Creating a Divide
Learn about the impact that restrictive laws and propaganda had on dividing the Jewish and non-Jewish population in Germany.
Wisconsin Academic Standard: BH2.a: Relationship of People and Groups
Relationship of People and Groups
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.
Lesson Plan
Art and Politics
Explore the relationship between art and politics by analyzing pieces from the Weimar Republic.
Enduring Understanding
The art scene during the Weimar Republic reflected the freedom of expression that came along with the new democracy. Many used art as a way of processing the war or expressing dissatisfaction with the political environment.
Essential Question
- 1What is the correlation between art and politics?
Readiness
Begin by asking students what art means to them. Next, ask students to name different types of art and write down these responses in a communal space.
Input
Teacher's Note
If timing is an issue, prioritize the deeper look into the Hannah Hoch piece over going through all art pieces in the visual essay.
Pull up the Visual Essay: Free Expression in the Weimar Republic by Facing History and Ourselves. Read the Introduction to the Visual Essay as a class and scroll through the different artworks. Prompt students to look at the art and think about what they see, what the piece represents, and whether or not it sheds a positive light on Germany. The brief descriptions accompanying each piece should help.
One of the pieces featured, Hannah Hoch, The Kitchen Knife, 1919, has a video (4.5 minutes) from Smarthistory that takes a deeper dive into the aspects of the piece. Show this video when you come to that piece.
After showing that video, ask students the following:
- Why could an art piece like this only be created in a democracy?
- How does this piece demonstrate art being a form of social criticism?
Output
In pairs or small groups, have students respond to the three questions at the bottom of the visual essay (shown below). Give students approximately 10 minutes to discuss on their own before opening up into a class discussion to go over their answers.
- Fritz Mackensen’s 1982 painting Der Saeugling (The Baby) is one example of the more traditional art that many Germans were familiar with before World War I. Compare and contrast this painting with the more modern Weimar-era works of art that follow in this visual essay. What differences do you notice? What might those differences reveal about tensions present within German society during the Weimar Republic?
- What can we learn about history from artwork? How do the works of art here connect to what you have already learned about the Weimar era in Germany? How do they extend your knowledge of this era? How do they challenge your thinking about Weimar Germany?
- Is freedom of expression important to a democracy? Under what conditions, if any, should such freedom be restricted?
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
Shanghai Ghetto
Walk students through the challenges of obtaining U.S. visas and the horrible conditions many faced in seeking refuge in Shanghai.
Enduring Understanding
Jews fleeing Nazi persecution created a large refugee problem. Challenges in getting visas to the U.S. and other countries left people with very few options.
Essential Questions
- 1What challenges did Jews face when trying to flee persecution?
- 2Were other countries welcoming to the influx of refugees?
Readiness
Explain to students that as persecution for Jewish people in Nazi occupied territories worsened, more and more people were seeking refuge in other countries. Many countries, including the United States, had a long waiting list to obtain visas.
Pull up this checklist from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Americans and the Holocaust virtual exhibition. Examine one or two of the steps in greater detail.
Up until August 1939, no visas were required to enter Shanghai.
Input
Read the following excerpt from a diary entry about entrance to Shanghai:
“We have to go to Shanghai. Terrible letters come from there. One runs again to see if our names are on the list to leave. Before, when one saw his name on the list, one was happy. Today…one cries.”
-Rose Shoshana Kahan diary entry, 1941
Ask students why they think people continued to seek refuge in Shanghai despite hearing such terrible things from there? What does that say about the desperation people had to leave Europe?
Output
Teacher's Note
If students do not know about Pearl Harbor, they can click on it within the article and it will take them to a page telling them more about it.
In partners or individually, have students read through this article by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum about Polish Jewish Refugees in the Shanghai Ghetto and answers the questions below.
- What were conditions like for the refugees that ended up in Shanghai?
- How did things change after the attack on Pearl Harbor?
- How did the Jewish refugees maintain a sense or ordinary life?
Come together as a class to go over their answers.
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
A Priest in Dachau
Analyze primary source documents for Rev. Stanley Dabrowski. Use secondary sources to contextualize the history in the larger picture of the Holocatust.
Enduring Understanding
German forced wanted to eliminate any opposition to the Third Reich, often imprisoning political and religious leaders they feared would speak out against them.
Essential Question
- 1How did religious opposition threaten the Third Reich?
Readiness
Begin by providing your students with background information on concentration camps. Concentration camps were created for a variety of reasons, including forced labor, detention of individuals viewed as enemies of the state, and eventually, mass murder.
Input
Pull up the resource, Polish Victims, by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. As a class, read the first two paragraphs of this article, ending where it begins to talk about “Germanizing Poland.”
Open into a brief class discussion with the following critical thinking question:
Why did German forces eliminate or arrest not just leaders of political groups, but of religious organizations as well?
Output
Explain to your students that they will be examining documents from a Polish victim of Nazi persecution, Rev. Stanley Dabrowski.
In groups of 2-3, have students look through and analyze the primary documents from series 1 and 2 of the Rev. Stanley Dabrowski papers from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.
In groups, provide students with the following instructions below. Provide 10-15 minutes for this activity.
- Look through the documents from series 1 and series 2.
- What can you gather from these documents about Rev. Stanley Dabrowski’s life?
- What was happening around this time in the greater context of the Holocaust leading up to Stanley’s arrest?
Once students have had an opportunity to research for themselves, provide this overview of Rev. Stanley Dabrowski’s life, compiled from research by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.
How does Rev. Dabrowski’s story contribute to your overall understanding of the Holocaust?
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
German-American Bund
Students will watch a short film showing a pro-Nazi demonstration from 1939 in New York.
Enduring Understanding
American citizens were aware of Nazi ideology and some supported and embraced these values.
Essential Question
- 1What impact did Nazi ideology have on people in the United States?
Readiness
Explain to your students that while the Nazi party only resided in Germany, Nazi ideology and practices sprouted in areas within the United States. The German-American Bund was a pro-Nazi organization for Americans of German descent. The Bund’s leader, Fritz Kuhn, tried to portray himself as the “American fuhrer,” although the organization never received support from the Nazi party.
Input
Explain to your students that the German-American Bund was present in multiple states. The largest Bund rally was held in 1939 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Play this 7-minute film, A Night at the Garden by filmmaker Marshall Curry. Warn students that the video contains hateful speech and that some of the clip may be difficult to watch.
While they watch, ask students to take notes on what they see. When the film is over, take 5 minutes for students to share what they wrote down.
Output
Use the remaining time to open a discussion with the questions below:
- What did you notice about the blend of American and German values?
- What did you think about the way in which the leader, Fritz Kuhn, spoke to the crowd?
- Why do you think the man at the end rushed the stage? What were the reactions from those on the stage and in the crowd?
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
The Circle
Learn the story of Mildred Fish Harnack, a Milwaukee-born woman famous for her role in the underground resistance in Germany. Mildred was the only American civilian killed on the direct order of Hitler.
Enduring Understanding
Some people risked their lives to speak out against Nazi ideology.
Essential Questions
- 1How does one combat harmful ideology?
- 2In what way can education encourage people to become free thinkers?
Readiness
Begin by asking your students, how far would you go to stand up for what you believe in?
Input
Teacher's Note
Mildred Harnack was executed for her role in the resistance as well as for her political views. Mildred and her husband were both communists. You may want to take time in this lesson to discuss the reasons why other groups were targeted by the Nazis.
Read through this resource on Mildred Fish Harnack as a class.
Explain that neither Mildred nor Arvid were Jewish or deemed “undesirable” by Hitler’s standards. To the contrary, Arvid was employed by the government and was considered to fit the mold of the ideal Aryan. Despite not being affected by discriminatory policies imposed by the Third Reich, Mildred and Arvid went to great lengths to oppose Nazi ideology.
Output
In pairs or small groups, have the class answer the following questions:
- Why do you think Mildred wasn’t swayed by Nazi propaganda
- Why do you think Mildred risked her life to denounce Hitler and Nazi ideology?
- How can education help combat hateful propaganda?
- What is your biggest takeaway from learning about Mildred Harnack?
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
Black Germans Under Nazism
Students will learn about the descrimination against Black Germans from 1933 to the end of the war under Nazi rule.
Enduring Understanding
All groups that did not meet Nazi criteria, Aryan race were subject to violence and discrimination.
Essential Questions
- 1How were African Germans discriminated against in Nazi Germany?
- 2How does the discrimination against Black Germans expand your understanding of Nazism?
Readiness
Ask students what they know about the other groups persecuted by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. Can they come up with other examples of groups that were the targets of Nazi violence?
Explain to students that the Nazis’ idea of creating a superior Aryan (white, European descent) race meant that anyone who did not meet these criteria was endangered . Although there was not a specific organized pogrom to eliminate the African Germans, an unknown number were sterilized, incarcerated, or murdered.
Input
Direct students to the resource by The Holocaust Explained from the Wiener Holocaust Library. Scroll down to the section titled, ‘Black People’ or choose it from the list on the left side of the page.
Have students read through this section, taking notes on each of the topics: Employment, Education, Sterilization and Imprisonment, and End of War. When taking notes, students should build a list of acts of social and legal discrimination as well as physical actions and violence against Black people in Germany.
Output
Come together as a class. Ask students to look down at the notes they have written down. Ask students if they are surprised by their list. Did they expect there to be so many actions taken against Black people? What actions stood out the most?
At the end of this resource it implies that Black people could have been targeted for mass murder if Germany had not been defeated. What can you deduce from the parallels between the mistreatment of Jews and Blacks that supports this statement?
If necessary, review the Nuremberg Race Laws or the Law Against Overcrowding in Schools.
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
Law Against Overcrowding in Schools
Students will learn about the laws enacted in 1933 restricting the number of Jewish students in German public schools.
Enduring Understanding
Laws limiting the number of Jewish students in schools and universities helped to segregate Jews and allowed for antisemitic ideas to be spread in classrooms.
Essential Question
- 1How can segregation of a group increase prejudice against them?
Readiness
Explain to students that a string of anti-Jewish legislation came into effect in Germany in 1933. These laws segregated Jews from Germans and restricted where they could work, who they could marry, and where they could attend school.
Input
Direct students to the resource, Law Limits Jews in Public Schools by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Output
Discuss the following questions in an open discussion:
- Why did the Nazis call this a law “against overcrowding”?
- What purpose(s) did it serve to reduce the amount of Jewish students in schools and universities?
- How might separating Jewish children from their German classmates impact how they will view one another later in life?
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
Pledging Allegiance
Students will compare the original German soldiers’ oath to the one created by Hitler.
Enduring Understanding
Dictatorial leaders consolidate power by requiring absolute loyalty to them.
Essential Questions
- 1How does taking an oath affect a person’s actions?
- 2How does an oath to defend a Constitution differ from an oath to support a specific leader?
Readiness
Ask the class, What is an oath? What purpose does it mean to take an oath?
Input
Direct students to the resource, ‘Pledging Allegiance’ by Facing History and Ourselves. Divide the class into groups of 3-5 and have them read through the resource as a group.
Output
In their groups of 3-5, have students discuss the Connection Questions at the bottom of the resource page.
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
Did You Take the Oath?
A brief case study highlights how individual decisions strengthen Nazism.
Enduring Understanding
The Holocaust was not inevitable but was the result of the choices made by many individuals.
Essential Question
- 1How did people talk themselves out of doing the right thing during this time?
Readiness
Ask students what it means to be a perpetrator, to perpetuate a crime. Ask them who the perpetrators of the Holocaust were. Explain that today you are focusing on how seemingly small decisions contributed to the perpetration of the Holocaust, even if that was not the person’s intent.
Input
Listen to the audio file, “Do You Take the Oath?” by Facing History and Ourselves.
Output
Think-Pair-Share.
Think: Have students spend a few minutes writing down their response to this question: Why did the man in the recording sign the oath? (3 minutes)
Pair: Have students talk to the person next to them about their answers. Do they think the man should have made a different choice? Why was it hard to make a different choice?
Share: Use this exercise to engage in a discussion about Holocaust perpetrators. Was the man a perpetrator? How does he seem different from the Nazis seen in the movies? In the final wrap up to the lesson, the teacher should highlight that the Holocaust required the consent and participation of many different people, including business people, doctors, nurses, architects, pastors, teachers, store owners, and laborers. Some of these people participated because they agreed with Nazism but other people acted with self-interest and ended up strengthening Nazism.
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.