Holocaust/Shoah: Educational Resources and Projects
Belated moral condemnation and humane regret are not enough. The historical facts must be made known, the social causes that made them possible must be understood, and we must become aware of our own responsibility for what goes on around us. We do not escape the past by thrusting it to the back of our minds.
Gerhard Schõnberner The Yellow Star: The Persecution of the Jews in Europe 1933-1945
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Teaching about the Holocaust — United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: The Holocaust education section (for educators) of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum "has many resources for teachers striving to help students learn the history of the Holocaust and reflect upon the moral and ethical questions raised by that history," including the guide, Teaching about the Holocaust (PDF document).
Teaching about the Holocaust A Resource Book for Educators
Holocaust Encyclopedia — United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: As a resource for students, educators, and scholars, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum offers an extensive, searchable on-line Holocaust Encyclopedia. The encyclopedia is available in English, Spanish, and French.
Holocaust and Genocide Studies (Scholarly Journal)
Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies: The Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, is "a high priority for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It supports scholarship and publications in the field of Holocaust studies, promotes the growth of Holocaust studies at American universities, seeks to foster strong relationships between American and international scholars, and initiates programs to ensure the ongoing training of future generations of scholars specializing in the Holocaust."
Other Holocaust Education Resources and Projects
America and the Holocaust — The American Experience: This documentary, originally broadcast on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and now available on DVD, "paints a troubling picture of the United States during a period beset by antisemitism. It reveals a government that not only delayed action, but also suppressed information and blocked efforts that could have resulted in the rescue of hundreds and thousands of people." The Web site and the DVD come with a teachers' guide for using America and the Holocaust in the classroom. The DVD includes teaching materials in the form of a 1.2-MB PDF document; I include this document here for the benefit and convenience of teachers who may not have access to a computer with a DVD-ROM drive. (For supplemental reading, I higly recommend David S. Wyman's The Abandonment of the Jews: America and the Holocaust: 1941-1945 [New York: Pantheon, 1984]; Dr. Wyman is interviewed extensively in America and the Holocaust, and is an authority on the subject matter.)
Anne Frank Trust UK: The Anne Frank Educational Trust UK is a "non-profit registered charity whose aims are to educate against all forms of racism and discrimination by explaining the history of Anne Frank and the Holocaust." The Anne Frank Trust is the "only British organization licensed by the Anne Frank House to use Anne Frank's name for educational purposes."
Anti-Defamation League — Braun Holocaust Institute: The Braun Holocaust Institute's programs for educators, students, community leaders, and families "explore the enduring impact of the Holocaust and apply its lessons to contemporary issues of prejudice and moral decision making. Through these efforts, the Institute hopes to ensure that the Holocaust — and the brutality that humankind inflicted upon itself — is never forgotten." Educators and students will also be interested in viewing the Anti-Defamation League's main Holocaust Web page for additional resources, ideas, and announcements.
Australian Memories of the Holocaust: Sponsored by the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, the purpose of this Web site is to educate about the Holocaust: "The site is aimed at students, teachers and people with a genuine and serious interest in the subject. It reflects the moral imperative to teach and learn about the Holocaust/Shoah in order that it may never be repeated anywhere in the world, to any other peoples or nations."
"The Beast Within" — An Interdisciplinary Unit: Maintained by George Cassutto, this site presents the on-line activities of students participating in an interdisciplinary unit called "The Beast Within"; the essays, poems, and graphic art at this site include students' reactions to their visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Beth Shalom Holocaust Web Center: This Web site is a portal — created and maintained by the Beth Shalom Holocaust Center in Nottinghamshire, England — providing information on the Center's ongoing projects for commemoration, education, scholarship promotion, and genocide prevention.
Center for Holocaust Education: Although this Web site is almost entirely in German, it provides a useful resource about the Holocaust for teachers and students. The origins of the site lie in the pioneering Holocaust studies of Dr. Matthias Heyl of Hamburg, Germany, who intently explores the issue of Holocaust education, particularly Holocaust education in Germany. (Matthias Heyl has authored, co-authored and co-edited several books and more than twenty essays, in German, English and Dutch.)
Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies: Created and maintained by the University of Minnesota and directed by Dr. Stephen Feinstein, the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies offers a virtual museum of Holocaust and genocide art; histories, narratives, and documents; educational resources; links and a bibliography; and, contact information. The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies was established in the University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts in 1997 as a resource for teaching and informing the public about the Holocaust and contemporary genocide.
Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education: The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education (Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion) is "dedicated to teaching the Holocaust to promote tolerance and diversity. The only center of its kind in the Tri-State, the educational initiatives at the Center tell the stories of the Holocaust using eyewitness accounts that are compelling, and inspire action. The Center trains teachers and clergy, sustains permanent and traveling exhibits, and educates the community through a variety of public outreach programming."
"Cybrary" of the Holocaust: The Cybrary of the Holocaust is part of an extensive project to create educational materials about the Holocaust. The site offers many resources and sponsors on-line, educational events.
Facing History and Ourselves: The Facing History and Ourselves National Foundation is "a national educational and professional development organization whose mission is to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry." Facing History conducts workshops, institutes, and seminars for teachers — and offers a wide variety of resources, including books, periodicals, speakers, and videotapes.
Forgotten Holocaust (Five Million Forgotten): Sponsored by the nonprofit Holocaust Forgotten Memorial, the goal of this Web site (and the organization) is "to acknowledge and memorialize the millions of non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust."
History of the Holocaust from A Personal Perspective — Lesson Plan: Created and maintained by George Cassutto, this lesson is "intended to supplement any teacher's implementation of the standard Holocaust Education curriculum. It involves the integration of basic historical research, oral history, creative writing, and analysis of primary and secondary documentation."
Holocaust Chronicle: This presentation is a companion Web site to the book, The Holocaust Chronicle, containing the complete book, on-line, at no charge. The site is an excellent, searchable reference tool for teachers and students.
Holocaust and Jewish Studies Sites: Created and maintained by Professor Dan Graf of Virginia Wesleyan College, this Web page contains an unannotated set of links to Web sites relating to the Holocaust and the field of Jewish Studies.
Holocaust Education — Southern Institute for Education and Research: The Southern Institute for Education and Research at Tulane University created and maintains this site for educators teaching about the Holocaust or desiring training on how to teach this sensitive subject.
Holocaust Educational Foundation: The Holocaust Educational Foundation is "a private, non-profit organization established in 1980 by survivors, their children, and their friends in order to preserve and promote awareness of the reality of the Holocaust."
Holocaust Remembrance Days Collaborative Project: The Holocaust Remembrance Days Project has received recognition and support from many Holocaust museums around the world. Marsha Goren describes Holocaust Remembrance Days Project herself: "I am the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. My mother, Sonia Frenkel, was one of the lucky survivors of the one of the harshest concentration camps in Poland — Majdanek — and she lived through Auschwitz as well. Before passing away in 1991, she requested that I teach the next generation about the Holocaust. It was important to her, and I decided to utilize my project, Global Dreamers, for this important mission in promoting tolerance to children around the world. I believe in the power of the Internet and have been implementing an international project for five years now. Global Dreamers prompts students at Ein Ganim, Israel — and from around the world — to join in a multicultural project that captures students' thinking in a visual way. It inspires children to take a deeper look at the world by exploring, exchanging ideas, and using research tools. It supports a positive learning environment and a shared learning experience. In addition, it aims to encourage crosscultural communication and to promote global understanding." Holocaust Remembrance Days: "We will never forget!" (Note: This Holocaust education project is appropriate for elementary and junior high school educators and students.)
Holocaust Resources — Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh: This Web site by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh provides an annotated bibliography of Holocaust education resources. The categories include dictionaries and encyclopedias, books, DVDs and videotapes, museums and memorials, and Internet resources.
Holocaust Studies Center: The Holocaust Studies Center at Bronx High School of Science was established in 1978 by founder and director Stuart S. Elenko, with the ongoing purpose of maintaining "public awareness of the important lessons of the Holocaust which continue to be . . . important today." The center has received international praise and houses a "collection of original and important Holocaust documents, diaries, photographs, letters, posters, books, uniforms, autographs, and Holocaust-related artifacts."
Holocaust Teacher Resource Center — Holocaust Education Resources for Teachers: The Holocaust Teacher Resource Center (TRC) Web site is "dedicated to the memory of the six million Jewish people slaughtered during the Holocaust and the millions other people slaughtered during the Nazi era. It strives to combat prejudice and bigotry by transforming the horrors of the Holocaust into positive lessons to help make this a better and safer world for everybody. (This site is sponsored by the Holocaust Education Foundation, Inc.) Educators (kindergarten through college) will find on this site materials that can be brought into the classroom and studied. Whenever possible entire documents are included and may be downloaded for direct use in the classroom."
Jehovah's Witnesses — Courageous in the Face of Nazi Peril: Presented by the Web version of The Watch Tower, the official publication of the Jehovah's Witnesses, this site offers information about Jehovah's Witnesses and the Holocaust; the information originally appeared in Awake! magazine in 1995.
HopeSite Home Page — Centre for Holocaust Education: "The Victoria Holocaust Remembrance and Education Society invites you to remember and learn about the Holocaust, to reflect on what it means for us today, and to rekindle hope for a better future." (This site is sponsored by the Victoria Holocaust Remembrance and Education Society.)
International Baccalaureate Holocaust Project: Created and maintained by Daniel Blackmon's contemporary history class in the International Baccalaureate program at Coral Gables Senior High School in Dade County, Florida, this site provides student research on topics such as the "Aryan" myth, Hitler's world view, the Nuremburg Laws, the SS, the "Final Solution," the ghettos, resistance, and modern persecutions.
iEARN's Holocaust/Genocide Project (Archive): The Holocaust/Genocide Project of iEARN was an international, nonprofit, telecommunications project focusing on the study of the Holocaust and other genocides; it involved schools (Grades 7-12) in several countries — including the United States, Israel, Australia, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Cambodia, Argentina, Romania, Russia, and South Africa. Although the project is no longer part of iEARN, this Web site provides and archive of its activities and continues to serve as a research tool.
Kindertransport Association: Founded by Edward Behrendt, the Kindertransport Association (KTA) is a "not-for-profit organization of child holocaust survivors who were sent, without their parents, out of Austria, Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia to Great Britain." The mission of the KTA is "to locate, reunite, and bring together those individuals who, many years ago, were directly involved in the Kindertransport, and who have since immigrated to North America; to educate and inform the 'Next Generation,' as well as the public in general, regarding the story of the Kindertransport as an important part of Holocaust History, and, to be involved with charitable work, particularly as it pertains to needy children without parents, regardless of race, creed, color or religion."
Learning about the Holocaust through Art: Available in English, Hebrew, Spanish, and Russian, this Web site provides high-quality reproductions of art works produced during the Holocaust. In addition, the site includes biographies of the artists and histories of the ghettos and camps in which they were interned. Study resources and lesson plans support the site's use in the classroom, and an interactive section enables users to choose and annotate works for their own on-line collection.
Literature of the Holocaust: Presenting materials related to the University of Pennsylvania course "Literature of the Holocaust," this site is maintained by Dr. Al Filreis, Professor of English, and contains links to other sites.
March of the Living: The March of the Living is an international one which "brings Jewish teens from all over the world to Poland on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, to retrace the infamous death march from Auschwitz to Birkenau, and then to Israel to observe Yom HaZikaron, Israel Memorial Day, and Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day. The goal of the March of the Living is for these young people to learn the lessons of the Holocaust and to lead the Jewish people into the future vowing 'Never Again'."
Massuah — The Institute for the Study of the Holocaust: Massuah, which means "beacon" emphasizes the main purpose of this organization: "to serve as a guide, to warn, to enlighten, to shed light in the darkness and ambivalence associated with the Holocaust." Massuah was established as a nonprofit organization in the 1960's at Kibbutz Tel-Itzhak. Its education credo is "dealing with the moral, political and cultural issues raised by the events of the Holocaust [because they] are still relevant to all human beings." Massuah has developed many educational programs for today's young people, students, and educators. (Note: THis Web site is in Hebrew.)
Maven — Holocaust and Antisemitism: Maven is an on-line Jewish resource with information in over 190 categories. Its page of links relating to the Holocaust and antisemitism is quite extensive.
Museum of Tolerance: The Web site of the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance (MOT) offers extensive teaching and learning resources about the Holocaust, antisemitism, and tolerance. Visitors can access the Museum of Tolerance multimedia learning center and Tools for Tolerance for Professionals, "a leading provider of transformational workplace learning and leadership development," which offers classes and resources for educators and students. In addition, the Web site provides the MOT teachers' guide (various sections of which are available in multiple languages); the teachers' guide includes the Simon Wiesenthal Center's famous 36 Questions about the Holocaust, in English, Spanish, and Swedish.
National Catholic Center for Holocaust Studies: The mission of the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education is "the broad dissemination of scholarship on the root causes of antisemitism, the relation of these causes to the Holocaust — and the implications from the Catholic perspective of both for today's world." The Center is an active member of the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations.
Remembering for the Future: Remembering for the Future is "a scholarly forum for the evaluation of the Holocaust in an age of genocides. Its aims are to assess the impact of new material and research, particularly in the post-Communist era; to reassess the Jewish-Christian dynamic in the light of the Holocaust and provide a unique opportunity for eye witnesses and scholars to work together; to disseminate new findings. It will seek to assess the legacy of the Holocaust and encourage the continued development of its study."
Remembering the Holocaust: Written by Louie Volpe for the Jewish Post of New York, this review covers technologies which "are presenting some interesting ways in which we can remember to 'not forget'. Using these tools of the times, we can explore the past, present and future of the Holocaust by way of CD-ROM, the World Wide Web and on video tape."
Remembering the Holocaust: Based in Australia, this Web page is an annotated set of links to sites about the Holocaust: "The Web is an invaluable way of keeping alive the memories of the Holocaust. On this page are but some of the many resources available on the Internet. (If you know of others please tell me.) I created this page as my simple way of remembering those who perished and of honouring those who survived."
Responses to the Holocaust — A Hypermedia Sourcebook for the Humanities: Maintained by Dr. Robert S. Leventhal of the Department of German at the University of Virginia, this archive "is intended to introduce the viewer/reader to the various discourses, disciplines, media and institutions that have produced significant critical and theoretical positions and discussions concerning the Nazi Genocide of the Jews of Europe, 1933-45. In this hypermedia sourcebook, a hypertextual research, teaching, and learning archive, the responses of disciplines, various media and institutions includes, but is not limited to, literature, philosophy, literary criticism and theory, sociology, psychoanalysis, history and historiography, religious studies, film, art and architecture, political theory, informatics and the history of technology, and popular culture or cultural studies."
Simon Wiesenthal Center: The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) "is an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust by fostering tolerance and understanding through community involvement, educational outreach and social action. The Center confronts important contemporary issues including racism, antisemitism, terrorism and genocide and is accredited as an NGO both at the United Nations and UNESCO. With a membership of over 400,000 families, the Center is headquartered in Los Angeles and maintains offices in New York, Toronto, Miami, Jerusalem, Paris and Buenos Aires. Established in 1977, the Center closely interacts on an ongoing basis with a variety of public and private agencies, meeting with elected officials, the U.S. and foreign governments, diplomats and heads of state. Other issues that the Center deals with include: the prosecution of Nazi war criminals; Holocaust and tolerance education; Middle East Affairs; and extremist groups, neo-Nazism, and hate on the Internet."
Simon Wiesenthal Center Digital Archives (Sample Holdings)
Simon Wiesenthal Center — Digital Archives: The Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance's Digital Archives provides teachers, students, and researchers with access to the photographs, documents, and artifacts of the Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance Archives. The Digital Archives includes images owned by the Library and Archives, which are available to users worldwide — to access, browse, and download at a low-resolution level. (High-resolution images may be requested.) The archives are searchable by various criteria, and users may keep personalized records of retrieved items, or purchase high-resolution copies from the Digital Archives.
Social Studies School Service — Teaching the Holocaust: This section of the Social Studies School Service Web site is an on-line catalogue of Holocaust-related teaching materials, including books, videos, DVDs, posters, and CD-ROMs. (Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the Social Studies School Service and offer this information as a service to teachers and others interested in educating young people about the Holocaust.)
Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation: "In 1994, after filming Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg established Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation with an urgent mission: to videotape and preserve the testimonies of Holocaust survivors and witnesses. Today, the Shoah Foundation has collected more than 50,000 eyewitness testimonies in 57 countries and 32 languages, and is committed to ensuring the broad and effective educational use of its archive worldwide." Via its Web site, and with products, programs and partnerships, the Shoah Foundation conducts global educational outreach.
Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust: Created and maintained by the University of South Florida, this Web site provides an "overview of the people and events of the Holocaust through photographs, documents, art, music, movies, and literature."
Teaching the Holocaust through Stamps: The Holocaust education project, Teaching the Holocaust through Stamps, is "an interdisciplinary and computerized program through the use of stamps, pictures, texts and paintings by children in the Holocaust" The site is available in English and Hebrew.
We Remember Anne Frank: Sponsored by the children's book publisher, Scholastic, this educational Web site relates the stories of Anne Frank, her childhood friend Hanneli Pick-Goslar, and Miep Gies (who helped the Franks in hiding). The site provides interviews with Pick-Goslar and Gies, a teacher's guide with lesson plans and a bibliography, and brief stories about selected Holocaust rescuers and survivors.
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research: "The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is one of the world's preeminent repositories of library and archival materials on the fate of European Jews during World War II. The Institute's collections are open to the public, and may be consulted during regular working hours." The Institute's extensive Holocaust collections are held in two separate departments, "the Library and the Archives — according to type of material: Books, periodicals, and newspapers are kept in the Library; manuscripts, organizational files, and photographs are held by the Archives."
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