Watch part of a lecture by Dr. Deborah Lipstadt, the world’s foremost scholar on Holocaust Denial, who explains the absurd proposition of denying the Holocaust.
Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory.
Prompt your students with the following questions to respond to with a short discussion or writing exercise: Have you heard of someone who does not believe that the Holocaust happened? What would you say to a Holocaust denier if you met one today?
The following video might give every student a few more things to say if ever they hear denial again.
Preview the video by noting that it moves quickly and lots of information is provided. Ask your students to take notes about the things they feel are most important. Then, watch Holocaust Denial, Explained from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.
After the video concludes, ask the group to share what they thought were the most important points within the video. Using a collective workspace, make notes of these points for everyone’s benefit. Ask the student who shares each point why they felt it was important. Ask the students if they have any questions about the video. Note those in the collective workspace as well.
Watch the video again, prompting students before you begin to keep these points and questions in mind as they search for more pertinent information.
After viewing the video a second time, ask your students to write a response to a Holocaust denier. What arguments would they use? What would be the main message they would want to convey to someone who refuses to accept the facts of history?
Give them 10 minutes to begin crafting a letter before asking them to share their thoughts with the class.
This lessons meets the following Academic Standards required by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Before you teach, use our teacher primer to freshen up on your content knowledge.