World War II and the Holocaust

Despite facing antisemitism in the 1920s and 1930s, European Jews, especially those in Germany, lived well as integral members of society. However, that all changed when a fringe political movement rose to power. The National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party) and its leader, Adolf Hitler, vowed to annihilate all Jews, whom they viewed as “parasites.” By the end of World War II, six million Jews and five million others had been murdered at the hands of the Nazis and their supporters. The effects of the atrocities of the Holocaust are still felt today by Jews around the world, and Jewish communities have worked tirelessly to educate the world about these horrors so that they never happen again.

How to use this guide
This guide is designed to enhance your students’ engagement with the video. You can explore the video together or utilize a flipped classroom approach, assigning the video (in full or in segments) for students to watch at home, then using class time to unpack ideas together through reflection, discussion, or hands-on activities. Choose the approach that best fits your students and classroom setting.

Discussion Questions

1. Neutrality in the Holocaust: Holocaust Survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” How does this quote apply to the Holocaust? How is it still relevant today? Can you think of any present-day examples? Watch our video about the bystander here.
2. Modern Holocaust Education: Students should read this article, which describes the results of a 2020 survey of millennials and Gen Z young adults. 63% percent of respondents did not know that 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust and almost half could not name even one concentration camp or ghetto. What does this teach us about the state of Holocaust education and what can be done about it?
3. Jewish Resistance: The Warsaw Ghetto, an armed uprising, is the most well-known example of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. See this article for a list of examples of resistance. How is each form of resistance powerful in its own way? What impact might these different types of resistance have had on the Jewish community and the larger world?

Learning Activities

1. Survivor Testimonials & Interviews: Arrange a conversation with a Holocaust survivor and create a series of interview questions inspired by this guide. Opportunities for these conversations can be found through the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum or a local synagogue. If you’re unable to access survivors, use the following resource from the March of the Living Archive Project to share the stories of survivors through video.
2. Holocaust Education: Students should explore why it is important to study the Holocaust. They should individually rank the following statements, in response to: “It is important that I study the Holocaust so that I learn…”
   • How the Holocaust was a watershed event that changed the course of history.
   • The dangers of unchecked antisemitism.
   • The importance of acceptance, diversity and inclusivity.
   • The dangers of being a bystander and the imperative to be an upstander.
   • The stories of the victims and to never forget their suffering.

1. ConnectED:
   • Why is antisemitism still around? (video)
   • Faces of the Holocaust: The Upstander, The Bystander, The Perpetrator, and The Victim (videos)
2. Yad Vashem Educational Materials
   • What is the Holocaust?
3. March of the Living Archive Project Videos
4. Echoes and Reflections Educational Content
5. Holocaust Museum Houston, Vocabulary Terms Related to the Holocaust
6. NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom brings Holocaust education to Muslim school in Brooklyn | The Times of Israel
7. U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Educational Tools
   • Holocaust Denial, Explained