Ida Goldiş was a Jewish mother writing from a Romanian ghetto in 1941 — days away from deportation, worried about her baby, still trying to protect her family from the truth. Her letter hits home for students because she sounds exactly like someone they know. A mother. A sister. A daughter who left home too fast and never got to say a real goodbye. This Holocaust DBQ puts one document in front of students and asks them to sit with something heartbreaking: Ida is writing what she suspects is her final letter before being sent to her death.

As they read, guided analysis questions pull them into her emotional world — her fear, her regret, her love, and the impossible situation closing in around her. By the end, the Holocaust isn't an abstraction. It has a name, a voice, and a baby named Vili.
 
What’s Included
Student copy of Ida Goldis’s original letter
Thematic highlighting guide (color-coded for emotional reflection)
Structured analysis questions (DOK 1–3)
Inference and reflection prompts
Answer key
Teacher guide
 
What Students Will Learn
Analyze a Holocaust-era primary source 
Identify themes of fear, love, hope, and uncertainty
Cite specific language to support interpretations
Distinguish between stated facts and inferences
Explain how deportation impacted families
 
Grades: 8–12
Duration: 45 Minutes
DOK Level: 2–3
Format: Word