned roles. Submitted once during Period 1.

forms.gle/i6zmCf7wv9Q8euNB8

Days 1–2 · Each student

Research Worksheet

Pre-Shoah Communities Research Worksheet — your role's section filled out, with sources cited. Each student submits their own copy.

Filename: Research-Worksheet Pre Shoa Communties

Day 2 · One per group

Group Slide Deck

Twelve slides — title, overview, two per person, conclusion, plus a numbered bibliography. Footnotes on every slide point back to the bibliography.

Bibliography is required — uncited claims cost points.

Time is tight.

You have four periods total. Use the Source Bank tab to go directly to verified sources instead of wandering Google. The worksheet tells you exactly what to look for. Stay focused and you will finish on time.

02 · Timeline

The 4-Day Plan

Here is exactly what happens each period. April 27 – 30, four consecutive class days.

Mon · Apr 27

Period 1

Launch & Research

Form groups of 4
Pick your community
Assign roles (one per person)
Submit the Intake Form (Google Form, one per group)
Start researching using the Source Bank
Begin the Research Worksheet

Tue · Apr 28

Period 2

Build & Finalize

Finish your Research Worksheet
Share findings with your group
Build your 12-slide deck (title + overview + 2 per person + conclusion + bibliography)
Visual Specialist checks consistency
Practice your section

Wed–Thu · Apr 29–30

Periods 3–4

Present & Defend

Submit slides and worksheets
5-minute group presentation
2–3 quick questions from teacher
Every group member must speak

Period 1 is your only dedicated research period.

If you do not finish your Research Worksheet in Period 1, you need to complete it before Period 2. Do not show up to Period 2 without your research done.

03 · Roles

Your 4 Research Roles

Each person takes one role and becomes the group expert on that topic.

Society & Culture

Religion & synagogues
Schools & yeshivot
Language (Yiddish, Ladino, Hebrew)
Food & cultural traditions
Community organizations

Historical Context

Population demographics
Assimilation & neighbor relations
Political environment
Economic conditions
Major events & migrations

Key Figures

Rabbis & religious leaders
Intellectuals & scholars
Writers, artists, organizers
Influential families
Lasting impact

Visual & Geographic

Where exactly in the country
Layout of the Jewish quarter
Maps of the community
Historical photos
Slide design consistency

Your Responsibilities

Find at least 2 credible sources on your topic (use the Source Bank)
Fill out your section of the Research Worksheet
Build 2 slides for your section of the presentation
Be ready to answer questions about your research in your own words

04 · Sources

Source Bank

Twelve communities with verified, scholarly, English-language sources. Skip Google — start here.

How to use this.

Pick your community, then open the links below. Each source is labeled by what kind of information it has and which role it best serves. Every role should find what they need from 2–3 of these links.

Universal · Any Community

Works for Any Community

YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe — Scholarly articles on most Eastern European communities. Search by city name.
yivoencyclopedia.org

Yad Vashem Community Pages — Community histories with photos and maps.
yadvashem.org/communities

USHMM Holocaust Encyclopedia — Historical overviews with context on political and economic conditions.
encyclopedia.ushmm.org

Jewish Virtual Library — Good overviews of communities, leaders, and institutions.
jewishvirtuallibrary.org

JewishGen Communities Database — Population data, maps, and Yizkor book references.
jewishgen.org/Communities

Lithuania

Vilna (Vilnius)

YIVO Encyclopedia: Vilnius — Full scholarly article covering history, institutions, population, culture, politics, key figures. Good for all roles.
yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Vilnius

Yad Vashem: Story of the Jewish Community of Vilna — Overview with photos, maps, cultural and religious life. Society & Culture, Visual.
yadvashem.org/vilna

YIVO Online Museum: Beba Epstein Exhibit — "The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Girl" — photos and documents from a Vilna girl's life in the 1930s. Excellent for visualizing pre-war daily life. Visual & Geographic, Society & Culture.
museum.yivo.org/exhibitions/beba-epstein

Yad Vashem: Vilna Interwar Culture — YIVO founding, Yiddish culture, schools, intellectual life. Society & Culture, Key Figures.
yadvashem.org/vilna/interwar-period/culture

Greece

Salonika (Thessaloniki)

USHMM: Salonika — Overview of the community, size, institutions, and what happened under occupation. Historical Context.
encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/salonika

Aish.com: Jewish History of Thessaloniki — Detailed history from ancient times through the Sephardic golden age, schools, rabbis, and institutions. All roles.
aish.com/jewish-history-of-thessaloniki-salonika

Jewish Virtual Library: Salonika — Population data, economic life, cultural overview. Historical Context, Society & Culture.
jewishvirtuallibrary.org/salonika

Poland

Warsaw

YIVO Encyclopedia: Warsaw — Comprehensive article on Jewish Warsaw: politics, culture, Yiddish press, education, movements. All roles.
yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Warsaw

POLIN Museum: Warsaw (Virtual Shtetl) — Direct entry on Warsaw's Jewish community: history, demographics, neighborhoods, photos. Visual & Geographic, Society & Culture.
sztetl.org.pl/en/towns/w/18-warsaw

Yiddish Book Center: Jewish Warsaw — Oral histories and cultural context of prewar Warsaw. Society & Culture, Key Figures.
yiddishbookcenter.org (Warsaw feature)

Hungary

Budapest

YIVO Encyclopedia: Budapest — Jewish intellectual and business life, assimilation, religious institutions, politics. All roles.
yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Budapest

YIVO Encyclopedia: Hungary — Three-part article. Read "Hungary before 1918" for early history and "Hungary from 1918 to 1945" for interwar Jewish life and political context. Historical Context, Key Figures.
encyclopedia.yivo.org/article.aspx/Hungary

Jewish Virtual Library: Budapest — Overview of the community, synagogues, demographics. Society & Culture, Visual.
jewishvirtuallibrary.org/budapest

Netherlands

Amsterdam

USHMM: The Netherlands — Historical context, Jewish community structure, and wartime events. Historical Context.
encyclopedia.ushmm.org (Netherlands)

Jewish Virtual Library: Amsterdam — Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities, Portuguese Synagogue, cultural life. Society & Culture, Key Figures.
jewishvirtuallibrary.org/amsterdam

Czech Republic

Prague

YIVO Encyclopedia: Prague — History of one of Europe's oldest Jewish communities, the Maharal, Altneuschul. All roles.
yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Prague

Jewish Virtual Library: Prague — Demographics, institutions, key figures, the old Jewish quarter. Visual & Geographic, Key Figures.
jewishvirtuallibrary.org/prague

Poland

Kraków

YIVO Encyclopedia: Kraków — Kazimierz district, religious life, intellectual history, and economic conditions. All roles.
yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Krakow

POLIN Museum: Kraków (Virtual Shtetl) — Detailed history of Kraków's Jewish community, the Kazimierz quarter, religious life, and demographics. All roles.
sztetl.org.pl/en/towns/k/512-krakow

Germany

Berlin

USHMM: Berlin — Jewish community before and during the Nazi era, including institutional life. Historical Context.
encyclopedia.ushmm.org (Berlin)

Jewish Virtual Library: Berlin — Haskalah, Reform Judaism origins, community institutions, key figures like Moses Mendelssohn. Key Figures, Society & Culture.
jewishvirtuallibrary.org/berlin

Ukraine

Kiev (Kyiv)

Yad Vashem: History of the Jews of Kiev — Detailed timeline from earliest settlement through 1941, covering institutions, pogroms, culture, the Beilis trial, and the Yiddish golden age of the 1920s–30s. All roles.
yadvashem.org (Kiev timeline)

Jewish Virtual Library: Kiev — Overview of the community, population growth, key institutions, and political context. Historical Context, Society & Culture.
jewishvirtuallibrary.org/kiev

Jewish Encyclopedia: Kiev — Deep historical article covering medieval origins, economic life, religious scholars, and community governance. Key Figures, Historical Context.
jewishencyclopedia.com/kiev

Italy

Rome

Aish.com: The Jewish History of Rome — Comprehensive overview from 161 BCE through modern day. Covers the ghetto, synagogues, key figures, Nusach Italki. All roles.
aish.com/the-jewish-history-of-rome

Jewish Virtual Library: Rome — Detailed tour-style article covering institutions, synagogues, the papal ghetto (1555–1870). Society & Culture, Visual & Geographic.
jewishvirtuallibrary.org/rome

Jewish Community of Rome Official Site — History from the community itself, covering 2,000 years of continuous Jewish life. Historical Context, Key Figures.
romaebraica.it/en/history

My Jewish Learning: Roman Jews — The ghetto years, five secret synagogues under one roof, Italkim identity. Society & Culture.
myjewishlearning.com/roman-jews

Italy

Venice

Jewish Virtual Library: Venice — History of the community, the original ghetto (1516), five synagogues, economic life, and key figures. All roles.
jewishvirtuallibrary.org/venice

Jewish Venice (Official Community Site) — History, culture, the five synagogues, maps and photos. Visual & Geographic, Society & Culture.
jewishvenice.org/history-culture

Ghetto of Venice Official Site — The original ghetto's history, architecture, synagogues, museum. Visual & Geographic.
ghettovenezia.com

France

Paris

USHMM: Paris — Jewish life before WW2, the Marais district, community institutions, the immigrant wave of the 1920s–30s. Historical Context, Society & Culture.
encyclopedia.ushmm.org (Paris)

USHMM: France — Broader context on French Jewish life, the interwar period, and the diverse community (native French Jews vs. immigrants). Historical Context.
encyclopedia.ushmm.org (France)

Jewish Virtual Library: Paris — Overview of the community, synagogues, cultural life, and institutions. Society & Culture, Key Figures.
jewishvirtuallibrary.org/paris

Yad Vashem: From Democracy to Deportation — French Jewish history from emancipation through WWII. Historical Context.
yadvashem.org (France)

Want a different community?

Check with your teacher first. If you go with a community not listed here, make sure you can find at least 2 credible English-language sources per role. Start with the YIVO Encyclopedia and Yad Vashem — they cover hundreds of communities.

05 · Grading

Grading Rubric

Two parts: 60-point group grade plus 40-point individual grade. Total 100 points.

Group Grade · 60 Points

Same score for all group members

15 pts

Historical Accuracy

Information is correct, specific, and clearly drawn from credible sources.

15 pts

Depth of Research

Goes beyond basic facts. Explains why things mattered. Specific details.

10 pts

Presentation Organization

Clear structure, logical flow. Audience can follow the story.

10 pts

Visuals & Slides

Clean slides, 1+ map and 1–2 photos, no walls of text, consistent design.

10 pts

Research Worksheets

All 4 worksheets submitted, fully completed with sources listed.

Individual Grade · 40 Points

Each student is scored on their own performance

15 pts

Understanding of Material

Speaks confidently about your research without reading from slides or notes.

15 pts

Q&A Answers

Answers teacher questions thoughtfully. Explains why things mattered.

10 pts

Role Fulfillment

Clearly owned your assigned role. Your section has substance and specificity.

40% of your grade depends on YOU.

Even if your group does great work, you can lose 40 points if you can't explain your own research during Q&A. Know your section cold.

06 · Your Slides

Build a 12-Slide Deck

Title, overview, two slides per person, conclusion, and a required bibliography. Every student speaks for their two slides.

Title Group

Community name · location · group members

Overview Group

Where, how large, when — population and dates at a glance

Society & Culture Role 1 · Slide 1 of 2

Religion, synagogues, schools, yeshivot

Society & Culture Role 1 · Slide 2 of 2

Language · food · cultural traditions · community organizations

Historical Context Role 2 · Slide 1 of 2

Population demographics · assimilation · relations with neighbors

Historical Context Role 2 · Slide 2 of 2

Political environment · economy · major events · migrations

Key Figures Role 3 · Slide 1 of 2

Rabbis & religious leaders

Key Figures Role 3 · Slide 2 of 2

Scholars, writers, organizers, influential families

Visual & Geographic Role 4 · Slide 1 of 2

Map of the community · geography · layout of the Jewish quarter

Visual & Geographic Role 4 · Slide 2 of 2

Historical photos · daily-life imagery · visual story

Conclusion Group

What made this community distinctive — the one thing you want remembered

Bibliography Group

Every source the group used — REQUIRED

Slide Rules

Max 5 lines of text per slide. If you have more, cut it.
Body text: 24pt minimum. No walls of text.
Don't read your slides. Slides are visual support — you speak from knowledge.
Consistent design. Same font, same colors, same layout. The Visual Specialist checks this.
At least 1 map and 1 photo. The Source Bank links to image archives.
Cite every fact with a footnote number (see below).

Citations

Cite Your Sources on Every Slide

Footnote numbers on slides → numbered entries in the bibliography. Every fact must trace back to a source.

How Footnotes Work

When you state a fact on a slide — a population number, a date, a quote, anything specific — put a small superscript number after it. That number matches a numbered entry on the Bibliography slide. The reader (or the teacher) can trace any claim back to its source.

Why: Uncited claims look made-up. Cited claims look like research. The rubric rewards "information clearly drawn from credible sources" — this is how you show that.

Example slide content

By 1939, Vilna was home to roughly 60,000 Jews — about 28% of the city's population.¹

The community supported over 100 synagogues, the Strashun Library, and the YIVO Institute, founded in 1925.²

"Vilna was a city of books," wrote one observer, "where every street had a yeshiva and every yeshiva had a printing press."³

Slide 12: Bibliography

1. YIVO Encyclopedia, "Vilnius." yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Vilnius
2. Yad Vashem, "The Story of the Jewish Community of Vilna." yadvashem.org/vilna
3. Lucy Dawidowicz, From That Place and Time: A Memoir, 1938–1947. New York: Norton, 1989, p. 54.

Bibliography Format

Number every source. Each entry should let the reader find the source themselves. Use this format:

Web source: Site name, "Article title." URL
Book: Author, Book Title. Publisher, year, page number(s)
Encyclopedia article: Encyclopedia name, "Entry name." URL

Minimum: at least 6 sources across the group (most groups have 8–12). Each role contributes their own sources to the group bibliography.

Two common mistakes to avoid.

(1) Don't put the URL alone — include the site name and article title so the reader knows what they're looking at. (2) Don't cite the same Source Bank link twice as two different sources — if it's the same article, it's one entry.

Q&A Preparation

Prepare for the 5-Minute Q&A

After your presentation, the teacher asks 2–3 quick questions. They are not meant to trick you — they confirm you understand your research.

Example Questions

What was this community known for?
Why was it located where it was?
What institutions mattered most to Jewish life there?
Who was an important figure and why?
What surprised you about this community?
How was it different from other Jewish communities?

Best prep: Close your laptop. Without looking at slides or worksheet, can you summarize your community's history, daily life, and significance in three sentences? If yes, you are ready.

07 · AI Policy

Honest Rules for Using AI

AI is a tool. Use it. But the Q&A confirms you understand your work — and no tool can answer for you.

The Bottom Line

AI can help you present your work. It should not do your work. The Q&A is worth 30 points, and if you do not understand what is on your slides, it will be obvious in about 15 seconds of questioning.

Go Ahead

AI can help you...

Improve slide design and formatting
Explain a term or concept you don't know
Brainstorm research questions or organize notes
Find sources (then go read the actual source yourself)
Clean up grammar on text you already wrote

Do Your Own Thinking

AI should NOT...

Write your worksheet answers for you
Summarize sources instead of you reading them
Generate the historical content on your slides
Form your conclusions about the community
Answer your Q&A questions on the spot

Why this matters.

After your presentation, you answer questions in your own words, on the spot. That is 30 of your 100 points. Students who did their own research will handle this easily. Students who had AI do the thinking for them will not.