Garrett Riddle

Professor Wertz-Orbaugh
UWRT 1102
14 April 2015
Inquiry Proposal
The topic I chose for the inquiry proposal assignment is the escape and resistance
of many Jews in the Nazi concentration camps and ghettos. The study will cover how
Jewish prisoners escaped the camps and what tactics they used in the seemingly
dangerous process. Also, it will show how they were able to rebel and fight back against
the German Nazis in the ghettos and camps. I am really interested with how the Jewish
captives were able to escape the camps and ghettos, and still make it out alive.
I chose this topic because I have always heard stories of Jews that were able to
escape the camps and live there life, but I have never known how they did that. I was also
interested in the resistance and how the Jewish captives were able to fight back against
the Nazi soldiers in the ghettos. When thinking about the Holocaust I typically only think
about the people in the camps and ghettos, never about the people that actually escaped.
It really interested me thinking about the Jews that were blessed enough to make it out
and/or fight for what they believed in. It really intrigued me thinking about escaping and
fighting back against the Germans. The main reason I thought of this topic is that it has
been on my mind any time I think about the holocaust survivors and how they survived. I
have wanted to learn more about the topic, but never really had a specific reason to do all
of the research and find the information until now.

In the past, I have not really had much study of the Holocaust as far as the whole
topic goes. I have learned a little here and there, but have never really had an in depth
informative lesson about the Holocaust. I am interested in this topic because it really
draws my attention to things that I am fascinated by and things I dont really know yet. I
know hardly anything about how the Jewish captives escaped and resisted the force,
which is a reason that it gets my attention. It fascinates me that they even had the physical
energy to do this when they were so nutrient deprived. I think this topic interests me
because I have always wondered about these ideas and have never formally learned any
of it, which gives a sense of looking forward to the information I will find.
I know very little information about this topic, which is a large part of why I
chose to do my study on it. I want to learn much more about the topic and really grasp the
facts about. I purposely chose a topic that interested me and would give me a desire to
learn more about it. I am interested in learning more about how specifically the Jews
were able to escape from the camps. I am also interested to know more about where the
Jews resisted the German soldiers and how exactly they did that. Lastly, I would really
love to discover more about what the results were with the revolts. As in were they
successful or did the German army shut them down fairly quickly.
I have many questions about the topic that I am looking to be answered as I move
through my study about the topic. One question I have about the topic is what the Jewish
escapees did after they escaped. I wonder where they went after escaping and how they
were able to survive. Another question I have is how the Jewish rebels were able to fight
against the German soldiers, like how they got weapons, ammunition, and the manpower
to fight with them. There are many ways to think about the topic and find better ways to

understand the information involved with the topic. One way of thinking is to take a
totally oblivious approach and see all of the research as if you know nothing about the
topic. Another way of thinking would be to think as if you are someone that has been
doing research for a while and you are trying to discover new ideas that have not been
overly described.