CHAPTER ONE

 

Characteristics and Myths About the Holocaust

 

Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves. The objectives of such a plan would be disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of the personal security, liberty, health, dignity, and even the lives of the individuals belonging to such groups. Genocide is directed against the national group as an entity, and the actions involved are directed against individuals, not in their individual capacity, but as members of the national group. ~ Raphael Lemkin.

 

 

Historical Context:  The Holocaust, a term popularized by Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, was one of several genocides carried out in the period 1901-2000.  Wiesel used the term, which means a wholly-burnt offering or sacrifice, to refer to the period 1933-45 when the Nazis and their collaborators deliberately and intentionally murdered 2/3 of European Jewry as well as perhaps six million non-Jews.  But what makes one genocide different from another?  What makes the Holocaust unique in comparison to the Turkish genocide against the Armenians or events during the Rwandan civil war?

 

Rationale to Teach:  The Shoah (Hebrew for catastrophe) stands as one of the most heinous acts of the 20th Century.  It is an event that has shocked the world both in the horrors that were perpetrated against its victims, but sadly too, for the fact that its symptoms still exist and impede the world’s ability to truly learn from its lessons.  It is unique in many regards; it also continues to be both misinterpreted and misrepresented.

 

Major Topics:  Specifically, then, we can say about the Holocaust:

 

  1. It took place in the heart of Western Europe.
  2. There was a demonic obsessiveness on the part of the perpetrators.
  3. The ideology was completely irrational and frequently contradicted itself (ex: Jews were blamed for capitalism and communism).
  4. Implementation was with the utmost rationality.
  5. The elite of society cooperated.
  6. Science (especially medical science) and technology were perverted.
  7. Victims were systematically dehumanized.
  8. It is the best-documented genocide.
  9. It is the best-studied and most-studied genocide.

 

But as responsible educators/students, we must address these issues as well:

 

  1. Some believe and attempt to promulgate the notion that the Holocaust never happened.
  2. It was and is more than a Jewish problem.
  3. It is a myth that those who took part were coerced under threat of extreme penalty.
  4. Some say that only Hitler and a few others carried out the Holocaust.
  5. It must be shown that the Jews faced insurmountable obstacles to resistance.
  6. It is the opinion of some critics that the Jewish Councils cooperated in the destruction of their own people.

 

Only by approaching the Shoah on level, objective ground can we enter into study of the causations and events.

 

Comment:

 

This is a good way to get your survey of the events of the Holocaust in gear.  Students, particularly high school kids, usually come to the Shoah with only a basic knowledge, usually centering on Nazi hatred for Jews, Hitler’s abuse of total power, etc.  Most don’t understand that antisemitism can be traced back through the centuries; they are also surprised to find the depth of “official” support for the institution of hatred across national boundaries as well as time.  The material presented in this introduction gives the teacher room to touch on information to be presented at a later date – the anticipatory set, if you will.  Students will usually become quickly engaged, setting the stage for discussion of the long-term historical background of the Holocaust.  Most have no idea that there were other genocides, and fewer yet understand that this goes on today…

 

Resources:

 

Classroom notes with lines of questioning/student interaction

 

Random Thoughts From Elie Wiesel

 

Grobman, Gary.  The Holocaust – A Guide For Teachers: http://remember.org/guide.  1990.  I have used this curriculum as the major support for my lecture material.  It is a very well done survey of the events of the Holocaust, and is complete with homework assignments, additional project ideas, and references.  It is truly a wonderful resource.

 

Landau, Ronnie S. The Nazi Holocaust, Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, Inc. 1994. pp. 3-21 – A good general introduction to the Holocaust, somewhat mirroring the information contained in this chapter.

 

http://www.ushmm.org/lcmedia/viewer/wlc/photo.php?RefId=02625:  Photo of a train – use this to make an overhead for presenting the notion that few Germans knew nothing about the Holocaust.  There were approximately 60 million Germans in 1933; around 1 million worked in some capacity on the railroads (see discussion from notes, above).  This is a great leadoff; it fits well in this discussion.  Don’t begin with the camps or go for “shock value” from the start…

 

http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Holocaust/denial.html. Jewish Virtual Library article describing the roots of Holocaust denial as a movement in North America and Europe.

 

Back to The Holocaust:  Teaching the Shoah to High School Students