I do not Live in the Past,
the Past Lives in Me
Ellie Wiesel
Chapter 9 in
the Bracher book Radical Pedagogy Identity, Generativity, and Social
Transformation gave me lots of food for thought about how I teach the
Holocaust. I am going to back track and explain why I teach my students about
the Holocaust before I put “how” I teach under the microscope.
When my mother
died, I discovered that she had a secret. I was going through her belongings
and I found a plastic bread bag of press clipping and some typed manuscripts. The
manuscripts were typed on her old manual typewriter and the text matched the
clippings. After some investigation, I discovered that during the 1950’s my
mother wrote under a number of pen names for a magazine called the Cape Breton Mirror.
I was able to find out the name of the publication during my research for an
article and a CBC Information Morning phone in show called “Remembering the
Cape Breton Mirror”. The CBC was interested because I had written a magazine
article about my mother, Isabel Lewis. Before the magazine was released the
publisher told me I had to find out more information about the Cape Breton
Mirror. I was able to track down the publisher 50 years later. He was a
Holocaust survivor, Norman Lipschutz.The Lipschutz family were Polish Jews who
fled Hitler and eventually settled in Glace Bay .
Norman Norman Israel ,
the March of the Living for Teachers in Poland
and Germany , The Paper Clips
Museum in Whitwell Tennessee and gave me the
impetus to successfully lobby the Nova
Scotia
Traveling
to Israel Art Gallery
Yad Vashem is an incredible structure built
by Moshe Safdie. The design is like an arrow piercing the side of a mountain.
The arrow is a metaphor for the Holocaust, piercing the heart of the Jewish
people but not destroying them. They did survive in spite of the Nazi’s and
their collaborators. When you start to go through the Museum you might become
overwhelmed but there are no exits, you would have to retrace your steps to
exit the exhibit. This is intentional. The lack of exits makes the visitor
confront the Holocaust. The last exhibit you visit has pictures of people
killed in the war displayed in a circular fashion in the ceiling. These
pictures cast their reflection on the floor which resembles a dark pool. The
idea is that when we die we go into the ground, but Jewish people believe their
body is transformed and goes to heaven. Over to the side of that room is a
lookout over the Jerusalem , the holy city of David
Speaker after
speaker recommended that Educators focus
on human rights. They believed that a society that values human rights would
not allow a Holocaust to take place. They also felt that Jewish history should
be taught in its entirety, focusing on their accomplishments. For thousands of years, the Jewish people have
survived many persecutions, but they have been triumphant.
When
I got home I met with Dr.Katherine Covell from the Cape Breton University
Children’s Rights Centre. After that meeting, I accepted the challenge of
writing a curriculum that would show teachers how to use art to teach the
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. I wrote the lessons and worked out the
strategies with my Grade 10, Visual Art classes at Memorial Composite high school.
This curriculum called, “Using Art to Teach Children’s Rights”, is now
currently being used by UNICEF. http://globalclassroom.unicef.ca/en/resources/featured_lessons.htm
This
brings me back to Bracher, Page 109, paragraph 1, “…many teachers and scholars
who want their work to promote social justice view historicism as an essential
weapon in their battle against injustice and oppression...” I have definitely
used history to teach about social justice, I believe it is important to know
the roots of issues. I don’t think I have to throw the baby out with the bath water;
it is a question of how much emphasis to place on the parts of the lesson that
is historical.
Also, Page 111,
paragraph 1, quotes Nietzsche with a different opinion, he felt that”…while the
lessons of history are indispensable, they can be learned from a relatively
small piece of history….historical sense makes its servants passive and
retrospective.” I see these comments as looking at the weighting of issues and
the techniques of getting enough information on a topic to move forward and put
everything in context.
Further, Page
113, paragraph 2, reminds us that “…Dead White European Male literary histories
promote suppression and oppression of, and repression in, those (women, racial
and ethnic minorities, and others) whose attributes are not recognized in these
histories.” The balances of voices, genders, social status, and ethnicity
should always be considering when choosing research. Allowing the dissenters to
have a voice is crucial.
Page 114, page 2
warns that “…overinvestment in a single identity (racial, gender, sexual,
national, etc) produces two negative consequences.” It makes ones identity vulnerable
and cultivates an identity as a victim.
It
seems in an attempt to disclose the injustices of the past and right past wrongs,
we are in danger of victimizing groups of people thus damaging their self worth
to the point when they stay victims. We get the opposite of what we are trying
to achieve. When teaching students about racism, anti-Semitism, sexism and
other injustices there is a huge burden of responsibility on the purveyor of
information to do justice to the material and those who are suffering.
The
information in Chapter 9 appears to support what I learned in Israel
References:
Bracher, Mark. (2006) Radical Pedagogy
Identity, Generativity, and Social Transformation. New York: Palgrave MacMillan
Hi Diane,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog extremely interesting. Congratulations on your achievements in developing the curriculum “Using Art to Teach Children’s Rights.” What a great accomplishment. I recently read the chapters of Brackers book Radical Pedagogy you made reference to and, I thought about the educators in our class room and the challenges they face in teaching. I was very surprised by the information in Chapter 9 on Historicism. I was extremely shocked by the statement made by the German Professor that stated Holocaust education presented improperly could create anti-Semitism and, that “teenage boys do not relate to victims, but ally themselves with the power of the armed forces and often admire the German military.” I can understand why this made your heart stop because it made my heart stop. I admire the dedication you have to your profession, and I can see that you truly care about creating a well balanced learning environment.
The discovery of your mother’s secret was a wonderful story. I never really thought of my mother as a person, just my mother. It was not until she died that I learned so much more about her. These discoveries are such wonderful treasures. Thank you for sharing your story.
Dina
Hi Diane, it must have been quite a pleasant surprise to discover your mother was a writer, just when we think we know everything about someone .The holocaust was a terrible time in history, it is vital that we have people like yourself keeping it on everyone's radar. By your important work teaching about the Holocaust you are allowing future generations to learn about this important time in history and become compassioante and respect the value of human life. When my daughter was in grade 9 she had a holocaust survivor come to her class. It was the most powerful talk she ever had. i talked to her teacher and she said she had never seen the students so attentive and interested. Thanks for your blog, very interesting
ReplyDeleteHI diane
ReplyDeleteAllan,There are only 2 words in your post,HI Diane
ReplyDelete“ I DO NOT LIVE IN THE PAST ’’
ReplyDeleteHi Diane ! I think this reply may finally reach you in its’ entire completion. I already mentioned that I worked with Gary Lipschutz on a summer program a number of years ago with the Department Of Tourism. Gary was studying Journalism at the University of Ottawa.
I remember going into his father’s store , “ Norman’s Bookstore ” , on several occasions. It was located on Union Street across from the “ Savoy Theater ’’ . I can still recall the distinct odour when you entered the store. It appeared to me that there was an abundance of merchandise in the store which had never been sold. If there was something that you wanted , however ; it would be available. I was also told that Mr. Lipschutz never “ achieved the level of success’’ which he should have enjoyed. He did not flourish in his business. I still have a copy of “ The Merriam – Webster Dictionary ’’ which I purchased for $ 1.95.
Mr. Lipschutz was a short little man who never appeared to change his facial expression. I can still visualize Norman with his wife standing beside him behind the counter of the store. I believe she was a nurse. She would always display a kind little smile when you saw her shopping down town. She was usually carrying groceries. I do not believe they ever owned a vehicle. He always walked.
In your blog, you mentioned the magazine published by Mr. Lipschutz. I can remember a copy of this magazine, “The Cape Breton Mirror ’’ which appeared in the window of his store. It was displayed with its’ faded yellow cover in the front window.
My father worked several years at “ Chernin’s Wholesale ’’, which was a business owned by a Jewish family in the Town of Glace Bay. He can still remember the appliances which Mr. Lipschutz had purchased to send to his family back home. He wanted the items to be packed and crated at this outlet. My father said “ you could not fool Norman with numbers ’’. He also recalls Mr. Lipschutz working for the Chernin family in the accounting department. He said “ Norman could do the work of two people’’.
I really enjoyed this blog. There were many stores in the Town of Glace Bay when I worked for two consecutive summers with “The Glace Bay Down Town Development Corporation ’’. I met many people and it was a wonderful experience. What fun !!
Hi Diane,
ReplyDeleteYour blog entry is very interesting and informative. I was having difficulty getting through chapter 9, and this posting helped me relate and decipher the information
You mention the importance of understanding the root of issues related to social injustice. In our last class, we briefly discussed this very topic. The recent “KONY 2012” you tube video went viral, being viewed by millions of people worldwide. No one can argue that this campaign has made Joseph Kony a well known figure and exposed his tactics. However, as Dr. Plumb stated in class, we need to be cautions with such information, as the roots of the problem are not always an area of focus. Since going viral, the organization responsible for its production, has received much criticism.
I agree, it is very important to be cognizant of not only the information that is presented, but how it is presented. It is very reassuring to know that there are teachers like you! I truly sense your passion and dedication, which ensures you present Holocaust education in a manner that is respectful to both the past and present. Kudos!
Sheri