The Sabra (Saul) takes Ruth to a house on main street where there are several people bruised, some bloody.  A local group of thugs stormed into their Hebrew class, beating some and dragging five into the courtyard where they were shot.

The Sabra introduces her to the others, but remembering interrogations by SS members, lies about her age.  She claims to be seventeen rather than fifteen and joins them in a plan to go to Palestine because she knows of no where else to go.  She believes life is worthless.

She has learned that tears don’t help you survive, but cries in her sleep on the train on the way to Kielce, where they stay in a Jewish Community’s house.  She learns that Saul, whom she is traveling with, is a Brichah (meaning “rescue” or “flight” in Hebrew) organizer, sent from Palestine to help people immigrate there.  She learns how the British broke promises to open Palestine to immigration after they were elected.

A young boy in the street screams that the Jews held him prisoner in their basement and made him watch as they cut children’s throats.  A mob, including the police chief, storms the house, killing several before soldiers arrive.

Ruth and other survivors travel  to Lodz.  Saul is there and convinces Ruth to help twenty young children get over the border into Czechoslovakia.  She has nothing better to do and it will help keep her from bad memories.

Discussion Director:
Section 2 (P8-20)

MCEOG Question:
In this section, why does Ruth claim that she is seventeen?
A: She wants to pass as her older sister
B: So that she can drive
C: She doesn’t want to be treated like she is fifteen
D: She hopes to get a passport and catch a train to Czechoslovakia legally

Answer: C (P11, p8)

Problem/Solution (P18, p 1,2,3)
An angry mob is storming the house, what solutions did the characters come up with?
Solution: Call for help, shove couch in front of door, and run upstairs.

Prediction: Ruth (P18, p1,2, 3) orders the other, older people in the house to push the couch against the door.  I think the organization will come to value her opinion and good sense.

Fact: Ruth is disgusted with the others in the house.  Why?
Answer: Because they haven’t realized the need to always have a hiding place. (P18, p6)
Opinion: Why does Ruth think Saul is clever?
(P20, p 4-7) Saul convinces her to take the twenty children by asking her if she has anything better to do, when he knows she doesn’t, and by telling her she won’t have time for bad memories. (p8) She says, “He is clever, Saul.  He knows people’s soft spots.”
 
 

Passage Picker:
Section 2 (P8-20)

(P11, p8) “I can be…helped me survive.”  I liked this passage because it shows that how independent Ruth is in her situation.  I think the author’s purpose is to show Ruth’s awareness of her situation.

 (P18, p 4, 5, 6) This passage shows that the oldest ones around don’t always have the best common sense.  I think the author’s purpose is to show Ruth’s strength of character.

Character Sketcher:
section 2 (pages 8-20)

Ruth:
Quick witted:  (P18, p6) In an emergency, she is the one who says to move the couch in front of the door.
Logical: (P11, p8) She realizes others have no way of checking on how old she is, because she has no papers, and all surviving Jewish teenagers are small for their age.
Smart: (P11, p2, 3, 4) She lies an SS officer about her age, and gets sent to work rather than to be killed.

Goal: Mostly Ruth just wants to stop the terrible memories. (P 20, p 6, 7) She has no big, active goal yet, because she thinks she cannot even help herself (P18, next-to-last p).

Problem: She doesn’t want to be treated like a baby (P11, p6)
Solution: She lies about her age.(P11, p7)
 

Word Wizard:
section 2 (pages 8-20)

Hysterical (P9, p8) “My friend walks over to the hysterical young woman and grasps her hands so she can’t hurt herself.”
Meaning: Having a wild emotional outburst.  The woman in the book is overcome with fear.  Adjective (describes a noun – the woman)
When she realized her baby was missing, the young mother became hysterical and was therefore unable to give the police important information.

Tyrants (P10, p4) “They beat whoever they could, and dragged those five out in the courtyard and shot them, screaming, ‘ filthy Jews, Commie tyrants,’ that sort of thing.”
Meaning: cruel rulers.  This is a strange thing for the Jews in this book to be called because they are merely trying to survive; they have no rights, much less being able to rule.
Vlaid the Impaler was a tyrant who enjoyed torturing his enemies. Noun (person/people)

Accommodations (P13, p4)  “…where we are to stay until the next morning when we’ll find other accommodations.”
Meaning: lodgings, places to stay. Noun (places)
Although we brought plenty of money on the trip, we could not find decent accommodations and wound up driving all night.

Resolution (P15, p1) “It’s a lively place, full of cheerful people, activity, resolution.”
Meaning: Determination, purpose, or will.  Noun (thing).
I will not make a New Year’s resolution, because I know I don’t have the determination to keep it.