Holocaust

The Holocaust

How could that happen?

How could that happen?

The Holocaust was the systematic persecution and murder of six million European Jews by the Nazi German regime and its allies and collaborators. The Holocaust was a process that took place throughout Europe between 1933 and 1945.

Index

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Day 1 Nazi Rise to Power

Introduction

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Day 2 Anti-Semitism & Propaganda

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Day 3 Perpetrators & victims

Process

Introduction

During World War II, the world watched as Adolf Hitler and the Nazis rose to power in Germany, invaded several European countries, and systematically murdered eleven million innocent men, women and children, including six million Jews. Looking back today, many question how such a tragedy could have happened.

Elie Wiesel, the author of our classroom novel, was among the millions of Jews who suffered the inhumanity of the Nazis' oppressive regime. His memoir, Night, details the horrors he and other innocents endured during the Holocaust.

SCOPE

Europe, 1942. Adolf Hitler and the Nazis control most of Europe. They have joined forces with other countries to form an alliance called the Axis Powers. One of the main goals of the Nazis is ethnic cleansing, and one of their main targets is the Jewish population of Europe. In this regard, they receive support from the many Europeans who hold anti-Semitic beliefs. This interactive presentation provides background knowledge about the Holocaust to help you understand Elie Wiesel's memoir, Night. It chronicles the events that led to the genocide of millions European Jews and other undesirables, whom Hitler wanted to exclude from his "master race."

Process

1. Study Quizlet vocabulary for 10 minutes.2. Click the links to explore text, videos, and other artifacts..3. Answer the questions on your Holocaust Research document.4. Then, discuss the Holocaust Reflection questions with your group.

Vocabulary * Research * Reflection

Day 1 Research

Nazi Rise to Power

I. Holocaust Day 1 Vocabulary

II. How did the Nazis become so powerful?

III. Why did the Nazis target Jews and others for persecution?

Day 1 Research

Nazi Rise to Power

II. How did the Nazis become so powerful?

Europe looked very different during WWII because of Hitler and the Nazis. Click on the following links to understand how they gained power.

Links

Text

Photos

Map

Day 1 Research

Nazi Rise to Power

III. Why did the Nazis target Jews and other ¨undesirables¨?

As the Nazis gained control over Europe, anti-Semitism grew into persecution. Hitler and the Nazis wanted to create an Aryan "master race", which excluded Jews and other undesirables. Click on the following links to learn how the Nazis planned to "purify" Germany.

Links

Text

Videos

Photos

Day 1 Research

Nazi Rise to Power

III. Why did the Nazis target Jews and other ¨undesirables¨?

As the Nazis gained control over Europe, anti-Semitism grew into persecution. Hitler and the Nazis wanted to create an Aryan "master race", which excluded Jews and other undesirables. Click on the following links to learn how the Nazis planned to "purify" Germany.

Links

Text

Videos

Photos

Day 2 Research

Anti-Semitism and propaganda

I. Holocaust Day 2 Vocabulary

II. How did the Nazis legalize discrimination?

III. How did the Nazis turn ordinary people against the Jews?

Day 2 Research

Anti-Semitism and propaganda

II. How did the Nazis legalize discrimination?

Once the Nazis came to power, they passed laws that discriminated against the Jews. Click links to learn how they began to exclude Jews from public life.

Links

Text

Videos

Photos

Day 2 Research

Anti-Semitism and propaganda

III. How did the Nazis turn ordinary people against the Jews?

The Nazis used propaganda to promote anti-Semitism. Click on the following links to learn how they turned bystanders into perpetrators.

Links

Text

Videos

Photos

Day 3 Research

Perpetrators & Victims

I. Holocaust Day 3 Vocabulary

II. What kinds of people supported the Nazis

III. How did the Nazis isolate and imprison the Jews?

Day 3 Research

Perpetrators & Victims

II. What kinds of people supported the Nazis?

Links

Text

The Nazis did not act alone in their persecution of the Jews. Click on the links to learn how different members of society willingly joined in the discrimination.

Videos

Photos

Day 3 Research

Perpetrators & Victims

III. How did the Nazis isolate and imprison the Jews?

As the Nazis gained power, their brutality towards the Jews worsened. Click on the following captions to learn how the Nazis trapped the Jews in ghettos and ultimately transported them to concentration camps.

GHETTOS

CONCENTRATIONCAMPS

TRANSPORT

“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed....Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.”

Elie Wiesel

"Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must—at that moment—become the center of the universe.”

Elie Wiesel, author of Night

Sources

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/introduction-to-the-holocaust