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Rochelle Wilner |
Frank Dimant |
Prof. Stephen Scheinberg |
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Rochelle Wilner |
Frank Dimant |
Prof. Stephen Scheinberg |
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The following are selected themes that can be used to help prepare your students for a formal assembly or presentation on the Holocaust. The themes selected could be used as a basis for background information and are age appropriate. These themes link the issues raised in the Holocaust with curriculum that is appropriate and readily available. Selected lessons tied to the themes are presented.
Within this section there are 10 numbered photographs whiuch describe a situation or location as a catalyst for discussion. Following each photo are observation questions and issues for further research, as well as key words with which the student should become familiar.
*Adapted from The Holocaust—Social Responsibility and Global Citizenship—A Resource Guide for Social Studies 6 Teachers, British Columbia, Ministry of Education, 2000.
**Adapted from the Holocaust memorial Day, Remembering Genocides, Lessons for the Future education pack of the United Kingdom, The Holocaust Educational Trust, 2000.
Lessons for today we can learn from the Holocaust: Being different.
This exercise invites students to consider what it means to be different and how difference can be exploited in a negative way.
On Holocaust Memorial Day people all over the country will remember those innocent people — Jews, Gypsies, people with disabilities, Blacks, political prisoners and homosexuals — who were persecuted and killed by the Nazis in Germany and elsewhere in the years before and during the Second World War. Sixty years later it will also be a time to reflect on what has been learned from the Holocaust and to look at the issues it raises in light of more recent conflicts.
We are all different. Some of us are tall, others are short; some of us have brown hair, others have blond hair. We all accept that everyone is an individual and that we cannot all look alike.
Look around you. We are all different in many ways.
The Nazis believed in the existence of a superior "Aryan race" and other groups were considered inferior and to be excluded. Jewish people in particular were punished for being different. Many of them were murdered only because they were Jewish.
Before the Second World War broke out in 1939, many laws were passed against the Jews. During the war things grew worse. In 1941, Jews in Germany were made to wear a yellow star on their clothes at all times. Why do you think the Nazis marked the Jews with a yellow star? They wore the star so that people would know they were different from other people: that they were Jews.
Not only did Jewish people have to wear stars, but also if they had a business or a shop, a star would be marked on the window or entrance to the building. This showed people that the owners of these shops and businesses were different and inferior. Why do you think the Nazis put stars on shops and businesses in this way?
When Germany invaded European countries and occupied them the Nazis made the Jews living there wear a star too.
The Nazis persecuted all groups who they considered different or inferior. Jews, Gypsies, people with disabilities, homosexuals and Black people were not allowed the same rights as others because they were said to be different. They were thought of as a threat by the Nazis. Many were placed in camps and prisons by the Nazis even though they had done nothing wrong. They also had to wear badges identifying themselves. Jehovah’s Witnesses had to wear purple triangles and political prisoners had to wear red badges. Homosexuals were forced to wear a pink triangle.
We must learn from the Holocaust that it does not matter what race, religion or culture people are or if they look different from us, everybody should be treated fairly. We should welcome the fact that we are all different. Not to do so can be dangerous: this is a lesson of Holocaust.
Lessons for today we can learn from the Holocaust: individual responsibility.
The memorial assembly challenges students to consider the issues of the individual responsiblity of citizens within society, using the examples of bystanders and rescuers during the Holocaust.
In our everyday lives, we all have to make decisions about how our actions will affect others around us. Sometimes it can seem easier to ignore what is happening around us and do nothing when confronted with difficult situations. Using examples from the history of the Holocaust can show us the importance of always considering the consequences of our action or inaction. We can look at those people who stood by and did nothing, knowing that certain groups within society-Jews, Gypsies, people with disabilities and homosexuals, for example — were being persecuted. Conversely, we can also consider those people who risked their lives to save Jews and other targets of the Nazis.
From 1933, when they came to power, Hitler and the Nazis persecuted the Jews of Germany by controlling and restricting their lives. For example, Jews were banned from employment in many professions, Jews were not allowed to marry other Germans and were, in fact, not allowed to be German citizens themselves. The Nazis passed unjust laws and persecuted other groups as well, such as trade unionists, Gypsies, homosexuals and people with disabilities.
Then on November 9, 1938, a series of events which have become known as Kristallnacht, or "Night of Broken Glass", occurred. Nazis smashed windows of Jewish stores, hence the name "Night of Broken Glass". They also destroyed the homes of Jews and burned down synagogues across Germany. Over 90 Jews were killed during Kristallnacht and more than 20,000 were imprisoned in concentration camps.
After Kristallnacht, the Jews of Germany were forced to clear up the mess. On top of that, the Jewish community had to pay a fine of one billion Reichmarks to the Nazi government.
The Nazis claimed that ordinary German citizens were behind the violence; but this was not the case — it was planned and carried out by the Nazi party. However, even if most German citizens did not participate in the events, they did nothing to stop them. Although we know that many were shocked by the extreme violence, few voiced this shock to the authorities. Many people were scared about what would happen to them if they stood in defence of the Jews, because of the climate of fear that Hitler had created in Nazi Germany.
Kristallnacht was a terrible event in itself. Yet, perhaps, more significant for what was to come is the fact that, even though many German citizens were shocked at the violence they witnessed, very few individuals or groups stood up and publicly condemned the actions of the Nazis. An article in a British newspaper, the Manchester Guardian, two days later said, “the crowds watched the burning of the synagogues with apathy.” The silence of individuals and groups, such as the church, may have encouraged the Nazis to believe that they would be able to get away with increasingly severe persecution of the Jews.
Indeed, once the Second World War started in 1939, things did get worse. Many Jews in Poland were very soon rounded up and forced to live in ghettos which were overcrowded and dirty, and where food was scarce. When the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, the Jews in the occupied areas were again rounded up and many were immediately killed after being taken to the outskirts of their towns and villages. The fate of many other Jews in Europe was decided in the infamous gas chambers of the death camps of Eastern Europe, places like Auschwitz and Treblinka.
Although it could be very frightening for individuals in Nazi-occupied Europe to stand up against the Nazi regime, it was not impossible. Over 14,000 non-Jews have been awarded the title "Righteous Among the Nations" for their attempts to rescue Jews during the Holocaust. They did so at great risk to themselves, because to be caught trying to help Jews could lead to imprisonment or even execution. The story of Oskar Schindler, the industrialist who rescued over a thousand Jews by providing work for them in his factory is well known. But there were many other people who managed to save just one or two Jewish people by hiding them in their homes, by providing false papers for them so that they could live as non-Jews or by helping them escape across the borders.
We can never be sure but it is likely that, if there had been more protest by individuals, groups and governments at what was happening, the course of history could have been different.
We can all learn an important lesson for our own lives from the reaction of many ordinary citizens to the Holocaust, both within Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe. We must always think about what the consequences of our action, or inaction, may be. In the face of unpleasant situations, perhaps where others are being persecuted in some way, it is often easier to do nothing and justify our actions by telling ourselves that we are minding our own business; or to wonder what we could possibly do, as individuals, that would make any difference anyway.
Take, for example, a common scenario — bullying. If you see another student being bullied, what do you do? Do you try to intervene? Do you tell a teacher? Or do you do nothing — do you turn away and ignore what you have seen happening? If the last option is what you would do, think for a moment what the consequences of your actions might be. If nobody stands up to a bully or tells a teacher, then that bully will do the same again. If he or she bullies several times and still no one stands up to him or her, then the bully is likely to increase the severity of their bullying — for example, name calling might lead to physical assault. The bully may also find other victims to pick on.
Doing something to assist in such a situation may seem difficult. But if we are not prepared to stand up to those who persecute others, then a situation may easily get out of control.
We must constantly bear in mind that it is vital to consider the consequences of our actions. As individuals, we have responsibilities towards others within our society, even if we do not know them personally. If we can help others, we should do so, even if sometimes it is not the easiest option.
Next time you see someone else being bullied, don’t turn your back, walk away and ignore the situation — tell someone who can take action to stop it.
Pastor Niemoeller was a Protestant minister in Germany during the Nazi regime. Initially a supporter of the Nazis, he rejected Hitler’s view that Christ was an Aryan and was himself imprisoned in 1937 for his opposition to the Nazis. We will end this portion of the exercise with a quiet moment of reflection on the words of Pastor Niemoeller, who warned of the dangers of being a bystander and remaining silent when others are being mistreated.
Show a copy of the words of Pastor Niemoeller and pause for a minute of silent reflection.
FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE COMMUNISTS AND I DID NOT SPEAK OUT BECAUSE I WAS NOT A COMMUNIST
THEN THEY CAME FOR THE TRADE UNIONS AND I DID NOT SPEAK OUT BECAUSE I WAS NOT A TRADE UNIONIST
THEN THEY CAME FOR THE JEWS AND I DID NOT SPEAK OUT BECAUSE I WAS NOT A JEW
THEN THEY CAME FOR ME AND THERE WAS NO ONE LEFT TO SPEAK OUT FOR ME
Attributed to Martin Niemoeller, German protestant Pastor 1892-1948 who was arrested by the Nazis and spent seven years imprisoned in Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps, often in solitary confinement.
1. What do you think motivated people such as Oskar Schindler to risk their lives to try to save Jewish people during the Holocaust when so many others did nothing?
2. Consider an occasion when you were a bystander. How could taking action have altered the situation you witnessed?
3. Write a poem or produce a piece of artwork which highlights the danger of being a bystander in the face of persecution. This does not have to be Holocaust related.
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