Three Promises: The Kalef Family of Belgrade (Centropa)
High School (Grades 9-12)
A two session Centropa lesson built around the film Three Promises, the story of two Sephardic sisters from Belgrade who survived the Holocaust hidden by a Catholic priest.
Overview
The Kalef family had lived in Belgrade for centuries, part of the Sephardic community that settled in the Balkans after the expulsion from Spain. When Nazi Germany occupied Serbia in 1941, almost all of Serbia’s Jews were murdered. Sisters Matilda and Breda Kalef survived because their mother hid them with Father Andrej Tumpej, a Catholic priest. In this lesson, students watch Centropa’s film Three Promises, answer questions about the family, the war, and its aftermath, and consider what it means to keep a promise and to honor those who rescued others.
Questions Students Explore
- What happened to the Jews of Serbia during the Holocaust?
- What did it take for a rescuer to save a family, and what did survivors owe their rescuers?
- How do personal stories help us understand history?
What Students Do
- Review key events of the Holocaust in Serbia.
- Watch the film and answer questions in pairs on the family’s background, the war, and life after.
- Discuss the three promises in the film and whether they were kept.
At a Glance
Grade level: Grades 11 and 12; adaptable for grades 9 and 10
Time: Two 90 minute lessons
Source: Sanja Ristić and Branislava Stevanović, Thirteenth Belgrade Grammar School, for Centropa
About this resource
This lesson was written by teachers in Belgrade for Centropa, which created the film. It is not a JIMENA lesson. Both are free on Centropa’s website.
Downloads
- Lesson Plan Three Promises lesson plan (PDF, Centropa)
Watch the film on Centropa Opens on centropa.org
Procedures
Before You Teach
- Preview the film, Matilda Kalef: Three Promises (18.5 minutes). The director is Stefan Sablić.
- Build background on the occupation of Serbia in 1941, the Sajmište camp, and the Righteous Among the Nations.
- More options. Centropa’s film page lists many other lessons on this film for different ages.
Body of Lesson
Lesson Steps
- Recall quiz on the Holocaust, from the 1935 race laws to the occupation of Serbia.
- Hand out question sets and background on the film.
- Watch the film.
- Pairs discuss and write answers about the family, the war, and the aftermath.
- Whole class review.
- Synthesis: the meaning of the title, whether the promises were kept, and the triumph of life.
Conclusion
Reflection
Students write a letter to Father Tumpej from Matilda or Breda.
Assessment Ideas
- Formative: the paired question sets.
- Summative: the synthesis discussion and letter.
Extension Activities
- Another Sephardic family. Compare with My Spanish Bosnian Life from Sarajevo.
- The Holocaust in North Africa. Continue with The Holocaust and Jewish Communities in Wartime North Africa.
- Rescuers. Students research a Righteous Among the Nations from their own country or region.