Pre-War Jewish Life
Examine what Jewish life was like prior to the rise of Nazism. What was culture like and what challenges did they face?
Month: February 2026
Lesson Plan
Stand Up Against Hate
Watch a video where Jewish teens share their experiences with antisemitism. Students will hear real-world examples of antisemitism and discuss ways to combat it.
Enduring Understanding
Antisemitism continues to be a problem today. Individuals today experience harassment both in person, and online.
Essential Question
- 1How has antisemitism manifested in today’s world?
Readiness
Share the definition of antisemitism with your students. You may choose to print out this page from Echoes & Reflections for students to have with them during the lesson.
Read through the definition together, breaking it down sentence by sentence if necessary. If you printed out the sheet for students, you could have them write notes or underline as you go through the definition.
Ask students if they have ever heard or seen antisemitism in their lives, whether it be online or in person. Ask if there are any volunteers willing to share their experiences.
Input
Play this video (4-minutes) from CBS Morning News, taken from a lesson from Echoes & Reflections about Jewish teens talking about antisemitism.
Next, open up the class into a discussion with the following questions:
- Did anything surprise you about what the teens said in the video?
- Have any of you seen or heard anything similar to what is described in the video? What happened? How did you respond?
- At the end of the video, the students talk about why other people should care about antisemitism. What did you think about what they said?
Output
How might you respond if you see antisemitism or someone you know is being harassed? As a group, come up with some ideas of how to respond safely. Some examples could include:
- Say “that wasn’t funny” if someone makes a joke at their expense.
- Tell a trusted adult.
- Care for those that were targeted.
How might you encourage others to stand up to antisemitism? Draft a letter, a poster, or a slogan to encourage people to stand up to antisemitism and hate.
Wisconsin Academic Standards
This lesson meets the following Academic Standards required by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Teacher Primer
Know Before You Go
Before you teach, use our teacher primer to freshen up on your content knowledge.
Lesson Plan
Terezin
Examine the cultural scene at the Terezin camp and how it was used as a tool for propaganda.
Enduring Understanding
Nazi camps and ghettos served different purposes. Terezin was established as a tool for propaganda, to silence questions about where some prominent or elderly Jews were being sent.
Essential Questions
- 1How did art provide an outlet for prisoners in the camps?
- 2How can art provide a glimpse into what prisoners experienced and felt during their time in the camp?
Readiness
Explain to students that the Nazis established numerous ghettos and camps throughout Europe, all with their unique attributes. The camp that will be discussed in this lesson, Terezin, or Theresienstadt, was incredibly unique and served many purposes.
Prominent Jews, especially artists, musicians, and cultural figures were among the people sent to Terezin because their disappearance in society may otherwise raise suspicions.
Input
Use the resource, Terezin: A Site for Deception, by Facing History & Ourselves to give students an overview of the ghetto. Read through this resource as a class and analyze the picture by Bedrich Fritta together. Students will be given other pictures from Terezin to analyze later, so do this one as a class.
Output
Divide students into small groups and provide them with these images (without captions) and have them look through the images and discuss the questions on the last page. Give students about 5-10 minutes for this.
After students have had a chance to look through the images without the captions, provide them this document that includes the captions and context. Give students some time with the pictures and allow them to discuss the questions on the last page. Give students an additional 5-10 minutes for this.
Call the class together to share what they discussed. Have a representative from each group share an overview.
Lastly, return to the essential questions and open into a class discussion about the use of art in the camp system.
Teacher Primer
Know Before You Go
Before you teach, use our teacher primer to freshen up on your content knowledge.
Lesson Plan
Creating a Divide
Learn about the impact that restrictive laws and propaganda had on dividing the Jewish and non-Jewish population in Germany.
Enduring Understanding
Within the first six years of Nazi rule there were aggressive steps taken to separate the Jewish people from society. Restrictive laws and combative propaganda were commonplace.
Essential Question
- 1How did the Nazis create divisions between the Jewish and non-Jewish populations in Germany?
Readiness
Explain to students that before the Nazi rise to power the Jewish community was well integrated into German society, meaning that many Jews worked, went to school, and were part of the same social scene as their non-Jewish counterparts.
There are two short clips (1:45 and 1:29) that help illustrate this for students. Go to the iWitness website by USC Shoah Foundation and show them the clips from Margaret Lambert. It should be the first two clips on the page. Play the one where Margaret speaks about her childhood in Germany first. Next, play the clip where Margaret speaks about segregation and exclusion from anti-Jewish laws.
Ask students the following questions after they have viewed both clips:
- How did Margaret describe her childhood and her feelings about her being Jewish?
- What changed for Margaret after 1933?
- Do you notice a change in her behavior or attitude from one video to the next?
Input
Explain to students that during the first six years of the Nazi regime, more than 400 legal restrictions were imposed on Jews and other groups. Ask students to pull up the resource on Antisemitic Legislation 1933-1939 from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. This resource will show 29 examples of antisemitic legislation.
In groups of 2 or 3, assign one of the years from the list. Multiple groups can have the same year, especially years that have multiple items under it. In these groups, students will pick a specific law to learn more about. You can either assign them a specific law or let them pick one themselves under their designated year.
Have students go to the digital exhibition, State of Deception, by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Show them the different pages of the exhibition. As a class, go through the “What is Propaganda?” page. Show them how to get to the page showcasing the 1933-1939: Dictatorship section. This is where they will be working for this activity.
Provide this worksheet for students as they navigate the time frame 1933-1939.
Output
Discuss the following questions in your small groups, then come back together as a class and share.
- How did the laws and decrees, paired with the propaganda, pave the way for further violence and persecution during the Holocaust?
- For what purpose did the Nazis control all aspects of media and culture?
Wisconsin Academic Standards
This lesson meets the following Academic Standards required by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Teacher Primer
Know Before You Go
Before you teach, use our teacher primer to freshen up on your content knowledge.
Lesson Plan
Pre-War Jewish Life
Examine what Jewish life was like prior to the rise of Nazism. What was culture like and what challenges did they face?
Enduring Understanding
Jewish communities in Europe before World War II went through periods of modernization. Jews were becoming more ingrained into the culture of the areas in which they occupied. Rising antisemitism and nationalism contributed to conversations of Zionism and Jews’ role in society.
Essential Questions
- 1What is the impact of culture and community on one's identity?
- 2What is the impact of having an identity and customs that differ from the majority population in which you live?
Readiness
Begin by asking students to reflect on the following questions. Read each question one at a time and allow students time to record their answers in a notebook.
- How do I define and express my identity?
- How does my identity influence my life?
- How do I feel when people challenge my concept of myself?
- Have I ever experienced judgements or assumptions about my identity from others?
After you have read out all of the questions, ask students if anyone would like to share their responses to any of the questions.
Input
Print out copies of the handout “A Picture of Jewish Life in Europe Before WWII” from Echoes & Reflections. Encourage students to underline, highlight, or annotate on the worksheet.
Ask students to write a small summary of the information they gathered from each heading (A Time of Challenges, Modernization, Rising Antisemitism and Nationalism, and Jewish Reactions).
Output
As a class, ask students the following questions which they could gather from the reading.
- How did Jewish customs and culture distinguish them from their non-Jewish counterparts?
- How did Jewish culture adapt over time?
- What was the impact of rising antisemitism and nationalism?
- What was the response among Jews?
Lastly, discuss how Jewish identity had transformed and been impacted by the communities in which they lived. You may choose to return to the essential questions section to engage in this dialogue.
Wisconsin Academic Standards
This lesson meets the following Academic Standards required by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Teacher Primer
Know Before You Go
Before you teach, use our teacher primer to freshen up on your content knowledge.