Educational Guide

Educational Guide Educational Guide The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education (CHHE) is grateful to The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati for sharing our vision for this educational initiative and supporting the creation of this guide and additional educational components. We would also like to thank the Ohio Statehouse and the Ohio Jewish Communities. We are grateful for their support and partnership throughout this project. CHHE is fortunate to have the support of a group of educators who came together during their summer vacation to brainstorm and share their insight and knowledge so that we can ensure this guide is effective, useful, and informative. We dedicate this guide to these educators and the many other dedicated and passionate educators in our Ohio community. Thank you for your ongoing support of Holocaust education, be it at the local, regional, or global level. CHHE Staff Sarah L. Weiss, Executive Director Alexis Storch Morrisroe, Director of Education Cori Silbernagel, Collections Manager Kate Morris, Development Manager Trinity Ruggles, Education Coordinator Sonia Marie Leikem and Kelly Stiles Educational Guide Consultants 8401 Montgomery Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45236 P: 513-487-3055 F: 513-791-4920 [email protected] www.holocaustandhumanity.org Table of Contents Introduction 4 Preparing for a Visit to the Memorial 10 Classroom Activities for Grades Four and Five 12 - 45 Memories & Memorials 13 Exploring Ohio Identity 15 What is Democracy? 24 I Can Be the Change 37 Classroom Activities for Grades Six through Twelve 46 - 76 Sites of Memory 47 Role of Government 55 What is a Human Right? 67 Biographies of Survivors and Liberators 78 Evaluation 84 Introduction The Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial was unveiled by Governor John Kasich and architect Daniel Libeskind during a ceremony held on June 2, 2014. The ceremony was the conclusion of a three-year process that began May 4, 2011, when Governor Kasich proposed a memorial to remember Ohio Holocaust survivors and Ohio World War II veterans who liberated Nazi death camps. The Ohio Statehouse serves as a historic symbol of who we are and what we value as Ohioans. It is a place that honors the history, memory, and people of Ohio. The Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial humbly recognizes and honors Ohio citizens who survived the Holocaust and the Ohio liberators who served in the armed forces. The Memorial is a reminder to us as citizens and to those we elect that we have a responsibility to each other. In March 2012, Governor Kasich signed legislation authorizing the creation of a memorial with oversight of the project being given to the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board and the Ohio Arts Council. The mission of the Memorial states: […]to create a memorial that would help public officials and visitors to the Statehouse understand not just the history of the Holocaust, but the fact that today we must continue to stand against evil. This Memorial will remind people about man’s inhumanity to man. It is a monument to remember the victims of the Holocaust, Ohio survivors and liberators. The Memorial should inspire people to think and act differently in the face of hatred, anti-Semitism and genocide as well as motivate visitors to learn more about the topic and to serve as a springboard for other educational activities. Now is the time to remind us of the need for tolerance, acceptance, and perseverance through placement of a meaningful memorial on the Capitol grounds. Thanks to the generous support of The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education (CHHE), located in Cincinnati, is able to create and provide this guide for teachers looking to the Memorial as inspiration for teaching about the legacy of the Holocaust, the survivors who made their home in Ohio following the war, and Ohio veterans who served in WWII. How to Use this Guide This guide is designed to be used with the Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial. Teachers are encouraged to visit the Memorial; however, lessons from this guide do not require a visit to the physical location. The activities are designed to highlight particular moments, individuals, and themes inspired by the Memorial. Please note a visit to the Memorial and the activities in this guide are intended to serve as a supplement to, not a replacement for, a larger exploration of the history of the Holocaust and WWII. Making Connections The curriculum standards addressed in each activity connect with the Common Core and Ohio State Standards for grades four and above. If you would like more information on how to connect this guide with other Ohio state standards, please contact CHHE. Literary and Testimony Connections For additional extension opportunities, each lesson outline includes suggested pieces of age-appropriate literature to connect with the theme of the lesson. The video testimonies are excerpted from the USC Shoah iWitness project. Between 1994 and 1999, the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation—now the USC Shoah Foundation—interviewed nearly 52,000 survivors and other witnesses of the Holocaust. iWitness is an educational Introduction 5 website developed by the USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education that provides access to more than 1,500 full life histories, testimonies of survivors, and witnesses to the Holocaust and other genocides for guided exploration. In order to access the appropriate video segment outlined in each lesson of this guide, please use the following steps: 1. Go to the iWitness website and register at no cost. 2. Search for the testimony by the name of the eyewitness. 3. Select the clip #. 4. Once you are in the proper clip, select the time indicated in the guide by moving the cursor along the bottom of the video. Viewing Survivor and Liberator Testimony Holocaust survivor and liberator testimonies represent an important perspective while examining the history of the Holocaust. These firsthand accounts help students more deeply understand both the human and inhumane dimensions of this important event. The testimonies supplement what we learn from history books by offering unique perspectives on the difficult and, at times, impossible situations that individuals were forced to confront. Teachers can ensure that students have the historical context for the testimony by including these voices as part of a visit to the Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial or within their units on the Holocaust. While using survivor and liberator testimony presents tremendous opportunities, the difficult nature of this material can also present challenges for teachers who want to find a safe, respectful way for students to engage with this content. It is important to allow plenty of time for students to ask questions, and to reflect and discuss before, during, and after viewing the testimony of any survivor, rescuer, or liberator. Be prepared for a range of students’ responses while reading a transcript or watching a clip of a testimony. For example, if some students respond in what appears to be insensitive ways, it may be because they are struggling with how to process this information on an emotional and intellectual level. To help students process their feelings, questions, and ideas, they should be encouraged to journal or draw. Additional testimonies of liberators are available online from The Library of Congress Veterans History Project. To access these videos, go to http://www.loc.gov/vets/. Click on “Search the Veterans Collection”. From there, you can search or browse by name, category (including liberator, camp location, etc.) or branch of service. Additional Resources We encourage you to use the additional resources found on the website www.ohioholocaustmemorial.org. These resources include a set of recommended guidelines to follow while teaching the Holocaust, as well as suggestions of books and films to supplement these lessons. We also suggest students review maps and an overview of the history of the Holocaust prior to and following their visit to the Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial. Introduction 6 Learning Objectives • To enhance a visit to the Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial by providing educators with tools and resources to explore the history and lessons of the Holocaust. • To provide students the opportunity to examine their own personal sets of values and reflect on their role in our democracy. • To provide tools and resources that support educators as they seek to integrate Holocaust and genocide education into their classrooms’ curricula. • To provide background and preparation for a visit to the Memorial. Each lesson in the guide has individual goals and aligns with specific Common Core and Ohio State Learning Standards. Please refer to each lesson for those specific standards. Grades Four and Five Please note that we do not recommend the teaching of the history of the Holocaust to students below sixth grade. The lessons for younger learners in this guide are designed to encourage reflection on the themes of freedom, citizenship, and democracy, which the Memorial inspires. Although designed for students in grades four and five, these lessons may be adapted for older students. Grades Six through Twelve These lessons are designed to meet the needs of older learners with prior experience learning about the Holocaust. These specific lessons are designed to encourage reflection on the role of government, human rights, and how we remember the past can influence us today. Introduction 7 About The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education In the years following the Holocaust, hundreds of survivors built new lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. They formed the Jewish New American Society, which served to help the survivors integrate into the local Jewish community and foster community with those who had been through similar experiences. Later reorganized under the name Survivors of Nazism, the group’s primary purpose was to provide social opportunities and connections through events and special commemorations of the Holocaust.

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