Unit IV: The Ghettos | The Center for Jewish-Inclusive Learning Portal

Topic

The Holocaust

Summary

In the fourth unit of Echoes & Reflections 12-unit Holocaust curriculum, students are introduced to the ghettos that the Nazis established throughout Europe to control, isolate, weaken, and dehumanize Jewish people.

This unit examines the conditions in the ghettos and the profound hardships they imposed on Jewish life, including overcrowding, starvation, disease, and grief. Students learn how Jews sought to preserve their dignity, maintain community life, and respond to daily challenges in the face of extreme oppression. They will also engage with primary sources, including visual history testimony clips, that illustrate the experiences and responses of those imprisoned in the ghettos.

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