The March of the Living

1. The March of the Living Keith Adolph

2. Guiding Question • “So it never happens again” is not an acceptable answer. Why do we study/teach about the Shoah/Holocaust?

3. Terminology Holocaust: A burnt offering/sacrifice consumed by fire vs. Shoah: calamity (Hebrew)

4. My Entry Point to Shoah Studies Name Heritage Interest – consumer of history

5. The Goals of the MoL 1. To remember those who perished and to be a witness, thus denying Hitler a “posthumous victory.” 2. To pay tribute to the courage of those who survived the Holocaust – who rebuilt their lives despite the haunting memories of the past – to be the bearers of their memories, the witnesses for the witnesses. 3. To recognize and learn from the altruistic actions of the “righteous among the nations”, who teach us to never be a bystander in the face of oppression. 5. To never again allow for the unchecked rise of the menace of antisemitism. 7. To inspire participants to commit to building a world free of oppression and intolerance, a world of freedom, democracy and justice, for all members of the human family. 11. TikkunOlam – To remind the students of the Jewish peoples’ responsibility to be a light unto the nations, by reaching to people of other faiths and cultures, and by mending our too often shattered world, through providing our help and assistance to those most in need. 12. The final goal is not so much to learn from or about history – but to enter into history. By visiting Eastern Europe, young Jewish students are taking part in a commemorative act, which demonstrates to the world that the death of six million of our people has been marked and will never be forgotten by the Jewish people.

6. Before the Shoah A rich and thriving Jewish culture in most European cities Poland had one of the most flourishing Jewish communities in Europe Between 1933-1939, many German Jews emigrated to Poland By 1939, over 3.5 million Jews lived in Poland Presently Jewish population in Poland is estimated to be less than 9000

7. The Warsaw Ghetto By 1940, Nazi’s had sealed Jews behind a brick wall – removing them from the city The ‘ghetto’ was 4 km long x 1.6 km wide Housed 450 000 thousand (8 + to a room) Disease, malnutrition, and death rampant Food allotment – 183 calories per person/day

8. http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/remembrance/multimedia.asp#!prettyPhoto/124/http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/remembrance/multimedia.asp#!prettyPhoto/124/

9. http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/remembrance/multimedia.asp#!prettyPhoto/116/http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/remembrance/multimedia.asp#!prettyPhoto/116/

10. So... Why do we study/teach about the Shoah/Holocaust?

11. Reconsider... • The Diary of Anne Frank • The Memory Project at USHMM • Ties between Bullying and the Shoah

12. Lessons for Teaching about the Shoah 6 million people vs. 6 million persons Try to highlight Jewish life and culture in Europe prior to the Shoah The Jewish Resistance We cannot compare tragedies Be on the look-out for biases To be a witness to history/To remember

13. Resources • The Azrieli Foundation • http://www.azrielifoundation.org/ • Collecting survivor tales and offering free texts to teachers • The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum • http://www.ushmm.org/ • Considered one of the best resource on the subject

14. YadVashem • http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/museum/index.asp?WT.mc_id=ggcamp&WT.srch=1 • The “official” Shoah Museum in Jerusalem • iWitness • http://sfi.usc.edu/education/iwitness/ • The Shoah Foundation brings hundreds of survivors into your classroom through video taped testimonies. • Voice Vision • http://holocaust.umd.umich.edu/ • Online archive of Survivors’ oral histories

15. Questions • Can I also be a part of the March of the Living Educator`s program? • Hopefully – a 2013 program is in the works http://holocaustcentre.com/Educators-Students/Educator-Study-Tour