Unit VI: Liberation | The Center for Jewish-Inclusive Learning Portal

Topic

The Holocaust

Summary

Liberation is the primary focus of this sixth unit of Echoes & Reflections’ 12-unit curriculum on the Holocaust. The lessons here explore the immense physical and emotional challenges survivors faced during the liberation period, as well as the reactions of the Allied soldiers who became witnesses to genocide as they liberated the concentration camps.

Students investigate the ramifications of liberation, most notably that Jews became displaced persons with no status and nowhere to go. They then examine the purpose of displaced persons’ camps and what life was like for the people living in them.

Finally, students reflect on the remarkable resilience of Jewish survivors as they worked to rebuild their lives, even as antisemitism across Europe continued to impede their efforts.

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