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HOLOCAUST READ to REMEMBER an Educators’ Guide to Discussing the Holocaust and Using Literature to Learn from the Past

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HOLOCAUST READ to REMEMBER an Educators’ Guide to Discussing the Holocaust and Using Literature to Learn from the Past HOLOCAUST READ TO REMEMBER An Educators’ Guide to Discussing the Holocaust and Using Literature to Learn from the Past “We wore masks and spoke lines that werenotourown.Thishappenedtome, andIdon’tunderstandhowithappened atall.”—Irene Gut Opdyke,InMyHands Why Teach the Holocaust? by ROSE and MICHAEL BROCK his watershed event in history is often daunting to educators, given the com- T plexities of the issues involved with the topic, its disturbing characteristics, the difficulty of tackling historical events whose full effects have yet to be realized, and its tendency to consume large amounts of instructional time relative to its specificity. Acknowledging these challenges, teaching the Holocaust across the curriculum could not be a more relevant subject for the classroom today than at any other point in the last century. In spite of efforts by survivors, scholars, educators, civic leaders, and citizens to uphold the mandate “Never again!”, genocide continues to plague humanity. According to the activist agency Alliance Against Genocide (formerly Genocide Watch), within the lifetime of today’s graduating seniors, acts of genocide or “ethnic cleansing” have been perpetrated in Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, East Timor, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, Sudan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Iraq, South Sudan, Kyrgyzstan, and Syria. Additionally, high-profile Holocaust denials have not abated, and extremist movements whose rhetoric blatantly espouses aggression toward groups targeted for their race, ethnicity, gender, heritage, or culture are gaining a following. The passage of time exacerbates this problem. The generation who lived through the catastrophe of World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust—those who can bear most vivid witness—are passing from us. With them fade the scars of memory, but we who follow have not learned the lessons they taught. As educators, we must close that gap. A truism in times of war is that those in affected societies who are least involved in perpetrating the conflict are also the most vulnerable to suffer its horrors. Historically, the “most vulnerable” in wartime have been women and children, and as a collection, these novels certainly speak to that point. However, they also present young characters who show all readers that the most vulnerable need not suffer idly. They provide voices for those like them who during the Holocaust also were not idle. One of those voices is authentic. The heroine of In My Hands, Irene Gut Opdyke, is the historical touchstone for characters like Liesel Meminger (The Book Thief), Misha Pilsudski (Milkweed), Kalinka (The Winter Horses), Bruno and Schmuel (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas), and Anna Łania (The Swallow Man). Now readers in lower grades may hear those voices as well. A new perspective celebrates the optimism and spirit of a young Anne Frank in verse and pictures (The Tree in the Courtyard), and a battered suitcase from a world away in both distance and time inspires children to see some of themselves in the troubled times of Hana Brady (Hana’s Suitcase). Each of these young people, real and fictional, in ways great and small, makes some effort to cast aside their vulnerability and act for humanity in the midst of barbarity. The Holocaust provides striking examples of human resiliency in the face of the greatest adversity, particularly on the part of those who seem least likely to summon it. In a larger sense, teaching the Holocaust also provides students with unique opportunities to learn about themselves and about the people they want to become. Examples from this catastrophe bear out the very worst human qualities, and the very best. Using the books suggested here as teaching resources provides remarkable opportunities for this level 2 read to remember of learning. By inviting students to sharpen their focus on personal perspectives—real or fictitious—they are able to get a sense of what it is like to be an individual in the midst of landmark events, and the role each person can play in their unfolding. Students taking up these texts face developmental challenges and are learning life skills for which the Holocaust is a particularly suitable subject. Young children, tweens, teens, and young adults are primed to investigate themes such as identity and intolerance, family and friendship, innocence and loss, fear and courage, anger and forgiveness, and anxiety and hope. We as teachers should be emboldened by these rich concepts to develop lessons for this daunting historical subject. Utilizing these works of fiction can provide powerful insight into the spirit of the human qualities that were most essential in surviving the horrors that serve as their setting, so long as the instructor dutifully distinguishes between the literary liberties taken by their authors and the realities of the documented history. Succeeding in this important task bolsters the authenticity of work by paying due respect to the actual events of the Holocaust while maintaining the literary relevance of the work for the student and for our curricula. Ultimately, interpersonal relationships have a far greater influence on the results of our development as individuals than larger institutional events. While the events around us often compel us to make choices, it is typically the impact that our decisions will have on ourselves and on those important to us that ultimately guides that process. The Holocaust is unique as a topic of study in that we have no choice but to be awed by the ability it has to illustrate how our value as individuals has more to do with how we treat those around us than with the times in which we live. Teachers seeking an approach to introducing this complicated subject would be well served to start with the strength of character in individuals attempting to overcome adversity, and the power of their relationships with others to embolden them to succeed, even in the face of an attempt to destroy them. Even students who are most skeptical about the ability of ordinary people to make a difference can acknowledge the resolve we all have to act on behalf of friends and family. To be sure, the Holocaust is a daunting topic for instruction. However, if we effectively utilize the resources now available, we can provide students with an unparalleled learning experience. Few other subjects offer young people the chance to develop respect for the vital importance of preserving dignity and human rights as well as an appreciation of history and a love for quality literature. BOOK STUDY FOR YOUNGER GRADES FOR OLDER GRADES THE TREE IN THE COURTYARD: ANNA AND THE SWALLOW MAN by Gavriel Savit Looking Through Anne Frank’s Window THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak by Jeff Gottesfeld, illustrated by Peter McCarty THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS by John Boyne HANA’S SUITCASE: The Quest to Solve a Holocaust Mystery by Karen Levine MILKWEED by Jerry Spinelli THE WINTER HORSES by Philip Kerr IN MY HANDS: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke with Jennifer Armstrong read to remember 3 the tree in the courtyard: looking through anne frank’s window Jeff Gottesfeld Illustrated by Peter McCarty New! Grades K–3 HC: 978-0-385-75397-5 GLB: 978-0-385-75398-2 EL: 978-0-385-75399-9 ABOUT THE BOOK he tragic and poignant story of Anne Frank has been the subject of books, plays, and films and has been translated into many different languages, but it has never been told as uniquely as in The Tree in the Courtyard: TLooking Through Anne Frank’s Window. In this sad but lovely telling, readers learn Anne Frank’s story through the “eyes” and “voice” of the horse chestnut tree that stood silent watch over her during her two-year confinement. Through powerful, moving brown-ink images, readers are introduced to the quiet strength and resilience of a young girl who found beauty and hope under the direst of circumstances, and whose legacy continues to inspire people the world over. PRE-READING Share the cover and determine how many students know the story of Anne Frank. Explain that they are about to hear her story from a unique perspective: that of the horse chestnut tree that stood in the courtyard of the Amsterdam factory annex where Anne Frank hid for two years. Explain to students that Anne Frank spent much of her time in hiding writing in her diary. Ask students to close their eyes. Read the excerpt from the beginning of the book in which Anne Frank describes the tree. Read the excerpt several more times so that students can internalize the language. Pass out drawing paper, pencils, and crayons. Have students draw a picture of the tree as described by Anne Frank. 4 read to remember QUESTIONS FOR GROUP DISCUSSION The author uses the pronoun she in Why do you think the girl reacted describing the horse chestnut tree. so strongly to the sight of the 1. 8. Why do you think the author made tree? What do you think the tree this decision, as opposed to using represented, or symbolized, for the pronoun it? the girl? Study the illustration of the court- Why are trees in springtime yard before the war. Use descriptive considered to be symbols of hope 2. 9. words to talk about how the area and rebirth? looks and feels. Compare this Discuss what the “men in gray image with the illustration showing uniforms” are doing when they 10. “strangers invading the city.” enter the factory annex. Why does What does it mean to be “lively”? the author use the word “herded” How does the illustration of “the to describe how they treated the 3. younger daughter” in the beginning girl and her family? of the story capture her energy and What is a “vigil”? How do the tree spirit? and the helper both express hope 11.
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