“Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim”. This is a quote by Elie Wiese which expresses that staying silent is not the right choice to make. An upstander is a person who is willing to risk their safety to help another person. They will do what it takes to stand up for what they believe is right. One person can argue or go against the reason a person is being hurt. The person could protect those who are being targeted. Mr Scheidel is an upstander in I Have Lived a Thousand Lives, a memoir written by Livia Bitton-Jackson. This upstander gave Elli a small piece of bread. After giving Elli the bread, she asked if he could get her a piece of paper for her to write down her poems. Mr. Scheidel gladly gave over some paper for her to use (Bitton-Jackson 170-171). This shows that Mr. Scheidel is an upstander because even though it was risky to ask for paper, Elli still felt comfortable enough to ask because she knew he would understand. Mr. Scheidel knew it was dangerous to give the dried bread to Elli because he wouldn’t talk about it but still pushed through and did what was right. This is why Mr. Scheidel was a good representation of what an upstander should look like. …show more content…
Vitka carried out the first act of sabotage against the Germans. Vitka worked with Itzke Matzkevich and brought explosives and hid them on a railroad track. Vitka became commander of the patrol group that was in charge of gathering information and maintaining contact with the underground city. This shows that Vitka Kempner-Kovner is an upstander because not only did she help the Jewish, she went against the Nazis. She put her life on the line time and time over to protect other people's lives. These reasons are why Vitka Kempner-Kovner is the perfect example of an