who should teach the holocaust?

Channah Goldblatt Teaching the Shoah March 2013

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Teaching the Shoah It is essential that the Shoah is taught in

History departments, not Jewish Studies departments,

to ensure accuracy and objectivity. Discuss.

Bachelor of Arts

Applied Professional Studies

Submitted on: 20th March 2013

By: Channah Goldblatt

Word Limit: 2,500

Word Count: 2,357


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Table of Contents:

1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 3

2. HOW SHOULD THE HOLOCAUST BE TAUGHT? ................................................. 3

2.1. TEACHING METHODS ............................................................................................ 3

2.2. WHAT WAS HITLER TRYING TO DO? ......................................................................... 4

2.3. EMOTIONS AND BEING OBJECTIVE ............................................................................ 5

2.4. JUDAISM – RELIGION OR RACE? ............................................................................. 7

3. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................. 9

4. BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 11


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Teaching the Shoah

It is essential that the Shoah is taught in History departments, not Jewish

Studies departments, to ensure accuracy and objectivity.

1. Introduction

In order to discuss who is best suited to teach about the Holocaust it is necessary to understand

what we are trying to achieve by teaching the Holocaust as a subject. What are our objectives in

teaching the Holocaust in Jewish schools? Do we want the students to have a factual and

historical perspective, or is it more important that the Jewish outlook is incorporated? This

research will examine some of the differences between a historian and a Jewish Studies teacher,

to evaluate their different approaches to teaching.

2. How should the Holocaust be taught?

The essay title states ‘It is essential that the Shoah is taught in History departments to ensure

accuracy and objectivity’. This statement seems to indicate that the Holocaust should be taught as

a series of facts, without touching on the huge emotional picture that conveys the entirety of the

tragedy that took place. When teaching Jewish students, what is important?

2.1. Teaching methods

Upon reflection and based on this research, it seems that there are two main approaches in the

teaching of the Holocaust. One is to concentrate on the facts: the order of events; the background;

and possible motives for the intense animosity of the Nazi party. It might include historical

perspectives, starting with the First World War, the German defeat and the subsequent

consequences for the German people.


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The second approach would view the Holocaust through the lens of a nation that lost a third of its

people through systematic mass murder (Gilbert, 1987). This would then lead to an understanding

of how such a loss affects an entire people. Not only would it include the post-war acquisition of

the land of Israel, but also the new community structures throughout the world that grew as a

result of the remnants of customs of the different communities of Europe. The Holocaust has

become a metaphor for all kinds of racist behaviour related to mankind. It has developed into a

springboard for racism and evil.

Every aspect of the Holocaust teaches something, whether it is a reminder that individuals need to

learn respect for each other, or an awareness of the Jewish Heritage, and a feeling that it must

never happen again. In his essay for the Lookstein Centre’s journal, Jewish Educational

Leadership: Teaching the Holocaust, Paul Radensky states ‘If we really want our students to have

a deeper understanding of the Holocaust, they have to know what the Jewish experience was

and for this we must use Jewish sources’ (2009). He elaborates upon this by explaining that

by using Jewish sources to explain Jewish experiences, students will come to understand that

the Jews did not simply lay down to die but some stood up for their beliefs, they resisted and

ought back. Radensky’s thoughts raise another question: Can a non-Jew understand the

Jewish experience enough to teach it?

2.2. What was Hitler trying to do?

When planning lessons to teach about the Holocaust, we must consider the following: What was

Hitler trying to achieve? Was it the physical destruction of a nation, or was he trying to wipe out

their faith?


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Tauber (1992) quotes the phrase ‘Shivisi Hashem Lenegdi Tomid’ – ‘I put G-d before me always’,

that was written on the door of the gas chamber in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. He

intimates that this gives the impression that the Nazis intended to destroy both the Jew’s spiritual

belief and his physical life. At the point of annihilation, the Nazis taunted the people. It can only

be that the Jews’ intense connection with G-d led to such a powerful all-encompassing rage of

jealousy that fuelled the horror that took place, as Levine (1982, p.85) writes, ‘All the Jews who

lived their lives through feeling... the direction, the meaning that those lives must have had...

knowing what they knew about G-d... the significance that living had for them.’

2.3. Emotions and being objective

Damasio (2006) describes how Descartes did a study on one of his patients who had a neurological

disease that had destroyed the part of the brain that dealt with emotion, but had left the part of

the brain that deals with practical reason. The patient had the indispensable knowledge,

attention, and memory – instruments usually considered necessary for rational behaviour – but

was unable to experience feelings. His behaviour became socially inappropriate, and his practical

reasoning became impaired, producing a succession of daily mistakes. This resulted in Descartes’

hypothesis that emotion is an integral part of reason, not an intruder. He felt that emotion allows

the compromise of the rationality that makes us human, suggesting that certain aspects of the

process of emotion and feeling are indispensible for rationality. They help plan our actions

accordingly, and help make moral judgements and maintain personal relationships.

Eliach (1988) quotes Spender, a British critic, who writes that western literature was unable to

cope with the Holocaust and suggests that it was ill-equipped to confront a disaster that affected

millions of people. In contrast, writes Eliach, the literary genre of the Hasidic tale was an


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appropriate form through which to come to terms with the Holocaust and its aftermath. This is

because of its roots in Jewish and Biblical sources, in which traditionally a prophet gave voice to

the sufferings of an entire people, for example the Book of Lamentations.

Every historian writes with his own opinions and emotion. As Damasio (2006) writes, ‘Often

emotion is the cause factor for decision making, resulting in good and bad decisions.’ We use our

experiences in life to form the ever-present sense of subjectivity that we constantly refer to in our

lives. A German journalist will review the Second World War through the lens of Germany: he

would need to be completely disassociated not to do so. Similarly an American journalist would

give the American perception of American involvement in the Second World War and its attitude

to the refugee Jewish children (Morse, 1968).

A Jewish Studies teacher will have studied the Torah and its explanations on life, as well as having

gone to many Rabbis to explain the Torah’s perspective on the Holocaust before beginning to

teach it. As explained above, Jews have an emotional attachment to their brethren who were

killed. This is in contrast to historians, who will have a more dispassionate approach to the

Holocaust.

Hicks and Hicks (2007, p.68) ask the question, ‘Whose thoughts, beliefs or ingrained conscience

should be my guide as to what is right for me?’ We live in a ‘free’ country with an elected

government. How much do we really know about the goings-on and decision-making processes in

government? The government is in control of the amount of information the people are given.

They judge what is valuable for the country and what is better not revealed. Journalists report

daily on the information they are given, each with their own bias. To acquire accurate information,


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one would go to a trusted person to give him a truthful account; alternatively one would ask an

expert in the field. Every person perceives things in his own way, and through his own individual

lens.

In Rabbi Dessler’s (1978) opinion, you cannot rely on yourself to know the truth because your

opinions are automatically subjective, however objective you are trying to be. If one believes in

the Al-mighty, then it is clear how almost impossible it is to ask man, with his limitations, to

explain the events of our world. It is difficult to record history accurately through the eyes of a

human being, as humans are unavoidably biased. Thus in order to approach history with

understanding, Orthodox Jews go to Rabbinical sources to try and make sense of situations, in

addition to obtaining factual information from people who were actually involved, so that truth

can be revealed.

2.4. Judaism – Religion or Race?

Eliach (1988) tells a powerful anecdote. It was just before liberation, and the Allies were bombing

Warsaw. In the camp on Gesia Street, the German SS officer in command ran into the prisoners’

bunk and asked if any Rabbis were present amongst the remaining prisoners as he wanted them to

pray to their G-d that they should be saved from the bombing. The German officers relaxed in

their belief that all would be well through the prayers of the Jewish inmates. It was the last

communal prayer in held in Warsaw. The Nazis had treated the Jews like dirt, beat and tortured

them, ridiculed and laughed at them, and yet, even then, they knew the power of the Jewish

prisoners’ prayers, and their strong belief in G-d.


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As Schwartz and Goldstein (1990, p.16) comment that during the Holocaust, all Jews, regardless of

their religious beliefs: practicing, assimilated or ignorant about their identity, were forced to

identify and acknowledge their religion. The Holocaust showed that a Jew could not escape his

Jewishness, even those whose parents and grandparents had assimilated long ago. This forced

many to acknowledge G-d, whether in anger towards Him, or feeling comforted and strengthened

by their belief in Him. Either way, the acknowledgement itself is belief in G-d.

As one begins to understand the Jewish religion, one sees that it is all-encompassing. It permeates

every facet of a person. In order to fully comprehend the Jewish religion one has to be a Jew. One

cannot explain the Sabbath unless one has experienced it. One cannot experience it unless one is

Jewish. As Rabbi Dessler (1978) writes, if you do not understand the language the book is written

in, you don’t read the book. To teach tolerance, you have to identify with the world that was lost.

A Jewish Studies teacher not only knows what was lost but feels and lives the same religious life

that the Nazis tried to wipe out in Europe.

As a Jewish Nation we commemorate and celebrate the events that have occurred throughout our

history. Rabbi A Forta (1989) describes how Passover commemorates the Exodus, and Shavuos

celebrates the revelation at Sinai. But each commemoration and celebration has a message for

the future generations: messages of hope and encouragement. The darkest moment is the

moment before dawn. In the Book of Esther (5:1), Queen Esther stands in the palace of the king.

Her people are about to be destroyed and she does not have permission to come before the king –

the darkest moment. The next day Haman is dead. The Holocaust is one such dark moment, but

afterwards there was the dawn and the Jewish people were given the land of Israel. The Jews in

Germany, Poland, and Hungary during the Holocaust celebrated the Sabbath and their lives in


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much the same way. If we do not commemorate the days they lived, then we are ignoring the

main essence of what the Jewish people are all about. It is about life, and what they stood for,

how they lived, their aspirations, their loves and dreams, and accomplishments. Those are the

important facts to remember and commemorate, as the individuals that once lived. This part of

remembrance should be taught by someone who is Jewish and understands the intricacies of what

being Jewish is all about, and our strong bond that connects all of us together.

Reading Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust by Eliach (1988) one feels a sense of burning faith and

renewed hope, of G-d’s anger and yet of G-d‘s miracles too. One begins to understand the

individual and the belief that was around them, how they risked their lives to worship G-d. Eliach

writes about individual people. She brings them back to life again. She enables the reader to

identify with them.

Religious Jews believe in the Hand of G-d that controls everything and everybody in the universe.

Everything we do is centred on belief. It is with this belief and connection that Jews survive painful

experiences. One cannot make sense out of something as horrific as the Holocaust. It is just too

big. Only with belief can we survive the horror. Man has the power to achieve great good and

great evil, reflecting his relationship with G-d. ‘After all, man is that being who has invented the

gas chambers of Auschwitz; however he is also that being who has entered those gas chambers

upright, with the Shema Israel on his lips.’ (Frankl, 2004)

3. Conclusion

The essay title declares that the Holocaust should be taught by History teachers to ensure

accuracy and objectivity. As I researched this essay I asked myself whether teaching the Holocaust


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“objectively” was the right approach. Are we assuming that Jewish Studies teachers will not be

accurate?

I began by evaluating the differences between a Jewish Studies teacher and an historian in order

to ascertain who would be the better person for the job and why. There are two main approaches

in teaching the Holocaust. One is relating the facts and figures of the annihilation that took place,

and the second is the emotional side of why people were murdered and how such a loss affects an

entire people. I have demonstrated that the closer one is to a situation, the more accurate his/her

account will be.

I then tried to determine whether it is possible to be completely objective in any situation.

According to medical research (Damasio, 2006) this is impossible. Relying only on facts leads to

senseless information without an emotional viewpoint to make sense of it. On the other hand, if

we include an emotional viewpoint, we end up with an individual’s subjective opinion.

In light of this research it is clear to me that if indeed any account of the Holocaust is going to be

unavoidably subjective, it is crucially important that our children are taught it from a Jewish

perspective instead of an historical one. It could primarily be the Jews’ powerful connection with

G-d that kept the Jewish people alive. Many of those who did not know their Jewish identity

before the war had to die because of their Jewish identity, without appreciating their Jewish

heritage. The Holocaust should be taught by those who can ensure that students appreciate the

full significance of events: Jewish Studies teachers who can bring a Jewish emotional perspective

to the historical facts.


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4. Bibliography

Damasio, A. (2006) Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain. London:

Vintage Books

Dessler, E. (1978) Strive for Truth. Israel: Feldheim

Eliach, Y. (1988) Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust. New York: Vintage Books

Forta, A. (1989) Judaism. Oxford: Heinemann educational

Frankl,V. (2004) Man’s Search for Meaning. Reading: Cox and Wyman

Gilbert, M. (1987) The Boys. Fontana press: London

Hamodia newspaper, 14 May 2011

Hicks, E. and Hicks, J. (2007) The Astonishing Power of Emotions. United States: Hay House

Inc.

Levine, G. (1982) Brush strokes. New York: Maznaim.

Morse, A. (1968) While Six Million Dies. New York: Random House

Radensky, P. (2009). Lessons from the Holocaust. Teaching the Holocaust. 8:1

Schwartz, Y. and Goldstein, Y. (1990) Shoa. New York: Artscroll.

Tauber, E. (1992) Darkness Before Dawn. New York: Shelheves

Weisz, N. (2002) ‘Mayanot Wellsprings’ published by aish.com accessed 5 May 2011 http://www.aish.com/tp/i/m/48929802.html

http://www.aish.com/tp/i/m/48929802.html

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