Europe Quiz: Wednesday # 68 - Jews in Europe
 

1. There is a museum dedicated to this Russian-born artist in Nice, France.

2. This Nobel peace prize winner is also known for his memoir “La Nuit,” or “Night,” written while he was living in France.

3. Walking around this Spanish town and admiring the Moorish architecture, one might stumble across a plaque marking the birthplace of the philosopher Maimonides.

4. This philosopher’s controversial ideas led to his excommunication from the Amsterdam Jewish community.

5. Match the place to the year when Jews were expelled from it.
Spain, Moscow, England, Rome
1891, 139 BC, 1492, 1290

6. In 1516, Jews were formally confined to living in one district in this Italian city. This is where the term “ghetto” originated, perhaps a reference to the piles of slag, or “ghèto” found here.

7. The _____ of ___________ was the name of a large region of 19th century Russia, stretching from near Warsaw to the Black Sea, where nearly all Jews were required to live.

8. This Prague-born author wrote novels in German, one of which was "Die Verwandlung," translated as “The Metamorphosis” or "The Transformation."

9. Which country in Europe has the largest Jewish population?

10. Name the Nazi extermination camp memorial pictured here http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/2648796.jpg
This was the last of the 6 extermination camps to receive a permanent memorial, in 2004. It is located halfway between Lublin and L’vov/L’viv.

Regarding #6, the origin of the word "ghetto" in the etymological sense is not certain

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/...st-its-meaning

however, it is true that its former historical meaning as a place where only Jews were confined originated in only one Italian city.

Regarding #4, you could give bonus points for identifying the European country that was the point of origin for most of the members of the Amsterdam synogogue that expelled the philosopher.

1. Chagall

2. Elie Weisel

3. Cordoba

4.Spinoza

6. Venice

7. Pale of Settlement

8. Kafka

10. Treblinka

9. France

I think Thin is correct on all matters.

Thin,

Go to the head of the class!

Spinoza's family was originally from Portugal....so I assume it was his community.

I skipped #4. The only one I knew was 1492 Spain. I have been to Grenada and know all about Isabella the Catholic.

Thin

Yikes, I guess these were too easy, athough #10 is really hard and not Treblinka, which is close to Warsaw. Like Treblinka this memorial has a very striking and moving design. I wish I could post better pictures but the better ones have the name of #10 in the file name. This was the "forgotten" camp, the exact boundaries of which were not precisely determined until the 1990s. There were only 7 survivors out of a half million.

An additional question if people are interested:

5. No guesses yet
10. still looking for the right answer
11. Where is the largest synagogue in Europe?

#10 Gusen Concentration Camp

#11 The Synagogue in Budapest, the one on Dohany Street ,I was there a few years ago.

5 has to be something like
Spain 1492
England 1290
which leaves
Moscow didn't exist in 139BC so 1891 here
Rome 139BC

I tip the hat to Pepper_von_snoot.

Good work.

I just came on an d saw everything was answered. :)

Sandra, as I don't know the answer you posed but would like to know.

Maybe a question #12?

12. There were about 1800 Jewish men who lived openly in Germany as Jews and still survived the war. They did not necessarily have any ties to the Nazi party, and as I said, were not in hiding.

a. Why were they exempt from deportation/extermination?
b. What is the 1943 Berlin protest called that saved their lives?

Bilbo has #5 is correct.

Percy has #11 correct, but not #10. It's unlikely anyone would know #10 unless they had been there or recently watch the film "Shoah."

#12 Because these Jews were married to Gentiles


Hilter wanted to expel German Jews also but they protested.

It was called the Rosenstrasse Protest and it was the non- Jewish wives who protested until the men were released.

There is a nice Column on the street in Berlin to indicate this. ( I saw it )

Thin has said previously that any idiot could Google the answers and she is proof of that! First one to get all ten correct ever - three tons of Michigan snow to Thin (plus S&H!).

anyways a nice new topic from tom! And sadly one I knew only a few answers to!

Percy at #12, you are right, an interesting side note in history. I guess the 1800 quoted above also included male children of these marriages, as I look at links online.

Thanks for the interesting side note tom_mn

( What a terrible time in history that was.)

Good topic tom_mn.

Pepper_von_snoot: You mean you skipped #5 not # 4.
I hope the snow that PalenQ is sending you melts quickly. :) Again Good Job .

tom_mn,

danon assumed correctly.

Has there been a quiz yet about Muslims in Europe?