What was life like before the Third Reich? Life in Plauen What was life like before the Third Reich? Establish students’ prior knowledge and understanding of Jewish life in Europe before the Second World War and the Holocaust. Be sure they students are aware of the long history of Jews in European society, and the diversity of Jewish communities at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Germany Plauen, Saxony Czech Republic Outline the aims and objectives of the lesson. Position Plauen in its geographical context, and draw attention to its close proximity to the borders of Germany. Raise the question of what bearing this might have had for the people of Plauen in terms of the shifts of national borders over time, and consequences this could have had for how they saw themselves. Take care to clarify the nature of German Jewry at the beginning of the twentieth century. Jews had lived in the lands known as “Germany” for centuries, but the percentage of the German population who was Jewish at the beginning of the Third Reich was tiny – only 0.75%.

Task 1

Creating a Timeline Create a timeline for the period 1870 - 1933 that includes details about: The total population The Jewish population of the city Building of the new synagogue Lace industry As historians we sometimes need to ask questions about the evidence. What questions do you have: Have students construct a chronology of events from 1870-1933 using the information on the Task Cards. Once complete, direct class discussion towards the following questions: What historical events are missing? What questions do they have about the information? Focus on the building of the synagogue and ask why would the community invest at this time? (If someone has not raised this already). What questions do they have about this building? What are their expectations of it? About the city of Plauen The Jewish community in Plauen Or about other events in Germany at the time?

Task 2 Investigating the synagogue... Hand out Task Card 2: The Synagogue. Ask students to read through the card and have these questions in mind as you show them the PowerPoint of the synagogue. Be aware that the synagogue slides will play without needing you to click through them.

Ask students for their thoughts on the style of the building; the reactions might be extreme, ranging from either loving it or hating the architecture. Be sure discussion centres on the historical nature of the building and why it was built, rather than the religious aspects of the building (though these themes might be of interest too).

Completing the picture Carefully read the card ‘Creating a complete picture’. What new information does this give you? Add this new information to the timeline and reflect on the questions on Task Card 3.   Explain to students the need to add further detail to their understanding of Plauen. Distribute Creating a Complete Picture – Further Information and Task Card 3. Ask students to add this new contextual information to their timeline, and then summarise how this has developed their understanding of events Plauen.

Ask students how we might further deepen our understanding of what it was like to live in Plauen. Using directed questioning, suggest one way would be to look at the experience of some people who lived in Plauen during this period. Distribute Photo Cards 4 and 5 and ask students to think about how these images may differ from the ones they might commonly associate with the Holocaust. Allow time for students to read through the cards, exploring the Klipstein and Dingfelder families in more detail if internet access is available. Conclude the lesson by providing students with Photo Card 6 and encouraging reflection on the learning that has taken place in the lesson.

Life in Plauen ‘Jewish life in Europe’ Lesson plan and materials created by Kay Andrews © Kay Andrews, 2010, All Rights Reserved. Updated 2014. Additional editing by Andy Pearce Artwork by Cheryl Lowe Credits: Images of Plauen synagogue used with kind permission of Technische Universitat Darmstadt, Germany