Human behaviour throughout history has always been very important for teachers around the world but especially in Europe. It is our pedagogical examination of basic moral issues. My lessons in English have had critical approaches for an investigation of human behavior. Learning about the Holocaust in my school also examines what it means to be a responsible citizen today. Every year, a new generations of my 8th grade students (14-15) ask me the same question: «How was it possible?» In their History lessons they learn about the WW2 in Europe in in the world. Holocaust is the unvoidable part of teaching and they should know the Holocaust was not an accident in history. It was the reality. Age appropriateness in teaching about the Holocaust shouldn't be an obstacle. My students demonstrate a huge empathy with individual tragedy. It's not easy to place Ana Frank's personal story in a larger historical context. That's why I start teaching from my students' micro world, from the time they live in, towards the past. They are examining tolerance, discrimination, racism, justice and human rights in their own lives and society – in their families, in their classroom, in thier school, in their town, in the country. It demands of me a high level of sensitivity and a deep awareness of the complexity of the subject matter. Since I've been involved in Marsha's Holocaust project, and before, I'm trying to avoid simple answers to my students' questions. Genocide is the word that needs a very serious presentation. I think that it is very important to highlight the different policies that the Nazi regime had toward various groups of people in Europe. From this moment of teaching, I lead my students to our neighborhood, to Jasenovac. Facing this part of Croatian history is always shocking and it is the most important lesson about humanity. There are no simple answers to any of my kids' questions. Last generation of my 8th grade students visited Aushwitz. This year, in September, the next genaration will visit Jasenovac. To have History lesson in the real environment. I'm sure this lesson will encourage their further learning about Holocaust which is not only History but also Literature, Art, Geography, Biology, Maths, Music, Technology, and above all, Humanity lesson. New generation must learn how to connect history to other world events in the past, to the modern world and to everyday life. We, the teachers, must teach them how to assess their personal life. Rozalija Baricevic |
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Never, Never Again
Sometimes we think that human beings are the most perfect creatures on Earth, but history teaches us it’s not true.
We have witnessed all these crimes during history and in modern times, but in my opinion, nothing can be compared to discrimination.
Holocaust is the term generally used to describe the killing of six millions European Jews during the World War 2. Adolph Hitler, in the moment of his devil’s ideas, came to the conclusion: Why wouldn’t he destroy, kill or use all people who were against his politics and all those who were “lower” classes and races? Jews in the first place, then others… Great Germany should be a state with Germans only.
That idea was so cruel. He started to do it with no emotions. Millions of Jews were sent to concentration camps where they were killed, their bodies were burnt, and others were used for hard work and medical experiments. Dr. Josef Mengele was was a “famous scientist” who performed painful and horrible experiments on healthy women, children and men. That includes testing various drugs, freezing to death… Twin children were his special interest. These awful experiments didn’t have any scientific values; for example, transforming normal, healthy twins into Siamese twins. Those who survived were killed. Holocaust was the hell on Earth and I hope that something like that never will happen again.
Maja Dvorscak, 8B School “Ivan Goran Kovacic” Illustration: Matija |
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Oh, My Europe!
In many discussions on the radio and TV and in many books and newspapers I have often heard and read the word Holocaust. At the beginning I wasn’t sure what it was about, but when I found out the meaning of this word it still wasn’t clear to me that something like that had happened in Europe.
Holocaust is known as a term of extermination of Jewish nation before and during the Second World War in the parts of Europe occupied by Hitler’s Germany. We are learning about this in our History lessons this school year. Nazi’s dictatorship defined Slavic, Gypsies and others as nations worthless to exist giving them the title of slaves in the Third Reich, while Jewish were predicted to be completely exterminated. What a horrible plan! How could European countries such as France, Great Britain, Italy and the USA close their eyes and let millions of people to suffer so long? That was inadmissible! Did they accept Hitler’s Germans as higher Aryan race?
The answer to these questions is only one word – Holocaust. Oh, my Europe! You old, blind lady! How could you allow it to happen? In that and such Europe Jews were systematically tortured. The right to live was taken away from them. The right to be equal became a dream. The yellow star, a distinguished symbol of Jewish flag, defined that nation not worth to live.
It is really horrible what these people were faced to. Endless rows of people without water and food forced to leave their homes and placed into huge concentration camps around Europe. What uncertainty, fear, torture, humiliation and bitter death at the end! Nazism was the unforgettable crime to humanity.
I remember the movie I’ve seen not so long time ago about Ana Franck. Her Diary is in my school Literature classes. Ana was a simple girl of my age, not much different than me. She had a long life ahead, many new experiences and happy moments. But the future of her family was destroyed because of the will of one man who wanted to create a new world only for himself and his nation. He didn’t care for wishes, dreams and rights of others.
Finally, I want to say that something like Holocaust, something similar to it, mustn’t happen again in our world. Holocaust is the supreme crime, the scream beyond the universe.
Ana Sofic, 8B School “Ivan Goran Kovacic” Slavonski Brod, Croatia
Illustration: Filip |
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Never Forget That Number!
Jews are people who lived in ancient times and live today. Their homeland is Israel. Today they live all over the world and there is a reason for that. When Hitler became the leader of the German Nazy party in 1933, the human history changed. He wanted to create a “pure” German race, women, men and children with blue eyes and fair hair. Jews, who lived in Europe, and many other nations didn’t belong to that criteria because they had dark eyes and dark hair, they belonged to “lower” races and couldn’t live in “Hitler’s Europe”. In order to solve that “problem” Hitler first tried to keep them out of sight. Jewish people in Germany and European occupied countries weren’t allowed to do many things that Germans could. They could go out only in some period of time during the day and were forced to wear a yellow star on their clothes so everybody knew they were Jews. They could so shopping only to the shops that had a sign “Jewish shop” or “For Jewish only”. They couldn’t go to theatres, restaurants… Their life was harder than ever. But that wasn’t enough. “There are too many Jews in my country”, thought Hitler and other members of his Nazy party. So they started to build and organize concentration camps where millions of Jewish people were tortured and killed. Six million people! Six million! How much time do you need just to count from one to six million?! That period of killing and genocide is called Holocaust or Shoa.
Croatian suffered so much during the Homeland War 1991-1995. Many fathers were killed; many children were killed in my town. Now I can understand the pain and suffering of Jewish people much better than before. Dear friends in Israel, I will never forget Holocaust. I will talk about that terrible part of history to my children.
Ines Petrakovic, 8A School “Ivan Goran Kovacic” Slavonski Brod, Croatia
Illustration: Marina |
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A STRANGE WORLD We live in a strange world. It is getting more and more stranger every day. We have more things to think about and to do. Who can imagine what technology can and could do? But technology is not a problem – people are. The more power we have, less feelings we give and show to others. That can cause enormous problems.
I can’t change the history. I now know well what Hitler did, first of all, to German nation. He was the leader; he made decisions in the name of Germans. Were they blind? Jewish people were his favorite victims. Millions and millions of Jews were sentenced to death without any reason. I honestly feel that there were no emotions typical for human beings in Hitler’s nature. No wonder he killed himself. He knew he would be responsible for the war and for millions of lives. I’m a bit afraid of future. Is it possible to happen something like Holocaust again? As I said, the world is strange today. Much power in the hands of greedy and insatiable individuals might cause troubles in the future. Where have democracy and true humanty gone? Angela Illustration: Karla |
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History Lesson Matej: Do you like to see happy, smiley faces around you? Mirjana: I do. I don't like to see when someone is sad. I don't like to see when someone is lonely. I don't like to hear when someone says that life is not worth living. And most of all, I don't like to meet people who make others feel sad. Matej: We are talking about Holocaust today. What do all your likes and dislikes have to do with Holocaust? Mirjana: Holocaust is not a matter of likes and dislikes. It is a state of mind, a state of soul. It is not a story of long ago but a fact which nobody can deny. Learning about Holocaust at school has made me feel angry at the beginning. Now, when I'm talking and writing about it, my emotions are much stronger; I'm sad, lonely and frightened. It did happened! My History textbook is my source. My History and English teachers are teaching us about Holocaust.
Mirjana: Look. Our teacher is presenting the posters about Holocaust. Matej: There are some pictures there. Let's see. Men and women who helped Jews to survive during the Second World War. Brave and honorable individuals. Righteous Among Nations. They were ordinary people. They were not frightened. Mirjana: Righteous Among Nations. It says here that they showed courage and love for Jews in that horrible time. Matej: And look at these words: Compassion, Moral Leadership, Self-Sacrifice, Integrity, Courage, Ingenuity, Social Responsibility. Mirjana: Let's listen to the teacher. She is going to explain everything what we want to know. Mirjana and Matej School «Ivan Goran Kovacic» Slavonski Brod, CroatiaIllustration: Tibor and Ena |
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History lesson
In war and in political activities, some statesmen and many military officers had a very important role, but also millions of unknown soldiers and civilians who needed to have an enormous courage to survive that terrible war. On 1st September 1939 Germany attacked Poland. Germans divisions were very well equiped. With good, powerful modern tanks and supported by aviation they started their first occupation. Great Britain and France did nothing to help Poland. Their politicians even negotiated with Hitler hoping that Poland would be the only victim. Lots of civilians and children had awful troubles in Poland. In 1939 German aviation bombarded Warsow. The genocide started in Poland. In that time about 3 million Jewish people lived there. Adolf Hitler, the German leader had a possessed idea. He wanted to «clean» Europe from Jews, Romas, and all other non-German nations. He ordered the building and opening of many concentration camps all over Poland and later, when Germany had occupied many European countries, all around the old continent. There was one in Croatia, in Jasenovac. We must face with that. And fight against any discrimination today. Holocaust is a historical fact. Six million Jewish people lost everything: their properties, families, homes, and finally their lives. Nobody has right to say it didn't happen. Ana Cicak Illustration: Maja D. & Mariana H. |
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If I could… Holocaust was a process of killing all Jews in the Second World War. Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party went to the extremes – to kill all Jewish people in Europe. What a monster of cruelty! What a monstrosity! What a monstrous plan! People taken out from their homes, from their streets, from their lives and sent to camps to be tortured and killed. K illed in Auschwitz! Six millions or more? Who wants to know? Who can deny it? I’m sorry, I’m sad, for children, for women and men, old and young. Children! They couldn’t live their lives at all. Hitler and feelings? How could he live with that sin in his soul even a day? I will never forget that unmerciful destiny of those innocent people. They could live and maybe many of them could make the whole world a better place today. They didn’t have any chance! I would like to change the past if I could. But, I can’t and nobody can change the Holocaust. I can just try to improve our future. And I have a hope that Holocaust will never happen again. Anywhere to anybody! Mario Barisic |
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So many questions to answer… I like English and often use the dictionary to understand better. There are no right words to describe the Holocaust. I really can’t understand why or, better to say, how somebody can hate others so much and kill them because they are different. I don’t know…really, I can’t…maybe it’s easier to hate than to love…I don’t know. Maybe Hitler wanted to be written in history as a human being who hated so many people because they were Jewish…I don’t know…Maybe he wanted to provoke other countries to start more wars…maybe…I can’t understand! There are so many questions that are winding up through my head! So many questions and I desperately need to know the answers. The answers my teacher is telling us today are so optimistic. She is calling out our names and offering us the future. She is telling us how unique we are! “Ivana, there is nobody in this world who is even similar to you. And never will be. You are the one who can use all your strengths and emotions for better days. So, it won’t happen that somebody will be taken from your street just because of religion or any other reason and sent to die.” Gas chambers, huge fire, tall chimneys, dead people, living people in medical experiments, martyrdom of children – that was a picture of Europe not so long time ago. Can you imagine that today? No, never! That’s why we are here, my friends! That’s why you are there, Israel! We will never allow to happen again. One Holocaust is too much for ever! Ivana Sentic |
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The fact is that millions of people were killed. I hope that their tragic destiny will never be forgotten. We must learn about the Holocaust and never let something like Holocaust happen again. I feel sorry for all those innocent victims. Unfortunately, I can still see on TV that there are wars in this world and people are still fighting against each other because of similar reasons that we find in the Holocaust. Lea |
Today in Croatia, in the country where I live, I don't feel any discrimination. I think that people today are more tolerant and fair to each other although not fair enough. Relations between different people are better because we can learn more from each other. Mariana |
What can I do today? First of all, I'm praying for the souls of all innocent people who were killed in Holocaust. I'm praying for them to find peace with God because they were not allowed to live in peace down here, on this planet created for everyone. Marta |
I feel gloomy when I think about Holocaust. I don't blame only Germans. I blame all those who gave support to Nazists. It may sound rude, but it's true. Doing nothing was the same like doing wrong in situations when so many people suffered. Ana |
We will probably never know the number of people killed by the Nazi regime. The Ustasha regime, the Nazis' allies in Croatia, conducted its own campaign of mass extermination against Jews, Serbs, Romas. Ustashas also deported 7000 Jews to Nazi extremination camps. Croats were also victims of the Nazi regime and those who opposed them ended in camps. Many Croats, at the risk of their lives, helped the Jews to survive. I really can't understand why nobody in the world and here in Croatia couldn't stop that horrible genocide. Blazenka |
The past cannot be brought back but we must try our best not to happen again. Mariana H.
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Wars,
genocide, ecocide...
Learning
about that part of European history I have so many questions to ask.
Why was forbidden to some people to work, own property, be educated and
be respected in the society? Why were entire nations treated as less
worthy? How was it possible to kill so many people without reactions
in only few years? Who was blind? Who didn’t care? Who is responsible
even today? 
How
could people do something like that to other people? We may be different
in skin colour, culture, religion or history, but we are all human beings.
There are wars in many regions of the world and people still kill each.
How to understand that? There must be something wrong with the human
nature!
Matej:
Yes, I know. I'm learning about Holocaust, too. I feel the same as you.
I can't understand those people who made plans to kill so many other
people.
The Second World War started in 1939 and finished in 1945. It was
the biggest world war in entire human history. There were six most
important battle fields: Europe, Soviet Union, North Africa, East of
Asia, Pacific and Japan.