Note to Teachers:
One of the primary concerns of educators teaching the history of the Holocaust is how to present horrific images in a sensitive and appropriate manner. Graphic material should be used judiciously and only to the extent necessary to achieve the objective of the lesson. You should remind yourself that each student and each class is different and that what seems appropriate for one may not be appropriate for all.
Students are essentially a "captive audience." When you assault them with images of horror for which they are unprepared, you violate a basic trust: the obligation of a teacher to provide a "safe" learning environment.Try to select images and texts that do not exploit the students' emotional vulnerability or that might be construed as disrespectful of the victims themselves. (Studying the Holocaust Through Film and Memoir: Human Rights and Social Responsibility , Kassenoff and Meinbach, page xxiv.)
Before:
This lesson is an integral part of Holocaust Education, and while it can be taught on its own as a lesson dealing with the topic of “The Rescuer,” background knowledge of the Holocaust is indicated.
Discuss the concept of “rescue.” Create a K-W-L graphic organizer on large chart paper with three columns: “What I Know,” “What I Want to Know,” “What I Learned."
What do students know about the non-Jewish rescuers during the Holocaust? Who were they? What did they do? Why did they do this? What do students want to know about the non-Jewish rescuers during the Holocaust?
- Record their responses in the appropriate columns.
- Organize the questions in the “What I Want to Know” column for use in the “after” section of this lesson.
- Periodically, as students learn about “Rescue During the Holocaust,” have them summarize significant findings in the “What I Learned Section” of the K-W-L chart.
Introduce the story
“The Merit of a Young Priest” told by Yaffa Eliach. While many stories of rescue have emerged from the Holocaust, this story, based on interviews with Shachne Hiller (now Stanley Berger) and his family, is one of the most unique.
During:
Read the “The Merit of a Young Priest” aloud or have student pairs read it, stopping when appropriate to address comments, clarify and predict to enhance understanding (this is Close Reading).
Discussion Questions:
Which person in this story did you admire most. Why?
In what ways would the phrase, “choiceless choices” often associated with the Holocaust, be appropriate?
What problems and adjustments might children such as Stanley Berger have to overcome in their new country and home?
After:
A Discussion of Moral Dilemmas: “The Merit of Young Priest” is an excellent vehicle for a discussion of a moral dilemma. After reading the story, involve students in the following steps (based on Lawrence Kohlberg’s Discussion of Moral Dilemmas):
- List the facts and issues presented, summarizing events, the people involved, and possible alternative actions the young priest could have taken.
- Individually decide which alternative you think the young priest should follow and describe (in writing) at least three reasons for your decision.
- Find other students who have selected the same alternative as you and focus on the most important reasons for taking this position.
With your entire class, discuss the various alternatives selected and the reasons for it.
- Reevaluate your position. Think about the facts, issues, and reasons discussed and then individually record what you think the young priest should do and the most important reasons for taking this position. Compare your views now with your views before. Are there any changes? Explain
- Have students research Pope John Paul II and his relationship to the Jews of the Holocaust. Allow time for them to share what they discovered. What qualities would they use to describe Pope John Paul II?
“The Power of Good”
Involve students in watching a clip from the emotional documentary “
Nicky’s Family, the story of Nicholas Winton" who, as a young man from Great Britain, saved 669 Czech children during the Holocaust. The clip not only reflects what Winton accomplished, but shares how his remarkable journey has inspired “all those who want to do something positive for our world.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6FlMLyf0yk
Once students have watched the video, discuss the phrase, “The Power of Good,” the title of an earlier documentary about Nicholas Winton. Encourage deeper meaning as they explore this from the perspective of the Holocaust, history and global and local current events. How does “
The Power of Good” take on a life of its own?
For more about the life of Sir Nicolas Winton, view “
60 Minutes” program-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0aoifNziKQ
From the Talmud
Have students create an artistic interpretation (photos, illustrations, music, drama, dance, etc.)
of the following Talmudic quote:
“Whoever destroys a single life destroys the
entire world. He who saves one life, saves the
world entire.” ---Talmud, Sanhedrin 37a
Questions Anyone?
Organize the questions in the “What I want to know” column from the K-W-L chart that have not yet been answered and use them as the focus for further research regarding “Rescue” during the Holocaust.