Everyday life - pre-Holocaust Jewish society

One of the main educational philosophical approaches advocated by Yad Vashem is that we really need to think deeply about how we incorporate the stories of the victims, perpetrators and bystanders in Holocaust studies. I had never really thought much about the fact that we often teach the Holocaust from the perspective of the Nazis and the German state. One or two lessons, focusing on the horror, and how Nazi ideology brought about this unimaginable and unprecedented event in History. Suddenly, I was confronted by the notion that this was still marginalising Jews, and perceiving them only in the role of victim. Today was about discovering more about everyday life for Jewish people in Poland, where the majority of Jews lived. Stereotypes were realised and discredited (think Fiddler on the Roof) and the wide spectrum of Jewish and religious groups explored. We then engaged in an excellent role play, where an imaginary street in a Polish town was set up based on large photographic panels, overlaid with a number of different sources. We were given character sheets and the facilitator posed questions that we had to respond to, in role. It was a great activity and I wish I could set up such a scene in my classroom.  It certainly reinforced for me that the Jews were not a united, one-dimensional group of people, but had a rich, diverse culture and life that was wholly extinguished by the Holocaust. They were not just victims but human beings like every one of us.  

Closely connected to this concept was our afternoon visit to the Valley of the Communities, which is an extraordinary memorial to the Jewish communities that were destroyed during the Holocaust. It is built out of Jerusalem stone, like everything else in Jerusalem, and is shaped like the map of Europe. It is massive and you could easily get lost meandering around the various countries and areas. The names of the villages are sandblasted on to the rock, and provides a place for people to come to and see their village and community memorialised.  Again, the massive structure and the huge number of names of lost villages reinforced the enormity of the loss. As we made our way back to the study centre, we passed huge sculptures, smaller sculptures, small gardens, thousands of plaques, Schindler's tree - the emotions certainly are building and my mind keeps going back to the question How on earth did this ever happen??  I don't think I will ever understand it, no matter how much I study it.