Between the years 1933 and 1945[1], approximately six million Jews were executed by the Nazi machine.[2]   Years later, we are still struggling to pull meaning from one of the most horrifying explosions of hatred and violence in human history.  Teaching young adults about the Holocaust is a difficult task.   Not only must we find age appropriate materials that are capable of illustrating the impact of this genocide, we must take great care in selecting sources capable of engaging students in critical thinking.  There are a variety of topics and approaches, which can be utilized in the high school classroom.  We have reviewed a selection of print and electronic resources, with the purpose of creating a Holocaust workstation that not only meets the requirements of Illinois state goals for instruction,[3] but also provides an effective educational tool.  (In the interests of making this workstation accessible, all materials, with the exception of the subscription databases, cost under $100.  Additionally, this workstation requires a minimum of one computer with Internet access.)

            In order to evaluate the resources available to students and educators, we used two main approaches: a review of the professional (library and information science) literature and human experience.  Two members of the group, Bridget Harvey and Alan Holtz are educators.  Their classroom and library media center experiences served as important guides in the selection of age appropriate materials in alignment with Illinois state standards.  Additionally, the assistance of Dr. Richard S. Levy of the University of Illinois at Chicago proved valuable in the selection of print materials and the identification of the most important trends in Holocaust scholarship.

           The selection of print resources about the Holocaust should contribute to a coherent plan of interdisciplinary study.  One of the major exercises in creating a lasting and unified curriculum for Holocaust education was undertaken in 1972 at Monument Regional High School in Great Barrington, PA.  At this time, the authors of the curriculum identified the main criteria for resource selection.  Each item had to help answer a series of questions:

What happened? Why did the Holocaust happen? Who were the victims and victimizers? How and Why? What does the Holocaust reveal about the individual and society?  What was the aftermath? Could it happen again?[4]

In order to provide an interdisciplinary and diverse collection of resources about the Holocaust, our print recommendations can be used in the Social Studies or English classroom.  An excellent resource providing a complete history of the Holocaust, as well as information about the history of the Jews in Europe can be found in Yehuda Bauer’s A History of the Holocaust.  (A 1991 reprint was consulted with a cost of $12.95.)  A respected scholar of the Holocaust, Bauer has authored a valuable and challenging book complete with informative tables and highly illustrative maps.  Although the book’s language may make it somewhat inaccessible to younger students, older and gifted students should be able to utilize sections of the book with little or no difficulty.  However, all students can benefit from maps detailing both the history of the Jews in Europe and the legacy of organized violence against them.  The book’s arrangement allows instructors to utilize brief essays about various topics including the aftermath of World War I, antisemitic propaganda, and Jewish resistance.  Bauer has also included an introductory chapter about Judaism.  Instructors should be careful, however, with defining Judaism.  As Dr. Levy points out, the Nazis were not concerned with who the Jews really were, but rather their imaginary vision of the Jew as outsider and predatory threat.[5]

            Teachers will also want to explain the origins and expressions of antisemitism.  Hatred and organized violence against the Jews is not a Nazi invention, although there are important differences between this form of antisemitism and previous forms.  Dr Richard S. Levy’s book, Antisemitism in the Modern World (1991), is an anthology of antisemitic propaganda, literature, pamphlets, and speeches.  Antisemitism and its evolution into the political tool of Nazis are clearly illustrated.  One of the more infamous antisemitic publications, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, is traced through history, enabling students to see the linking of Jews to financial dishonesty and international conspiratorial behavior, which persists even to this day.  Using the words of antisemites and victimizers, Levy shows how the language of antisemitism changed from mere invectives against Jewish culture, appearance, practices, and real and imagined behaviors, into a more organized, violent, and politically savvy danger.  Students will be able to examine excerpts from Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and to read an antisemitic essay written by the giant of the American automobile industry, Henry Ford.  Even learned men such as Voltaire and Richard Wagner saw fit to publish works against the Jews.  All of these publications were successful in depicting the Jew as a dangerous outsider, an important element of genocidal behavior.

            The Holocaust is not the only recorded instance of genocide.  In order to better understand how the Holocaust occurred, students should look at other genocides, past and present, and use this information to identify the elements of genocide.  The introduction of such material will also help foster discussion of current events.  It is also an important way to discuss issues of racism and other forms of hatred.  The History and Sociology of Genocide (1990) By Frank Chalk and Kurt Jonassohn ($19.95) is an easy to read anthology of case studies covering genocides from ancient Carthage to 20^th century Cambodia.  Chalk and Jonassohn are able to illustrate that all genocides possess common elements.  As was the case with European Jews, victims of genocide are presented as outsiders or threats. 

 Students will also learn about United States foreign policy and international relations among United Nations members, as the ratification of the UN Convention on the Prevention and the Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948) is also covered.  Additionally, the inclusion of the legal, political, social, and economic ramifications of genocide, including the Holocaust, will increase students’ understanding of this difficult topic.  The bibliography is also an excellent resource for additional readings and information.

            Students should also have the opportunity to study the Holocaust from another perspective, namely that of the arts.  Noted English professor, Lawrence L. Langer, has edited a wonderful anthology of diaries, poetry, drama, and short fiction, Art from the Ashes ($30.00).  His presentation of the Holocaust through the eyes of literature, as well as his work on Holocaust testimonials, has made important contributions to current scholarship.  This anthology is no exception.  The impact of reading about real, individual experiences in this unimaginable time will allow students to see the Holocaust through a more narrow window, perhaps increasing their appreciation of what happened.  Langer has also included poetry, which will give students another way to gauge the impact of Holocaust.  One of the more notable inclusions, “Death Fugue” by Paul Celan, is a brilliant interpretation of what happened, focusing on the contrast between the “blonde haired Magarete” and the “ashen haired Sulamith” and the horror of ashes.  The poem becomes discordant, almost chaotic, as the rhythm of the poem makes one read faster and the jumbling of words becomes more prevalent.

            Once students have a better understanding of what the Holocaust was, including its causes and effects, teachers should continue the discussion to the modern day.  Contemporary newspaper articles, which can be retrieved from databases and free online newspaper sites (discussed in more detail later) and print formats of major newspapers, will do much to illustrate current responses to the Holocaust.  Students can find information about modern war crimes trials, the restitutions made to Holocaust survivors, and contemporary genocides, such as the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia.  This will also allow for the introduction of one of the most difficult and controversial topics surrounding the Holocaust—namely Holocaust denial, or so-called “revisionism”.  Deborah Lipstadt has authored an excellent book about Holocaust denial, Denying the Holocaust ($ 10.95).  Published in 1994, this book is indispensable to a Holocaust curriculum.  Students may get the impression that the Holocaust and its issues are in the past and removed from America.  However, some of the most vocal antisemites, as well as many notable “revisionist scholars,” such as Mark Butz of Northwestern University, are Americans.  Antisemitism is not a thing of the past, but a constant reality.  Lipstadt’s book helps to expose the myths, lies and fallacies about the Holocaust, using examples found in the American media and American culture.  Once students know the history of antisemitism and the facts about the Holocaust, they will be able to refute the claims made by “revisionists.” 

The example of the Holocaust should be used as a unique opportunity to discuss the very real dangers of intolerance.  Antisemitism comes in many forms.  The use of the term “revisionist” seeks to somehow validate hatred.  It falsely presents lies and denial of historical facts, as educated interpretation.  Students should be able to apply what they learn here to other forms of intolerance, especially relationships between people of color and white Americans in the United States. 

Return to Top

            When considering the choices of videos and CD-ROMS for the workstation, it was necessary to set some clear criteria for selection.  At the top of that list was cost.  As a high school library, the budget for new materials tends to be quite limited, so price has to be a major factor in consideration.  A limit of less than $100 per item was set and the cost was weighed against the access that it provided.  Would that amount provide access to a large number of students at the same time, or was access limited to a single computer terminal?  Could the video or software be used in a classroom setting using a VCR or LCD projector?  Affirmative answers to these questions would obviously give greater value to the source.  Additional selection criteria included whether or not the information was available in another format.  For example, many eyewitness testimonies are available in print, in diaries or journals.  These print sources would be less expensive, but might not have the same emotional impact as a video recording of personal testimonies.  Factual information, on the other hand, like that available in an encyclopedia or on a website, might be more cost effective in those formats than on a CD-ROM, and do not require the visual impact of eyewitness accounts.  Also considered were reviews of the sources in library literature.  It would also be helpful if the distributor would allow for a free trial period before final purchase so that the librarian and possibly the teachers could see exactly what they would be purchasing.  The type of equipment needed to run the software was, of course, a further consideration.  Finally, the authority, value to the assignment, durability, and grade level appropriateness were final selection criteria.

            An examination of the relevant titles available on CD-ROM reveals that few are very valuable to the workstation.  Complete Maus includes the famous books, articles about Spiegelman's family, and transcripts of interviews with Spiegelman's father.  All of this is available in print, and is not made more meaningful by putting it in electronic format.  In addition, its age, copyright 1994, makes it slow to run on more sophisticated equipment.  A 1997 release, My Brother's Keeper, is better suited for today's equipment, and received positive reviews and a Silver Apple award from the National Education Media Network, but is also not well suited to the workstation.  The CD-ROM is intended to be an extension of two books and focuses on looking at the Holocaust through art.  At a cost of $80 the information would be better and more inexpensively obtained by simply including the books.  Also, this source does not have the emotional impact to justify the cost.  A much better choice for CD-ROM is Survivors: Testimonies of the Holocaust.  This two CD-ROM set is the product of Steven Spielberg and the Shoah Visual History Foundation which has set as its goal recording the personal testimony of Holocaust survivors.  The set includes the video testimony of four Holocaust survivors, all from different countries and age groups.  In addition, there are archival photos and little known facts.  The students can access the information in several ways, either by going directly to the survivor's stories, or examining the Holocaust chronologically with year by year chapters, or geographically by examining an interactive map of Europe. Also included is an interactive index with definitions, important events, people, and places.  Furthermore, there are links to Web sites that further explore these issues. The program runs on current platforms. Navigation is simple and smooth, even when going between disks.  The narration by Winona Ryder and Leonardo DiCaprio will help to draw interest from students, and the emotional impact of the survivor's stories could never be equaled by a print source.  Finally, with all of these positive attributes, the impact achieved for the price of $29.99 simply cannot be rivaled.

            Videos about the Holocaust are much easier to find than CD-ROM's, but that simply makes the task of selection even more difficult.  Of course, there are the well-known Hollywood feature films such as Schindler's List, The Last Days, and Life is Beautiful  to consider, as well as lesser known documentaries and archival films.  For the purposes of this workstation, Schindler's List and films like it simply do not fit.  Though based on true stories, they have nonetheless been dramatized, which gives them great emotional impact, but may blur the lines between fact and fiction.  Since the workstation is intended to be used for serious research, these films do not qualify for inclusion, but might make excellent choices for classroom viewing. 

            Instead, the most obvious use of video for this topic would be to record eyewitness testimonies of Holocaust survivors.  This is the best way to have students gain factual information with a great deal of emotional impact.  There are several videos available which accomplish this objective.  The first comes again from Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation.  Entitled Survivors of the Holocaust, this 1996 release is broken down chronologically, allowing for a look at life before, during, and after the Holocaust.  Photos and film clips accompany the powerful testimonies, and at times the images are very graphic.  While this may be too much for some viewers, the impact of these images is sure to be remembered, and simply are not as powerful in another format without the voiceovers of the survivors' testimonies.  The video received very positive reviews from several sources, including Library Journal, School Library Journal, and Children's Video Review News.  A somewhat similar documentary from 1985, Shoah, gives even more powerful testimonies with a better balance since it includes interviews with not only survivors, but SS men, and locals who witnessed the Holocaust.  The director, Claude Lanzmann, traveled all over the world to find these people and record their testimony.  He is very persistent in his interviewing, drawing out the full story from each person.  Unlike Survivors, Shoah does not use graphic photos or films, but allows the stories to speak for themselves.  While this video may be more palatable for sensitive students and certainly gives a much broader look at what happened, there are two factors which make this an impossible choice for inclusion in the workstation.  One is the price.  At $269.98, most school libraries would simply not have the money to purchase this.  Secondly, the video is in two parts and runs for over nine hours.  This makes it impractical for both classroom use and student research.  Still another factor that limits its usefulness to students is the fact that it is not in English, but subtitled.  Most students would find that frustrating.  Therefore, Survivors of the Holocaust is the more logical choice.

            Besides survivor accounts, videos also offer several different perspectives of the Holocaust which might not be available in other formats.  Totschweigen (Wall of Silence) is a German made film from 1995 which examines the events in a small town just before the end of the war.  Despite its subtitles, the emotional impact of the film and its unique look at how others responded to the Holocaust as it was happening makes it a valuable source.  Once again, the power of the film lies in the fact that interviews with those who were there are included.  Also shown is the search for the mass burial site of the 180 Hungarian Jews murdered in this small town just before the war ended.  Positive reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Video Librarian all testify to the quality and value of this video.  This film could be used strictly by students doing research or could be an excellent way to begin discussion in the classroom.

Return to Top

When contemplating to subscribe to an online subscription database, it is necessary to set distinct benchmarks for selection.  The online subscriptions are expensive; cost should be one of the first priorities.   The database should be easy for students and faculty to navigate without lengthy instruction or guidance.  The service should be flexible to other curriculum related topics and adjustable to different uses.  Most online databases have been critiqued by many professional journals and other sources of library literature.

            With regard to cost, subscription databases that were solely devoted to the Holocaust were too expensive for such a limited purpose.  The funds would be better spent on printed materials that should offer students easier and quicker access to the same information.  Unlike printed materials, videos, or CD-ROMs the access terminates when the subscription expires.  If too much is spent on technology, the printed sources may become neglected.  The subscription databases that were selected for this workstation have a broader focus than just the Holocaust, but still could be used to find valuable information for the students.  A hidden cost involved in using online databases is the access to computers.  Maintenance and acquisition of hardware and software should also be considered in the cost of the online subscriptions.

            Each subscription database was tested for the ease of “searchability.”  The database needed to be easy to use.  The service must be able to use Boolean Logic and wild cards.  It must possess remote access for the users. The database must have different search options.  The options must include a single search box function and a method to use multiple search boxes to develop a more complex Boolean search.  The searches needed to be redefined without the user starting over.  Each database needed to have the ability to be accessed from the school by its Internet Provider address (IP address) and be password protected for remote access from any computer that is online.  Databases that did not offer all of these functions were eliminated from consideration.

            Each database needed to have a variety of features that made it unique to the other online databases.  The databases were evaluated as to whether it could be used for a variety of classes or topics.  The database’s ability to hypertext link to specific articles without the user re-performing the search, and professional development is an important feature of this database.  Due to cost, subscription databases that were generalized had a higher value to our curriculum than ones that are specialized to just the Holocaust and related topics.  The students are being taught how to create PowerPoint Presentations and create web pages.  If a hypertext link could be created directly to an article without the end user needing to do a search on this database, the database received a higher priority on this workstation.  Databases that offered full text articles were seen as a higher priority than databases that did not.  Finally, if the database could access information for professional development, it received a better evaluation.  These criteria would not eliminate a database from this workstation.

            As with all materials for a school, the databases needed to be accurate, appropriate, and aligned to the school’s curriculum and state goals.  Every article on the databases needed to offer the author’s or authors’ name(s), source of the article, and other appropriate bibliographic information.  The materials that the database produced were required to be available in a variety of grade levels.  The more flexible the database was, the better it was evaluated.  The database needed to answer questions that were proposed by the students who were answering the information needs of our students.

            e-Library was originally produced by Infonautics of Wayne, PA.  Originally, it was a program contained on two floppy disks that provided access to the online database.  The modern format is an online subscription database that is compatible through most browser software.  BigChalk.com is the current producers of e-Library.  e-Library holds over 600 different full text magazine and newspaper articles.  The educational version of e-Library is e-Library Classic.  For research on the Holocaust, students will be able to access full text articles from News Week International, Journal of American Ethnic History, Europe, European Review of History, Historian, Historical Methods, Jerusalem Post, History Today, and other history related articles from various other journals.  It also has the ability to access full text articles from a variety of reference books.  e-Library can pull articles from World Book Encyclopedia, Colliers Encyclopedia, International Dictionary of Historic Places, as well as other reference books.  For students that need a visual aid to a project, e-Library contains the ability to access pictures from AIMS Multimedia, Reuters Toppix News and Sports, and Archive Photos.  This database also has access to professional journals that faculty members may wish to use to access articles on how teach about the Holocaust and Holocaust “revisionism”.  Overall, e-Library was able to produce over 2,000 articles about the Holocaust, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and related topics.

            The price of e-Library varies as to the type of institution that wishes to access it.  For a high school, a site license for a school of 3,000 students is $1400.00.  Fortunately for public schools, the Illinois State Board of Education provides a statewide subscription for all public school students. The subscription includes remote access.  The materials available are broad enough that a variety of grade levels from 6th grade to senior year are easily covered.

            e-Library has many strengths.  The size and font of text can be manipulated to make viewing easier for a student.  It includes a “Tips for searching” icon that explains search strategies.  e-Library uses Boolean logic, wild cards, and quotation marks to search.  Search inquires can be made in natural language (form of a question) or by using Boolean modifiers (AND, OR, or NOT).  The “go to the best part” icon can be used as a time saver for most students.  Articles that are hypertext linked by PowerPoint or web pages can be directly accessed (after the viewer logs in the user name and password) without redoing the search.  Its only weaknesses are due to its lack of easy navigation and unforgiving spelling.  For a student to access another article, they must return to the results screen prior to proceeding to the next article.  There is no spell check available with e-Library.

            GaleNet Discovering Collection is produced by the Gale Group.  The Gale Group is a publisher of reference materials owned by the Thompson Corporation.  GaleNet “Discovering Collection is a comprehensive, cross-curricular reference source combining thousands of biographies, topical overviews, critical analyses, plot summaries, events, and media elements into a single, easy-to-use database that supports classroom learning. It provides integrated access to the same DISCovering, Exploring, and U*X*L Reference content previously sold as separate databases and now contained in the Student Resource Center.”   A high school of 3,000 students would pay $1700.00 for access to GaleNet Discovering Collection.  It contains articles from various Gale Group reference publications.  The titles are a variety of high school and middle school level materials.

            An IP address for instant log on is not available.  GaleNet Discovering Collection does not contain a spell check feature, nor does it offer instruction on unsuccessful inquiries.  If a user needs additional help, there is a small link to instructions for creating a better search.  One of GaleNet’s strongest traits is the MLA citation of articles included at the end of each article.  The database uses Boolean logic, wild cards, and quotation marks for ease of searching.  It excels at information on biographies on individuals and various forms of literature including critiques and reviews.  Hypertext links from PowerPoint and other web pages are automatically redirected to the articles after the end user logs in with a user name and password.  GaleNet Discovering Collection contains information that is also useful for science topics, book reviews, biographies, literary critiques, and history.  The database is extremely flexible in range of scope.  For research about the Holocaust and related topics, GaleNet Discovering Collection produced nearly 1,000 unique articles.

            ProQuest Direct Platinum Edition is primarily a magazine and journal database.  ProQuest Direct Platinum Edition is a product of Bell & Howell Information Learning Company (formally UMI).  It includes 2,408 different magazines and journals.  Most of the articles are available in full text.  Some of the available journals that ProQuest Direct Platinum Edition covering the Holocaust includes Academy of Political Science, American Heritage, The American Historical Review, American History, American Jewish History, Art History, Art Journal, Journal of American Ethnic History, Journal of American History, Journal of Political and Military Sociology, Journal of Social History, and Judaism.  Current newspapers and other related periodicals that deal with the current trend of Holocaust Denial and “revisionism” are also included.  Recently, four online reference book series have been added to this service.  Students and faculty may now access The Ethnic Cultures of America, The Worldbook Encyclopedia, and The World Factbook.  ProQuest Direct Platinum Edition was able to find over 3,000 articles on the Holocaust, genocide, antisemitism, and other related searches.

            ProQuest Direct Platinum Edition is available for $7,345.00, but is discounted for schools and libraries that buy in consortia.  The Heritage Trail Library System belongs to a consortium that has reduced the price to $5,675.00 for member libraries.  Due to the high price, it is extremely important that the database be flexible enough to cover this topic and many other informational needs.  The database can be set to explore professional journals related to education to meet the professional development requirements of a variety of educators.

            ProQuest Direct Platinum Edition has three methods available for searching:  Basic, Guided, and Natural language.  The basic search is a single line that is more effective when Boolean modifiers are used.  The guided search allows for three terms to be combined in different fields using different Boolean modifiers.  Using conjunctions and being too “wordy” easily confuse the natural language search.  ProQuest Direct Platinum Edition offers the user explanations as to why unsuccessful searches provide no results from a search.  It contains hypertext links for descriptors that will lead the user to related articles.

            Second only to Dialog in its ability to find unique full text articles, ProQuest Direct Platinum Edition is a very powerful magazine database.  Remote access allows all library users to use the database under one user name and password.  Its weaknesses were the inability to provide spell check and it does not redirect users of PowerPoint or another website to an article without the end user logging in and searching his or herself.   Unfortunately, the lack of redirecting users makes a virtual bibliography a useless feature.

            Gale’s newest product is Gale’s Resource Centers.  I had the opportunity to try out two new databases for two weeks.  Gale’s Student Resource Center - Gold was able to do all the functions that ProQuest Direct Platinum Edition and GaleNet Discovering Collection were able to do combined. Gale’s Biography Resource Center is a database that holds over 250,000 biographical entries.  Entries were easy to find using Boolean logic, wild cards, and other search techniques on both databases.  Students will be able to redirect hypertext links to entries from PowerPoint or a web page after the end user has logged in.  The only draw back was the lack of command controls, but this could be bypassed by entering terms within the Boolean logic statement in the search box.  At the end of each article is the MLA citation for that article.

            For research on the Holocaust, Gale’s Biography Resource Center was able to produce over 1,500 articles from 50 different Gale Group published reference books.  Gale’s Student Resource Center - Gold was able to find over 12,000 additional articles from various journals or GaleNet Discovering Collection. 

            Combined, Gale’s Student Resource Center - Gold and Gale’s Biography Resource Center cost $7,000.00.  If a school library can afford these databases, it allows for a good replacement for ProQuest Direct Platinum Edition and GaleNet Discovering Collection and saves the school $500.00 per year.

            SIRS Knowledge Source is an online periodical index.  SIRS Knowledge Source is produced by SIRS Mandarin, Inc.  “SIRS is committed to collecting, analyzing and structuring information in a highly organized, well-balanced manner so that every citizen is equipped with the knowledge necessary to participate in the global dialogue.  For more than two decades, SIRS has preserved tens of thousands of articles that would not otherwise be available for public use.”  For $1500.00, a school can subscribe to SIRS Knowledge Source.

            For research on the Holocaust, SIRS Knowledge Source was able to produce 2,000 articles for high school students.  Articles in SIRS Knowledge Source are intended to include diverse viewpoints on controversial issues.  SIRS Knowledge Source articles are organized by Library of Congress subject headings, not computer generated.  Its primary research is for current topics.  SIRS Knowledge Source was most effective in producing articles on contemporary genocide.  SIRS Knowledge Source is easily searched by Boolean modifiers.  Inquires can be continued without starting over.

            Remote access is performed on a different URL, user name and password than the host libraries.  Articles can be redirected for up to 30 days and the end user sets the user name and password for hypertext links from PowerPoint presentations or web pages.  It also includes direction for citing the source according to the MLA.

Return to Top

            The Internet is another important electronic resource for studying the Holocaust.  We have reviewed a large number of websites, placing the majority of them on a links page that we designed and organized by subject and/or content, which is available at http://www.geocities.com/j_milojevic/holocaustlinks.html.  We are by no means suggesting that each and every one of these pages should be used in your adaptation of this workstation.  We decided to compile such an extensive list in order to provide many different options for the instructor.  Holocaust scholarship comprises a wide variety of topics and it was our desire to create a collection, which demonstrated this variety. This collection provides access to hundreds of web pages.  Instructors can use this resource to examine what types of content is online, choosing those sites, which will contribute most effectively to objectives.  We have provided access to multimedia, organizations, link collections, and topical information.  Here you will find websites about interpretations of the Holocaust in the arts, first hand accounts of witnesses and survivors, information about Jewish life during the Holocaust, Nazi Germany, World War II, ghettos, Holocaust Denial, genocide, and non-Jewish victims of the Nazi genocide. 

We highly recommend that teachers do not allow students to use this web site until you have reviewed its contents.  Of course, we do not wish to overwhelm with too much information.  More importantly, however, we do offer links to the web sites of those who deny the Holocaust.  Your students will have access to antisemitic content.  We cannot be responsible for the information some of these sites may link to.  We have made every effort to avoid truly baseless and irresponsible content.  We are only recommending the sites we have directly linked to as appropriate for educational purposes; we are not endorsing their views or content.  If your school uses filters, you may not have access to some of these sites. You may wish to adjust the security settings of your browser software to prevent cookies, as we are not sure if these web authors utilize them to collect data on their visitors.  We have carefully reviewed the sites included, judging them for accuracy (or, in the case of “revisionist” sites, clarity), audience, authorship and content.  We have also made use of website reviews found in the professional literature of library and information science, particularly for Holocaust denial.

            Any curriculum which integrates Internet resources must include instruction about website evaluation.  We strongly urge instructors to make use of free instructional materials online, which offer guidelines fro developing these skills.  Washburn University has produced a simple, straightforward checklist of questions students should consider when they view web pages.  Including links to useful web guides, such as the Scout Report, this site is available at http://www.washburn.edu/mabee/reviews.html. Educator Kathy Schrock has also produced an excellent resource for developing these skills, which is suitable for all learning abilities at http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html. 

            A few sites are so content rich that they deserve more mention than a brief annotation.  The United States Holocaust Museum, The Cybrary of the Holocaust, The Nitzkor Project, the Holocaust Teacher Resource Center, and the K-12 TLC Guide to the Holocaust by the Teaching and Learning Center are invaluable Internet resources.  Each site provides an excellent collection of educational content, including free lesson plans, books, maps, and primary source materials.

            The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, http://www.ushmm.org/, makes a diverse body of content available to educators. It is no surprise that this site was recommended and reviewed by several different librarians for a special issue of Reference Librarian 61-62 (1998), a highly useful professional resource for the field.  Every effort has been made to provide a diverse and informative collection of information.  You can download and print an entire 132-page guide for teaching the Holocaust for free!  Additionally, there are free books about resistance, a set of 37 biographical essays on Holocaust survivors, and a collection of photographs.  The books are available in .pdf format, which can be read using the free Adobe Acrobat software.  There is also a separate learning section created just for students.  The site provides excellent coverage of topics such as the “Final Solution,” Nazi Germany, concentration camps, and resistance movements.  Students select topics and are brought to full color lessons containing photographs and maps.  Lessons also include cross-references to related content, and timelines.  A glossary has also been provided.  Students can utilize an easy navigation system to explore various issues.  For example, the lesson for Nazi Germany includes articles about propaganda, the SS, and the Nazi program of euthanasia against the mentally and physically disabled.   There are also several online exhibits ranging from the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials to the Holocaust in Greece. 

            The Cybrary of the Holocaust, http://remember.org/, and the Nitzkor Project, http://www.nizkor.org/, are equally well reviewed.  These sites offer impressive collections of primary source materials, multimedia, educational resources, and opportunities to join in online discussion groups.  The sites are well organized and easy to navigate.  Both offer their own search features, allowing users to find relevant information more easily.  If you need timelines, lesson plans, book excerpts, and articles you can rely on, these are two sites to visit.  The Cybrary maintains a teacher’s forum, enabling educators to contact one another about various educational tips and concerns, as well as some full-text books, which are available as free downloads.  They also provide excerpts from several books authored by Holocaust survivors and a unique essay about incorporating study of the Holocaust into business education programs.  The Nitzkor Project has an extensive multimedia file directory consisting of 500 files for downloading. It also contains an A-Z guide to important figures in the Holocaust and Holocaust scholarship and an excellent 66 Question and Answer Guide about Holocaust “revisionism.” Additionally, both sites maintain their own collections of bibliographies and essays.  

            Finally, there are two more excellent sites designed especially for Holocaust educators.             The K-12 TLC Guide to the Holocaust (http://tlc.ai.org/holocaus.htm), which is offered by the teaching and Learning Center, a volunteer organization of parents, teachers, and other concerned professionals and advocates.   The other is the Holocaust Teacher Resource Center (http://www.holocaust-trc.org/), which was created by Dr. Mark Nataupsky, executive director of the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center.  Dr. Nataupsky is not a historian, but has nonetheless created an impressive collection of useful information.  The TLC Guide contains lesson plans, bibliographies, links to National Public Radio broadcasts, which discuss the Holocaust, and a special section devoted to concentration camps.  Lesson plan topics include Hitler, Israel, Judaism, War Crimes, stolen assets, and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.  The content is appropriate for all age levels and learning abilities.

            The Holocaust teacher Resource Center also offers unique and reliable content.  The site has been recognized by the Internet Content Rating Association and is a member of the web ring owned by the Holocaust Education Foundation, a volunteer organization promoted by Dr. Nataupsky.  This site is not just an educational resource, but also an important source of professional information.  The site maintains information about conferences and seminars in Holocaust education.  There are full-text books (available for free download) and over 25 lesson plans.  Teachers who wish to devote time to studying the non-Jewish victims of the Nazi genocide will want to review their lesson plans on the treatment of the disabled in Nazi Germany, the experience of Jehovah’s witnesses, and the plight of homosexuals in the Third Reich.  Resources for these features are taken from reputable sources, including the United States Holocaust Museum.  The site also takes care to organize editorial works form scholarly essays.

            On a final note, instructors will probably wish to tailor our resources and independently discovered materials into their own workstation.  Furthermore, there has to be a way to keep the content up to date.  To create a more individualized electronic resource for this workstation, educators may wish to utilize Microsoft’s Front Page Express, which is available for a free download online at Microsoft’s site.  It works with Internet Explorer, Word, and PowerPoint, following a format similar to that of Word.  A complete help guide is included, as with all Microsoft products.  Students can also utilize this program to create their own web-based projects about the Holocaust.  This free utility will provide more instructional opportunities across the curriculum, encouraging technological skills and providing a creative setting for the introduction of information literacy and research skills.  Students will learn more effectively from the most current tools available.  This applies to presentation and content.  Keeping this workstation current does not have to be a time consuming headache.  Major U.S. newspapers and national news coverage are excellent resources for current events; new issues surrounding the Holocaust are often easily accessible.  Many newspapers, such as the New York Times, offer free access to their publications, albeit with a very limited time span—the average appears to be approximately one week of content.  Two free sites, News365 (http://www.news365.com) and HeadlineSpot.com (http://headlinespot.com), are meta-search tools, which can be utilized to search headlines and stories from thousands of international news sources.  These sites, as well as similarly designed offerings, are organized in a variety of different ways, including subject, topic, and publication.  Finally, links pages can be updated with less human effort with software applications designed to check links on web pages.  Many of the better reviewed programs, such as AlertLinkRunner v.4.07, offer free 30 day evaluation periods, after which, user s are required to register and pay, in this case $39.95, or delete the file.  Computing sites such as ZDNet (http://www.zdnet.com) offer downloads and reviews of this software.  After much searching, we have found a simple and free link validator, which you may wish to try.  LinkProver v2.0, featured at ZDNet, is a well-reviewed and easy to use application that checks on your links, images, and text.  This program works on Windows95/98 and NT.  Mac users can also search for this software at ZDNet.

            The Holocaust is a challenging and difficult subject to teach.  It has been our goal to review what types of sources are available to the high school educator in this field and to provide recommendations based on what we have found to be the best reviewed and most useful materials.  Traditional sources, such as books and film, still make valuable contributions in the classroom, but it is also important to take advantage of the growing body of electronic tools to access the most diverse and current content available.  By combining various subject-based approaches to this subject, along with the integration of computing and research skills, a high school Holocaust unit can become an important part of the entire curriculum.

Return to Top

Sources Consulted

Adamson, Lynda G.  Literature Connections to World History, 7-12.  Englewood, California: Libraries Unlimited, 1998.

Anderson, Judy A. “Expand Reference Resources: Research the Holocaust Through the

Internet.” Reference Librarian 61-62 (1998): 245-54.

Best Books for Young Adult Readers: Grades 7-12. Edited by Steven J. Calvert.  New Providence, New Jersey: Bowker, 1997.

Book Review Index.  Detroit: Gale, 1965-.

Booklist.  Chicago: ALA, 1905-.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.  Urbana: University of Illinois, 1947-.

Chartock, Roselle K. “Preparing a Holocaust Unit for High School Students (at

            Monument Mountain Regional High School in Massachusetts). Reference

            Librarian 61-62 (1998): 33-40.

Combs, Joseph. “ProQuest Direct: Remote Research and Electronic Document
        Delivery from UMI,” Library Software Review, March 1997, p. 50 - 63.

Congress, Marge. “ProQuest Direct,” Multimedia Schools, September/October, 1999, p. 72 - 74.

“Content List.” Bigchalk.com: Berwyn, PA, September 2000, accessed at http://www.bigchalk.com.

“Discovering Collection.” Gale Group: Detroit, MI, accessed April 2, 2001, accessed at http://galegroup.com.

“Electric Library.” School Library Journal, January 1998, p. 54.

“eLibrary Classic,” Bigchalk.com: Berwyn, PA, November 2000, accessed at
                                http://www.bigchalk.com.

.“Gale Announces New Resources Available on GaleNet,” Computers in Library,November/December, 1998, p. 46.

“GaleNet Product List,” Gale Group: Detroit, MI, accessed April 2, 2001, accessed at
            http://www.galenet.com.

Gallant, Jennifer Jung.  Best Videos for Children and Young Adults: A Core Collection for Libraries. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 1990.

Great Internet Sites for YAs: http://www.ala.org/yalsa/yasites/yasites.html.

The Horn Book Guide to Children's and Young Adult Books.  Boston: Horn Book, 1989-.

Kirkus Reviews.  New York: Kirkus, 1933-.

LaGuardia, Cheryl. “Gale Biography Resource Center,” Library Journal, April 15, 2000,p. 56.

Landesman, Betty. “Holocaust Denial and the Internet.” Reference Librarian 61-62 (1998):

287-299.

Library of Congress Internet Resource Page:  http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/library.

LION:  http://www.libertynet.org/~lion/lion.html.

McLester, Susan. “Electric Library,” Technology & Learning, November/December,1998, p. 27.

Media Review Digest.  Ann Arbor, Mich.: Pierian, 1973/74 -.

Mellendorf, Scott A. “Holocaust Resources on the Internet: A Presence and Usage Survey.”

            Reference Librarian 61-62 (1998): 265-285.

Menton, Linda K. “Research Strategies and Reference Sources About the Holocaust: A Case

            Study. Reference Librarian 61-62 (1998): 195-211.

Moss, Jenny, and George Wilson.  From Page to Screen: Children's and Young Adult Books on Film and Video. Detroit:Gale, 1992.

“ProQuest Publications,” Bell & Howell: Chicago, IL, accessed April 10, 2001,accessed at http://proquest.umi.com.

Quenk, Rachel.  The Spirit That Moves Us: A Literature-Based Resource Guide on Teaching           
about the Holocaust and Human Rights.  Gardiner, Maine: Tilbury House, 1997.

R.R. Bowker's Directory of Videocassettes for Children 1999.  New Providence, New Jersey:R.R. Bowker, 1999.

School Library Journal.  New Providence, New Jersey: Bowker, 1947-.

“Selection Criteria for Articles in SIRS Researcher, SIRS Enduring Issues, SIRS Renaissance & SIRS Government Reporter,” SIRS Mandarin, Inc.: San Jose, CA, accessed April 12, 2001, accessed at http://sks3.sirs.com.

Senior High School Library Catalog.  Edited by Juliette Yaakov.  15th ed.  with annual
          supplements.  New York: Wilson, 1997.

“SIRS Knowledge Source List,” SIRS Mandarin, Inc.: San Jose, CA, accessed April 12, 2001, accessed at http://sks3.sirs.com.

Shane, Jackie C. “Locating Holocaust Information on the Internet.” Reference

            Librarian 61-62 (1998): 255-264.

Troutner, Joanne, “Software Review,” Emergency Librarian,
September/October,    1997,p. 47 - 48.

Video Librarian.  Bremerton, Wash.: Video Librarian, 1986-.

VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates.  Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow, 1978-.

Bibliography

Sources Considered for Inclusion in Workstation

Anti -defamation League of B'nai B'rith.  The Avenue of the Just.  Produced and directed by Samuel H. Elfert. 58 min. 1979. Videocassette.

Bauer, Yehuda. A History of the Holocaust. New York: Franklin Watts, 1982.

Bernbaum, Isreal.  My Brother's Keeper.  Produced by SVE.  G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1997.  CD-Rom.          

Chalk, Frank and Kurt Jonassohn. A History and Sociology of Genocide: Analyses and

            Case Studies. New Haven, CT.: Yale University Press, 1990.

Complete MAUS. New York: Voyager, 1994.  CD-ROM.

Fortunnoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonials.  Witness: Voices from the Holocaust.  86 min. Yale University, 1999. Videocassette.

Langer, Lawrence L. (ed.). Art from the Ashes: A Holocaust Anthology. New York:

            Oxford University Press, 1995.

Levy, Richard S. (ed.). Antisemitism in the Modern World: An Anthology of Texts. Sources

            In Modern History Series. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath and Company, 1991.

Lipstadt, Deborah. Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory.

            New York: Plume, 1994.

The Longest Hatred.  Produced by WGBH.  150 min.  WGBH Boston Video, 1997.Videocassette.

Shoah.  Directed by Claude Lanzmann.  570 min. Paramount Home Video, 1986.Videocassette.

Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation.  Survivors of the Holocaust. 
Directed by        Allan Holzman. 70 min.  Turner Home Entertainment, 1996.Videocassette.

Survivors: Testimonies of the Holocaust.  Produced by Steven Spielberg and the Shoah Visual History Foundation.New York: Simon & Schuster Interactive, 1999.CD-ROM.

Totschweigen.  58 min. Alden Films, 1995.Videocassette.

[1] The historian Yehuda Bauer has used this chronology, 1933 to 1945, to define the period of the Holocaust in his book A History of the Holocaust (New York: Franklin Watts, 1982).

[2] Bauer has placed the total number of Jewish casualties at 5,820,960 in A History of the Holocaust (1982).  He includes losses from the Polish-Soviet area, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, France, Belgium and Luxemburg, Holland, Italy, Norway, parts of Rumania, Yugoslavia and Greece.  This was 34% of the Jewish population. (See pages 334-335). 

[3] We have used the 1997 Illinois Learning Standards authored by Superintendent James Spagnolo. 

[4]Roselle K. Chartock, “ Preparing a Holocaust Unit for High School Students,” Reference Librarian 61-62

                (1998): 35.

[5] Dr. Richard S. Levy, interview by Jennie Milojevic. Unpublished email.  March 2001.

Return to Top