The enduring nature of Jewish identity in Nazi Germany

This is the research essay I just wrote last week for my History of the Holocaust class this term. Enjoy.

The enduring nature of Jewish identity in Nazi Germany

The history of the Jewish people is fraught with slavery, racial hatred and intolerance. There have been many accounts of the persecution of Jews – the Exodus from Egypt led by Moses, the Spanish Inquisition, and more recently, the Holocaust. This history of suffering is taught to Jewish children from a very young age, so that they may clearly understand their heritage and the meaning of Jewish holidays which commemorate important historical events such as the Exodus. With this history of persecution, a cultural mentality of “enduring in spite of the odds” is common amongst many Jews.[1] Education, community, optimism, and an ongoing determination for self-improvement are some of the many reasons why the Jewish people have survived this history of hatred.

This essay will outline the intentions of Jewish educators to maintain, within their pupils, a strong bond with Judaism. Both elementary school and adult education curriculum will be discussed, and related back to the theme of the enduring Jewish identity. Some of the Nazi laws against Jews will be outlined, and the resilient response from some Jewish communities in Germany will be described. The will of the Jews to maintain their traditions in spite of the increasing threat of Nazi Germany is remarkable. This essay will attempt to discover how the Jewish identity, within German Jewry, was able to endure the horrors of the Holocaust.

Jewish public elementary schools in pre-WWII Germany developed a sense of duality within their pupils, much like modern day Jewish schools. The curriculum ensured that the students were able to assimilate into German culture up to a point, so that they were able to relate to, converse with, and live amongst non-Jewish Germans. The students were also taught of their past, and of their responsibility to maintain strong bonds with their religious and cultural traditions of which their ancestors fought to uphold in spite of many obstacles. As described in the Instructions for Jewish Public Elementary Schools in Documents on the Holocaust, “The Jewish school develops a special character as a result of the two-fold experience of life of every Jewish child living in Germany: Jewish and German. These two basic experiences are to be equally developed and made conscious…”[2] The importance of creating this bond is described, “The growing child is to have a secure and healthy awareness of himself as a Jew… A vital understanding of the eternal values of the Jewish religion… must be aroused and developed.” [3] Due to the historical struggles of the Jewish people and the political climate of Germany at the time (early 1934) when this elementary school instruction document was written, a warning is also made to the students. “…the Jewish child must be enabled to take up and master the exceptionally difficult struggle for survival which awaits him.” [4]

Jewish adult education facilities also were aware of the growing problems for the Jewish people and sought to ensure that the Jewish community bound themselves together and helped each other through tough times. The Study Institute for Jewish Adult Education noticed a significant increase in participation from the community, and thus was aware of the growing necessity for Jewish brotherhood and sisterhood. “For those with an acute ear, the Study Institute always served as an indicator of the level of spiritual problems of the Jewish intellectual…”[5] Also, these education facilities strived to maintain a sense of shared Jewish heritage and common purpose amongst the community, with the purposes of ensuring the survival of the Jewish religion. As Martin Buber stated, “The issue is no longer equipment with knowledge, but mobilization for existence.” [6] The importance of keeping the bonds strong between the community and their shared Jewish heritage is explained quite eloquently by Martin Buber, who describes this connection as “the spark.”

“Persons, Jewish persons, are to be formed, persons who will not only ‘hold out’ but will uphold some substance in life; who will have not only morale, but moral strength, and so will be able to pass on moral strength to others; persons who live in such a way that the spark will not die. Because our concern is for the spark, we work for ‘education.’ What we seek to do through the educating of individuals is the building of a community that will stand firm, that will prevail, that will preserve the spark…”[7]

As the years progressed, the political aggression against the Jews increased. On April 1, 1933, an Anti-Jewish boycott took place, a “…systematic implementation of a boycott of Jewish shops, Jewish goods, Jewish doctors and Jewish lawyers.” [8] In 1935, under the Nuremberg laws, Jews were forbidden from certain relations, such as marriage, with non-Jewish Germans. One of the laws implied a reduction in the citizenship status of the Jew, “Jews are forbidden to fly the Reich or National flag or to display the Reich colors.” [9] The first regulation to the Nuremberg laws spelled out these rules more directly, “A Jew cannot be a Reich citizen.” [10] The implied position of the Jews amongst their German countrymen was greatly diminished by these and other laws and by the increasingly hostile nature of the political climate. As Alfred Wiener stated, “According to the ruling of the laws and regulations directed against us only the ‘Aryans’ now belong to the German people. What are we, then?” [11] It was becoming clear to the Jews of Germany that they were “…non-Germans without equal rights.” [12]

In spite of the relentless Anti-Semitism of the Nazi party and the increasing laws against the Jews, the powerful bond to Judaism in some Jewish communities increased in its resilience. As the Proclamation by the Central Committee of German Jews for Relief and Reconstruction stated, “There is great distress in German Jewry… The purpose of a community reveals itself in times of trouble… In times of distress the community must grow anew, gain life and existence. It is from the community that the individual must draw the strength to live and be active.” [13] The Jewish people in these communities were strongly encouraged to band together, and to respect their fellow Jews who were even less fortunate than themselves. The need for charity from those fortunate enough to still have jobs was explained, and those in the community who were more fortunate were asked to support those in the community who were not. The emphasis for direct action from the community was clear. “We must not be the cause of making one of our own people lose his job or his bread!” [14] It was also implied that emigrating from Germany to a safer country was cowardly and was only for the betterment of one’s own situation, rather than for the betterment of the Jewish community as a whole. “Do not imagine that the problems of German Jewry can be solved without the greatest of sacrifices, by means of undirected emigration. There is no honor in leaving Germany in order to live untroubled on your income abroad, free of the fate of your brothers in Germany… don’t leave Germany senselessly! Do your duty here! Don’t push people off blindly to an uncertain fate.” [15] As previously stated in this essay, the Jews understood that the rise of Anti-Semitism in Germany was yet another trial in the history of the Jewish people, and they must meet these problems head-on and overcome them, as their ancestors did before them. “The hour of German Jewry has arrived, the hour of responsibility, the hour of trial. Let German Jewry prove itself capable of facing this hour.” [16]

The ongoing optimism and underlying strength of the Jewish people is stated in a powerful, yet unexpected manner in the article Wear it with pride, the yellow badge. This article displays another example of the drive to keep the flame of Judaism alive, and the brave political defiance of the Jewish people. In this article, Robert Weltsch states that the Jews must come to terms with the reality of the political climate. “We live in a new period, the national revolution of the German people is a signal that is visible from afar, indicating that the world of our previous concepts has collapsed… in this world only those will be able to survive who are able to look reality in the eye.” [17] The Anti-Jewish boycott of April 1, 1933 is referenced, and is used as a political “call to arms.” “April 1, 1933, can become the day of Jewish awakening and Jewish rebirth. If the Jews will it. If the Jews are mature and have greatness in them. If the Jews are not as they are represented to be by their opponents… The Jews, under attack, must learn to acknowledge themselves… in the face of the unprecedented display of the universal slander of the entire Jewish population of a great and cultural country, we must first of all maintain: composure.” [18] The article then attacks those Jews who do not stand up as part of the collective Jewish community. “It is not true that the Jews betrayed Germany. If they betrayed anyone, it was themselves, the Jews. Because the Jew did not display his Judaism with pride, because he tried to avoid the Jewish issue, he must bear part of the blame for the degradation of the Jews.” [19] The surprising part of the article occurs when Robert Weltsch asks the Jews to stand up behind the symbol of the yellow star, the device used by the Nazis to identify Jews and Jewish businesses. This is the symbol of the shield of King David and the symbol of Judaism itself. He turns the singling out of the Jews by the Nazis as an opportunity for Jews to wear the Star of David with pride, and to bind themselves closer to their fellow Jews. “A powerful symbol is to be found… this regulation [to post a yellow star on Jewish shops] is intended as a brand, a sign of contempt. We will take it up and make of it a badge of honor… One often saw windows bearing a large Magen David, the Shield of David the King. It was intended as a dishonor. Jews, take it up, the Shield of David, and wear it with pride!” [20]

The final article that will be discussed in relation to the theme of the enduring Jewish identity, is a prayer composed by Rabbi Leo Baeck for all Jewish communities in Germany for the eve of the Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is widely accepted as the holiest day of the Jewish Year. Jews around the world go to their synagogue to atone for their sins, and to re-evaluate themselves. The Jew is in a constant state of self-renewal, and of self-improvement. In Judaism, there is a great deal of importance assigned to one’s actions: if you are a good person, your future will reflect this. If you acted negatively in the past year, the purpose of Yom Kippur is to come clean to G-d and acknowledge your shortcomings. The end result is that if you truly repent for your negative actions, you will be forgiven by G-d and start the New Year with a “clean slate.” Note that this prayer was spoken by Rabbi Leo Baeck in October of 1935 on Erev Yom Kippur (the eve of the Day of Atonement.) This holiday occurs eight days after Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which takes place in September or October each year. The context of Yom Kippur offers an explanation to the underlying message in the Rabbi’s sermon.

“We shall examine our ways before Him. We shall examine what we have done and what we have failed to do… We stand before our G-d and with the same courage with which we have acknowledged our sins, the sins of the individual and the sins of the community, shall we express our abhorrence of the lie directed against us, and the slander of our faith and its expressions.” [21]

“We believe in our faith and our future,” [22] continues Rabbi Leo Baeck in his Yom Kippur sermon. As explained in the thesis of this essay, the history of the Jewish people is fraught with many accounts of persecution. This history is taught to schoolchildren and to adults, in the hopes that these Jewish people will band together as a community and uphold the pillars of their faith. The mentality of enduring hard times, in spite of all odds, is visible in the subtext of Rabbi Leo Baeck’s sermon. There is a clear hope expressed for the resilience of the Jewish religion and identity. The painful memories of Jewish ancestors are indirectly referenced, and thus the plight of the Jews in the past is used as a ray of hope for the Jews receiving this sermon.

“We stand before our G-d: Our strength is in Him. In Him is the truth and the dignity of our history; In Him is the source of our survival through every change, our firm stand in all our trials. Our history is the history of spiritual greatness, spiritual dignity. We turn to it when attack and insult are directed against us, when need and suffering press in upon us. The Lord led our fathers from generation to generation. He will continue to lead us and our children through our days.” [23]

The strength and resilience of the Jewish people and the Jewish identity was again threatened and tested to the utmost of its limits during the Holocaust. Once again, the Jewish people have used their commitment to each other, and their undying optimism and determination to survive, against all odds.

References

C.V.-Zeitung. (1933). Proclamation by the Central Committee of German Jews for relief and reconstruction. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (pp. 47-50). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

C.V.-Zeitung. (1933). The position of German Jews, as seen by Alfred Wiener, of the leadership of the Centralverein. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 50). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

First Circular Letter of the Center for Jewish Adult Education. (1934). Martin Buber on the tasks of the Center for Jewish Adult Education. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 51). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

Israelitisches Gemeindeblatt Mannheim. (1933). Activities of the Study Institute for Jewish Adult Education. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 52). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

Jüdische Rundschau. (1933). “Wear it with pride, the yellow badge” Article by Robert Weltsch. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 45). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

Reichsgesetzblatt. (1935). First regulation to the Reich Citizenship law November 14, 1935. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 80). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

Reichsgesetzblatt. (1935). Nuremberg law for the protection of German blood and German honor, September 15, 1935. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 78). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

Report of the Central Committee of German Jews for Relief and Reconstruction. (1934). Instructions for Jewish Public Elementary Schools, January 1934. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (pp. 65-66). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

The Attorney-General of the Government of Israel v. Adolf Eichmann – Minutes of Session No. 14. (1961). Prayer composed by Rabbi Leo Baeck for all Jewish communities in Germany for the eve of the Day of Atonement, October 10, 1935. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 87). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

Völkischer Beobachter. (1933). Organization of the Anti-Jewish boycott of April 1, 1933 – Instructions give by the National-Socialist party. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 32). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

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[1] From the author’s [Mike Jutan] personal experience with Jewish culture and history, through teachings from

Rabbis, family and friends.

[2] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #24 Instructions for Jewish Public Elementary Schools, January 1934

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 65.

[3] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #24 Instructions for Jewish Public Elementary Schools, January 1934

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), pp. 65-66.

[4] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #24 Instructions for Jewish Public Elementary Schools, January 1934

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 66.

[5] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #18 Activities of the Study Institute for Jewish Adult Education

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 52.

[6] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #17 Martin Buber on the tasks of the Center for Jewish Adult Education

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 51.

[7] Ibid., pp. 51-52.

[8] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #7 Organization of the Anti-Jewish boycott of April 1, 1933 –

Instructions given by the National-Socialist party (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 32.

[9] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #33 Nuremberg law for the protection of German blood and German honor, September 15, 1935 (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 78.

[10] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #34 First regulation to the Reich Citizenship law November 14, 1935

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 80.

[11] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #16 The position of German Jews, as seen by Alfred Wiener, of the

leadership of the Centralverein (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 50.

[12] Ibid., p. 50.

[13] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #15 Proclamation by the Central Committee of German Jews for Relief

and Reconstruction (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), pp. 47-48.

[14] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #15 Proclamation by the Central Committee of German Jews for relief

and reconstruction (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 49.

[15] Ibid., pp. 49-50.

[16] Ibid., p. 50.

[17] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #14 “Wear it with pride, the yellow badge” Article by Robert Weltsch

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 45.

[18] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #14 “Wear it with pride, the yellow badge” Article by Robert Weltsch

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 45.

[19] Ibid., pp. 45-46.

[20] Ibid., pp. 46-47.

[21] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #39 Prayer composed by Rabbi Leo Baeck for all Jewish communities

in Germany for the eve of the Day of Atonement, October 10, 1935 (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 87.

[22] Ibid., p. 87.

[23] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #39 Prayer composed by Rabbi Leo Baeck for all Jewish communities

in Germany for the eve of the Day of Atonement, October 10, 1935 (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 87.

The will to live: A comparative essay between Elie Wiesel’s Night and Primo Levi’s Survival in Auschwitz

Here's another one of the essays I wrote this term. This one is pretty heavy so I hope you enjoy it. Please post comments, and I highly recommend these books.

The will to live:
A comparative essay between Elie Wiesel’s Night and Primo Levi’s Survival in Auschwitz

The fact that there are people who survived the concentration camps in Nazi Germany is a testament to the resilience of the human soul. Two young men who survived the horrors of the Holocaust at the Auschwitz concentration camp were Elie Wiesel, a teenager from Transylvania, and Primo Levi, a young adult from Italy. At many times throughout their books, they lose faith in their fellow inmates, in themselves, and in G-d. Hopelessness is rampant in the death camps. They survive in spite of their surroundings, and with limited compassion from the outside world. Primo’s intense will to live, and Elie’s passion for the survival of his father, offer a glimpse into the inner workings of the human spirit, and their painful descriptions of the Holocaust act as a warning sign for humanity.

This essay will analyze the experiences of Elie Wiesel as described in his book Night, and will compare and contrast these experiences with those of Primo Levi in his book Survival in Auschwitz. This essay will focus on Elie Wiesel’s naïve optimism and how this optimism crumbles as a result of his horrific experiences. Primo Levi’s more mature, cautious optimism will be discussed. A comparison between Elie and Primo will be made in regards to the fundamental nature of their observations, demonstrating the existence of highly varied reactions to the concentration camps. Elie’s brutal first hours in Auschwitz, seen through a child’s eyes, topple his beliefs and his views of humanity. Primo, on the other hand, is put to work immediately. He is able to take a step back from his daily horrors, and struggles instead with social and psychological questions in his attempt to analyze the world of the camp and to determine the scientific method for survival.

When we start Elie Wiesel’s journey, he is twelve years old, and a frum (Yiddish: “pious”, or “observant”) Orthodox Jew in Sighet, Transylvania. His Hasidic teacher, Moishe, is captured by the Gestapo, subsequently escapes, and warns the people of Sighet. His warning is ignored, perhaps because the religious community in Sighet does not want to believe that G-d would not intervene and would allow them to be taken under Nazi rule. When the Nazis invade Sighet, Elie describes them as being courteous, and “distant but polite”.[1] Elie’s naïve optimism is shared by his community, and daily life quickly returns to normal once Sighet’s Jews are transferred to a ghetto. The pace of Anti-Semitism increases, and Elie talks about sudden changes, curfews and the stealing of valuables from Jewish homes. The deportations also come to Elie as a surprise, and he watches in disbelief as the town’s Chief Rabbi is taken out of town, “It was like a page torn from a book, a historical novel, perhaps, dealing with the captivity in Babylon or the Spanish Inquisition.” [2] Soon after this, Elie and his family are transported by train to Auschwitz. The lack of information that was available to the Jews about the Final Solution is evident as the train arrives at the final destination: “‘Auschwitz.’ Nobody had ever heard that name.” [3] Elie and his father are immediately transferred to Birkenau, where the incinerators are in operation. An inmate at Birkenau scolds Elie and the other new arrivals for their lack of knowledge, “Didn’t you know what was in store for you here in Auschwitz? You didn’t know? In 1944?” [4] Even if they did know the truth, it is unlikely that they would have accepted it.

The most horrific part of Night is when Elie and his father are walking towards the flames, watching inhumane actions all around them, and they are aware of their imminent death. “Not far from us, flames… were rising from a ditch. Something was being burned there. A truck drew close and unloaded its hold: small children. Babies! Yes, I did see this, with my own eyes… children thrown into the flames… How was it possible that men, women, and children were being burned and that the world kept silent?” [5] He is a passionately religious Jew, but at this moment the atrocities are too much for Elie to handle. He loses his faith in society and in G-d and questions why G-d chooses to be silent. As they walk towards their fate, the men start to chant Kaddish, the prayer for the dead. As Elie painfully recounts, “I don’t know whether, during the history of the Jewish people, men have ever before recited Kaddish for themselves.” [6] Elie considers throwing himself into the electrified barbed wire. With two steps remaining before walking into the pit of fire, Elie and his father are ordered to turn and head to the barracks. Elie describes this chilling moment, “Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever.” [7] This was his first night in the concentration camp. In comparison to Birkenau, Elie describes Auschwitz as a convalescent home, even though many more horrific events haunt Elie throughout his time there. There is perhaps only one undying force in Elie. It is the love for his father. He desperately wants to keep his father alive, and although he does waver from this goal, his conscience ensures that he pushes for his father’s survival at almost every moment.

Primo Levi has a less horrific first impression of Auschwitz. Being twenty-four years old and in good health, Primo is immediately assigned to manual labour tasks. Primo hears about the extermination only from a distance, and although he lives in constant fear of selection, he does not see the same kinds of horrific acts face-to-face as Elie Wiesel does. Primo therefore remains emotionally removed from the direct killings, and can focus his mind on developing a strategy for survival. He describes Auschwitz as “a gigantic biological and social experiment” [8], and sets out to study the economic and social systems of the camp, with the purpose of discovering which rules can be exploited for his benefit.

Primo Levi shows foresight into the Nazi’s plans for the Jews and also has a fierce criticism of society. His optimism is more cautious and mature than Elie’s blind optimism. When we start Primo’s story, he has already lived through four years of Anti-Semitism and Nazi racial laws, and he has escaped to the mountains with others. In contrast to Elie, Primo already has preconceived notions of the death camps. As they arrive at Auschwitz, he is taken aback by the relative calm: “We had expected something more apocalyptic: they [the S.S. men] seemed simple police agents.”[9]

Quickly, Primo starts to analyze the workings of the camp and determines his optimal course of action to improve his chances of survival. At first he describes that his instinct for cleanliness disappears, but his fellow inmate Steinlauf tells him, “We must polish our shoes, not because the regulation states it, but for dignity and propriety… to remain alive, not to begin to die.” [10] The idea of self-preservation seems to carry Primo through his time in Auschwitz. He notes that his friend Chajim is employed as a precision mechanic at the camp and that Chajim “is among the few who are able to preserve their dignity and self-assurance through the practice of a profession in which they are skilled.” [11] He views those men who are doomed for selection, the Muselman as the people who have already drowned, succumbing to their own self-pity and despair. On the other hand, he sees the astute Prominents who are also prisoners at the camp, but who have found a way to become useful to the Nazis and less disposable than the common prisoner. He vows to become a Prominent, and eventually secures himself a comfortable job with other chemists and out of the harsh conditions of the manual labour worker. Of the Muselman he says, “Through basic incapacity, or by misfortune… they are overcome before they can adapt themselves… their life is short, but their number is endless… [they] form an anonymous mass… the divine spark already dead within them, already too empty to really suffer.” [12] He is fiercely determined not to suffer the fate of the Muselman, and attributes his survival to a combination of luck and of adaptability.

The two books offer quite a different explanation of the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel captures the horrific acts of the Holocaust in a graphic and emotional manner. He is driven by the love for his father, and then by the need to keep his father alive. He explains that the Holocaust was caused by blind optimism - an unwillingness of Jews to believe that humanity could deteriorate to the point that would allow a place like Auschwitz to exist. Primo Levi, on the other hand, is already quite upset with society and has lived through many of the Nazi’s Anti-Semitic laws. He views the Holocaust through the lens of his practical, scientific mind. He analyses the structure of the camps, the Prominents and the camp economic system, and intelligently determines the route he should take that will give him the maximum chance of survival. He is disillusioned with what the Nazis have done, and he implies that the Holocaust was inevitable and that Germans have a “national love of classification.” [13]

In both books, we are given a clear view of the inhumane world of Auschwitz. The authors describe their experiences with intensity, in the hopes that people of our generation can understand how the Holocaust happened. We should never forget this shameful event in history, when the life of a man was reduced to an ‘x’ on a piece of paper. If humanity can learn from the Holocaust, perhaps one day we will all treat each other as equals.

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[1] Elie Wiesel, Night (New York: Hill and Wang, 2006), p. 9.

[2] Elie Wiesel, Night (New York: Hill and Wang, 2006), p. 17.

[3] Elie Wiesel, Night (New York: Hill and Wang, 2006), p. 27.

[4] Elie Wiesel, Night (New York: Hill and Wang, 2006), p. 30.

[5] Elie Wiesel, Night (New York: Hill and Wang, 2006), p. 32.

[6] Elie Wiesel, Night (New York: Hill and Wang, 2006), p. 33.

[7] Elie Wiesel, Night (New York: Hill and Wang, 2006), p. 34.

[8] Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz (New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1996), p. 87.

[9] Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz (New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1996), p. 19.

[10] Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz (New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1996), p. 41.

[11] Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz (New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1996), p. 47.

[12] Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz (New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1996), p. 90.

[13] Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz (New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1996), p. 156.

Posted some articles, St. Paddy's

I just posted a couple of articles that I wrote this term about mobile devices and about electronic monitoring in the workplace. Good times.

Today was insane. We went to Bomber at 10:30am and joined the line of several hundred people waiting to get into Bomber. It was a huge St. Paddy's Day celebration today, and I've never been to it before... but wow it was totally worth it. Almost literally a bazillion of my coolest friends were there, there was an Irish band that was rockin' out some Counting Crows, Green Day, the "I would walk 500 miles" song, Sublime and more. It was fantastic. There were some kids that came in and did some Irish Dancing too which was pretty cool. We danced it up, and went outside a few times to cool off. The weather wasn't bad today, maybe 4 degrees or so but it should warm up more next week.

I've got to do a UI design assignment tomorrow so that is a bit of a bugger, I've sort of left it until the last minute. I never do that. But I guess there is a lot going on right now, and getting sorted and finishing off school and everything. Glad I still have tomorrow though to sort out more details. I gotta do my taxes too.

Anyway lots of stuff going on lately as you might expect. I gotta get my flight to Europe booked and paid for and sorted out. Crazyness. Well it's pretty late and I spent all day partying which was definitely awesome, but I've got a lot of stuff on my plate I need to take care of tomorrow. One of which includes seeing 300, so I better get that assignment done by tomorrow night!!

Electronic monitoring in the workplace

Electronic monitoring in the workplace
University of Waterloo CS 492 Article
Written by: Mike Jutan

The wave of computerization in our modern society has clearly swept the business world along in its current. As a result of the computerization of the business world, along with increasing levels of creativity in information technology careers, major changes have been made to the traditional employer-employee relationship. As our society continues to increase the level of computerization in the working world, the relationship between the employer and the employee will need to be continually modified to meet the ever-changing conditions of the work environment.

One of the issues that reflects a change in employer-employee relations is the matter of electronic monitoring in the workplace. Creative professionals in the modern day are given many freedoms in the workplace that did not exist for previous generations. For instance, flex-time has become a very important condition of the work environment, as it allows for people such as creative software engineers to control their own work hours. The managers of many technology companies no longer dictate the exact working hours of the creative professional. This shift to flex-time suggests that employers now trust their employees more, and rely on their employees to monitor their own hours and maintain their own level of performance. Employees are encouraged by this type of treatment from managers, as it implies a sense of respect and trust.

An issue affecting this trust is electronic monitoring. Some companies maintain the view that various types of electronic monitoring of their employees is necessary for legal concerns. Studies which are mentioned in this paper imply that some kinds of electronic monitoring can increase stress in employees. This tension can disintegrate the sense of good will and trust between an employee and his or her employer. This essay will focus on the issue of electronic monitoring, by describing the types of electronic monitoring that are available in the workplace today. This essay will outline arguments for and against electronic monitoring, discussing possible benefits as well as concerns and drawbacks.

There are a wide range of available technologies for employers to monitor employee behaviour. Devices and software systems are available that monitor telephone usage and statistics, email, voice mail, internet searches, webpage queries, and even the number of hours per day spent typing on the keyboard. Specific examples of some of these technologies will now be discussed.

Telephone monitoring can occur on several different levels. A recording system can be used which simply records the conversation that an employee is having on the telephone. These systems are common. When a customer calls a company that has telephone monitoring in place, they may be notified that the conversation they are having may be recorded for quality assurance purposes.[1] An exception to the regular monitoring procedures is made in the case of personal phone calls. If an employer is monitoring a personal call, he or she must immediately stop monitoring the call once the call has been determined to be of a personal nature. The concern in this case from the employee’s point-of-view is that the employer may not cease the monitoring of a personal phone call until after the employee has discussed private issues that they do not wish to divulge to the employer. For example, consider the case where an employee is no longer satisfied with their working conditions, and is considering the possibility of terminating employment with their current employer. The employee’s wife calls the employee at work, and his phone call is monitored. The first few minutes of the conversation between the employee and his wife could contain sensitive information about the employee’s personal opinion of the workplace or of his fellow employees. It is therefore probable that the employee would not want to reveal these feelings to his employer. A keen sense of curiosity or a lack of judgment on the part of the person monitoring the calls could be of major detriment to the future of the employee.

Telephone monitoring can also be carried out by a device called a pen register. This device logs the phone numbers that are dialed from an employee’s phone, and also the length of each call. This information can be used, for example, to monitor how long a technical support representative spends on the telephone debugging a customer’s problems. The concern here is that the duration of calls is not necessarily a good metric to determine a technical support representative’s performance, as it lacks consideration of the employee’s quality of service.

Computer monitoring takes many forms as well. Hard drive monitoring enables the employer to search and access files which are stored on the employee’s hard drive. Employers may also potentially monitor what is displayed on an employee’s computer screen at any given time. A common type of computer monitoring is network monitoring, where website visits are tracked and a firewall may be used to limit employee access to certain undesirable websites. The argument can be made that these sites should be blocked. In the case where an employee lacks the correct judgment and visits an adult site while on a work computer, it is possible that a customer or a client could be in the building at the time. If a client noticed an employee looking at an adult site, it could harm the client’s view of the company and of the company’s policies. Even though this would be an error on the part of the employee, it may be viewed by the client as a lack of discipline from the management level.

The blocking of certain ports is possible within a corporate intranet system so as to restrict or prevent access to instant messaging programs. These programs can be viewed as a distraction to employees, so the employer may have an interest in preventing the employees from using software of this nature. Lewis Maltby, the President of the National Workrights Institute, a nonprofit group in Princeton, New Jersey believes in the importance of allowing multiple methods of communication,

“People go to the Web with intensely personal problems they would probably never discuss over the telephone or by e-mail because they're so extremely sensitive -- you can go to the Web anonymously.”[2]

Computer monitoring also has a clear social drawback. Employees may feel that their superiors do not trust them. Computer monitoring can be viewed as a personal attack on the credibility and maturity of the employees. These types of monitoring often detract from the working environment in numerous ways, as outlined in the article The electronic invasion of workplace privacy in The Worklife Report:

“Not only does electronic monitoring have the "potential" to adversely influence working conditions which have been shown to cause stress, it may actually create these adverse working conditions, such as paced work, lack of involvement, reduced task variety and clarity, reduced peer social support, reduced supervisory support, fear of job loss, routinized work activities and lack of control over tasks.”[3]

Another type of computer monitoring is the monitoring and storing of emails. If an electronic mail (e-mail) system is used at a company, the employer owns it and is allowed to review its contents. [4] According to a survey carried out by the American Management Association in 2005, 55% of employers store and review email messages. [5] Due to the legal concerns related to the employer being ultimately responsible for the actions that the employees carry out using the employer’s email system, there seems to be a valid reason for storing emails. One of the heavily publicized cases where prior emails were scanned for legal reasons was the US vs. Microsoft Anti-trust case of the late 1990s. The Justice Department requested the entire text of email messages that circulated between executives at Microsoft and which related to the claim that Microsoft was intentionally trying to push Netscape out of the internet browser market. These emails were used in the case against Microsoft to try to prove that they used anti-competitive practices in their dealings with Netscape. Also used as evidence was a memo from senior Microsoft executive Paul Martiz to Bill Gates, listing several working goals for Microsoft, including the goal to “Move Netscape out of the [Windows 95] Internet client [software] arena.” According to Microsoft’s own incriminating internal documents, they had embarked on a “jihad” to “cut off Netscape's air supply.” [6] Cases such as the US vs. Microsoft Anti-trust case make a strong argument for the storage and archiving of company email messages. Someone with an opposing view would suggest that a company saving their employee’s emails is an attack on employee privacy. Due to legal concerns and the use of these emails as evidence suggests that email storage and archiving is actually quite an important and useful form of employee monitoring, and allows for the government to monitor the management and morality of companies in general. Perhaps this type of monitoring should be widespread due to its effectiveness. To ensure their privacy is kept intact, employees should simply maintain extra caution when sending personal information via email through their company. If they have incredibly sensitive personal information, they should perhaps use their own private telephone line or cell phone to transfer this information rather than use the company email system.

When we look at the available evidence to support both sides of the electronic monitoring argument, we can see that the answer is not black or white. There are some types of electronic monitoring, such as email storage and archiving, which have been incredibly useful for the purposes of ensuring corporate responsibility, in cases such as the US vs. Microsoft Anti-trust case. Although email storage and archiving is viewed by some as an infringement on employee privacy, the increasing role that electronic evidence plays in lawsuits and government agency investigations[7] cannot be overlooked. Other types of employee monitoring that were discussed in this paper, such as website monitoring, have obvious social drawbacks. Creative professionals expect certain levels of respect and trust from their employers, and invasive employee monitoring systems can cause stress and disapproval from workers.

In my opinion, I feel that it is a company’s responsibility to maintain a high level of respect and appreciation for their employees and not to trample on their rights. While I believe some forms of electronic monitoring, such as email storage and archiving, are necessary for legal reasons, I do not feel that unnecessary over-monitoring is a fair practice. Personally, I am incredibly uncomfortable if I feel that someone is looking over my shoulder as I do my work. I would also be much less efficient in an environment that had mandatory rules such as start and end time. As a creative professional, I am often thinking about work or solving problems when I am not physically at work. It is a company’s responsibility to be flexible with creative professionals if the company wishes to receive maximum output and efficiency from these employees. Creative professionals strive in an environment where they are given freedom and responsibility. If a company stifles the employees or makes the employees feel as if they are being constantly watched, the employees will not tolerate this poor management and will subsequently leave the company. Employers should be very careful to implement only those types of electronic monitoring that they actually need, and they should only hire employees who are trustworthy.

References

“2005 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey.” American Management Association (2005): n.pag. Online. World Wide Web. 30 Jan. 2007. Available: http://www.amanet.org/research/pdfs/EMS_summary05.pdf

Chandrasekaran, Rajiv. “Microsoft Assailed in Court.” The Washington Post (October 1998): n.pag. Online. World Wide Web. 30 Jan. 2007. Available: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/longterm/microsoft/stories/1998/assails102098.htm

“Employee Monitoring: Is there Privacy in the Workplace?” Privacy Rights Clearing House (February 2006): n.pag. Online. World Wide Web. 30 Jan. 2007. Available: http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs7-work.htm.

Goodin, Dan. “Microsoft, Intel wage war of words.” CNET News.com (November 1998): n.pag. Online. World Wide Web. 30 Jan. 2007. Available: http://news.com.com/Microsoft,+Intel+wage+war+of+words/2100-1023_3-217848.html

Keller, Larry. “Monitoring employees: Eyes in the workplace.” Cable News Network (CNN) (January 2001): n.pag. Online. World Wide Web. 30 Jan. 2007. Available: http://archives.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/trends/01/02/surveillence/

Pai, Raj et al. “Electronic monitoring in the workplace.” Stanford University: Computers, Ethics and Social Responsibility (1995-1996): n.pag. Online. World Wide Web. 30 Jan. 2007. Available: http://cse.stanford.edu/class/cs201/projects-95-96/electronic-monitoring/

“The electronic invasion of workplace privacy.” The Worklife Report (1995): Vol.9, Iss. 5; pg. 4. Online. World Wide Web. 30 Jan. 2007. Available: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?did=6684665&sid=2&Fmt=3&clie%20ntId=27850&RQT=309&VName=PQD

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[1] Workplace Privacy. (San Diego: Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 2006)

[2] Larry Keller, Monitoring employees: Eyes in the workplace. (Online: Cable News Network (CNN), 2001)

[3] The electronic invasion of workplace privacy. The Worklife Report. (Ottawa: IR Research Publications, 1995)

[4] Workplace Privacy. (San Diego: Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 2006)

[5] 2005 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey. (New York: American Management Association, 2005)

[6] Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Microsoft Assailed in Court. (Washington: The Washington Post Company, 1998)

[7] Workplace Privacy. (San Diego: Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 2006).

The iPhone & BlackBerry revolution: necessary technology or an electronic leash?

The iPhone & BlackBerry revolution: necessary technology or an electronic leash?
University of Waterloo CS 492 Article
Written by: Mike Jutan

“Have you seen it?!”

I instantly knew what my friend Joel was referring to. Our conversation took place last week, on the morning following Steve Jobs’ announcement of the Apple iPhone. It was on the minds of Waterloo Computer Science students along with user-interface gurus and businessmen all across North America. Steve Jobs had once again skillfully presented and marketed an invention that is meant to irrevocably change our lives for the better. And we were all sold on it before he even told us the price.

This brief essay will discuss the negative social implications of devices like the iPhone and BlackBerry, why these problems are a result of computerization, and why these issues are non-trivial to solve.

I have had many conversations about these mobile devices with friends and colleagues, and as a young student, I am easily sucked in by their marketing. They are sleek, beautifully well-designed and so very tempting. They merge together my email, instant messaging, phone, movies, music, internet browser, map software, stock quotes, weather and more. They are technological masterpieces. As a Computer Science student with a keen interest in technological advancement, I am so excited and infatuated by this device that I’d wait at the end of the Apple production line for it to drop into my eager hands.

The Apple website notes that: “iPhone is fully multi-tasking, so you can read a webpage while downloading your email in the background over Wi-Fi or EDGE.”[1] Have we ever wondered why it needs to do two things at once? I feel that one of the purposes of CS 492 is for us to stand back from all the new “life-changing” devices in this non-stop world we have built, and pause for just a moment. This moment of reflection will give us the time to ask a very important question of ourselves, “Do we really need these things? Do we even really want them?”

The social implications of such devices are quite clear. These are incredibly intrusive on the owner’s personal life outside of work. I can just picture an advertisement now, “Imagine an era where you can be reachable, at any time!” How could we possibly want this? When I sit down for dinner with my family or friends, I usually let the answering machine handle any phone calls we get at dinnertime. As my Father always says, “If it’s so important, they’ll just call back later.” In this non-stop age of computerization that we live in, managers ask employees for incredible amounts of work to be done at a breakneck pace. Everything is expected to be done yesterday. Long gone are the days where people can simply wait for your response. Buying an iPhone or BlackBerry is like inviting a loud, unwelcome, obnoxious guest into your home, and asking them if they would kindly make it their intent and sole purpose to interrupt your family as much as possible at dinnertime.

Another big issue is that of techno-addiction. The BlackBerry has been given the clever nickname “CrackBerry” for a very good reason - it's highly addictive and users of the device are losing self-restraint. This problem is two-fold, the first area of concern being health risk. Immense eye strain occurs when staring intently at a small LCD screen for hours and hours on end, every single day. It is plausible that mobile phone radiation could be dangerous, but it will take years of studies to determine what the long-term effects of daily usage may be. The second problem caused by techno-addiction is a social issue. As with other addicts, techno-addicts find themselves rejected from society. I read a story about a woman who was traveling to Mexico on vacation with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend relentlessly tapped away at his BlackBerry all day as they were waiting at the airport. While waiting for their connecting flight, he was frantically writing emails in case there was no BlackBerry coverage in Mexico. The trip did not go well for the woman, “I might as well have been by myself… We were dating, and we stopped dating as soon as we got back from that trip. It's just so disrespectful for other people.”[2]

By applying computerization to personal communication, we open a Pandora’s box of intrusion. The “always-on” attitude of computerization applied to our personal life can be incredibly dangerous to our health and well-being. In many cases, computers connect us to each other through fast, improved methods. But our expanding need as a society to be always “plugged-in” is not good. We need time away from the hustle and bustle of the workplace to sit back, relax, take a walk outside, and enjoy the gift of life we have been blessed with.

As I have implicitly mentioned in the previous paragraphs, this problem is not easily solvable. Each technological advancement in mobile communication breeds waves of new improvements to be made and then quickly adopted by society. As society gets more and more dependant on these devices, we will feel as if we can’t live without them. I recently purchased a cell phone on my Co-op term in the United States. It is amazing, albeit frightening, to see how the cell phone has transformed social organization between friends. Instead of the tried-and-true method of planning social events in advance, my friends in the USA would plan like so, “Mike, if you get to San Francisco today and you want to go somewhere, call me.” This disorganization and lack of planning is now commonplace in the young adult social realm, and you are forced to buy a cell phone and join the revolution, or suffer the consequences and, literally, be left behind.

I certainly do not feel that the iPhone or the BlackBerry is the end of society as we know it. But, I do believe that a walk in the park with people I care about is worth more than its weight in emails and instant messages. I hope that the majority of the business world agrees with me, though I am doubtful of this. To these techno-addicts I say, “Those emails will still be there in the morning. Turn off your phone and spend some time with your family. They are much more important that whatever will come through your BlackBerry tonight.”

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[1] http://www.apple.com/iphone/internet/

[2] The Washington Times, 11/23/2004
http://washingtontimes.com/culture/20041122-115001-3214r.htm

Industrial Light + Magic, here I come!!

Dear friends, family and faithful Mike Jutan blog readers...

It is with great excitement that I can now announce my acceptance of a job offer from Industrial Light + Magic, the visual effects division of Lucasfilm in San Francisco, California!!

I have accepted a position as an Associate R&D Engineer at ILM. This is nothing short of a childhood dream come true. I want to thank my family, friends, and also all of my mentors over the past several years at Alias and Pixar Animation Studios.

I will be graduating from my degree at the University of Waterloo in approximately 1 month from now. I will then be heading to Europe for 2.5 months of backpacking around France, Italy, Greece and the Greek Islands. Following my trip to Europe, I will be moving to San Francisco, California to start my new full-time job.

This is an incredibly exciting opportunity and I am very happy to be joining the team at Lucasfilm. California, here I come!!!!!!!!!!

Check out http://www.ilm.com for details on Industrial Light + Magic and descriptions of some of the films they have worked on. Highlights include: Star Wars I, II, III, IV, V and VI, Indiana Jones, ET, Back to the Future I, II and III, Ghostbusters II, Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, Men in Black, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 2, and the list goes on and on. I am really excited to be a part of this amazing company.