Teach About the Jewish Holocaust in Europe

Lesson Activities Reflecting on Hitler's Final Solution and Genocide

Oct 3, 2009

Preparing memorials and presenting them allows students to process and respond to the atrocities of the Jewish Holocaust in Europe during the Second World War.

Jewish Holocaust memorials and presentations pay honour to victims and give students an opportunity to consider, reflect on, and respond to the attitudes that lead to genocide. Students come to understand the racist, stereotypical and discriminatory attitudes that allowed Hitler to convince the Germans to make the Jews scapegoats for Germany's economic issues in the 1930s.

Stereotypes, Discrimination, Racism and Scapegoats

Following lessons on the Rise of Hitler, his Final Solution and the Holocaust, have students complete a graphic organizer defining the terms: stereotype, discrimination, racism, scapegoat, Holocaust, and antisemitism. Then, in order to create empathy for the Jews, ask students to write on index cards incidents where they experienced stereotyping, discrimination, racism or scapegoating.

Once students have completed their cards, write the words “moderate” and “severe” on the board and ask students to place their index card under the word that best depicts their experience. Read aloud a few cards anonymously and explain that there is no such thing as moderate stereotyping, discrimination, racism or scapegoating. All incidents reflect wrong attitudes toward differences and these attitudes lead to violence. To create empathy for Jewish victims, give students an opportunity to share how they felt when they experienced accusation and punishment for acts they did commit.

Holocaust Stories and Museums

When students connect with the emotions of injustice it becomes easier for them to empathize with victims of the Nazi regime. Share victims' personal stories by reading these poems aloud:

In a computer lab or library, tell students to research websites about the Holocaust and Holocaust Museums and Memorials such as the United States Memorial Museum. Then, ask students to select books from the library that chronicle various aspects of the Holocaust – prejudice, prelude, ghettos, labor, concentration and death camps, resistance, survivors, aftermath and Nuremberg Trials. The Holocaust series by Jane Shuter, [Heinemann Library, 2003] works well for this assignment, but there are numerous good texts on this history.

Students will select a passage or picture from the book they have chosen and respond according to the instructions in the Holocaust Memorial Task. Alternately, students may respond to a website or movie clip from Schindler’s List, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Anne Frank, or The Hiding Place. Or students who are concerned about modern holocausts could select a passage or movie clip that addresses Rwanda, Darfur, the Hutu or Tamils.

Holocaust Memorial Task

Have students select a passage in a text that highlights an aspect of the Holocaust that they believe is essential to remember and respond in one of the following forms:

Holocaust Memorial Presentation

Set up a room for presentations using artifacts, symbols, music, lighting, posters and backboards.

Darken the room and have students read beside a light or overhead projector. For monologues, have students sit in front of an overhead projector and behind a white sheet that is hung across the corner of the room.

Invite a Holocaust survivor as a guest lecturer and have students share their memorials in response. In first semester, this could be timed to celebrate Remembrance Day (Nov. 11) or Holocaust month and in second semester it could be planned to celebrate VE Day (May 25).

Ask guests to respond by laying a Star of David by a picture of Holocaust victims or give them a Star of David to take home in remembrance of the kinds of prejudice and racism that lead to holocausts. Teachers might also consider leading attendees in a pledge to stand against racial words and actions.

To give student memorials additional exposure, have students create Podcasts and upload them to a Wikis.

Ethnic Cleansing

Hitler's perpetuating of the pervasive attitudes of Germans in the 1930s created an environment to incite violence against the Jews. Identifying these attitudes, words and actions helps students empathize with victims, respond to atrocity and make decisions to stop violence at its inception before it leads to genocide.

The copyright of the article Teach About the Jewish Holocaust in Europe in High School is owned by Lynda Allison. Permission to republish Teach About the Jewish Holocaust in Europe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.