Lesson 1: Introduction
The Holocaust refers to the systematic extermination of six million European Jews between 1938 and 1945. Additionally, the Nazis and their collaborators put five million other “undesirables” to death. This event has become the standard by which all genocide is measured. There had been brutal massacres and mistreatments of people previous to this period. There have been episodes of genocide since 1945. The Holocaust is, however, the first time in which people find themselves confronted with records, written and filmed, and witnesses proclaiming in court the crimes perpetrated upon them. The Holocaust speaks of almost all cultural, political and societal ills, and the failure of others to speak for those being persecuted.
The Holocaust emerged as an occasional topic of secondary education curricula in the United States during the 1970s. Public interest continued to increase, particularly with the 1978 National Broadcasting Company’s presentation, Holocaust. Soon after, Holocaust centers were established in Philadelphia, New York, and St. Louis. Today approximately ninety such centers exist. Even with this stress on Holocaust education one of five Americans don't know or aren't sure Jews were killed in the Holocaust – or that it happened in World War II.
This course is designed to educate you in the origins of the Holocaust, up to the implementation of the Final Solution. Some of the material will be difficult to read and see. There may be questions that will challenge your ideas and beliefs. There may be topics that will make you angry. Part of the intellectual journey is to ask the uncomfortable questions. We will make the journey together, striving to answer the questions of, “Why?” and, “What can we do?”
Prior to the next lesson read the Prologue to Holocaust Chronicle, and answer the following questions.
On a scale of 1 to 5, (1 being low, and 5 being high), rate:
1. Your own knowledge of the events leading up to the Holocaust. _____
2. Your own knowledge of the events of the Holocaust. _____
3. The amount you were taught about the Holocaust in school. _____
4. The amount you were taught about the Holocaust at home. _____
5. Familiarity with the claims of Holocaust revisionists/deniers. _____
Please answer yes or no to the following questions:
6. I have seen movies or footage other than Schindler's List regarding the Holocaust. _____
7. I have taken one or more classes specifically focusing on the Holocaust. _____
8. I believe the Holocaust happened. _____
9. I have some doubts about the accuracy of how the Holocaust has been represented by those who believe it happened. ______
Language of Pre-War Jewish Life
Prior to the Holocaust the Jewish population of European lived in diverse communities, with varied cultures. These persons were reduced to one image within the Nazi propaganda machine. In order to understand the perverse nature of this propaganda we must recognize its origins. As you read on page 46 of Holocaust Chronicle, the late 1800s brought a slick retelling of many of the myths from the Middle Ages. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion offered a justification for the persecution of the Jews. Let us not forget that these individuals, families, brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers were reinvented into monsters, enemies of the Third Reich. In order to be better prepared for our readings and discussions take time to study the following glossary of terms. These directly relate to Judaism and pre-war Jewish life. There will be a quiz on these terms.
- Judaism: The Jewish faith, the first to be centered on a belief in one just God.
- Torah: The Law of Moses which is the most holy of the religious writings of the Jewish faith; the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures.
- Synagogue: Jewish place of worship.
- Passover: Jewish festival in remembrance of when the Jews were led by Moses out of slavery in ancient Egypt.
- Shabbat: The Jewish Sabbath or day of rest, which is welcomed into the home on Friday evening and ends at sunset on Saturday.
- Rabbi: Jewish religious leader and teacher.
- Kosher: Food that observant Jews are permitted to eat.
- Shtetl: The name given to a town or village in Eastern Europe where the population was almost entirely Jewish.
- Yiddish: The primary language of millions of Jews living in Eastern Europe.
- Hebrew: The ancient language of the Torah and of prayer and the language that many Zionists hoped to revive establishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
- Orthodox Jews: Very traditional Jews, mainly found in the shtetls of Eastern Europe.
- Assimilated Jews: Jews who did not live separately from the non-Jewish community but had adopted the language, dress, and customs of the non-Jewish society in which they lived.
- Bund: A Jewish movement in Poland dedicated to bettering the conditions of the Jewish working class and celebrating a Yiddish culture.
- Zionism: A Jewish movement dedicated to establishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
- Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement, a day of fasting, spent in the synagogue.
- Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year, the anniversary of the Creation.
- Hagana: An underground military group founded in 1920 by the Palestine Jewish settlement to fend off Arab attacks.
- Cabbala: A mystical doctrine of interpreting Scripture through numerology, the meaning of letters of the alphabet, and words used by rabbis.
