Meeting a Moral Imperative: A Rationale for Teaching the Holocaust by demandside

MeetingaMoralImperative:A RationaleforTeachingthe Holocaust

DAVIDH.LINDQUIST

Abstract: AprimaryrationaleforstudyingtheHolocaust(Shoah)involvestheopportunitytoconsiderthe moralimplicationsthatcanbedrawnfromexaminingtheevent.StudyingtheShoahforcesstudentsto considerwhatitmeanstobehumanandhumane byexaminingthefullcontinuumofindividualbehavior,from ultimateevil to ultimategood.Thisarticlediscussesseveralimplicationsinvolvedinstudyingthe event,whileproposingthatamoralimperativeexistsfor thepresenceofHolocausteducationincontemporary classrooms.

Keywords: Holocausteducation,Holocaustrationales,Holocaustimpactonsociety,Holocaust curriculum

DearTeacher:

Iamasurvivorofaconcentrationcamp.Myeyessaw whatnomanshouldwitness.Gaschambersbuiltby learnedengineers.Childrenpoisonedbyeducatedphysicians.Infantskilledbytrainednurses.Womenandbabiesshotandburnedbyhighschoolandcollegegraduates.So,Iamsuspiciousofeducation.

Myrequestis:Helpyourstudentsbecomemorehuman. Youreffortsmustneverproducelearnedmonsters, skilledpsychopaths,educatedEichmanns.Reading,writing,andarithmeticareimportantonlyiftheyserveto makeourchildrenmorehumane.(quotedinGinott 1972,317)

Indeﬁningthemotivationonwhichhiseducational philosophywasbased,anewlyappointedprincipal gavethislettertohisteachersonthedayheassumed hisdutiesataprivatehighschool.ThelettercanbeextendedtointroducetheideathatexaminingtheHolo-

caustprovidesuniqueopportunitiestostudycomplex moralandethicalproblemsthatplayafundamentalrole inunderstandingtheworldinwhichwelive.Therefore, planningaHolocaustunitmustinvolveasophisticated understandingofthecomplexitiesinvolvedinteaching abouttheevent,nottheleastofwhichisanexaminationofthemoralandethicalrealitiesthatareconfronted whenstudyingtheShoah.1

ApproachingtheStudyoftheHolocaust

TheimportanceofstudyingtheShoahcannotbeoverstated.SurvivorandNobelPrizelaureateElieWiesel holdsthat“Auschwitz[usedasametaphorfortheHolocaustingeneral]isawatershedevent,abeforeandanafter;afterAuschwitz,nothingcaneverbethesameagain” (Ward1993).Totten,Feinberg,andFernekes(2001) proposethatignoringtheHolocaustdistortshistory, leavingcriticalgapsinexperienceandknowledgethat affecthowpeopleviewtheworldinwhichtheylive. ThisviewalignswithEisner’s(1979,83)nulltheoryof education,whichstatesthat“ignoranceisnotsimply avoid,ithasimportanteffectsonthekindsofoptions oneisabletoconsider.”Thus,theShoahmustbetaught because,asBerenbaumsays:

TheHolocausthasbecomethenegativeabsolutein Americansociety.Inaworldofrelativism,wedon’tknow what’sbad,andwedon’tknowwhat’sgood,buttheone thingwecanagreeuponisthatthisisabsoluteevil,and ithasbecomethestandardbywhichwejudgeeviland, therefore,thestandardbywhichwebegintoestablish values.(interviewedinAnker2004)

OnecompellingaspectinvolvedinstudyingtheHolocaustistheopportunitythatconsideringtheeventprovidesforexaminingeverypossibilityofhumanbehavior,spanningacontinuumrangingfrom ultimateevil

DavidH.Lindquist,PhD,isanassociateprofessorandcoordinatorofthe

undergraduatesecondaryeducationprogramintheSchoolofEducationatIndiana

University–PurdueUniversity,FortWayne,IN.

to ultimategood.Asaresult,confrontingtheHolocaust forcesstudentstoaddressseminalquestionsthatdeal withtheessenceofwhatitmeanstobeahumanbeing,apointWieselponderswhenhediscusses“perfectvictims perfectkillers,andthebystanders”(Ward 1993).TheHolocaust,therefore,ismorethanatypical historicaleventthatcanbestudiedintermsoftime, place,activity,andresult.Itisavehiclebywhichthecentralessenceofthehumanconditioncanbeexamined.

Theimportanceofaskingfundamentalquestions aboutthenatureofhumanitycanbejuxtaposedagainst thecontemporarytendencytorefrainfromtakingsubstantivepositionsonethicalmattersintheguiseofbeing fair-mindedandnonjudgmental.Inthiscontext,Simon (1997,48)discussesproblemsheencountersinmovingcollegestudentspast“absolutophobia.”Similarly, Friedlander(1988)describesthereluctanceofscholars inthethenFederalRepublicofGermanytocometo termswithGermany’sNazipast.WithreferencetoassigningaccountabilityforWorldWarIIingeneraland fortheHolocaustinparticular,henotesthatWestGermanhistoriansrelativizedGermany’sresponsibilityfor theNazierabyproposingaglobalculpabilityforboth thewarandtheShoah.CommentingonFriedlander’s perspective,Ozick(1988,280)holdsthat,“hegaveus anaccountofintellectualnihilism;hetoldusthestory ofthenegationofallmoralvaluation.Moral,immoral, amoral—allwipedaway.”

Beyondgaininghistoricalknowledge,whatistobe gainedfromimmersingoneselfinasubjectthatisat bothintellectuallyinterestingandemotionallyandpsychologicallychallenging?Perhapsitistherealization thateducationinvolvesacalltoactionbecause“Educationwithoutcourageisuseless...Thecourseof humanhistoryisdeterminedbywhatpeoplebelieve, bythevaluestheyhold,andmostofallbywhetheror nottheywillactuponthem”(Regnery1996,24,26). StudyingtheHolocaustthusprovidesalensthrough whichstudentscanexaminetheirvalues,givingthem anopportunitytoaskthemselveswhattheywoulddo inamomentofmoralcrisis.

Acknowledgingthatusingtheword better ishighly subjective,canstudyingtheHolocaustmakestudents betterpeople?Whilethereisnodeﬁnitiveanswerto thatquestion,confrontingtheShoahdoesprovidean opportunityforstudentstoengageinintrospective,nuancedthinkingthatmayleadtothedevelopmentof conceptsaboutpersonalbehaviorandresponsibility thataredesignedtohelpratherthanharmone’sfellowhumanbeings.Indiscussingtherelevanceofthe studyofNazismtothemodernworld,Meltzer(1976, xvi)addressesthisconceptwhenhewrites“weneedto expandourknowledgeofhumannaturetounderstand whypeoplewereinfectedbyNazism...Thequestion hastodowithgoodandevil,withourinnerbeing,with ourpowertomakemoralchoices.”

Caremustbetaken,however,thatestablishingthis perspectivedoesnotresultinarelianceonprescriptiveclich´esthatoftenappearinHolocausteducation (Totten2001).Usingsuchphrasesas“neveragain!”and “thosewhodonotrememberthemistakesofthepast aredoomedtorepeatthem”trivializesboththestudyof theShoahandthememoryofthevictimsandsurvivors, resultingin“aritualizedreminderofexpectationsand aspirationsnowtacitlyabandoned”bycontemporary governmentsandsocieties(Novick1999,257).

Haas(2001,105)proposesthatapracticalvaluecan befoundinstudyingtheHolocaust,holdingthat“I cametotheconclusion,inbrief,thatoneofthemost disturbingimplicationsoftheHolocaustformoraltheoryisthatwecannolongerassumethatthereisauniversalmoraltruthtowhichallnormalpeoplewillnaturallyrespond.”Asaresult,theHolocaustprovidesa platformonwhichcontemporaryWesternthoughtcan addressculturalmindsetsthatarenotfoundedonthe humanisticworldviewthatiscentraltothatthought. Thisconcurswiththeopinionthat“thestudent’suniverseofgoodandevilmaybepermanentlyalteredby theimpactofthecourse[ontheHolocaust]...andhis personalquestfortruthandmeaningmaybeshapedby it”(Hirschﬁeld1981,26).Studentsthushavetheopportunitytoevaluatethemselvesandtheirworldopenly, honestly,andwithoutforegoneassumptionswhenthey studytheHolocaust.

GoalsofHolocaustEducation

Beyondsuchphilosophicalgeneralities,precisegoals tobeachievedinHolocausteducationmustbeidentified.Rossel(1992)notesfoursuchgoalsthatfocus ontheideaofmoralimplication.First,itisimportant thatstudentsstudytheHolocaustsothattheyrealize thattheNazis’attempttoannihilateEuropeanJewry wasanofficialstatepolicy.Indoingso,studentsconfrontthequestionofwhatactionshouldbetakenwhen agovernment’spoliciesviolatemorallyvalidatedrationales,perceptions,andprinciples.Second,thetollin humanlifethatwastheShoah’scentralrealitygivesa unique,lastingsignificancetostudyingtheHolocaust asstudentswrestlewiththeconceptofhumanity’spotentialforinhumanity,anultimatestatementofmoral culpability.

Third,studyingtheHolocaustprovidesstudentswith anopportunitytoconsiderhowtheinterrelationship ofpsychologyandsociology,whichcoalescedintothe pseudoscientiﬁcracismthatresultedintheHolocaust, wasenhancedbycharacteristicsfoundintechnologicallyadvancedsocieties.Rossel(1992,vii)thuscontendsthat“acontinuingstudyoftheworstpossible scenariooftheiruse[technologicaladvances]cannot helpbutclaimourattention.”Therefore,studentswho studytheShoahmustconsidertheimplicationsofliving inmodernmasssocietieswhosestructureandfunction

arebasedonamoral tableaurosa.Fourth,thehumanelementisatthecoreofstudyingtheHolocaust.Farmore thanexaminingnumbersthatarebeyondthehuman capacitytocomprehend,Rossel(1992,vii)saysthat Holocausteducationmustfocusontheconceptthat “theHolocaustwasnotastatisticalevent.Itinvolved humanbeings...StudentsoftheHolocaustmustinevitablyaskofthemselveswhethertheytooarelivinga dreamoflibertysubjecttoaforcefulshattering.”This, too,isadilemmathatmustbeconsidered.

RationalesforHolocaustEducation

BerenbaumproposesacorollaryrationaleforstudyingtheHolocaust.HesaysthatHolocausteducation raisesissuesthatarecriticallyimportanttocontemporaryAmericansociety,leadingtoclassroomdiscourse thatmightnotoccurotherwise(Curtis2000).

Asaresult,studyingtheShoahbecomesavehicle thatallowsstudentstoengageinsophisticatedconversationsthatstretchtheirunderstandingoftheworldand theirabilitytoevaluatethemanycomplex,multilayered moralsituationstheywillencounterasadults.

Adamsandcolleagues(1985)believethatthemost importantrationaleforHolocausteducationisthatunderstandingtheeventhelpspreparestudentstoliveina fragmentedworldthatlacksconcernforothers.StudyingtheHolocaustallowsstudentsto“explainthatthey havethechoiceofacceptingorrejectingevil;recognize thatthesufferingofanotherhumanbeingmaylater resultintheirownsuffering;andappreciatethespecialnessofeachpersonlivingonearth”(312).Assuch, personalizingtheeventshouldbeakeyaspectofHolocausteducation,actinginoppositiontotheamorality presentinmodern,depersonalizedmasssocieties.

IndiscussingrationalesforteachingtheShoah,the UnitedStatesHolocaustMemorialMuseum(2001)emphasizeshowstudyingtheeventcanleadstudentsto considercriticalmoralissues,humanbehavior,andthe dynamicsofbeingacitizeninademocraticsociety.Studentsthusgrasptheneedtoconfrontthemoralimplicationsthatareimplicitinstudyingtheeventbecause:

Moststudentsdemonstrateahighlevelofinterest instudyingtheHolocaustpreciselybecausethesubjectraisesquestionsoffairness,justice,individual identity,peerpressure,conformity,indifference,and obedience—issuesthatadolescentsconfrontintheirdaily lives.Studentsarealsostruckbythemagnitudeofthe Holocaustandbythefactthatsomanypeopleactingas collaborators,perpetrators,andbystandersallowedthis genocidetooccurbyfailingtoprotestorresist.(1)

ImplicationsforSecondarySchoolTeachers andTeacherEducators

ThemoralimperativetoteachtheHolocaustdiscussedinthisarticlecannotbeacceptedcasuallyby secondaryschoolteachers,norshouldteachereducators urgethepreserviceteacherswithwhomtheyworktoen-

tertheworldofHolocausteducationwithoutcarefully consideringtheimplicationsinvolvedinthedecision todoso.TeacherswhoincorporateextensiveHolocaust studyintheircurriculamustrealizethatthetopicrequiresthemtoconsiderdifﬁcultquestionsbecausethe Shoah,perhapsmorethananyothersubject,canengenderstrongreactionsinstudents,someofwhommay beovercomebythetopic’sintensity.Withmosttopics, thechoiceofspeciﬁcinformationtobetaughtandthe strategiesusedinthatteachingarejudgedintermsof howeffectivelysubject-mattercontentislearnedcognitively.InHolocausteducation,however,cognitiveaspectsoftheteaching/learningsituationarematchedand oftensupersededbyaffective,andpossiblyintrusive, elements.Throughunderstandingthepresenceofthis factorinHolocausteducationandacknowledgingthe needtomakeallcontentandmethodologicaldecisions basedonthatfactor,teacherscommitthemselvestoa speciallevelofdecisionmakinginplanningandimplementingHolocaustcurricula.

ManyHolocausteducatorsseetheShoahasa(perhaps the)criticalelementthatdeﬁnestheiroverallapproachtoteaching.Inthisregard,itshouldbenoted thatmanyteachersbecomeimmersedinthetopicprofessionallyandpersonally.Assuch,teacherswhoconsiderdevotingconsiderabletimeandenergytothetopic mustbewillingtoacceptthepotentialrisksthatareinherentinteachingthesubject.Inthisregard,poetess andHolocaustsurvivorSoniaSchreiberWeitz(1994) asksteacherstojoinherin:

TheGiantLeap

Comeandtakethisgiantleapwithme

Intotheotherworld,theotherplace andtracetheeclipseofhumanity, Wherechildrenburnedwhilemankindstoodby, andtheuniversehasyettolearnwhy, hasyettolearnwhy.

Educatorsmustaccept,therefore,themoralimperativeimplicitinteachingtheHolocaustiftheyareto presentthetopiceffectivelyandappropriately.Thatimperativeinvolvesgreatchallengesandequallygreatrewardsforteacherswhosestudentsmatureintellectually, cognitively,andethicallyastheystudythetopic.Thus, Sydnor(1987,A52),whenasked,“‘Howcanyoubear toteachtheHolocaust?’,gaveashisresponse‘Howcan wenot?’“

Summary

TheHolocaustisafascinating,compellingtopicin whichtoimmerseone’sintellectualenergiesbecauseit forcesstudentstodebatethedilemmastheyfaceintheir

dailylives,andwillcontinuetofaceinexpandingcontextsastheybecomeadults.Asoneobservernotes,“the Holocaustistheparamountquestionfacinghumanity today.Itgrabsyoubythelapelsofhistoryandasks ‘Why?’”(Bieber1993).Thisis,afterall,anultimate moralquestionthatstudentsmustconsider.Studying theHolocaustbecomesthevehiclethroughwhichthat questionmaybeapproached.

Note

1.TheHebrewword Shoah meanscatastrophe,destruction, orcompleteruinationandisthepreferredterminIsraelfor theeventcommonlyknownastheHolocaust.Inthisarticle thewords Shoah and Holocaust areusedinterchangeably.

REFERENCES

Adams,C.,J.Larson,M.Maskin,andE.Merems.1985. Teachingabout theHolocaustandgenocide,vol.2.Albany,NY:TheUniversityofthe StateofNewYork. Anker,D.(Producer).2004. Imaginarywitness:HollywoodandtheHolocaust[Film].NewYork:AnkerProductions. Bieber,J.(Producer).1993. Fortheliving[Film].Washington,DC: WETA. Curtis,M.(Producer).2000. Lessonsforlife[Film].Trenton,NJ:NJN ViewerServices.

Eisner,E.1979. Theeducationalimagination:Onthedesignandevaluation ofschoolprograms.NewYork:Macmillan. Friedlander,S.1988.HistoricalwritingandthememoryoftheHolocaust.In WritingandtheHolocaust,ed.B.Lang,66–77.NewYork: HolmesandMeier. Ginott,C.1972. Teacherandchild.NewYork:Macmillan. Haas,P.J.2001.Ethicsinthepost-Shoahera:Givingupthesearch forauniversalethic. EthicalPerspectives 8(2):105–16. Hirschﬁeld,C.1981.TeachingtheHolocaust:Aconceptualmodel. ImprovingCollegeandUniversityTeaching 29(1):24–27. Meltzer,M.1976. Nevertoforget:TheJewsoftheHolocaust.NewYork: HarperCollins. Novick,P.1999. TheHolocaustinAmericanlife.Boston:Houghton Mifﬂin.

Ozick,C.1988.Roundtablediscussion.In WritingandtheHolocaust, ed.B.Lang,277–84.NewYork:HolmesandMeier. Regnery,H.1996.Theresponsibilityoftheeducated:Agraduation address. TheIntercollegiateReview 31:23–27. Rossel,S.1992. Teacher’sguidetotheHolocaust,theworld,andtheJews 1933–1945.WestOrange,NJ:BerhmanHouse. Simon,R.L.1997.Getstudentspast“Absolutiophobia.” Education Digest 63(2):48–51. Sydnor,Jr.,C.W.1987.“HowcanyoubeartoteachtheHolocaust?” “Howcanwenot?” ChronicleofHigherEducation 34(3):A52. Totten,S.2001. Holocausteducation:Issuesandapproaches.Boston: AllynandBacon.

Totten,S.,S.,Feinberg,andW.Fernekes.2001.Thesigniﬁcanceof rationalestatementsindevelopingasoundHolocausteducation program.In TeachingandstudyingtheHolocaust,eds.S.Tottenand S.Feinberg,1–23.Boston,MA:AllynandBacon. UnitedStatesHolocaustMemorialMuseum.2001. Teachingaboutthe Holocaust:Aresourcebookforeducators.Washington,DC:United StatesHolocaustMemorialMuseum. Ward,J.(Executiveproducer).1993. TheHolocaust:Inmemoryofmillions[Film].Alexandria,VA:TheDiscoveryChannel. Weitz,S.S.1994. Rememberingthepast:SoniaWeitz’shistory[Film] Brookline,MA:FacingHistoryandOurselves.

ResourcesforUseinTeachingaboutthe Holocaust

HistoricalTexts

Bauer,Y.1982. AhistoryoftheHolocaust.Danbury,CT:FranklinWatts Publishing.Bauer’stextremainsaclassicofHolocausthistory.It

moveschronologicallythroughtheevent’sdevelopment,touchingonkeytopicsthatshouldbestudiedbyteacherswhowishto developtheirhistoricalexpertiseregardingtheShoah. Berenbaum,M.2005. Theworldmustknow:ThehistoryoftheHolocaustastoldintheUnitedStatesHolocaustMemorialMuseum,2nd ed.Washington,DC:UnitedStatesHolocaustMemorialMuseum. ThisbookdevelopsHolocausthistorybytakingthereaderthrough themuseum’spermanentexhibition.TheShoah’sevolutionisset chronologicallyandthematically.Anextensiveannotatedbibliographyisincluded.

Bergen,D.L.2009. Warandgenocide:AconcisehistoryoftheHolocaust,2nded.Lanham,MD:RowmanandLittleﬁeld.Thisshort textprovidesanexcellentoverviewofHolocausthistory.Itsstructurehighlightscriticalthemeswhilepresentingsubstantialanalysis asitdescribesthemovementoftheHolocaustthroughvarious stages.

PedagogicalWorksonTeachingtheHolocaust

Totten,S.2001. TeachingHolocaustliterature.Boston:AllynandBacon. Thisanthology’s11essaysdiscussvariouscomponentsofHolocaustliterature.Topicsincludeusingnovels,shortstories,poetry, drama,andmemoirs/ﬁrst-personaccountsinteachingaboutthe Shoah.Eachessayincludesanextensivereferencelist.

Totten,S.2003. Holocausteducation:Issuesandapproaches.Boston:AllynandBacon.Thisbookexaminesmanyissuesthatmayhinder theeffectiveteachingoftheHolocaust.Itincludes10essaysonsuch topicsas“CommonMisconceptionsandInaccuraciesThatPlague TeachingandLearningabouttheHolocaust,”“DoJewsConstituteaRace?AnIssueHolocaustEducatorsMustGetRight,”and “DiminishingtheComplexityandHorroroftheHolocaust:UsingSimulationsinanAttempttoConveyPersonalandHistorical Experiences.”Eachessayincludesanextensivereferencelist.

Totten,S.,andS.Feinberg.2001. TeachingandstudyingtheHolocaust Boston:AllynandBacon.Thistext’s13essayscovervarioustopics includingrationalestatements,instructionalstrategies,andusing literature,ﬁlm,theInternet,art,andmusicinHolocausteducation. Eacharticleincludesanextensivereferencelist.

CurriculumUnits

Anti-DefamationLeague.2005. Echoesandreﬂections:AmultimediacurriculumontheHolocaust.NewYork:Anti-DefamationLeague.DevelopedcooperativelybytheAnti-DefamationLeague,theSurvivorsof theShoahVisualHistoryFoundation,andYadVashem,thispackageincludesextensivesurvivortestimonyanda400-pageteacher’s guide.Its10lessonsfocusonkeythemes(e.g.,antisemitism,the ghettos,the“FinalSolution”),andtheunitincludesaglossary, chronology,andextensivematerialonsuchtopicsasrationales, procedures,andsuggestedextensions.

Rabinsky,L.B.,andC.Danks,eds.1994. TheHolocaust:Prejudiceunleashed.Columbus:OhioCouncilonHolocaustEducation.Developedbysecondaryschoolclassroomteachers,this10-lessonunit includesmultipleresources,instructionalobjectives,background articles,andproceduresforimplementingthelessons.Lessontitles include“TheCultureofaPeople,”“ResponsestotheHolocaust,” and“TheMeaningoftheHolocaustinToday’sWorld.”

Steinfeldt,I.2002. Howwasithumanlypossible?Astudyofperpetrators andbystandersduringtheHolocaust.Jerusalem:YadVashem.Asdescribedbyitstitle,thispublicationfocusesonvariousrolesplayed byindividualsduringtheHolocaust.Itisorganizedasaseries ofcasestudiesandincludesextensiveteachingsuggestions,ancillarymaterials,andnumerousphotographsthatsupporttheunit’s narrative.

WebSites

CenterforHolocaustandGenocideStudies.http://www.chgs. umn.edu.ThisWebsite,hostedbytheUniversityofMinnesota, includesextensiveeducationalresources,historicalnarratives,bibliographies,linkstootherWebsites,andavisualmuseumthat focusesonartisticrepresentationsfromandabouttheHolocaust. Thevisualmuseumisespeciallyusefulwhenincorporatingartina studyoftheShoah.

TheHolocaustChronicle.http://www.holocaustchronicle.org.This Websiteprovidestheentiretextofabookbythesamename.It isorganizedonayear-by-yearbasis(1933–1946),withadditional chapterstitled“Prologue”and“Aftermath.”Variousinternalsearch enginesprovideauser-friendlyformat.

ATeacher’sGuidetotheHolocaust.http://fcit.usf.edu/Holocaust. HostedbytheUniversityofSouthFlorida,thisWebsite providesresourcesandprimary-sourcedocumentsonvarious Holocausttopics.TheWebsiteiswellindexedanduser friendly.

UnitedStatesHolocaustMemorialMuseum.http://www.ushmm.org. ThisWebsiteisthedeﬁnitiveInternetsourceforHolocaustinformation.Itincludesnumerousarticles,maps,ﬁlmedsurvivortestimonies(oralhistories),onlineexhibitions,andteachingsuggestions.

YadVashem,theHolocaustMartyrs’andHeroes’RemembranceAuthority.http://www.yadvashem.org.YadVashem,theIsraelistate Holocaustinstitution,hoststhisWebsite.Itincludeshistoricalnarratives,teachingsuggestions,onlineexhibitions,andlinkstoother YadVashemresources.