The Holocaust Through “Schindler’s List” 7th-12th Grade

Learn about the Holocaust from the perspective of the hit movie Schindler’s List. In these five sessions, we will discuss director Stephen Spielberg, the locations in Krakow, Poland, and the actors and real-life historical characters involved in bringing this chapter of the Holocaust to life on screen. *You do not have to see the movie beforehand, but it helps!

1. Changing the Game: Spielberg and Holocaust Film. Over the years, there have been many attempts to capture the events of the Holocaust on screen, but none more revolutionary than 1993’s Schindler’s List. We will discuss why this film was so revolutionary to the future of Holocaust education.
2. The Actors and their Characters. A look at the actors who embodied the roles in Schindler’s List and the real people that inspired the story.
3. The Locations. We will look at Krakow, Poland, the Krakow Ghetto, and the Plaszow forced labor camp as featured in Schindler’s List.
4. The Schindler Juden. In this class, we will listen to the testimonies of several Schindler Juden and discuss what life was like during and after the war.
5. The Righteous Among the Nations. Oskar and Emilie Schindler were awarded the title Righteous Among the Nations, an honor bestowed by the state of Israel on non-Jews who risked their lives and the lives of their families to save Jews during the Holocaust.