How do we teach about the horrors of war? Why should we continue to pass on this historical knowledge? We could answer that it is simply out of a duty to remember. However, teaching about sensitive subjects, when grounded in facts and in-depth analysis, can allow us to go well beyond simply remembering by cultivating students' critical thinking skills.
Let's begin by defining what the Holocaust is:
The Holocaust is the systematic persecution and killing of around 6 million Jews, organized by the Nazi state
and its allies from 1933 to 1945. In addition to the genocide of the Jewish people, the Nazis are also
responsible for the Roma/Sinti genocide.
They also persecuted millions in other groups, including:
• People with disabilities (T4 program)
• People that were not heterosexual
• People that were not part of the Aryan race (white skin, blue eyes, blonde hair)
• Political opponents
• Slavs
• Johovah's Witnesses