Holocaust and Genocide

Conceived as an immersive, enrichment project – perhaps an after-school club, but also suitable to include within the curriculum – #HtFMeUs supports and guides students to explore one of the stories from the documentary: hearing directly from the families featured and using the documentary, its experts and filmmaking team, archive material and more, to understand the story. Stories – we know – have the power to change the way we think, feel and act. Each story provides a learning hook, making humanising the history possible. Students begin the project by following either Bernie Graham, Noemie Lopian, Robert and his mother Angela Cohen, or sisters Louisa and Natalie Clein’s journey. In doing so they deepen their knowledge of the Holocaust and its history, develop critical thinking skills and are then invited to reflect upon the meaning of these events for them as individuals.

Participating schools bring together these threads in a reflection on how the story informs the school community, its diversity, ethos, and values. Beyond the workbook resources and challenges, projects outcomes are varied: including cross-curricular opportunities in History, RE, Art, social science, MFL, Music, Drama and more. Taking up the project students learn about ‘the Holocaust’, explore one family story (their family), reflect on what it means to them (me) and as a school community (us). Presented with often little known, often under-taught, aspects of the Holocaust (the Einsatzgruppen ‘Holocaust by Bullets’, hidden children, resistance and role of women, life under Vichy, occupation and more) students have been able to identify and challenge prevailing misconceptions about what it means to be Jewish in Britain today, go beyond the Auschwitz centric narrative. Students are supported to discover the complexity and evolution of the camp system, to realise the importance of place, space, identity, culture and belonging – and to heed lessons.

Knowing what happened in the Holocaust, learning about it, means nothing if we are complacent. We know the warning signs. We know where appeasement, being a bystander or ‘them and us’ thinking leads – this project is research-informed, in pedagogical approach and content, aligned to IHRA guidance and best practice and engages all participants, schools and communities to reflect upon and apply their deep learning.

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In an era where survivor visits are increasingly difficult for schools to arrange and where we approach a point in time where Holocaust survivors will all have passed away, this project demonstrates an approach for students to follow a Holocaust story closely and develop a deep understanding of the history, making use of archive material, documentary evidence and the reflections of second- and third- generation descendants of Holocaust victims and survivors: it humanises the history. Additionally, the project gives young people an opportunity to reflect on the legacies of the Holocaust and their significance in the modern world, and to develop a sense of themselves as global citizens in the context of this history.

The project would be very suited to schools wishing to develop their students’ cultural capital and build a strong culture of valuing diversity and British Values and would be valuable in ensuring a broad and balanced curricular offer in PSHE or Citizenship lessons: it supports SMSC, personal development, student voice, leadership, and teamwork. It addresses themes related to prejudice, discrimination, safeguarding, antisemitism, DEI, emotional and media literacy, e-safety and recognising myths, misconceptions. In era of fake news, conspiracy theories, and distortion-it supports combatting denial and challenges hatred. It empowers young people to safeguard the future by learning from the past: an innovative vehicle to support existing Holocaust provision across the curriculum and can support schools marking Holocaust Memorial Day, or opportunity to embed a culture of respect, empathy, and inclusion.

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The project provides co-ordinating teachers the foundational resources, materials and support they need to embark on the project. With input from experts at the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education and the 45 Aid Society, facilitated over Zoom, and direct communication with those whose families featured in the documentary (Bernie, Noemie, Robert, Angela, Louisa and Natalie) student groups get to take a learning and reflective ‘journey’. In addition, some school visits and special events occur across the evolving project; just recently, two schools were invited to University College London campus to experience a series of workshops delivered by UCL Centre for Holocaust Education, with Robert and Angela visiting as a ‘surprise’, ensuring a first-hand connection with the stories studied was forged, along with working directly with experts in the field of Holocaust education at one of Britain’s leading universities! Schools and learners continue to benefit from varied experiences as part of project

“To see young learners immersed in my families’ story, becoming informed, empathetic, active citizens, is a gift.

This project brings the past to our present and can help shape a better future.” - Robert Rinder MBE

To learn more about #HtFMeUs visit our project website: https://www.htfmeus.co.uk/ or email, Miss Wetherall, nwetherall@rwba.ascendlearningtrust.org.uk