Last spring, as the world observed its annual commemorations of genocides like the Rwandan Tutsi Genocide and the Holocaust, the staff of The Hollywood Reporter got to talking about how many Holocaust survivors had Hollywood connections, and how many of them were still alive.
To Keep the Memories Alive One Must Witness
I found as a teacher that the most challenging task when teaching about the Holocaust and genocide, is how to do it not using material that shocks the students to the point that they do not want to look at the content, study the history or listen to present day issues due to the emotional shut down that can occur.
Sarah Griffitts is a social studies high school teacher at the Calgary Board of Education in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She received a BA in History at Mount Royal College and an MA in History from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Her master’s thesis focused on the establishment of Chelmno and Sobibor through the path of the Einsatzgruppen.