Holocaust Lesson

Define: Holocaust Survivor. 

Different people and organizations define who is a Holocaust survivor differently. Not even all survivors agree about the definition. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum acknowledges as Holocaust survivors, Jews who experienced the persecution and survived the mass murder that was carried out by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. This included those who were in concentration camps, killing centers, ghettos, and prisons, as well as refugees or those in hiding. Holocaust survivors also include people who did not self-identify as Jewish, but were categorized as such by the perpetrators. Roma and Sinti, Poles and other Slavic peoples, Soviet prisoners of war, persons with disabilities, political prisoners, trade union leaders, “subversive” artists, those Catholic and Lutheran clergy who were seen as opponents of the regime, resisters, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and criminal offenders, among others were also victims of Nazi persecution.

Start by brainstorm"

a. How might two people describe the same event differently? Why?

 b. Does the intended audience (i.e., family, friends, public) of this testimony have an impact on the details that an individual chooses to share or omit? 

c. Does it make a difference whether someone is recording or recalling experiences as an event is happening, right after the event, or years later?

Give each student a copy of https://www.ushmm.org/m/pdfs/USHMM-Survivor-Testimony-Analysis-Worksheet.pdf  - THIS IS IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM - Called Holocaust Interviews

Watch one video from each group.  Next,  each table should watch one video of their choice from group A.  After each student watches the video they should go to google classroom.  They should then discuss the questions found in Google Classroom called Holocaust Survivors.  ONE person should type the answers.  They then repeat this process with Group B video and Group C video.  After each video they should change who types the answers in google classroom.   

GROUP A. 1936 Olympics: Gary Bigus (01:09), John Woodruff (02:03), and Gretel Bergmann (07:45) 

GROUP B. Kristallnacht: Survivors Remember Kristallnacht - 

• Susan

• Johanna

• Rabbi Gerd

• Berg

• Behr

GROUP C. Liberation: Gerda Weissmann Klein (02:52), Norbert Wollheim (02:13), Kurt Klein (03:35), Pat Lynch (01:02), James Rose (01:12)

1. What emotions do they convey?

2. How does their choice of words and description of events contribute to the tone of their narrative? 

3. What is the same in each testimony and what is different? 

4. Did you learn anything by listening to more than one perpsective? 

5. What questions do the different testimonies raise for you about the event that they describe?