Voices from the Holocaust, 7th-12th Grade

Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is observed in January, we invite you to participate in this program specifically curated for teens.

An introductory class that follows the chronological timeline of the Holocaust, emphasizing primary sources and survivor testimony. Beginning with the end of the Great War in 1918 through the liberation of the camps in 1945, we will continue to question the who, what, when, why, and how in attempting to gain a basic understanding of this history.

1. Intro to the Holocaust. How did it happen? When and where did this take place, and who was involved?

2. Ordinary People, Ordinary Lives. To understand the devastation and what the world lost in the Holocaust, we must understand Jewish life in pre-war Europe. Who were they, and how did they live?

3. Nazi Persecution and Dehumanization. For the Jews of Germany, Nazi control and persecution intensified yearly. Propaganda, anti-Jewish legislation, and restrictions on immigration contribute to the impossibility of escape.

4. Ghettos and Camps. What is the difference between a ghetto and a concentration/death camp? We will discuss the formal start of World War II and the atrocities committed by the Nazis, primarily in Poland.

5. The Righteous, Liberation, and Afterward. Allied liberators discover the tragedies as they move into Germany and Poland. Stories of resistance and rescue and life after the war are highlighted.