TI 7th Graders Face History and Themselves

TEMPLE ISRAEL 7TH GRADERS FACE HISTORy AND THEMSELVES

Diversity

By Rabbi Suzie Jacobson

My earliest memories of Holocaust education are from my own bat mitzvah year — pictures of gaunt Eastern European Jews standing in the terrible cold, terrifyingly powerful pictures of Hitler speaking to unbelievably large crowds, and devastating stories of destruction and pain. I remember being scared of the images but oddly detached — “This happened so long ago, I am so far away.” I do not remember engaging in questions of morality or peoplehood. It took a course in college for me to truly understand what transpired and the many moral, political and social consequences. My early Holocaust education surely did not leave me inspired and it did not make me feel empowered as a Jew or as a “ citizen in the world. Today, Holocaust education has been incredibly changed through the hard work of the organization Facing History and Ourselves. Founded in 1976, this Boston based, international organization “seeks to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry.” They were founded by educators who believe that it is not enough to merely teach the details and horrors of the Holocaust to Jewish and non-Jewish students. Rather, as we teach students about the historical development of the Holocaust and other examples of genocide, we must engage their growing sense of morality and teach critical thinking skills that will help them make good choices. The Facing History and Ourselves curriculum is a permanent fixture in the Temple Israel 7th grade Religious School curriculum. Our goal is to engage students morally and to help them grow their sense of themselves as actors for positive change in the world. Rather than beginning our unit with the invasion of Poland or kristallnacht (night of the broken glass) we first ask questions such as “Who are you responsible for/ to?” “What is fascism and why do people follow charismatic leaders?” Instead of focusing solely on the rise of Nazism in the aftermath of World War I, we first show how Nazi ideology found its roots in the anti-Jewish ideology and violence of medieval and 19th century Europe. This philosophical and historical grounding allows our students to gain a basic understanding of Holocaust history while beginning to contemplate how such a horrible tragedy could occur in our modern world.

Our goal is to engage students morally and to help them grow their sense of themselves as actors for positive change in the world.

Facing History and Ourselves1 beyond the textbook, primary source centered approach is a great match for the Temple Israel Religious School program. Every year this curriculum allows us to touch the minds, hearts and moral compasses of our 7th grade students.