H9: The Holocaust

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Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Day (16/4/96 & 5/5/97)

This is the traditional time to remember and reflect on what happened. It always falls a week before Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel's Independence Day) The virtue of this day is twofold: firstly, it gives one specific time for us to remember the past so that we never forget and secondly it limits time spent on this one subject - we must not get stuck in the past. Yom HaShoah, or near it is clearly the best time to run a memorial assembly, discussion programme or other special event.

Memorial Assembly

This can be very moving and informative if done well. Obviously sensitivity is important: do not overact or exaggerate unnecessarily, the power of your words should be enough. Choose a short selection of readings that address different aspects of the Holocaust. This whole chapter has been written in short paragraphs so most of it is suitable. Other suggestions:

1. Light candles between the readings. Six in memory of the six million. Explain this to your audience.

2. Try and get permission to do a suitable assembly for the whole school. This would take some work on your part but it could be very educational.

3. You or one of your friends may have a personal family story about the holocaust which they would be willing to tell.

4. Read the kaddish prayer in Hebrew at the end, explaining that this is the traditional prayer for remembering the dead.

Documentation

With the very real threat of "Holocaust denial", it is important to support all facts that you use with their sources. When speaking, mention if possible, the names of some of those involved, the place and time frame in which it occurred. Notice how in "Schindler's List" we repeatedly saw writing desks, ink jars and documents being written. Speilberg stated that he made the film in "black & white" to give it the feel of a historical document.

Three way Holocaust education

An often used way of classifying the educational themes coming out of the holocaust is to put them into three separate categories. Try to cover some aspects of each of these three in your programmes:

The Victims - What happened to Jews? How did they respond? We talk to survivors and read their stories.

The Perpetrators - What were the methods of the Nazis and the collaborators? The final solution: how, where and when?

The Bystanders - How did the world respond to the Holocaust during and after the war? Why was nothing done?

Discussion

This is more suitable for a longer programme. Again sensitivity is vital since participants will often be talking personally. Discussions involving the holocaust require serious research and preparation. Here are some discussion issues:

1. Why didn't the Allies bomb Auschwitz and other death camps? Or at least the train tracks that led to them? Some argue that the camps were not known about until very late in the war and that bombing them was to difficult with little or no chance of success, while others say that the real truth was that bombing Auschwitz was not a high priority for the Allied war effort and that no one really cared about the fate of the Jews.

2. Were Jews "lambs to the slaughter"? Did they fight back? Yes and no. Look at the examples of resistance mentioned in this chapter. Resistance mostly ended in death. Untrained civilians fighting trained soldiers is not easy. No one new about the final solution before. Dying in faith, with the Shema on your lips, is surely a form of dignity. Didn't the process of dehumanisation make resistance nearly impossible? This issue must be properly researched and treated with utmost respect.

3. What can we learn from the Holocaust? Is it a black hole that sucks in and destroys any attempt to find meaning or, as Jews, are we all survivors who are obligated in some way to find meaning in our survival? The phrase "never again" written in stone on the ruins of Treblinka has become a famous slogan of post war Jewry. It has gained more significance over the years as the State of Israel has had to defend itself against various enemies bent on her destruction. Does the Holocaust inspire or deny faith? Does it cause the 614th commandment as Fackenheim argues? Or, as the Chief Rabbi points out, must we learn how to remember and live as a unified people?

Speakers

There are still many survivors of the camps. In a few years there will be none left. We must hear their experiences first hand. Invite a survivor you may know or can make contact with to school to address your assembly. Treat them well. Also, there are many experts you can invite who know about different aspects of the Holocaust: historians, educational workers, rabbis, your friends people who have visited Poland.

Other materials

There are many slides, audio cassettes and videos on Holocaust topics. Find one to suit your needs.

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