Prepare students by telling them the preface of the Stanford Prison Experiment; that it was a social psychology experiment to investigate the psychological effect of perceived power and dehumanization of the “other.” While this study was put into the context of a standard prison, it has often been used to help explain the psychology of perpetrators during the Holocaust.

Explain that many perpetrators signed up to work at a concentration camp or killing center and that there are countless stories of unnecessary brutality from many of the SS guards.

Play the BBC Documentary about the Stanford Prison Experiment (29 minutes). Explain to students that while this was a real study that took place, the ethics of it were questioned and regulations for social experiments have since been put into place. Some question the validity of this study as some students may have been playing up their roles to give the researcher “something to work with.” However, even if some actions were played up, it can still help to stir a conversation about the effects of dehumanization and authority.

After the video, open up a class discussion about what they saw. Many students will have strong opinions about this video, so the discussion may be led in different directions. The questions below are meant to guide you, but you can also let the conversation flow naturally. It is most important that the conversation is brought back to the context of the Holocaust.

1. What did you find the most shocking?
2. What were the effects on the guards? On the prisoners?
3. As mentioned in the beginning with the example of Milgram’s experiment, how does the presence of an authoritative person “taking the blame” affect how people act?
4. How can this be related to perpetrators of the Holocaust?
5. What sort of tactics did they use to dehumanize the prisoners?
6. How did the uniform the guards wore help to disconnect them from the prisoners? *Hint* Think about their eyewear.
7. What role do you think “herd mentality” (the act of adopting certain behaviors based on influence from peers) played in people’s participation?

Read this quote by Holocaust historian, Raul Hilberg in “Destruction of the European Jews” to the class:

“An administrative process of such range cannot be carried out by a single agency, even if it is a trained and specialized body like the Gestapo or a commissariat for Jewish affairs, for when a process cuts into every phase of human life, it must ultimately feed upon the resources of an entire community…. The machinery of destruction was the organized community in one of its specialized roles.”

Ask the students to take a moment to think about what it is saying. What are some things that come to mind? Have them jot down some notes for two minutes before asking them to share. This does not need to be a lengthy discussion, just call on a few people to get class started.

Direct students to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum online exhibit, Some Were Neighbors: Collaboration and Complicity in the Holocaust. Allow students and opportunity to explore the site, become familiar with navigating around it. See what they hone in on as they do so. At the bottom of the page there are different tabs featuring different categories of collaborators. Some were: Neighbors, Workers, Teenagers, Policemen, Religious Leaders, Teachers, or Friends.

Divide the class into groups of three or five. Assign each group a category: Neighbors, Workers, Teenagers, Policemen, Religious Leaders, Teachers, or Friends.

Each group should prepare a brief presentation on their category. The presentation does not have to be a visual presentation, just ask the students to discuss their category with the class. They do not have to describe all of the pictures, just ask them to pick a few that they found the most compelling. If possible, allow students to project some of the pictures they chose to show the class.

Provide students with the following points to help structure their presentations:

1. What group are you presenting? Summarize some of the information you have gathered.
2. What do you think made people in this group participate?
3. Were there opportunities to resist or opt out?
4. Were they acting as part of their job?
5. What role do you think peer pressure had on their decision to act?

As your students if they have ever heard of a conspiracy theory. What is a conspiracy theory? What are the ones that fascinate them the most?
Provide the definition of conspiracy theory: “a belief that some covert but influential organization is responsible for a circumstance or event.”

Provide your students with insights from Dr. Deborah Lipstadt (available in full here), who suggests that antisemitism “is rooted in a conspiracy theory. As such, the Jew is not just to be loathed but is to be feared.” Ask your students, “Why do conspiracy theories evoke fear?”

Furthermore, Dr. Lipstadt suggests that the conspiracy theory of antisemitism “has a structure. It is not just a haphazard conglomeration of sentiments. It generally has three to four essential elements: wealth, cunning (smarts used nefariously), and power beyond their ‘legitimate number’ (punching above their weight).”

Their task of this lesson is to identify these essential elements within specific examples and then report their findings to the whole class.
Split students into five groups.
Each group will examine one of the five examples of antisemitism shown in Antisemitism Over Time from Echoes and Reflections. Distribute one example per group.

Then, provide the following instructions:

1. Read the description of the antisemitic incident or artifact carefully.
2. Examine the artifact or direct quotes from the incident.
3. Record which elements of the conspiracy theory emerge in this example.
   1. Are there implied elements that are not displayed directly? Explain.
   2. Does “fear of the Jew” enter into the equation here? How so?
4. Generate a brief presentation for the class that summarizes the context (time, place, participants, etc.) and your findings about the themes that are most significantly expressed in the artifacts or quotations.

Ask your students if they have heard the term antisemitism before. If they have, how do they understand it? Guide discussion toward the definition from the Anti-Defamation League to set the stage for the rest of the lesson.

Turn toward the reading about Contemporary Antisemitism from Echoes & Reflections. Begin by reading the first section aloud as a class, answering any questions or defining words about which the students require clarification.

Then, divide the class into two groups.

• Members of group 1 should read the section on Post-Holocaust Antisemitism.
• Members of group 2 should read the section on Antisemitism Today.

Have every student read their section individually. Then pair with another member of their group to clarify the main points, questions, and challenges.

Finally, ask group 1 pairs to partner with group 2 pairs.
Have each pair share their summary of the section they read. What were the most important parts, what questions do they have, what is their understanding of the historical era being addressed?

Then, ask the quartet to answer the following set of questions:

1. What ties these two eras of hatred together? How are they similar?
2. What distinguishes the two eras of hatred?
3. Antisemitism has been called a conspiracy theory: what parts strike you in this way?
4. If Antisemitism was foundational to the Holocaust and remains prevalent today, should we be concerned about the possibility of a repeated catastrophe?

At the opening of the video, Samatha Power says, “it would be a grave mistake to view antisemitism as something that merely affects the Jewish people.” Provide this short quote to your students before viewing the video and prompt them to pre-write about it. What do they think it means? How can this be so? Give them 5 minutes to compose some thoughts and then ask them to share.

Watch Antisemitism Today by the USHMM. The video is complex and might be broken down for clarity by pausing between the following sections.

At the conclusion of each section, ask students to reflect on what they understood, what confused them, and what questions they have about the subject. Give space to address these insights.

Beginning to 1:35: What is antisemitism and why it is a problem for democracy
1:35 – 3:00: Two non-governmental manifestations, Islamic & Right Wing extremism
3:00 – 4:35: Antisemitism and its relationship to anti-Zionism and Holocaust denial
4:35 – End: The threat to society created by antisemitism

After the discussion of the video is over and students are feeling comfortable with the information, return to the quote highlighted by Samatha Powers:

“It would be a grave mistake to view antisemitism as something that merely affects the Jewish people.”

Ask your students to expand on their initial writing by answering the following questions:

1. What do they take from this statement now?
2. What can be done to respond to this truth?
3. How might they participate in resisting antisemitism?

Give students 10 minutes to reflect on these questions.
If time permits, have students share their reflections in small groups or full class discussion.