10.Responses to the Holocaust

Activity 1 - Notetaking 

Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his military bunker in Berlin as the Soviet army approached to conquer the Nazis. Alfred Jodl, Chief of Staff of the German Army signed the unconditional surrender of the German Third Reich in the early morning hours of Monday, May 7, 1945. Many of Hitler's top commanders also suicided, others attempted to flee and escape to other parts of the world to escape imprisonment, or the death penalty for their crimes. 

Activity 2 - The Nuremberg Trials (your teacher will print a copy for you) 

Watch the below video on "The Nuremberg Trials"  and complete the handout.

Activity 3 - Adolf Eichmann Trial (your teacher will print a copy of the handout) 

Following the Nuremberg Trials various opinions have developed about if and how they actually addressed the Holocaust and crimes committed against the Jews; In “The Development of Holocaust consciousness in Israel,”  Yablonka and Tlamim write that:

“The Trial was intended to answer the needs of the victorious countries and address public opinion...by framing and defining war guilt, the general brutality of the Nazi regime and occupation. The Holocaust was not at issue. Three types of crimes were considered applicable for prosecution; war crimes, crimes against the peace and crimes against humanity...The Nuremberg judges defined ‘crimes against humanity’ as only those committed within the context of war...Genocide as a crime, and its punishment were passed by the United Nations on 9 December, 1948. ”

Instead, many people consider the trial of Adolf Eichmann to the first true Holocaust trial as his trial shifted the blame away from ‘Nazi evil’ and instead focused on individual responsibility.

Watch the following video to help you fill out the table below: What Happened at the Eichmann Trial?  

 Activity 4 - Class Discussion 

Extension Activity 

Watch the following video to gain a greater understanding of the Nuremberg Trials and those who were convicted.