Description
This lesson includes personal accounts of the Holocaust from Jewish survivors and an American soldier who witnessed the aftermath of a concentration camp. It provides first-hand descriptions of conditions in Jewish ghettos, concentration camps and the liberation of these camps. Students should have a basic understanding of the events taking place during World War II and the Holocaust prior to this lesson. This lesson includes accounts and descriptions of the events occurring during the Holocaust that might be disturbing to students.
Procedures
WARM-UP:
Have the students answer the following question prior to beginning class.
- Describe the events leading up to the Holocaust and World War II.
INTRODUCTION:
Review the events leading up to World War II and the Holocaust with the class before having them view the oral histories. An overview of these topics can be found in our World War II Lesson Plan and the Holocaust Lesson Plan.
Clear up any misconceptions and address the sensitive nature of the video content.
EXPLORATION:
Using the Oral Histories of the Holocaust handout (Google Doc), have the students explain the events that were described in each clip. Also have them explain how these events impacted speaker.
Video Clip: Emanuel Mandel on His Experiences during the Holocaust (4:07)
Video Clip: Morris Glass on his Experiences at the Lodz Ghetto (4:44)
Video Clip: Henry Greenbaum on his Experiences in a Jewish Ghetto (4:38)
Video Clip: Auschwitz Concentration Camp (3:12)
Video Clip: Lilli Silbiger's Account of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp (5:17)
Video Clip: Henry Greenbaum on his Experience of Liberation during the Holocaust(2:05)
Video Clip: World War II Veteran, Harry Miller and Combat Experiences (3:16)
Video Clip: Holocaust Survivor Lilli Silbiger on the Legacy of the Holocaust (2:54)
APPLICATION:
Review the events and perspectives that the students recorded on the handout. Have the students discuss or write a response to the following prompt.
- Both Morris Glass and Lilli Silbiger discussed how the Germans planned the Holocaust systematically. What is meant by this? How is this systematic planning by the Nazis evident in the survivors' and witnesses' oral histories?
CONCLUSION:
As an exit slip, have the students answer the following question before leaving the class.
- Based on the oral histories from the speakers in the clips, explain the treatment and conditions of victims of the Holocaust.
Additional Resources
Vocabulary
- Auschwitz
- Census
- Concentration Camp
- Crematorium
- Dachau
- Genocide
- Ghetto
- Holocaust
- Jews
- Liberate
- Munitions
- Nazis
- Pogrom
- Systematically
- World War Ii