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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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Courage to Care — Reminding viewers of the power of individual action, this compelling program profiles non-Jews who, following their consciences rather than orders from the Third Reich, risked their lives to protect Jews from Nazi persecution. Stark footage and period photographs underscore dramatic first-person accounts of those ordinary acts — such as opening doors, keeping secrets, and hiding and feeding strangers — became deeds of heroism in an era of apathy and complicity. Colour and black-and-white. 29 minutes. United Way.
The World of Anne Frank — Combining dramatic readings, interviews, and documentary photos and film footage, this compelling production introduces students to Anne Frank’s life and times. The program provides not only an intimate look at the tragic events of her life, but also a general account of the rise of Nazism and the events of World War II. Among the illuminating interviews that highlight this program are those with Otto Frank (Anne’s father) and the Dutch people who risked their lives to hide the Frank family. Colour and black-and-white. 28 minutes. Ergo Media.
Anne Frank Remembered — Combining eyewitness testimony with rare photos, family letters, and archival footage, this film documents the story of the Frank family, focusing on the spirited girl whose diary fulfilled her wish to “go on living after my death.” Eyewitnesses report on Anne’s early childhood, her years in hiding, and her last days in the Bergen-Belsen camp where she perished. The film also recalls her father’s painful journey home after the war, where he learns the tragic fate of his wife and children, is given Anne’s diary, and devotes his life to propagating her message of tolerance and hope. Colour. 122 minutes. Sony.
Anne Frank: A Legacy for Our Time — A two-part program that uses Anne Frank’s story to help students examine their own attitudes about human rights, prejudice, morality, justice, and the responsibility of the individual in society. Part 1 quotes liberally from Anne Frank’s Diary to comment not only on the experiences of the Franks, but on the political background of their time as well. Part 2 explores both historical and current fascist movements to discuss such concepts as prejudice, discrimination, and scapegoating. Both sections are illustrated with black-and-white archive photographs. Also included are 16 reproducible worksheets that reinforce the information in the program. Grades 4-9. 38 minutes. Society for Visual Education.
The Armenian Genocide: Annihilation of the Armenian Population of the Ottoman Empire 1915-1923 — Linking contemporary human rights violations with the first genocide of modern times, this thought-provoking documentary raises questions about ethnic and racial discrimination and illuminates, through one example, how oppression can escalate to the level of atrocity. The 1991 program outlines the 3000-year Armenian heritage, Turkish invasions and subjugation, the diminishing Ottoman Empire in which Armenians experienced increased persecutions, and the rise of extreme Turkish nationalists who systematically exterminated 1.5 million Armenians. Archival footage and photographs, interviews and survivors and descendants, maps, press clippings, and location footage document death marches, beheadings, starvation, mass burnings and drownings, forced conversions, deportations, and the annihilation of Armenians from their ancient homeland. A 12-page spiralbound guide contains background, review questions, extension activities, and an annotated bibliography. Grades 9-12. Colour and black-and-white. 25 minutes. Atlantis.
Faces of the Enemy — A powerful examination of “the enemy” — how we as individuals and nations see our enemies, dehumanize them, and what happens to “us” when we portray ourselves as heroes and “them” as evil subhumans. Documentary footage, interviews, political cartoons, and propaganda from many parts of the world analyze the psychological roots of enmity, exploring the universal images used in mass persuasion. The award-winning program suggests that conflicts can be resolved by discarding symbolic images of the enemy and meeting as human beings.
Note: Students should be fully prepared for viewing, due to graphic images of racism and war. Advanced students. Colour. 58 minutes. Quest.
Personal Ethics and the Future of the World — Ideal for teaching a five-day unit on ethics, this dynamic video and 18-page activity-packed guide may also be used for occasional lessons on morals, responsibility, right and wrong behavior, and ethics-related stories in the news. What does it mean to be ethically fit? How do the actions of one individual affect society? Who or what should people look to for moral authority? Hosted by Meg Ryan and featuring rap artist Kris Parker, the program looks at these and similar questions in the context of Chernobyl, the Exxon Valdez, and other preventable disasters. Activities help students understand how personal ethics relate to reality, life, respect for self, and the future of the world. Grades 7-12. Colour. 29 minutes.
To Bear Witness — At the First International Liberators Conference in 1981, survivors and liberators from 14 nations gathered to testify about their experiences during the Holocaust. Interspersed with captured Nazi footage and official U.S. Army film, the testimony of these witnesses provides an authentic account of what some nations and their peoples did to prevent the Holocaust, what others did to abet those charged with crimes against humanity, and the lethargic pace at which Western leaders acted to halt the genocide. Among those recalling their experiences are Ronald Reagan, Elie Wiesel, Tom Lantos, and Alexander Haig. The production closes with a description of thenforthcoming U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to be built in the nation’s capital.
Warning: not recommended for unprepared audiences. Colour and black-and-white. 41 minutes. U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.
Holocaust: In Dark Places — A selection of four short films on the Holocaust:
Colour. Total time; 90 minutes. Mastervision.
Liberation — Narrated by Ben Kingsley, Whoopie Goldberg, and Patrick Stewart. A compelling documentary chronicling Germany’s two separate wars from 1939 until 1945 — the first for world power, and the second against the Jews. Combining popular wartime songs, radio speeches, rare archival footage, a lucid narration, and poignant stories of sacrifice and survival, this multifaceted program provides a solid survey of the cultural, military, and political events during World War II and Nazi occupation. A segment on occupied France, for example, shows German soldiers enjoying Paris as “a city for everyone.” French police, meanwhile, begin systematically deporting Jews as “enemies of the Volk” to death camps.
Note: some graphic footage. Grades 7 and up. Black-and-white and colour. 100 minutes. Simon Wiesenthal Center.
Children of the Holocaust — “It was the first time in my life I was hungry… and the first time I realized I was Jewish.” Of European Jews, approximately one in three adults survived the Holocaust; however, only one in 14 children made it through. In this affecting documentary, four people who, as children, survived the Holocaust, recall their experiences (from transit camps and walled ghettos, to life in hiding with strange families, to the horrors of Auschwitz) and give viewers a sense of what it was like to be a child caught in the maelstrom of the Nazi onslaught. Grades 7 and up. Colour and black-and-white. 51 minutes. Films for the Humanities.
Sorrow: The Nazi Legacy — Six teenagers — two Christian, two Jewish, and two from mixed backgrounds — struggle to understand the incomprehensible as they travel to Germany and Poland to view historic Holocaust sites. At first they are primarily concerned with getting along with one another, but their mood shifts upon visiting Wannsee (birthplace of the “Final Solution”) and they begin to wonder, “How could all this have happened?” Touring Auschwitz, they hear the horrifying recollections of a camp survivor. Returning home, the group explores another side of the Holocaust as they talk with the son of a high-ranking Nazi official hanged at Nuremberg for war crimes. This award-winning documentary should help young viewers to connect emotionally with facts that are hard to grasp intellectually. Grades 9-12. Colour. 33 minutes. Ergo Media.
Hiroshima — Why the Bomb was dropped: A Peter Jennings/ABC News Report — A sophisticated debate of the issues surrounding the decision to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Peter Jennings leads in this Peabody Award — winning program to examine the subtleties of this still controversial issue. Dramatic newsreel footage and extensive background information on the war in the Pacific provide valuable context for the decision. Skillfully edited archival film, primary source documents, and interviews with historians and experts are combined to raise a year’s worth of questions. Grades 10 and up. Colour. 70 minutes. ABC news.
War Crimes — This segment from the American Justice television series examines the question of whether soldiers should be held responsible for atrocities committed during war, even when they are following orders. Archival footage is used to describe the precedent-setting international tribunal judging the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-1946, the 1967 individual trials of Lt. William Calley and Capt. Ernest Medina for the My Lai massacre, and the 1986 trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of being the sadistic Treblinka guard known as “Ivan the Terrible.” Viewers are reminded that, at Nuremberg, American prosecutor Robert Jackson stated, “We must never forget that the record on which we judge these defendants today is the record on which history will judge us tomorrow.”
Warning: graphic presentation of atrocities. Grades 10 and up. Colour and black-and-white. 50 minutes. The History Channel.
The Nuremberg Trial: Landmark Cases — Ideal for classroom use, this overview of the Nuremberg Trial uses location footage, archival film clips, and clear commentary to provide historical background, explain the purpose of the International Military Tribunal, review the charges, profile the defendants, summarize the tactics of the prosecution team and of the defence, report on the verdicts, and assess the legacy of Nuremberg. This fast-paced production is also notable for its eyewitness accounts by trial participants including Walter Cronkite (who covered the trial for the United Press) and the defence attorney of Karel Doenitz (Hitler’s successor).
Note: some disturbing footage. Grades 7 and up. Colour and black-and-white. 50 minutes. Court TV.
Nuremberg: Tyranny on Trial — Recalling that the Nuremberg Trials responded to Nazi Germany’s atrocities with measured reason, rather than with an orgy of vengeance, this absorbing documentary uses archival film footage, personal reminiscences, and expert commentary to detail the events, courtroom strategies, and legal innovations of these unprecedented judicial proceedings. The program presents fascinating profiles of key players (including a close look at Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, who led the prosecution), sheds light on lesser-known developments (the trials marked the first use of simultaneous translation), and gives insight into the unique difficulties of trying people for “crimes against humanity.”
Note: some graphic footage. Grades 9 and up. Colour and black-and-white. 50 minutes. The History Channel.
Crimes of Hate — “You can kill a Jew from a thousand yards away with this,” says a young man as he lifts his rifle’s telescopic to his eye. This sobering program defines crimes of hate, explains what motivates hate terrorists, and documents the messages of the victims and the perpetrators of hate crimes: a man who burned a synagogue, an African American shot for being black, a gay man beaten by six men wielding baseball bats, and others. Bigotry is shown to be an attempt to lay claim to personal superiority through racial or sexual affiliation. “We have no right to limit respect” to some people and not others, charges Elie Wiesel in the closing argument.
Note: strong language. Grades 7 and up. Colour. 30 minutes. Anti-Defamation League.
Valuing Diversity: Multicultural Communication — Designed to foster a realistic and healthy apprecication of diverstiy, this program gives students practical suggestions on how to expand their “comfort zone” when communicating with people from diverse cultural background. Among the topics covered are valuing diversity as an essential skill; learning that diversity means differences that may stem from ethnicity, age, body type, or disability; defining ethnocentrism, recognizing that cultural stereotypes and biases can distort judgment; and understanding body language. Grades 7-12. Closed captioned. Colour. 19 minutes. Learning Seed.
The Eye of the Storm — In the 1970s, Jane Elliot, a teacher in an Iowa farming community, taught her third-graders about the affects of prejudice by dividing the class on the basis of eye colour. This award-winning documentary dramatically demonstrates the effects of discrimination. Grades 3 and up. Colour. 25 minutes. ABC News.
A Class Divided — In this PBS Frontline documentary, filmed 15 years later, Jane Elliot meets with some her former students to analyze the impact of her now-famous test. The power of her experiment is shown when it is conducted at a prison facility with 175 employees. (Includes the expanded 1987 edition of the book, A Class Divided: Then and Now, explaining the profound effect of the experiment on her students’ lives) Grades 7 and up. Colour. 60 minutes
Simulations
Nuremberg: A Simulation of the International Military Tribunal of 1945-1946 — Students portray prosecution and defence attorneys, prosecution and defence witnesses, defendants, and French, British, American, and Russian judges as they re-create the Nuremberg Tribunal. Players face such moral and legal dilemmas as the limits of personal obedience to one's country, and the rights of victorious leaders to judge those whom they defeat. Players 25-35. Time: 3 weeks. Interact. (Reproducible student guide, leader’s guide)
The War Crimes Trial — A simulation of the Nuremberg trials in which students play the roles of judges, attorneys, defendants, and witnesses. In developing the trials of four Nazi leaders — a high official, a field commander, a camp commandant, and a camp guard — students examine the years of Nazi power and the events of World War II. The degree of guilt of each defendant is assessed for crimes of aggression, crimes of war, and crimes against humanity. Directions for the simulation are contained in a 44-page booklet with reproducible pages that include directions for preparing for each role and judges’ decision sheets. Players: 25-40. Time: 10 class periods. Grades 7-12. History Simulations.
Please note that the preceding videos may be purchased from the Anti-Defamation League through B’nai Brith Canada.
For further information contact:
Julie Borst, Education Officer of the League for Human Rights,
416-633-6224, ext. 145.
jborst@bnaibrith.ca
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