2. Goals of Guideline and Rational Session:
Participants at the NE Workshop, Teaching about the Holocaust, will:
Be introduced to the Museum’s Guidelines for Teaching about the Holocaust and find ways in which they can be applied to their instruction
CONTEXTUALIZE THE HISTORY
To fully understand the events of the Holocaust and the choices that individuals and institutions made, details of accurate historical context must be provided.
Geography
Events of the war
The year in which an event took place all impact what choices were possible.
These details provide the nuances of history and complicate our thinking.
Additionally, it is especially important for ELA teachers to provide historical context for literature utilized in your classroom.
For example:
If your students read Anne Frank or Night, consider the following:
What years are they reading about?
What are they missing?
What context must the teacher provide in order for the student to understand the full scope of the Holocaust?
Throughout the week, you’ll work on a Timeline Activity to help contextualize the history by looking at:
Events of World War II
Anti-Jewish laws and decrees
The US and world response
And individual experiences
This is an excellent tool to refer to throughout your study of the Holocaust.
We’ll also model that throughout the conference.

3. GUIDELINES FOR TEACHING ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST
The Holocaust is a difficult and complex topic to teach.
Teaching the Holocaust requires educators to be:
sensitive to its political nature
while respecting the memory of the victims and survivors.
It also requires thoughtful care about:
historical accuracy
responsible teaching methods.
The Museum’s Guidelines provide a framework to help educators navigate these issues.
The guidelines are intended to shape how content is presented in the classroom.
They are also useful when determining which additional resources to use.
There will be a session later in the conference where we will learn how to use the Guidelines to choose appropriate resources.
As a Museum, we recommend grounding the history through the use of a variety of artifacts which are the evidence of what took place during the Holocaust.
This approach also aids in meeting state and national teaching standards, which frequently endorse the use of primary sources.
While there are many ways in which to teach about the Holocaust, the Museum and its Guidelines serve as a resource to help you:
Create lessons that are right for your classroom.
You know your students, your audience.
Within the framework of the Guidelines, there is still room for differentiation.
We’re here to provide guidance and resources to help you in your classroom.

4. A Brief History of Holocaust Awareness, Research, and Education
2010+
1990s-2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
1960s
1950s
How we talk about the Holocaust and why has changed over the years.
Archives opened up in what had been the Eastern Front.
72 years after the Holocaust, there is still much to be learned.
The Museum’s approach used to be to categorize people as victim, perpetrator, bystander and rescuer.
We now acknowledge that human behavior is fluid.
A person's actions or decisions were influenced by a number of factors (personal gain, greed, fear, etc.).
Throughout the course of the war, an individual might fit into many “categories”
It’s not appropriate - nor sometimes even accurate - to identify them as only a bystander or rescuer, etc.
This approach was influenced by the shift in focus from Nazi officials and those in power to ordinary people
You’ll learn more about this later in the conference with our exhibit, SWN.
Even our own guidelines are working to catch up with this, as you will see.
Our handouts and website versions of Guidelines still refer to the categories
post-war

5. The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic,
DEFINE THE TERM “HOLOCAUST”
The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.
During the era of the Holocaust, German authorities also targeted other groups because of their perceived “racial inferiority”: Roma (Gypsies), the disabled, and some of the Slavic peoples (Poles, Russians, and others). Other groups were persecuted on political, ideological, and behavioral grounds, among them Communists, Socialists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and homosexuals.
Define the term Holocaust - Why does this guideline matter?
The creation of the Museum stemmed from controversy over the definition of the Holocaust.
There were debates in the planning of the Museum over whether to include “others” as victims.
The Holocaust targeted only Jews for annihilation. (Read first sentence of definition).
The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic,
state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six-million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.
The Museum differentiates between the Holocaust as annihilation of the Jews
and Nazi persecution of other groups during the era of the Holocaust.

6. Fourth Floor, Permanent Exhibition
The Museum recognizes that there were many groups who were targeted during the era of the Holocaust for varying reasons.
In the Museum’s Enemies of the State and Roma exhibits on the Fourth Floor, you will find discussions regarding “ the 1930s, and how the Nazis singled out various groups for persecution”.
Jews were their primary target, but hundreds of thousands of others were oppressed as ‘enemies of the state’.
A Roma Wagon

7. DO NOT TEACH OR IMPLY THAT THE HOLOCAUST WAS INEVITABLE
The Holocaust took place because individuals, groups, and nations made decisions to act or not to act.
DO NOT TEACH OR IMPLY THAT THE HOLOCAUST WAS INEVITABLE
Just because we now know the ending, doesn’t mean that it had to end that way or had to happen at all.
People made choices throughout the Holocaust that allowed it to take place
We’ll spend the next few days looking at different approaches to help translate your understanding of how and why the Holocaust happened into classroom lessons that focus on choices

8. Fourth Floor, Permanent Exhibition
4th Floor PE – Nuremberg Race Laws
From , the Nazis enacted over 400 laws to define, segregate, and impoverish German Jews.
This was the first stage of the Holocaust long before the aim to murder the Jews became national policy.
Again, not inevitable – a systematic process in which many people were involved along the way, making choices at every stage.
The Exclusion of Jews from German Society

9. AVOID SIMPLE ANSWERS TO COMPLEX QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions:
Why were the Jews targeted?
Why didn’t the Jews just leave?
Why didn’t they resist?
Why did the Germans follow Hitler?
AVOID SIMPLE ANSWERS TO COMPLEX QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions:
Why were the Jews targeted?
Why didn’t the Jews just leave?
Why didn’t they resist?
Why did the Germans follow Hitler?

10. Fourth Floor, Permanent Exhibition For example:
Why didn’t they just leave? What are the challenges of seeking refuge?
Emigration was very complicated and expensive.
Fleeing Germany or the occupied territories (when it was still possible) required that there be places for Jews to go.
On the Fourth floor, the Museum talks about how, as early as 1938, other governments didn’t want to accept Jewish refugees.
The Evian Conference

11. STRIVE FOR PRECISION OF LANGUAGE
Precise language encourages us to focus on the nuances of this history
Simplifying the language can lead to inaccuracies
STRIVE FOR PRECISION OF LANGUAGE
Why is using precise language important?
It encourages us to focus on the nuances of this history.

12. Fourth Floor, Permanent Exhibition
Simplifying the language can lead to inaccuracies.
For example, in order to be historically accurate, you should differentiate between killing centers, concentration camps ,and labor camps.
When referring to Auschwitz, be sure to specify that it was located in German-occupied Poland, not that it was a “Polish killing center”; this would be inaccurate
The Invasion of Poland

13. the most well documented genocide in the world Nazi/Military archives
STRIVE FOR BALANCE IN ESTABLISHING WHOSE PERSPECTIVE INFORMS YOUR STUDY OF THE HOLOCAUST
the most well documented genocide in the world
Nazi/Military archives
primary sources help to humanize individuals
STRIVE FOR BALANCE IN ESTABLISHING WHOSE PERSPECTIVE INFORMS YOUR STUDY OF THE HOLOCAUST
One of the reasons we study the Holocaust is because it is the most well documented genocide in the world.
The vast majority of documents and photos come from Nazi/Military archives and not individuals who were persecuted.
You can balance this with primary sources that help to humanize individuals in the richness and fullness of their lives.

14. Fourth Floor, Permanent Exhibition
Videos on 4th floor – Pre-War Jewish Life
Because most of the documentation about the Holocaust comes from the perpetrators, many photos are graphic and humiliating images - not how people would want to be seen or remembered.
The videos in this part of the exhibit provide images of vibrant, dynamic Jewish communities before the war, which also helps to contextualize the history and show what was lost.
Roman Vishniac Photos of Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian Jewish Life

15. AVOID COMPARISONS OF PAIN
One cannot presume that the suffering of an individual, family, or community destroyed by the Nazis was any greater than that experienced by victims of other genocides.
AVOID COMPARISONS OF PAIN
Human suffering is human suffering; there isn’t a hierarchy of suffering - that would not be a respectful or responsible way to teach about history
Studying the Holocaust should promote historical empathy rather than historical judgement.
There can also be a tendency to compare suffering among the victims of Nazi persecution:
“Victims in this camp had it worse than those in that camp.”
There is a difference between making historical comparisons and making comparisons of pain.
Comparing the warning signs of genocide is a legitimate use of comparison.
And hopefully by studying the warning signs that lead to genocide, maybe one day we can prevent it.

16. Fourth Floor, Permanent Exhibition
POLES and TEACHERS
It is possible to discuss the experiences of various groups throughout the war without comparing their “suffering.”
It is a historical fact that the Nazis and their collaborators in countries all over Europe targeted many different groups for various reasons throughout the war.
Understanding the historical background of these situations does not mean we are attempting to determine whether one group suffered more than another.
The Invasion of Poland

17. DO NOT ROMANTICIZE HISTORY
Avoid an imbalance of rescue and resistance narratives in Holocaust studies.
Attempts to leave students with uplifting stories or “happy endings” is misrepresentative of the vast number of experiences during the Holocaust.
DO NOT ROMANTICIZE HISTORY
People who rescued Jews during the Holocaust or joined the resistance did so at great personal peril, but it’s important to remember that these stories are the minority and must be kept in perspective.
Overemphasizing them gives students a skewed and imbalanced picture of the Holocaust.

18. Second Floor, Permanent Exhibition
It’s important to examine the circumstances that allowed individuals to act.
Keep in mind the context of the war:
What year was it?
What was happening?
What was the geography? (Danish rescue), etc miles of water separated them from neutral Sweden
What factors made it possible?
American Responses to the Holocaust

19. CONTEXTUALIZE THE HISTORY
Events of the Holocaust, and particularly choices that individuals and institutions made at that time, should be placed in historical context. For example:
When thinking about resistance, consider
When and where an act took place;
Consequences of one’s actions to self and family;
Degree of control the Nazis had on a country or local population;
Cultural attitudes toward different victim groups;
Availability and risk of potential hiding places.
CONTEXTUALIZE THE HISTORY
To fully understand the events of the Holocaust and the choices that individuals and institutions made, details of accurate historical context must be provided.
Geography
Events of the war
The year in which an event took place all impact what choices were possible.
These details provide the nuances of history and complicate our thinking.
Additionally, it is especially important for ELA teachers to provide historical context for literature utilized in your classroom.
For example:
If your students read Anne Frank or Night, consider the following:
What years are they reading about?
What are they missing?
What context must the teacher provide in order for the student to understand the full scope of the Holocaust?
Throughout the week, you’ll work on a Timeline Activity to help contextualize the history by looking at:
Events of World War II
Anti-Jewish laws and decrees
The US and world response
And individual experiences
This is an excellent tool to refer to throughout your study of the Holocaust.
We’ll also model that throughout the conference.

20. Some Were Neighbors, Ground Floor
You will see in the Some Were Neighbors exhibit a focus on individual stories shaped by the geographical location and social realities of various individuals.
These correspond to other events going on in Europe at the time, which further help to explain why some choices were possible in some contexts and not in others, as is visible along the timeline in the background that runs through the middle of the SWN exhibit

21. TRANSLATE STATISTICS INTO PEOPLE
The sheer number of victims is challenging to comprehend.
Show that individual people are behind the statistics
Emphasize the diversity of personal experiences within the larger historical narrative
Portray people in the fullness of their lives and not just as victims
Using first-person accounts and memoirs can help students make meaning out of the statistics
TRANSLATE STATISTICS INTO PEOPLE
The sheer number of victims of Nazi persecution can be overwhelming and difficult to comprehend.
For a more humanizing approach to teaching about the Holocaust, we encourage you to
focus on individuals instead of statistics - Including diaries, memoirs, oral history testimony, and artifacts representing individuals provides your students with a more empathetic study of this history.
Recently, there were updates to the Permanent Exhibition that focused on individual storytelling, and you will also see this in the Some Were Neighbors exhibit.
We replaced piles of items belonging to many victims with one item and a text panel telling the story of the person it belonged to.
This helps to provide context and avoids simple answers as well, as it shows the variety of experiences across and among groups.
Later today you’ll work on writing your rationale for teaching about the Holocaust.
Something to think about when we talk about 6 million victims, is what do you want your students to know and understand about that?
Do you want your students to visualize what 6 million looks like or would you rather have them think critically about individual experiences?

22. All Three Floors, Permanent Exhibition TOWER OF FACES
The Museum possesses:
photos
testimonies
letters
diaries
and books
about individuals during the war that help examine experiences in
different countries
different languages
people of different ages
& different post-war realities
The Tower of Faces seen at the end of each floor in the Museum represents only one village, Eisishok, reminding us of the millions of stories and individual experiences throughout the Holocaust, many of which have been lost.
The Tower of Faces

23. MAKE RESPONSIBLE METHODOLOGICAL CHOICES
Is this lesson-resource historically accurate?
Does this lesson-resource align with my rationale?
Is this lesson-resource respectful to the victims and survivors?
Does this lesson-resource create a safe and effective learning environment for my students?
MAKE RESPONSIBLE METHODOLOGICAL CHOICES
This is really the overarching guideline and sets the boundaries for your classroom.
This guideline encourages educators to think about rationale before creating lessons, or selecting resources, etc.
It is paramount that you use historically accurate resources with your students.
Without historical accuracy it gives students a skewed perception of what the Holocaust actually was
Additionally, if your resources are inaccurate, it opens the door for denial.
Groups like this already attack texts that have been proven to be accurate,
so when you use resources like “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” which is riddled
with inaccuracy, it makes it that much easier for deniers to gain a foothold.
It’s best to select lessons-resources, etc. that do not exploit your students’ emotional vulnerability or that might be construed as disrespectful to the victims themselves.
For example:
When selecting photos to represent the 6-million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust, rather than a graphic image that portrays a pile of dead bodies, select a photos that depicts the same magnitude through piles of shoes or rings or other items that belonged to the victims.
When looking for ways to engage your students, think back to your rationale for teaching about the Holocaust. Is your goal to have students understand what it felt like or is it to honor the history and the people who lived through it by including their experiences in their own words when possible?
The actual historical documentation available provides the details to engage students.
The Museum doesn’t endorse simulations that attempt to convey the suffering or horror that the victims experienced.
It’s not possible to recreate the horrific situations victims of the Holocaust endured - and even if it was, would you want your students to experience that?
Again, think about your rationale - what is your purpose in teaching about the Holocaust and what might be a better way in which to engage students in this topic?

24. Some Were Neighbors, Ground Floor Lithuania photos
Context and rationale matter to the pedagogical choices you will make.
Recently, the Museum has been using photos to help document “absence” or paradoxes, such as idyllic scenes that were once sites of mass murder, in ways that do not rely on graphic images.
You will see such representations in the Some Were Neighbors exhibit, which stand in stark contrast to some of the images you will find throughout the Permanent Exhibition.
Understanding the different reasons for using these things relates to being able to explain the rationale behind the choices you will ultimately make.
You will see that even in our exhibits we have varying degrees of adherence to each guideline, underscoring the fluid, not rigid, intentions of the guidelines.
Utena, Lithuania

25. Your Teaching Practice
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Approach to Teaching About the Holocaust
USHMM’s Approach
Guidelines
Your Teaching Practice
Support diverse teaching methods relevant to your classroom
Provides resources and guidance instead of prescriptive lesson plans
Allows teacher to be expert in their own classroom
Help teachers select and utilize testimony, primary sources, and outside resources to create lessons for their classrooms
Help teachers develop a sound rationale for teaching about the Holocaust
Within the Museum’s approach and using the Guidelines, educators:
Develop sound rationale for teaching about the Holocaust
Create safe learning environment that also respects the victims and survivors of the Holocaust
Draw from USHMM and other reputable sources to find testimony, primary sources, and outside resources

26. TIMOTHY HURSLEY
Information accompanying a horizontal photo should be placed in this slide.
Museum at night – My Story
It’s important to clarify that we understand teachers have the best of intentions, so even if you look at all of these Guidelines and think to yourself, “I’ve been guilty of doing this”, or “I haven’t done that” - it’s OK. That’s why you are here.
As a classroom teacher myself who attended Belfer many years ago I felt like I was the only one in attendance who had not been following all of the guidelines.
I don’t want any of you to feel the same way.
We’re all here because we believe in the importance of quality Holocaust education and the impact it has on our students.
I saw the difference in the effectiveness of my own teaching after applying the Guidelines.
But I didn’t learn it all in one day - it’s a process - and we’re all learning together.
One final note - as I said, we believe teachers have the best of intentions at heart and our role, even as the national Holocaust Museum, is not to police school districts or individual teachers.
Our guidelines are not mandates - they are just as the name implies - a guide - to assist teachers in designing and delivering quality Holocaust education.
We hope they provide a level of support and clarity as you develop your rationale and unit of study;
enabling you to be a more confident and well-equipped teacher of the Holocaust. Thank you

27. Creating a Rationale Unique needs of my community
-small Jewish community; white supremacist groups; one of the poorest/hungriest cities in the United States; 62% minority with refugee population
Why this topic for these students?
-humanize the victims and the history; provide connection to the past to place personal experiences in perspective and move students to action
Time available for the unit:
-six weeks on a block schedule
Goals/Objectives/Rationale:
-to learn about the heights and depths of humanity, with the horror balanced by hope
-to equip students with the tools to stand against denial, armed with knowledge, resolve, and memory