perspectives in Education and Deafness

Daunting Task, Horrific Facts

A Holocaust Unit for Deaf Students

As awareness of the Holocaust has grown, so has its importance as a historical event worthy of scrutiny. Consequently, Holocaust education is spreading across the United States. At least 12 states recommend some kind of Holocaust instruction, and five states mandate it (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 1996). Because the facts are horrific, teachers face a daunting task.

Teachers may introduce the subject as early as the elementary grades. At this time, it is not necessary to reveal the extent of the atrocities or discuss moral issues. Discussions regarding prejudices, perhaps based on something from a picture book, or stories from the Holocaust era, establish a foundation which can be built upon each year.

A classroom display of Holocaust reading material intrigues students. Photos courtesy of Sherry Humphries.

Teaching about the Holocaust has become most common in junior and senior high school. In junior high, students are able to think in abstract terms and consider various points of view. They are also interested in topics such as peer pressure and morality. As students mature, their questions and curiosity become more complex. Most students demonstrate a high level of interest in studying the Holocaust precisely because the subject raises questions of fairness, justice, individual identity, peer pressure, conformity, indifference, and obedience (Teaching about the Holocaust, 1998).

Begin with the Whole

Use an attention-grabbing opening activity that reflects the totality of the issue-not just one of its particulars. Note that the word "holocaust" describes horrific events, but Holocaust refers to events in Europe from 1933-1945. Preview everything-photos, videos, and stories-before sharing them with students. Use graphic material only when the objective of the lesson requires it. Be aware that some students will be appalled, some will be discouraged and not interested in learning more, and some will show morbid fascination.

Emphasize People

Introduce the information through people, not numbers. Help students realize that the victims, perpetrators, rescuers, and bystanders were everyday people. Expose students to the conditions of life before the Holocaust. Learning about the cultural achievements of 2,000 years of European Jewish life enables students to balance their perception of Jews and not see them exclusively as victims (Culbertson, 1997). Portray victims and criminals as human beings, capable of moral judgement and independent decision-making (Teaching about the Holocaust, 1998). It is important to remember all victims-including Communists, homosexuals, Gypsies, disabled, and Deaf-not Jewish people only.

	Students learn from each other as they discuss a booklet.

Discuss the dilemmas of everyday life during the Holocaust. What decisions did individuals and families face? What did people do for entertainment? How were children educated? Try to avoid stereotypical descriptions. Balance tales of the atrocities with those that illustrate the victims' strong will to live as normally as possible.

Explore Literature

Literature helps students develop a sense of empathy. There is a variety of material at various reading levels. Choose non-fiction material. Diaries, memoirs, and firsthand accounts are best. Try to find personal accounts that begin before the Holocaust. This gives readers a greater perspective as they compare the writer's life before and during the Holocaust. Diaries, written during the event while the writer asks questions without knowing their resolution, and memoirs, written after the event while the writer reflects and remembers events that unfolded, enable students to realize that every experience was unique.

Survivor Testimony

Personally presented survivor testimony can be powerful and poignant. Be familiar with it prior to asking the surviving individual to share it with the class. Have a list of questions prepared that are specific to the individual's story. Consider the vocabulary and concepts that will be involved, and introduced these to your students in advance.

Student reads Hiding from the Nazis, a popular book for young readers.

While the survivor is speaking, maintain a position close by to demonstrate your function as an intermediary. Make sure a glass of water is provided. If the survivor has difficulty with his or her narrative, try to redirect attention. Allow students to ask only questions that have been prepared in advance. Giving testimony is difficult and it would not be fair to a survivor to be caught with an inconsiderate question.

Debrief the students the next day. This will help students absorb information and understand their reactions to it. Make sure the students send a thank you letter to the survivor.

Conclude with the Positive

There is a wide range of reading material available on the Holocaust.

Toward the end of the unit, discuss the lives of the survivors after the Holocaust, focusing on how they attempted to live normally. Discuss what historians call "positive revenge," the triumph of continuing to live even after so much suffering.

Make sure that students consider how silence can perpetuate horrific crimes. As students examine the acts of others, they should be encouraged to speculate what they might have done in the same situation. Such discussions will help students come away with a greater sense of self and responsibility to others.

The Why of the Teaching

To learn about the Holocaust is to reflect on human corruptibility, but it is also to learn about human resistance to evil and the struggle to maintain dignity, courage, and hope in its midst. Holocaust teaching can help students to understand events in the world today and reflect on the vulnerability of our nation's democratic society. If the Holocaust happened once, it can happen again (Stein & Stein, 1991). Deaf and hard of hearing students need to be educated along with their peers to thwart that possibility. In this unit students not only learn about the past, but are empowered to reduce the threat of genocide in the future.

Teaching the Holocaust Chronology for Those with Limited Time Developed by E. Culbertson
One week Anti-semitism Life before the war What happened to people during the war Spiritual resistance U.S. attitudes	Two weeks (add) War chronology Nazi propaganda Ethics of genocide	More Time (add) Liberation of camps Europe aftermath Impact on second and third generations

References

Culbertson, E. (1997). "Using Survivor Testimony in Your Classroom." Lecture: Yad Vashem, Israel.

Meinbach, A. & Kassenoff, M. (1994). Memories in the Night: A Study of the Holocaust. Torrance, Canada: Frank Schaffer.

Shawn, K. & Culbertson, E. (1997). "Issues in Teaching the Holocaust." Lecture: Yad Vashem, Israel.

Stein, L. & Stein, J. (1991). The Holocaust: A Turning Point in Our Time. Stokie, IL: The Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois.

Teaching About the Holocaust. (1998). Washington, DC: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.